As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so [is]
my
beloved among the sons
As the apple tree, in a garden or orchard, excels and is
preferable to the wild barren trees of a forest F11,
especially it appears so when laden with choice fruit; so the
church, who here returns the commendation to Christ, asserts,
that he as much excels all the "sons", the creatures of God,
angels or men: angels, as the Targum, who, though sons of God by
creation, Christ is the Son of God, in a higher sense; he is
their Creator, and the object of their worship; they are
confirmed by him in the estate they are, and are ministering
spirits to him; and he is exalted above them in human nature: men
also, the greatest princes and monarchs of the earth, are
sometimes compared to large and lofty trees; but Christ is higher
than they, and is possessed of far greater power, riches, glory,
and majesty. All the sons of Adam in general may be meant; wicked
men, who are like forest trees, wild, barren, and unfruitful;
yea, even good men, Christ has the pre-eminence of them, the sons
of God by adopting grace; for he is so in such a sense they are
not; he is their Creator, Lord, Head, Husband, and Saviour, and
they have all their fruit from him; and so ministers of the word
have their gifts and grace from him, and therefore Christ excels
all that come under this appellation of sons. Christ may be
compared to an apple tree, which is very fruitful; and, when full
of fruit, very beautiful; and whose fruit is very cooling,
comforting, and refreshing. Christ is full of the fruits and
blessings of grace, which are to be reached by the hand of faith,
and enjoyed; and as he is full of grace and truth, he looks very
beautiful and glorious in the eye of faith; and which blessings
of grace from him, being applied to a poor sensible sinner,
inflamed by the fiery law, and filled with wrath and terror,
sweetly cool, refresh, and comfort him. The apple tree has been
accounted an hieroglyphic of love, under which lovers used to
meet, and sit under its delightful shade, and entertain each
other with its fruit; to which the allusion may be; see (
Song of Solomon 8:5
) ; the apple was sacred to love F12. The Targum renders it, the
pome citron, or citron apple tree; which is a tree very large and
beautiful; its fruit is of a bitter taste, but of a good smell;
always fruit on it; is an excellent remedy against poison, and
good for the breath, as naturalists F13 observe; and so is a
fit emblem of Christ, in the greatness of his person, in the
fulness, of his grace, in the virtue of his blood, and
righteousness and grace, which are a sovereign antidote against
the poison of sin; and whose presence, and communion with him,
cure panting souls, out of breath in seeking him; and whose
mediation perfumes their breath, their prayers, whereby they
become grateful to God, which otherwise would be strange and
disagreeable; I sat down under his shadow with great
delight:
under the shadow of the apple tree, to which Christ is compared;
whose person, blood, and righteousness, cast a shadow, which is a
protecting one, from the heat of divine wrath, from the curses of
a fiery law, from the fiery darts of Satan, and from the fury of
persecutors, ( Isaiah 25:4 Isaiah 25:5 ) ; and is
a cooling, comforting, and refreshing one, like the shadow of a
great rock to a weary traveller, ( Isaiah 32:2 ) ; and
though the shadow of some trees, as Pliny F14
observes, is harmful to plants that grow under them, others are
fructifying; and such is Christ; "they that dwell under his
shadow shall revive and grow" ( Hosea 14:7 ) . "Sitting"
here supposes it was her choice; that she preferred Christ to any
other shadow, looking upon him to be a suitable one in her
circumstances, ( Song of
Solomon 1:6 Song of
Solomon 1:7 ) ; it intimates that peace, quietness,
satisfaction, and security, she enjoyed under him; it denotes her
continuance, and desire of abiding there, ( Psalms 91:1 ) ; for the
words may be rendered, "I desired, and I sat down" F15; she
desired to sit under the shade of this tree, and she did; she had
what she wished for; and she sat "with great delight": having the
presence of Christ, and fellowship with him in his word and
ordinances, where Christ is a delightful shade to his people;
and his fruit [was] sweet to my taste;
the fruit of the apple tree, to which the allusion is. Solon
F16 advised the bride to eat a quince
apple before she went into the bridegroom, as leaving an
agreeable savour; and intimating how graceful the words of her
mouth should be. By "his fruit" here are meant the blessings of
grace, which are Christ's in a covenant way, come through his
sufferings and death, and are at his dispose; such as peace,
pardon, justification and fresh discoveries and manifestations of
his love, of which the apple is an emblem: and these are sweet,
pleasant, and delightful, to those that have tasted that the Lord
is gracious; whose vitiated taste is changed by the grace of God,
and they savour the things of the Spirit of God.