Song of Solomon 4:13

Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, ORCHARD - Hebrew ( Pardeec (H6508)), a paradise - i:e., a pleasure-ground and orchard. POMEGRANATES - not only flowers, but fruit tress (John 15:8). CAMPHIRE - not camphor (Song of Solomon 1:14); hennah, or cypress blooms....

8-15 Observe the gracious call Christ gives to the church. It is, 1. A precept; so this is Christ's call to his church to come off from the world. These hills seem pleasant, but there are in them lions' dens; they are mountains of the leopards. 2. As a promise; many shall be brought as members of the church, from every point. The church shall be delivered from her persecutors in due time, though now she dwells among lions, Psalms 57:4. Christ's heart is upon his church; his treasure is therein; and he delights in the affection she has for him; its working in the heart, and its works in the life. The odours wherewith the spouse is perfumed, are as the gifts and graces of the Spirit. Love and obedience to God are more pleasing to Christ than sacrifice or incense. Christ having put upon his spouse the white raiment of his own righteousness, and the righteousness of saints, and perfumed it...

Verse 13. _THY PLANTS_ ARE _AN ORCHARD OF POMEGRANATES_] This seems to refer to the _fecundity_ of the bride or Jewish queen; to the former it would be a _prediction_; to the latter, a _statement_ of _what had already taken place_. The word פרדס _pardes_, which we translate an _orchard_, is the same which has given birth to our _paradise_, a _garden of pleasure_. The other expressions, in this and the following verse, seem to refer wholly to matters of a connubial nature....

The loveliness and purity of the bride are now set forth under the image of a paradise or garden fast barred against intruders, filled with rarest plants of excellent fragrance, and watered by abundant streams. Compare Proverbs 5:15. Song of Solomon 4:12 A FOUNTAIN SEALED - i. e., A well-spring covered with a stone Genesis 29:3, and sealed with “the king’s own signet” (Daniel 6:17; compare Matthew 27:66)....

EXPOSITION SONG OF SOLOMON 4:1 BEHOLD, THOU ART FAIR, MY LOVE; BEHOLD, THOU ART FAIR; THINE EYES ARE AS DOVES BEHIND THY VEIL; THINE HAIR IS AS A FLOCK OF GOATS, THAT LIE ALONG THE SIDE OF MOUNT GILEAD. We commence, at this verse, the loving converse of the bridegroom with the bride, which we must suppose is heard as they travel together in the bridal procession. The words of adoring affection are chiefly spoken by the bridegroom, as is natural in the circumstances, and the reference to the journey, and its consummation in Song of Solomon 4:8, make it certain that the intention is to carry us in thought to the palanquin and the breathings of first love in bridal joy. The poetry is exquisite and truly Eastern, while yet absolutel

THY PLANTS [ARE] AN ORCHARD OF POMEGRANATES,.... These plants are the members of the church, true converts, believers in Christ; pleasant plants, plants of renown, planted in the church by Christ's heavenly Father, and shall never be plucked up; or, thy gardens, as it may be rendered n; particular churches, well taken care of and watered; these make an orchard, or are like one, even a paradise, as the word o signifies: it is generally thought to be a Persic word; see Ne 2:8; but Hillerus p derives it from פרר, to "separate", it being a garden, separated and enclosed as before; one like Eden's garden, exceeding pleasant and delightful: and not like an orchard of any sort of trees, but of "pomegranates", of which there were plenty in Canaan, hence called a "land of pomegranates", Deuteronomy 8:8; many places in it had their names from thence,...

This is a chapter which is, perhaps, more adapted for private meditation than for rending in public. Nevertheless, as this is a communion season, and I trust that the most of us are partakers of the life of God, I could not resist reading it this evening. It is a love-song, the song of the loves of Jesus. As he sets forth the beauties and charms of his Church, may the like beauties and charms be found in every one of us through the grace which he imparts to us by his Spirit! May we, as parts of his mystical body, be fair and lovely in his esteem because he has bestowed upon us so much of his own loveliness! Let us walk so carefully with God that there may be nothing to put even a spot upon our garments, or to defile our grace-given comeliness. Song of Solomon 4:1. _Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;_ «Twice fair, first, through being wa

CHAPTER 4 The King, the Bridegroom speaks of her, who is “perfect through His comeliness put upon thee” Ezekiel 16:14. He tells out all she is in His sight and loving estimation. He has called her from the lions' den, from the mountains of the leopards (Song of Solomon 4:8); she has passed through the fires of persecution and tribulation and now His heart expresses His delight in her. There are eight descriptions of her beauty. He tells her, “Behold thou art fair, my love, behold thou art fair.” And after the description of the beauty He beholds in her, whom He has brought out of the wilderness and out of the lions' den, He says, “Thou art all fair, MY love; and there is no spot in thee.” He assures her of His delight in her. It is all His own workmanship; she has not made herself fair w

SONG OF SOLOMON 4:13 TO SONG OF SOLOMON 5:1. THE BRIDE AS A GARDEN. The charms of the bride are now described under the figure of the fruits of the garden. Song of Solomon 4:16 gives the gracious invitation of the bride to the lover, who in such enthusiastic terms has praised her beauty. SONG OF SOLOMON 5:1 declares his ready acceptance and his call to friends to enjoy similar delights,...

AN ORCHARD. a paradise. See note on Ecclesiastes 2:5. CAMPHIRE. henna, or cypress....