Song of Solomon 4

The bridegroom praises his bride from head to breast with bold word-pictures drawn from flocks, fruit and fortresses. He invites her to leave the wild heights and come to him. He calls her a private garden, and she invites him in to enjoy it. The chapter shows love that sees beauty, delights in it and honors it.

Song of Solomon 4:1

The bridegroom opens with wholehearted praise, saying it twice: how beautiful. Her eyes, glimpsed through the veil, are gentle and pure like doves. Her dark hair, rippling down, is like goats moving down a hillside. These are the pictures of a shepherd land, meant to delight, not to be measured.

Song of Solomon 4:2

Her teeth are white like freshly washed sheep. They are matched in pairs, with none missing. In a world without dentists, perfect teeth meant health and care. He is saying that she is whole and complete, and that he notices every part of her.

Song of Solomon 4:3

Her lips are red as a scarlet thread, and her speech is lovely. Her cheek or brow, glimpsed behind the veil, is like the blush of a pomegranate cut open. He praises both her look and her words, and he enjoys the modest hint of what the veil half hides.

Song of Solomon 4:4

Her neck is like a tall, strong tower hung with warriors’ shields. The picture is of dignity, grace and quiet strength, not of hardness. She carries herself like a woman who cannot be pushed around. His love honors her strength and does not diminish it.

Song of Solomon 4:5

Her breasts are like twin fawns feeding among lilies. The picture is of tenderness, gentleness and youthful beauty, not of crude desire. Scripture speaks of married love openly and without shame, and it treats such delight as a good gift of God within marriage.

See also: Proverbs 5:18-19.

Song of Solomon 4:6

He says he will go to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense until the day breaks and the shadows flee. This is a tender way of speaking about love and its spices. He is eager to be with her through the night until morning light comes.

Song of Solomon 4:7

He sums up his praise: you are altogether beautiful, with no flaw. This is not blindness to faults. It is how love speaks, seeing the beloved whole and treasuring her. Christians have often heard in this an echo of how Christ looks on his people, whom he makes spotless.

See also: Ephesians 5:25-27.

Song of Solomon 4:8

He calls her away from the far northern mountains, with their lions and leopards, to come to him. The peaks are lofty but wild and dangerous. Whatever the scene meant for the bride, the call is a warm invitation to leave what is fearful and come into safe love.

See also: Deuteronomy 3:9.

Song of Solomon 4:9

He confesses that she has overwhelmed him. One glance of her eyes and one jewel at her neck have captured his heart. The mighty lover is undone by a look. Calling her sister expresses closeness and tenderness, not family relationship.

Song of Solomon 4:10

Her love is better than wine, and her perfume sweeter than any spice. He took up the same comparison when she first spoke of his love. Here he returns it to her. Real love is mutual, each finding the other’s affection more delightful than any earthly pleasure.

Song of Solomon 4:11

Her words are sweet like honeycomb, and milk and honey lie under her tongue. These were the marks of the Promised Land. Her speech is kind and nourishing. Even her clothing carries a fragrance like the cedar forests of Lebanon. Everything about her is fresh and pleasing.

Song of Solomon 4:12

She is a garden locked up, a spring enclosed and a fountain sealed. It is private and kept for the one she loves. This pictures purity and faithfulness. She is not available to all, and her giving of herself is hers to choose.

See also: Proverbs 5:15-18.

Song of Solomon 4:13

Now the garden fills with plants. There are pomegranates and rare perfumes such as henna and nard. These spices came from distant lands and were costly. The picture is of abundance, with a love that is rich, varied and carefully tended.

Song of Solomon 4:14

The list goes on with nard, saffron, calamus, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh and aloes. These were the finest perfumes known, many imported from far away. Piling them up says that nothing in her is ordinary or lacking. She is, to him, the sweetest place on earth.

Song of Solomon 4:15

She is also a spring, a well of fresh water flowing like streams from Lebanon. A garden needs water to live. She is not only beautiful but life-giving and refreshing. The cool mountain streams are a picture of constant, renewing love.

See also: John 4:10.

Song of Solomon 4:16

The bride answers. She calls on both the north and south winds to stir her garden so its fragrance spreads. Then she gives it freely: let my beloved come into his garden. She now calls it his, and she opens what was locked, by her own choice.