While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.
Parallel Translations
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While the king sat at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.
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While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
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While the king sat at his table, my spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to Song of Solomon 1:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- John 12:3 Therefore Mary took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed Jesus’s feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.
- Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.
- Mark 14:3 While he was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard—very costly. She broke the jar, and poured it over his head.
- Psalms 45:1 My heart overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
- Song of Solomon 4:13-16 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits, henna with spikenard plants, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree; myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices, a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, flowing streams from Lebanon. Awake, north wind, and come, you south! Blow on my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and taste his precious fruits.
- Song of Solomon 7:5 Your head on you is like Carmel. The hair of your head like purple. The king is held captive in its tresses.
- Matthew 22:4 Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’
- Matthew 22:11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing,
- Matthew 25:34 Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
- Matthew 26:26-28 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.
- Luke 24:30-32 When he had sat down at the table with them, he took the bread and gave thanks. Breaking it, he gave it to them. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, then he vanished out of their sight. They said to one another, “Weren’t our hearts burning within us, while he spoke to us along the way, and while he opened the Scriptures to us?”
- Philippians 4:18 But I have all things and abound. I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, a sweet-smelling fragrance, an acceptable and well-pleasing sacrifice to God.
- Revelation 8:3-4 Another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer. Much incense was given to him, that he should add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain He shall be most dear unto me.
He shall be most dear unto me.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Son 1:12 While the king [sitteth] at his table,…
Son 1:12 While the king [sitteth] at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
Ver. 12. While the king sitteth at his table, &c.] Heb., At his round table, or ring sitting. In accubitu circulari: in orbem enim antiquitus ad mensam sedebant. "Send and fetch him, for we will not sit round till he come hither." {1Sa 16:11} The manner of the Turks to this day is to sit around at meat on the bare ground, with their legs gathered under them. {a} By the king is here meant "Messiah the prince," {Dan 9:25} "Christ the Lord." {Act 2:36} Et omnes sancti in circuitu eius, All his saints sit round about him; {Psa 76:11} as the twelve tribes were round about the tabernacle; {Num 2:2} as the twenty-four elders are round about the throne {Rev 4:4} - they are "a people near unto him"; {Psa 148:14} they are those "Blessed that eat and drink with him in his kingdom," {Luk 14:15} first of grace, and then of glory. And while they thus sit with their King - a sign of sweetest friendsblp and fellowship - it was held a great honour and happiness to "stand before Solomon" {1Ki 10:8} in his circled session.
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My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.] Saith the Church; that is, my faith is actuated, and all mine other graces exercised and increased, at the Lord’s table, that heavenly love feast: Ubi cruci haeremus, sanguinem sugimus, et inter ipsa redemptoris nostri vulnera figimus linguam, {b} whereat we climb the cross, as it were, suck Christ’s blood, "suck honey out of the rock," {Deu 32:13} feed heartily and hungerly upon his flesh, as eagles do upon the slain. {Mat 24:28} This Luther calls crapulam sanctam, a gracious gormandise; {c} whiles we lean upon his bosom and "feed without fear"; sending forth our sweet odours, our pillars of incense, by lifting up many a humble, joyful, and thankful heart to him, living by his laws, and being a savour of life to others. But what shall we think of those that stink above ground, poison the very air they breathe upon, defile the visible heavens, which must therefore be purged by the fire of the last day; and by their rotten communication and unclean conversation spread their infections, and send the plague to their neighbours, as those Ashdodites, Gittites, and Ekronites did. {1Sa 5:1-12}
{a} Turkish History.
{b} Cyprian.
{c} Indulgence or connoisseurship in ‘good eating’
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The King, my royal Husband,
The King, my royal Husband,
sitteth at his table; either,
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1. With the spirits of just men and blessed angels in heavenly glory, to which Christ was advanced after his sufferings, and from which he poureth down his Spirit upon his people. Or rather,
2. With me in his gospel and ordinances, in which Christ entertaineth his people, and is in a special, and gracious, and glorious manner present with them, Mat 18:20; 28:20, which also is oft represented in Scripture under the motion of a feast or banquet, of which see Pro 9:1-3,5; Isa 25:6; Mat 8:11; 22:2; 1Co 10:21.
My spikenard; the graces of his Spirit conferred upon me, and drawn forth by his powerful presence, which is here compared to those sweet ointments which the master of the feast caused to be poured out upon the beads of the guests, of which see Mar 14:3; Luk 7:38, in which ointments spikenard was a chief ingredient, Joh 12:2,3.
Sendeth forth the smell thereof; which notes the exercise and manifestation of her graces, which is a sweet-smelling savour in the nostrils of her Husband, and of her companions.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The king - My royal husband. Sitteth - With…
The king - My royal husband. Sitteth - With me in his ordinances. Spikenard - The graces of his spirit conferred upon me, here compared to those sweet ointments, which the master of the feast caused to be poured out upon the heads of the guests, Luke vii, 38, in which ointments, spikenard was a chief ingredient. Sendeth - This denotes the exercise and manifestation of her graces, which is a sweet smelling savour in the nostrils of her husband, and of her companies.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. While the king sitteth at his table]…
Verse 12. While the king sitteth at his table] במסבו bimsibbo, in his circle, probably meaning the circle of his friends at the marriage festivals, or a round table.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Son 1:12. While the king — My royal husband;…
Son 1:12. While the king — My royal husband; sitteth at the table — With me in his ordinances. My spikenard — The graces of his Spirit conferred upon me, here compared to those sweet ointments, which the master of the feast caused to be poured out upon the heads of the guests, (Luk 7:38,) in which ointments spikenard was a chief ingredient; sendeth forth the smell thereof — This denotes the exercise and manifestation of her graces, which are a sweet-smelling savour in the nostrils of her husband, and of her companions.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Abide. Hebrew adds, "all night." Christ remained nine months…
Abide. Hebrew adds, "all night." Christ remained nine months in the virgin’s womb. (Calmet) --- The faithful discover him in both the Testaments, (Haydock) and meditate on his sufferings. Myrrh is a bitter but odoriferous liquor.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 12. While the king sitteth — In spite of…
12. While the king sitteth — In spite of these rich offers, as soon as the King has gone within to his table, the Enamoured breaks forth in tender utterances of longing for her Beloved, calling him by titles expressive of many charms. Nard is a perfume yielded by a plant of India, usually procured by way of Arabia, but possibly by Solomon’s fleets, Ophir being India. It was costly. Judas computed that that with which the woman anointed the Saviour’s head at Bethany was worth nearly $50. The Beloved, whose remembrance is so sweet, is called by this lively metaphor.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. While the king sitteth at his table, my…
12. While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof] R.V. sat … sent forth. So long she says as the king was on his divan her spikenard gave forth its perfume.
his table] Heb. mçsabh or mçsçbh, probably a divan or seat set round a room. Ewald and Delitzsch, following the usual rendering of 1Sa_16:11, translate “a round table,” but see Oxf. Heb. Lex. Here it would mean a seat, in some public reception-room probably, in any case outside the hareem. The meaning seems here to be that so long as Solomon was absent from her, her nard, “a figure,” as Delitzsch says, “for the happiness of love,” gave forth its fragrance. She was then free to let her thoughts go out to her rustic lover. In the succeeding verses her thoughts of him are compared to perfumes, myrrh and henna flowers; here the delight she had in thinking of him is likened to nard and its fragrance.
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my spikenard] Heb. nçrd. Tristram, Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 485, says, “Spikenard or nard is exclusively an Indian product, procured from the Nardostachys jatamansi, a plant of the order Valerianaceae, growing in the Himalaya mountains, in Nepal and Bhotan. It has many hairy spikes shooting from one root. It is from this part of the plant that the perfume is procured, and prepared simply by drying it.”
sendeth forth] This should be, gave forth.
12–14. The Shulammite replies to Solomon’s wooing.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (12) While the king sitteth.—There is no need to…
(12) While the king sitteth.—There is no need to imagine a scene where the monarch, having failed in his attempt to allure the shepherdess by fine offers, retires to his banquet, leaving her to console herself with the thoughts of her absent shepherd love. As in Son_1:2 the poet makes his mistress prefer his love to wine, so here she prefers the thought of union with him to all the imagined pleasures of the royal table.
Spikenard—Heb., nerd—is exclusively an Indian product, procured from the Nardostachys jatamansi, a plant of the order Valerianaceœ. It was imported into Palestine at a very early period. The perfume is prepared by drying the shaggy stem of the plant (see Tristram’s Nat. Hist. of Bible, pp. 484, 485). There is a sketch of the plant in Smith’s Bibl. Dict.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 12-14. While the king sat (or, sits) at…
Vers. 12-14. While the king sat (or, sits) at his table, my spikenard sent (sends) forth its fragrance. My beloved is unto me as a bundle of myrrh, that lieth betwixt my breasts. My beloved is unto me as a cluster of henna flowers in the vineyards of Engedi. The preterite is best taken poetically for the present. The words are evidently a response to those of the king. As such they refer to present feeling and not to a past state. The bride expresses her delight in the king. The table is used generally. The Hebrew word is from a root "to sit round." The habit of reclining at table was introduced much later, during the Persian, Greek, and Roman period. The spikenard was a powerful perfume, probably of Indian origin, as the Indian word nalada, meaning "that which yields fragrance," shows. The Persian is nard, the Old Arabic nardu. It was made from an Indian plant, the Valeriana, called Nardo-stachys Gatamansi, growing in Northern and Eastern India. The hairy part of the stem immediately above the root yields the perfume. That it was "very precious" we see from the account of Mary"s offering, which was worth more than three hundred denarii, i.e. 10s. (Mar_14:5 Joh_12:2) Horace promised Virgil a whole cask, i.e. nine gallons, of the best wine in exchange for a small onyx box full of the perfume. The metaphor represents the intense longing of love. Myrrh was an exotic introduced into Palestine from Arabia, Abyssinia, and India. Like frankincense, it is one of the amyridae. The Balsamodendron myrrha is the tree itself with its leaves and flowers. From the tree came a resin or gum (Gummi myrrhae), which either dropped from the leaves or was artificially obtained by incisions in the bark. The natural product was the more valuable. It was much prized as a perfume, and employed for many purposes. The Hebrew women were accustomed to carry little bags or bottles of myrrh suspended from their necks and hanging down between the breasts under the dress, diffusing an attractive fragrance round them. The word tseror is, properly, "a little bag," sacculus, "that which one ties up," rather than a "bundle." The meaning, of course, is rhetorical He is at my heart and delightful to all my thoughts as the fragrance to my senses. The henna flowers, or cypress, in the vineyards of Engedi, is a very beautiful figure. Copher, the cypress cluster, in Greek, kuprov : in Arabic, al-henna (Lawsonia) grows in Palestine and Egypt, as we are told by Pliny ("Nat. Hist." 12:24). It is a tall shrub reaching to eight or ten feet, exceedingly beautiful in appearance, and giving forth a delightful odour. It is named from a root "to be white or yellow-white." The Moslem women stain their hands and feet with it to give them a yellow tint. Engedi was a lovely district on the west of the Dead Sea Hazezon Tamar, now Ain Tidy, where Solomon made terraces on the hillsides and covered them with gardens and vineyards. The allusion confirms the date of the writing as contemporary with Solomon, as the gardens would then be in their perfection. The figure is, perhaps, intended to be an advance in rhetorical force upon that which preceded the fragrance diffused and almost overpowering, as of a blossoming tree.
Holy Communion.
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The form of expression in this verse has suggested thoughts on this theme to so many devout students of this book that, whilst not admitting their interpretation as correct, we may nevertheless avail ourselves of such suggestions in order to set forth some precious and important truths concerning it the soul"s communion with Christ. And we note
I THE ORDINANCES OF THE GOSPEL ARE CHRIST"S TABLE. (Cf. Rev_3:20, "If any man will open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me. In such communion we have the "feast of fat things full of marrow" of which the prophet speaks (cf. also our Lord"s words, "Come, for all things are ready; my oxen," etc.), Now, such communion is had:
1. In prayer. Not mere saying prayers, but in true prayer.
2. In the worship of the Church. How often have we found this to be so! On the sabbath, and in the sanctuary, how often we have there found that "The cares which infest our day Have folded their tents, like the Arabs, And as silently steal away!
3. The table of the Lord is especially the King"s table. Hence to our service there the name of "holy communion" has been pre-eminently given. All these are opportunities of such communion, and were designed so to be. But
II THEIR VALIDITY AND VALUE DEPEND ON THE KING"S PRESENCE. "While the King sitteth," etc. How poor and wretched are our prayers if there be no realization of the presence of Christ! And the worship of the Church, what an empty form! And at the table of the Lord not to "discern the Lord"s body," that is to make the service worse than useless; it is to incur his judgment and condemnation. Let us never come to this or to any season of communion without invoking his presence.
III AND ARE MANIFESTED BY THEIR EFFECTS. "While... my spikenard sendeth forth," etc. "It is in seasons of communion with the Lord that the graces of the Spirit are called forth in most lively exercise." A holy fragrance, a "sweet smell," well pleasing and acceptable, is yielded at such seasons by the heart of the Lord"s servants. And:
1. To the Lord himself. Our prayers rise up before him "as incense, and the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice." He is well pleased. He told Nathanael, "When thou wast under the fig tree I saw thee;" there, where he had poured forth his fervent prayer. And in our assemblies for worship, where that worship is real, the Lord loveth such "gates of Zion." Of such worshippers it is written, "The Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him." And of them he says, "They shall be mine in that day when I make up my jewels." And at his table, if we do indeed commune with him, the faith and hope and love, the contrition and humility and self-surrender, all which the soul then and there offers to him, these are fragrant indeed, sweet and precious as were the anointings of his sacred body by the penitent Magdalen and by Mary of Bethany.
2. And many others are conscious of, and share in that fragrance. Our fellow guests. What a source of true blessing and manifold help to any Church is the presence of those who live in constant communion with their Lord! What a hallowed influence such exert! what real good they do l Like their Lord"s, in their measure and degree, the name of such is "as ointment poured forth." And all those with whom such persons have to do their children, servants, neighbours, associates, and the world generally will, as it was with the apostles, "take knowledge of them that they have been with Jesus.
3. And they themselves are blessed. For is it not good to have all that is pure and holy and Christ-like in us quickened, confirmed, strengthened, as is the case through communion with our Lord? Moses" face shone after he had been in the presence of the Lord. The spiritual help which comes to the real worshipper is so great, and has always been so recognized, that for the sake of having opportunity for such communion Christ"s people have risked everything. If they would only have kept their religion to themselves no one would have said anything; but they would not. They would come together for worship and for communion; and hence, all over the world, they have been led "as sheep to the slaughter," and for Christ"s sake they "have been slain all the day long." What proof and evidence this is of the real blessedness of communion with Christ! May he help us to add each one our testimony to this same sure truth! S.C.
Vers. 12-17. Reciprocal esteem.
Love, manifested and known, will always beget love. As every plant has in its womb seed of its own kind, so, too, love has within itself generative power. If any human heart does not love our Immanuel, it is because that heart is ignorant of him, its eyesight is blurred, its vision is obscured. No sooner is Jesus known as a true and substantial Friend, than love in some form springs up. In the form of gratitude it first appears; then in the form of admiration; then in delight; then in intimacy; then in passionate devotement. Jesus known is Jesus loved.
I OBSERVE THE CHRISTIAN"S LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST.
1. The soul esteems him as its Sovereign King. As love is the mightiest force in the human breast, love"s object is at once promoted to the supreme place. No elevation is too great for our Beloved. It would be a restraint upon our love yea, a pain if we did not give to Jesus the highest throne. We perceive that he has all the qualities of a king, and that it is for our own advantage that he should rule within. And when we make the experiment we find such rest, such security, such triumphs, that we would fain exalt him to a higher place. To be the servant ay, the slave of such a King is honour infinite, joy ineffable.
2. The renewed soul desires to have the closest friendship with Jesus. Where the heavenly King comes, he always spreads a feast for the soul. Out of his fulness he freely bestows. As a fountain spontaneously sends up its limpid waters, so doth Christ our Lord. To be in his presence, to listen to his ripe wisdom, to realize all the advantage of his friendship, this is a spiritual feast. The wisdom he has, he gives. His everlasting righteousness he shares with us. His heavenly peace he conveys to us. His own love is shed abroad in our hearts. All the wealth of his kingdom he conveys to his chosen. We are "heirs of God, joint heirs with Jesus Christ." The friendship of Immanuel is a perpetual feast. They who daily eat at the same table enjoy the closest intimacy with each other.
3. The presence of Jesus Christ draws out our hidden graces. "My perfume sends forth its sweetest odours." Just as the summer sun draws out the essence of our garden flowers, so the energy of the Saviour"s love stirs into activity the hidden forces of our souls. In every man is a principle of imitation. If we see a splendid deed of generosity, we are impelled to copy it. When the heart is free from sinful bias, it aspires to imitate every excellence it beholds. So, when the glories of Christ"s nature are unfolded, like graces begin to unfold in us. Repentance, gratitude, humility, faith, patience, devoted love, are drawn out in the sunny atmosphere of Jesus" presence. Fragrant flowers and spicy herbs, which had lain long hidden in the frozen soil, spring up and send out a rare perfume. When Jesus dwelt in the house, Mary was constrained to break the alabaster box, and to set free the delicious odour; and when Jesus dwells in our hearts, every restraint gives way, and the essence of our graces yields a sweet perfume.
4. We esteem the love of Jesus for its constancy. The bundle of myrrh abides with us "all night." Our beloved Friend is not easily offended. "He hates putting away." In darkness as well as at noon, in times of pain and calamity as in days of prosperity, his love remains unchanged. If for a season we should neglect him, and be absorbed in other pursuits, he does not abandon us. lie may visit our folly with chastisement, and to the soul there may be temporary night, yet the remembrance of his love will be a sweet and reviving cordial. It will have a healing efficacy. We shall be touched with a sense of shame; and as myrrh soothes and quiets pain, so will the fragrant breath of our Immanuel heal us.
5. The friendship of Jesus satisfies every want. "My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi." The cluster of camphire flowers had a renown both for beauty and for fragrance. So the excellence of Jesus has a fascination forevery sense of the renewed man. Every organ is a channel through which Christ"s life flows. We look unto Jesus, and we are charmed with the beauty of his character. We listen, and his words of promise kindle in us a holy rapture. His deeds and sacrifices for us have a sweet-smelling savour. His intercession for us is like the temple incense. "We taste that the Lord is gracious." He is to us heavenly manna Bread of life." The coming of Christ is like autumn abundance. "He is all our salvation and all our desire;" "My God shall supply all your need, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus;" "He that cometh to me shall never hunger; he that believeth on me shall never thirst." Nothing so enchants and satisfies the soul like Jesus. Amongst the verdant and generous vineyards of Engedi, the cluster of camphire was distinguished for fragrance and for usefulness; so among the charms of nature, among the genial society of human friends, Jesus stands out prominently the most precious and the most prized of all. There is nothing on earth we can compare with him. He is without a rival.
II OBSERVE THE REGARD WHICH JESUS CHRIST HAS FOR HIS FRIENDS.
1. He fully esteems all the good there is in them. "Behold, thou art fair, my love." The eye of friendship will discover many virtues in a man which the eye of malice can never find. It is not love that is blind; it is malice that is blind. Love has eyesight keener than an eagle, keener than an archangel. The eye of Jesus sees in us excellences which he himself has created; and though as yet these are only in tiny germ, yet, with the magnifying power of love, Jesus beholds them as they shall be, full-orbed and beautiful. There is no future to him. What to us is in the future is with him present. He looks with tenderness upon the tiny blade of pious love, and lo! already "tis a cedar of Lebanon, among whose branches the feathered minstrels sing. If only a heavenly ambition begins to stir within the breast, he hastens to foster it. Says he, "It is well that it was in thine heart.
2. He repeats the commendation in order to confirm it. "Thou art fair; thou art fair, my love." The conscience of the Christian, filled with light from heaven, is painfully sensible of its faults, and asks in astonishment, "Lord, didst thou call me fair?" Then, to banish doubt and to pierce to the heart unbelief, Jesus repeats his approval, "Behold, thou art fair, my love." "Though it may be that our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things." Full clearly he sees the young germ of newborn love, and this he will make to grow until it shall fill the soul with beauty. Hence he already says, "Thou art fair, my love." Under the magic wand of love, the nature that had sunk into a beast becomes incarnate beauty. Love creates. Love transfigures.
3. Love makes like unto itself. Because Christ our Lord is beautiful, we shall be beautiful. Because Christ is pleasant, we shall be pleasant. Every quality of mind and heart that Jesus possesses he will communicate unto us. "He emptied himself" that he might fill us. It is a special pleasure to discover a new excellence in our Immanuel, inasmuch as that excellence shall be ours. "We shall be like him when we see him as he is.
4. Jesus identifies himself completely with his ransomed ones. The couch, or resting place, in the palace garden is said to be "ours." "Our bed is green." It is a verdant oasis in this world"s desert. Or, if the palace is described, it is our house. To all the possessions of the Bridegroom the bride is encouraged to lay claim. It is always the result of the marriage tie that the interests and fortunes of the two are identical. One is the complement of the other. Neither is complete alone. There could be no shepherd unless there were sheep. There can be no bridegroom without a bride. There can be no king without subjects. Nor can there be a Saviour unless there are also the saved. The glory of Jesus Christ is seen nowhere but in his ransomed Church. Therefore Jesus completely and generously identifies himself with us. All his possessions are to be our possessions. All his noble qualities are to be our noble qualities. His purity is to be our purity. His throne is to be our throne likewise. It is his everlasting purpose that we shall be "joint heirs." "They shall have my joy fulfilled in themselves. D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain While the King sitteth at His table, my spikenard…
Son_1:12
While the King sitteth at His table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
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The Churchs testimony to Christ
These words are the Churchs testimony from experience of the blessed effects which Christs presence in His ordinances hath upon pious souls which wait upon Him under them.
1. The title The Church gives Christ, The King: as showing thereby the sense she had of His dignity and dominion, and also of her subjection to Him, and dependence upon Him.
2. What she says of Him from her own experience, as a witness to His condescension and grace, the King sitteth at his table: which may refer to all the ordinances of the Gospel, in which, as at a feast, He meets and entertains His people, supping with them, and they with Him, as His own expression is (Rev_3:20).
3. The happy fruit or effect of Christs sitting at His table upon the believer who is admitted to sit with Him. My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. Grace is compared to spikenard for its preciousness and value; and the sending forth of its smell denotes that grace as discovering itself in a lively, fresh and vigorous manner. It is as ointment poured forth, most pleasing to Christ, and to all that love Him, too; they rejoicing in the honour paid Him by themselves and others through a lively exercise of grace.
4. The connection of this effect with its cause, or the presence of Christ, and the dependence of this upon it.
I. Grace in the friends of Christ is highly valuable and precious.
1. Grace in Scripture most usually denotes these two things, namely, Gods goodwill to us, and His good work in us.
(1) His goodwill to us lost sinners in and through His Son, and this as revealed and tendered to us in the Gospel (Tit_2:11; Eph_2:8).
(2) God s good work in us, in all His people, which is the fruit or effect of that goodwill which He had in His heart concerning them (Eph_4:7; Joh_1:16).
2. From whence its worth and excellency may he collected.
(1) Grace in the friends of Christ may be said to be valuable and precious, as having so much of heaven in it.
(a) It comes from heaven;
(b) It marks out for it;
(c) It leads to it;
(d) It will issue in it.
(2) The necessity of grace is a further evidence of its value. Without grace we cannot please God upon earth, nor be admitted to the enjoyment of Him in heaven. It is grace that crowns all outward mercies, and speaks and makes them mercies indeed; and nothing but this can sweeten afflictions, and make our heaviest crosses light.
(3) The excellency of grace may be argued from the happy distinction it makes in them, from fallen angels, from the rest of mankind, and from their former selves.
(4) The value of grace may be gathered from the price that went to purchase it, which was no less than the blood of Christ.
(5) It is precious in regard of its Author, the Spirit of God: hence He is called the Sprat of Grace. Under this character He is promised where a saving change is designed (Zec_12:10). And it is wrought by His agency wherever it is wrought. The instrument He ordinarily makes use of is the Word; but all the influence it hath, and the saving impression it makes, is from Him.
(6) It is precious in its nature. No two things can more widely differ than the old and the new; the corruption propagated with the common nature by the first birth, and the grace infused in regeneration.
(7) The excellency of grace is proved by its effects: particularly as it ennobles, enriches, secures and comforts. Application:
1. Is grace so valuable? How blind are they that see not its worth I What enemies to their souls are they who labour not after it I
2. How much hath God done for them on whom He hath bestowed His grace, so excellent in itself, and leading to glory 1
3. How greatly are the partakers of grace obliged to Christ, by whose blood it is purchased, and for whose sake it is bestowed! 4-How glad should they be of all the opportunities to meet Him, by His presence and influence, to have grace drawn into act!
5. How thankful should they be who can say with the Church, While the King sat at His table, my spikenard sent forth the smell thereof I
6. How willing should they he whose grace hath been drawn forth by the presence of Christ here, to behold Him in His glory, and dwell with Him for ever. (D. Wilcox.)
A Sacrament sermon
In acts of special communion with Christ, grace cannot lie hid, hut will breathe out with great fragrancy; or, at the table of the Lord our graces should be specially and in a most lively manner exercised.
1. There is a reverence common to all worship, for God will be sanctified in all that draw nigh unto Him (Lev_10:3).
2. There is a special delight and affection which should accompany every act of communion with God (Psa_73:28; Isa_56:7).
3. Besides, in all acts of communion with God there is an interchange of donatives and duties. Where we expect to receive much grace, there it must be much exercised and acted (Mar_4:24).
4. Christ may more sensibly manifest Himself in one duty than another, for He is not tied to means, or to time and season; and it is His presence that maketh an ordinance comfortable, and doth revive the exercise of grace.
5. One duty must not be set against another. They are all instituted by God, and accompanied with His blessing, and are means of our communion with Him, yet they all have their special use and tendency, and one is to be preferred in this respect, another in that, as the ends are for which they are appointed; as in the Word we come to Christ as our teacher, in prayer as our advocate, in baptism as our head and lord, into whose mystical body we are planted; in the Lords Supper as the master of the feast, or our royal entertainer.
6. Though the Lords Supper he a special means, yet it is the spirit of grace which doth stir up faith, hope and love in us.
(1) The duty is a means accommodated and fitted to this end, or God would never have instituted it.
(2) The Spirit is the author both of grace and the exercise of grace; He first infuseth and then quickeneth and stirreth up grace in us by this means: It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing (Joh_6:63).
(3) You must stir up your own hearts (Isa_64:7; 2Ti_1:6).
7. Allowing all this, yet it is a truth that at the Lords table graces should be exercised in a special lively manner, which will appear if we consider--
I. What a sacrament hath beyond other duties. It is the most mysterious instrument of our sanctification and preservation in a state of grace, and therefore requireth a special exercise of grace.
1. In a Sacrament there is a more sensible assurance. In other duties we see Gods goodness, or readiness to do us good, in this His solicitous and anxious care for our good (Heb_6:17-18).
2. A closer application. A general invitation is not so much as an express injunction. We have the universal proposal in the Word, the particular application in the Sacraments (Act_2:38).
3. A solemn investiture, or taking possession by certain instituted rites. As we are put in possession by certain formalities of law, as of a house by the delivery of a key, or of afield by the delivery of a turf, so we take possession of Christ and all His benefits, This is my body.
4. A visible representation of the mysteries of godliness; and so it doth excite us to the more serious consideration of them when they are transmitted to the soul not by the ears only, but by the eyes (Gal_3:1).
5. An express means of union and communion with Christ. We draw nigh to God in prayer, and God draweth nigh to us in the Word; but here is not only an approximation, but a communion (1Co_10:16).
6. It is Gods feast, where we come to eat and drink at His table as those that are in friendship with Him.
7. This is the sum of all other duties and privileges, the abridgment of Christian religion, the land of promise in a map (Luk_22:20).
II. What is the special use and intent of this duty? It was instituted for the remembrance of Christ (1Co_11:24-25), and (verse 26) it is an annunciating or showing forth the Lords death till He come.
1. The occasion and necessity of it, why Christ should he given for us, our guilt, and misery, which could only be expiated by the blood of the Son of God; so that one great work of the Sacrament is the representation of the evil of sin; for we are to remember the Son of God, Who was made sin for us that knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2Co_5:21), and who was made a curse for us (Gal_3:13).
2. The cause of it; the great love of God, or His mercy to poor sinners (Joh_3:16).
3. The act of redemption itself; His obedience to the death of the cross (Php_2:7); or His making His soul an offering for sin (Isa_53:10). Therefore He is represented as crucified before your eyes (Gal_3:1).
4. The consequent benefits which thence result to us. You come not to receive the mercy of an, hour but here is pardon of sin given us without any infringing the honour of Gods justice (Rom_3:25-26); the favour of God (2Co_5:19); the spirit of grace (Tit_3:5-6; Gal_3:14; and 1Co_10:4, compared with Joh_4:14; Joh_7:37). So also eternal life, or hopes of glory (Tit_3:7; Rom_5:1-2, and 1Jn_4:9). And indeed this whole duty is a figure of the eternal banquet.
III. What graces are to be exercised, which is, as it were, the pouring out of our box of precious spikenard on Christs head or feet?
1. With respect to the necessity of our redemption, a humble sense of the odiousness of sin, represented to us in the bruises and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ when He came to be a sacrifice for sin, that we may loath it, condemn it, resolve no more to have to do with it (Rom_8:3).
2. The love of God in Christ, which was the cause, must beget a fervent love to Him again, that we may love Him who hath loved us at so dear a rate (2Co_5:14-15).
3. The act of redemption, or the death of Christ, must breed in us a lively faith in Christ, that we may accept Him as our Redeemer and Saviour upon His own terms, and trust ourselves into His hands, and devote ourselves to His service, crying out, as Thomas, My Lord and my God (Joh_20:28), welcoming Him into our souls with the dearest embraces of thankfulness and hearty affection.
4. With respect to the consequent benefits, there must he
(1) Earnest desire after communion with God in Christ, that you may be partakers both of His renewing and reconciling grace, and that you may get more sensible proof of His love to your souls;
(2) Joy in the sense of the greatness, suitableness and firmness of the mercy represented, offered and applied to you (Son_1:4);
(3) Hope, which is a desirous expectation of the promised glory, looking and longing for it with more earnestness and confidence. This ante-past in the house of our pilgrimage is sweet, but what will be our communion with Him in heaven!
5. That love which is here commemorated must be imitated, and leave a suitable impression upon you. If Christ gave HIS life for those who are sometimes called His enemies, sometimes His people, such an impartial charity must you have to all men; to brethren and neighbours (1Jn_4:11), and to enemies (Eph_4:32). (T. Manton, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain Shulamite expresses her Delight in her Beloved.
BRIDE’S REPLY TO THE KING’S GREETING
Shulamite expresses her Delight in her Beloved.
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Son_1:12-14
While the King sitteth at his table,
My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me;
He shall lie all night (or, which remains) betwixt my breasts.
My Beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphor
In the vineyards of Engedi.
The King’s commendation and assurance of love reciprocated by the Bride. The language of the 12th verse—‘while the King sitteth,’ &c., either the declaration of a fact, expressive of her delight in the King, and the joy his presence afforded her; or a resolution as to what she would do for his honour. Regarded as the latter, it corresponds with the King’s last words. Solomon promises ornaments of gold and silver. Shulamite can only bring her spikenard; which, however, shall not be wanting in order to do him honour and express her love. Historically and literally realized in the life of Jesus, when the woman that was a sinner brought her alabaster box of ointment to anoint His feet in the Pharisee’s house; and when Mary, the sister of Lazarus, performed a similar service with her costly spikenard in the house of Simon the leper (Luk_7:37-38; Joh_12:3; Mat_26:6-7).
In regard to the RESOLUTION, notice—
I. The OCCASION to which it refers. ‘While the King sitteth at his table’ (or, ‘in his circle [of guests]’). Observe, in reference to—
The King at His Table.
1. The person referred to. ‘The King.’ So Shulamite speaks of her Beloved, and the believer of his Lord. Christ a King. Imports his dignity as God and his office as Redeemer. Christ a King both by Divine right and Divine appointment. A King in virtue of his Divine nature as Son of God; and in virtue of His mediatorial undertaking as Son of Man. In His twofold nature as God-man, and in His mediatorial character as Redeemer, Christ is God’s King; King of Zion; King of Saints; Head over all things to His Church. Sits at the Father’s right hand upon His Father’s throne, ‘angels and authorities and powers being made subject, to Him.’ The King and Lord of glory. Rules and reigns over both the Church and the world as King of Kings and Lord of Lords,—‘Prince of the Kings of the earth.’ In a lower, literal, and subordinate, though important sense, the ‘King of the Jews,’ heir to the throne of his father David. The language of the text emphatic. Christ not only a King, but ‘the King.’ The Church’s own and only King. ‘The great and only Potentate.’ In Christ, ‘love brings the majesty of the Creator down to the misery of the creature.’ Observe—The Church recognizes and acknowledges Christ as King, and as the King. Even in the closest and most endearing fellowship, His dignity and the reverence due to him as King not forgotten. True enjoyment of His fellowship accompanied with an impression on the heart as to His royal character and dignity. Such fellowship thus distinguished from what is spurious, imaginary, fanatical. Nearness to Christ fitted to exalt our views of Him and increase our reverence towards Him. The seraphim in His presence veil their faces and their feet with their wings. The Prophet, beholding His glory in the temple, exclaims: Woe is me; for I am undone, &c.; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts (Isa_6:1-5; Joh_12:45). John, the beloved disciple, in like circumstances ‘fell at His feet as dead’ (Rev_1:17). Nathanael’s adoring testimony at the beginning of the Gospel history—‘Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.’ Thomas’s, at its close,—‘My Lord and My God.’ The sentiment of the Church well expressed in Ambrose’s celebrated hymn,—‘Thou art the King of glory, O Christ’ The title in the text indicative of—
(1) The condescension of Christ in admitting sinful men to his fellowship. Subjects seldom admitted to the table of their sovereign. Mephibosheth amazed at David’s condescension in giving ‘a dead dog’ like him a place at his table. Christ not only admits to His intimate fellowship His own creatures, but creatures who have debased and polluted themselves with sin, and have been in active and open rebellion against Him.
(2) The honour and blessedness of believers. Each believer not only admitted into the King’s presence, but admitted there as the King’s Bride and Beloved. Compared with this, the highest earthly honour and position as worthless as the fallen leaf of autumn. This privilege the believer’s guarantee of all he needs for time and eternity.
(3) The believer’s duty and responsibility. If Christ be our King, we are to confess, follow, obey, serve, honour, and trust in Him as such. The believer to aim at shewing himself at, all times and in all places, both by word and deed, the faithful subject of Christ his King.
2. The King’s place. ‘Sitteth at his table.’ Observe—
(1) Christ has a table. Has a table in heaven. A celestial banquet prepared by Him for all the saved. Abraham seen afar off by the rich man in hell, sitting at that table with Lazarus reclining on His bosom. Hereafter follows the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, when His ‘Bride hath made herself ready’ (Rev_19:9). Has also a table on earth. This that referred to in the text. The earthly rather than the heavenly experience of believers described in the Song. So the New Testament speaks of the Lord’s, i.e., Christ’s table, and ‘the Lord’s Supper’ (1Co_10:21; 1Co_11:20). One of the many connecting links between the Song of Solomon and the New Testament. The King’s ‘Table’ on earth the ordinances of the Gospel, and especially their central part—
The Lord’s Supper.
This ordinance expressed in the Scripture as a Table, not an altar. The Lord’s Supper a Feast, after and upon a sacrifice offered up more than eighteen centuries ago, not the sacrifice itself. The Table in the Lord’s Supper the King’s Table. The King (i.) appointed it; (ii.) provides it; (iii.) presides at it. The Table not man’s but the Lord’s; hence for all who love and belong to the Lord, and only such. Hence, also, His Table to be only what He Himself directs and prescribes. Man’s grievous sin in converting His Table into what Christ could no longer recognize as such. The Table appointed by the King for the refreshment, comfort, and strengthening of His Church in the wilderness. The provisions the King’s own; while the outward, visible, and symbolical materials are, according to His appointment, provided by the Church. The provisions nothing less than Himself. Christ as crucified for us, fed upon by faith in the Supper, as exhibited under the symbols of bread and wine. His flesh, or Himself as the incarnate and crucified Redeemer, the true meat; and His blood as shed for the remission of our sins, the true drink of the soul. Christ the bread of life, to be constantly, as well as in the Supper, fed upon by faith. He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you (Joh_6:35-58; 1Co_10:16; 1Co_11:23-29). Christ spiritually fed on by believers, as the Lamb Slain, as the typical lamb was carnally eaten by Israel in the Feast of the Passover. The King’s Table thus richly furnished. Man eats more than angels’ food. The Table on earth preparatory to the Table in heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb.
(2) Christ sits at His Table. The King’s Table not only appointed and provided, but presided at by the King. When the disciples prepared the last Passover and first Lord’s Supper, Jesus ‘sat down with the twelve.’ Jesus sits at His own Table (Mat_18:20). Is there for His own sake, delighting in the fellowship of His loving and believing people. ‘I will come in to him and sup with him.’ More especially, however, for their sake. Affords them quiet fellowship and intimate communion with Himself. Hence, the preciousness of the Lord’s Table to believers. He is there Himself, not as changed into, or necessarily connected with, the bread and wine; but as revealing Himself graciously and spiritually to the souls of His people. Is there, not only as the provisions, but as the presiding Head; not merely as their crucified Redeemer, but as their living and loving Bridegroom. The King’s Table precious, but more precious the presence of the King Himself. Feeding on Him, as exhibited in the bread and wine, believers have life; realizing his living and loving presence, they have life more abundantly Believers at the Lord’s Table not only feed on Christ, but have fellowship with Christ. He speaks peace and comfort to their heart. They speak their petitions and desires into His ear. The King sits at His Table—(i.) To see that the guests want nothing; (ii.) To give them a loving welcome; (iii.) To gladden them with His presence and smile; (iv.) To receive their petitions; (v.) To bless the provision to their souls.
3. The time the King is at His Table. ‘While the King sitteth,’ &c. The King not always sitting at His Table. Only now and then, and that for but a limited period. That period often short. Christ at His Table in the upper room at Jerusalem at most for two or three hours. Seasons of special communion in general neither very frequent nor long continued. When the risen Saviour manifested Himself as such to the two disciples at Emmaus, he immediately ‘vanished out of their sight.’ Such the conditions under which the Lord’s Table is spread on earth. Too often the causes of abridged communion in ourselves. Hence
(1) earnest prayer to be made, that while the Table is spread the King Himself may be present at it, and present all the time that it is so.
(2) Special care to be taken that there be nothing in us or by us to cause the time of His presence to be abridged.
(3) Diligent improvement to be made of His presence while it continues. The King’s golden sceptre being held out, believers to be ready with their petitions (Est_5:2-3).
II. The RESOLUTION itself. ‘My spikenard sendeth (or hath sent) forth the smell thereof.’ Spikenard, a fragrant liquid produced from a lowly shrub of that name. Wont to be poured on the head of guests at table (Luk_7:46; Mar_14:3). This, and other perfumes, often carried about by Oriental ladies on their person. Shulamite had her’s in order to shew her devotion to her beloved—to do him honour, and to minister to his pleasure and refreshment. Her spikenard to give forth its fragrance only while the King reclined at his table or in the circle of his friends, when she should lovingly pour it on his head or even on his feet. Perhaps her language figuratively expressive of the effect the King’s presence had on her affections, in calling them into lively and ardent exercise. Her own love the sweetest spikenard to the King. Observe in regard to
The Believer’s Spikenard.
1. The believer has spikenard. A spiritual as well as a material spikenard. The soul or spirit capable of being pleased and regaled as well as the senses. Spiritual spikenard, that in an individual or in the Church at large, which is most pleasing and delightful to God, to Christ, and to holy souls. Such the fruits and graces of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, long-suffering, &c. (Gal_5:22). Holy and spiritual affections exhibited in corresponding actions God’s delight (Psa_37:23). The Philippians’ gifts to Paul, ‘an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God’ (Php_4:18). Believers’ prayers as incense (Psa_141:2). These graces and virtues present more or less in every regenerate soul. The spikenard for the Lord’s table more especially—
(1) Faith in Jesus, as the Lamb slain;
(2) love to Jesus, kindled by the display of His dying love to us;
(3) Joy in Him as our God and Saviour, our husband and friend;
(4) Repentance and godly sorrow for the sins that caused Him to suffer;
(5) Self-dedication—‘O Lord, I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant and the son of Thine handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bonds’ (Psa_116:16).
(6) Holy resolution, to live by His grace a life of obedience and devotedness to His service. These graces and their lively exercise agreeable to Christ as most fragrant perfume. Costly and precious as the work of the Spirit and the result of the Saviour’s own suffering and death. Symbolized in the frankincense and myrrh presented by the wise men to the new-born King, as well as in the spikenard poured on His head and feet by the hands of those whom He had saved.
2. The believer’s desire that his spikenard give forth its fragrance. Not sufficient that the spikenard is present. Of little use while still only kept close in the vessel. When Mary broke the box, the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. The graces of the Spirit to be not only in our souls, but in lively exercise. Hence the need of the prayer: ‘Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; and blow upon my garden (the garden of Christ in my soul), that the spices thereof may flow out’ (chap. Son_4:16).
(3) His desire in order that Christ may receive both honour and delight. The object of the women who poured their spikenard on His head and feet. The desire of the loving believer that all he is and has, feels and does, be for the honour and gratification of his Saviour. The very spikenard all the King’s own, and ours only by his kind and kingly favour; therefore to be for the King’s own enjoyment. We have given Him the vinegar and gall to drink for our sakes; meet, therefore, we should give Him the fragrant spikenard of His own grace. Not only the spikenard itself His; but the emission of its fragrance due to His own presence. His manifested gracious presence like the gentle breeze that passes over the beds of spices, and causes them to exhale their sweets. Raises a cloud of sweet incense from the believer’s renewed heart. Sitting with Christ, we obtain something of Christ in our spirit and walk. The bride breathes no fragrance but what she imbibes from her beloved. The clay vessel scented by the perfume that fills it. Christ the sun that dissolves the spikenard and extracts its odour. His presence at the table, that which brought forth the fragrance of the women’s ointment. The believer’s graces at the King’s table do not so much impart sweetness to the King, as His presence there imparts sweetness to those graces. Hence, in relation to the Lord’s Table, the duty of believers—
(1) To have lofty views of Christ as ‘the King’;
(2) To think much of the King’s condescension and love, and of their high privilege in being permitted to occupy a place at His table;
(3) To pray earnestly that He may be pleased to be graciously present and to manifest Himself there to their souls;
(4) To see that there is nothing in themselves to hinder this;
(5) To be concerned that there be the Spirit’s graces to please and entertain Him;
(6) To seek that those graces be in full and lively exercise.
Son_1:11-12, the Bride’s commendation of her beloved, and her declaration of her love. ‘A bundle (or bag) of myrrh is my well beloved unto me; he shall lie all night’ (or, ‘which remaineth’) &c. Observe how the Bride speaks of the King, ‘my well-beloved.’ So believers of Christ Jesus, the beloved of every believing soul. ‘Whom having not seen ye love.’ Christ’s gifts precious to the believers; but more precious Himself. Love the first and the last thing required by Christ of His people. The object of His greatest desire, and that for which He gave Himself. When well with the believer, no question with himself as to his love to Christ. ‘Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.’ Ardent love its own certificate.—Christ commended in the text under a two-fold comparison:—
I. A ‘Bundle of Myrrh.’ Myrrh a fragrant gum exuding from a tree growing in Eastern countries, employed for imparting fragrance to the person, and often for that purpose carried by Eastern females in the bosom (chap. Son_3:6; Est_2:12; Psa_45:8). One of the chief spices in the East, and used in the composition of the Holy Anointing Oil (Exo_30:23; Exo_30:34). Christ a
Bundle of Myrrh.
1. In Himself. Includes in Himself all sweetness and fragrance. In Him a combination of all charms and excellencies. The totality of all graces and virtues resident in His person. Himself the concentration of all loveliness and sweetness. In Him a fragrance that fills heaven with delight. His person, names, titles, attributes, words and works, such as ought to diffuse joy in every sinner’s heart, and actually do so wherever they are known. Not half the sweetness that is in Jesus enjoyed even by those best acquainted with Him on earth. Yet in that which is enjoyed, a joy unspeakable and full of glory.
2. To the Believer. ‘Unto me.’ The language—
(1) Of knowledge and apprehension. The believer’s happiness to be made to apprehend the excellence and sweetness that is in Jesus. Christ revealed to him and in him by the Father. His eyes opened and anointed by the Spirit to ‘see that Just One.’ Made by faith to behold the King in His beauty. Enabled to testify from experience—‘Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into Thy lips.’ ‘We beheld His glory.’ Whatever He is to others, to them He is a bundle of myrrh. To them that believe, He is precious.
(2) Of choice and appropriation. Christ chosen and appropriated by the believer as his ‘bundle of myrrh’—his joy and treasure. Others choose the finite and fading creature for their ‘bundle of myrrh,’ which perishes in the using. Believers, with Mary, choose Christ. First chosen by Him, they next choose Him. Their choice and appropriation of Him vindicated in the words of the Bride—‘He shall lie all night (or simply’—which remains) betwixt my breasts.’ The reference rather to the bundle of myrrh than to the beloved himself, though indicating the bride’s feelings and purpose regarding him. Like the bag of myrrh that remained constantly in the bosom, he should have the most intimate place in the affections of her heart. The believer’s earnest desire and resolution to have Christ ever near him and ever with him—to enjoy His uninterrupted communion, to satisfy the longings of his soul with His presence and love, and never to part with Him. His desire expressed in the hymn:
“Abide with me from morn till eve;
For without Thee I cannot live.”
Christ appropriated not as a dress to be put on and off again, but as a perfume to be carried in the bosom day and night. The present world a night to believers (Rom_13:12). His personal coming brings the day. Himself the Bright and Morning Star. His spiritual manifested presence gives songs in the night. His presence and smile our bundle of myrrh. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me ye shall have peace (Joh_16:33). Christians to be Christ-bearers. Not merely to wear His name but Himself. Not to carry a crucifix, or picture of Him on our person, but His living presence in our heart. That presence the secret of the believer’s fragrance. The bag of myrrh in the bosom perfumed the whole person. The Spirit and life sweet and savoury, only as far as we have Christ in us and with us.
II. A ‘cluster of camphor.’ Camphor, or more properly cypress, or henna, an Oriental plant whose fragrant flowers grow in clusters. The spikes or sprigs of it carried about by Eastern females for the fragrance. Engedi, with its vineyards, near the western shores of the Dead Sea, and famous for its aromatic herbs, the place where the best cypresses grew. Christ not only to believers as fragrant cypress, but a cluster of it; not merely a cluster of cypress, but of the best and most fragrant cypress to be found,—cypress in the vineyards of Engedi. In Christ a concentration of all graces and virtues, all sweetness and excellence. Abraham’s faith, Moses’ meekness, Job’s patience, David’s devotion, Solomon’s wisdom, Paul’s zeal, and John’s love, all united in Jesus in fullest perfection and concentrated strength. Christ in the world and in the Church like a cluster of cypress in the vineyard of Engedi. Whatever of excellence or sweetness found there, infinitely short of what is in Him. Nature lovely; Christ infinitively lovelier. Some men and women, especially believing ones, charming and attractive both in their spirit and their person. Christ incomparably fairer and more attractive than the children of men. Divine ordinances sweet and refreshing; Christ infinitely more so; and ordinances only sweet as Christ Himself is in them
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 lay on his couch
lay on his couch
"sat eating his special meal." This probably refers to one of the couches on which people would lie around a table at a banquet. You could translate using the common word for what people do with their bodies when they eat special meals.
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nard
an oil that people got from the expensive nard or spikenard (valerian plant with small pink or white flowers) and used to make their skin soft and to have a pleasant odor.
emitted its fragrance
"gave off its good smell"
My beloved is to me like a bag of myrrh ... breasts
Women would place a small bag or pouch of myrrh on a necklace so it would lie between their breasts and they could enjoy its pleasant fragrance. This woman enjoys having her beloved close to her. She adds "to me" to show that she does not expect anyone else to enjoy her beloved in this way. AT: "I enjoy my beloved as much as I enjoy having a bag of myrrh ... breasts" (See: Simile)
My beloved
This phrase refers to the man whom the woman loves. In some languages it may be more natural for her to refer to him as "my lover." AT: "My dear one" or "My lover"
lying between my breasts
If this phrase would offend your readers, you could use a euphemism. AT: "close to me" (See: Euphemism)
My beloved is to me like a cluster of henna flowers
Henna flowers have a fragrance that people enjoy. The woman enjoys her beloved. She adds "to me" to show that she does not expect anyone else to enjoy her beloved in this way. AT: "I enjoy my beloved as much as I enjoy the smell of clusters of henna flowers" (See: Simile)
henna flowers
flowers from a small desert tree that people used as a perfume
translationWords
king
beloved
like
myrrh
vineyard
En Gedi
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 1:12-14 In the dramatic view, it appears that although…
1:12-14 In the dramatic view, it appears that although the woman is physically in the king’s palace (1:4, 12), her heart is with her shepherd lover (1:13-14). • In the anthology view, this is a short poem on intimate fragrances.
1:12 The meaning of the word translated couch is uncertain, and the word lying is not found in the Hebrew, so the king and the woman could be lying together on a couch or bed, or simply sitting at a table in one of the palace rooms. • The interpretation that sees the Song as a collection of love songs is not concerned with whether the man is literally a king.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.