Song Of Solomon 4:14 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Song Of Solomon 4:14 kjv
Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
Song Of Solomon 4:14 nkjv
Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, With all trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, With all the chief spices?
Song Of Solomon 4:14 niv
nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
Song Of Solomon 4:14 esv
nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all choice spices ?
Song Of Solomon 4:14 nlt
nard and saffron,
fragrant calamus and cinnamon,
with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh, and aloes,
and every other lovely spice.
Song Of Solomon 4 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 30:23-25 | ...take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh...fragrant cinnamon...fragrant calamus...and cassia...and make a sacred anointing oil. | Spices for sacred anointing oil |
| Ps 45:8 | All your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. | King's robes fragrant with myrrh and aloes |
| Prov 7:17 | I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. | Alluring use of myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon |
| Isa 55:13 | Instead of the brier shall come up the cypress; instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle. | Nature's transformation, imagery of plants |
| Song 1:3 | Your anointing oils are fragrant; your name is oil poured out. | Beloved's fragrance |
| Song 4:6 | Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. | Destination of Beloved for myrrh/frankincense |
| Song 4:10 | How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! | Beloved's love superior to spice fragrance |
| Song 4:12 | A garden locked is my sister, my bride; a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed. | The Beloved as a private, pure garden |
| Song 5:1 | I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride. I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. | Beloved entering his exclusive garden |
| Mt 2:11 | And entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. | Magi's gifts of frankincense and myrrh |
| Jn 12:3 | Mary therefore took a pound of costly pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus... | Costly nard used in worshipful anointing |
| Jn 19:39-40 | Nicodemus also came...bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes... They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices. | Myrrh and aloes for Jesus' burial |
| 2 Cor 2:15 | For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved... | Believers as the fragrance of Christ |
| Phil 4:18 | I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. | Spiritual offering as a fragrant sacrifice |
| Eph 5:2 | And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. | Christ's sacrifice as a fragrant offering |
| Heb 13:15-16 | Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God... to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. | Spiritual sacrifices are pleasing to God |
| Rev 5:8 | ...golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. | Incense symbolizes prayers of saints |
| Rev 18:13 | ...cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour... | Spices as commodities of luxury in Babylon |
| Num 7:14 | One golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense; | Incense in sanctuary offering |
| Mal 3:3-4 | Then the offerings...will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old... | Pleasing offerings in renewed worship |
| Ez 27:22 | Sheba and Raamah traded with you; they exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices... | Spice trade from distant lands, for luxury |
Song Of Solomon 4 verses
Song Of Solomon 4 14 meaning
Song of Solomon 4:14 depicts the Bride's essence as a lavish garden yielding the finest and most diverse aromatic spices. This signifies her exquisite beauty, delightful character, and captivating presence, portraying her as supremely valuable and exclusively precious to her Beloved. It conveys the idea of an abundant, multi-faceted internal and external loveliness that is deeply desirable and refreshing.
Song Of Solomon 4 14 Context
Song of Solomon 4:14 is nestled within the Bridegroom's extended and fervent praise for his Bride, spanning from verse 1 to verse 15. Specifically, verses 12-15 describe the Bride as an exclusive and fruitful garden, "a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain." This imagery emphasizes her purity, sanctity, and the exclusive nature of their love. Verse 14, therefore, serves as a rich enumeration of the precious, aromatic flora within this garden, detailing the exquisite qualities and abundant virtues the Bride possesses. Historically and culturally, spices were luxury commodities, often imported, signifying wealth, honor, and great value. They were used for perfumes, medicinal purposes, anointing oils, embalming, and highly esteemed in both everyday life and sacred worship in ancient Israel. The elaborate listing underscores the profound adoration and appreciation the Beloved holds for his Bride.
Song Of Solomon 4 14 Word analysis
- nard: (נֵרְדְּ, nêrəd) A costly, exotic perfume derived from the spikenard plant, imported from the Himalayas. It symbolizes something supremely precious, valuable, and indicative of lavish devotion, as seen when Mary used it to anoint Jesus' feet (Jn 12:3). It signifies the beloved's unique and extravagant worth.
- saffron: (כַּרְכֹּם, karkōm) Derived from the crocus flower, saffron was a valuable spice used for its rich color, fragrance, and as a flavoring agent. It adds to the description of luxury, beauty, and delightful essence. Its golden hue also subtly suggests richness and vibrancy.
- calamus: (קָנֶה, qāneh) Refers to sweet cane or aromatic reed. It was an essential ingredient in the holy anointing oil prescribed for the tabernacle (Ex 30:23). This association with sacred anointing imbues the Bride with an essence of purity, consecration, and a fragrance acceptable to God.
- cinnamon: (קִנָּמוֹן, qinnāmôn) An expensive aromatic bark, also listed as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil (Ex 30:23). Like calamus, it suggests sanctity and a pleasing aroma. Its use in luxury (Prov 7:17, Rev 18:13) further highlights the Beloved's supreme value.
- with all trees of frankincense: (עִם כָּל עֲצֵי לְבוֹנָה, ʿim kāl ʿăṣê ləḇônāh) Frankincense (לְבוֹנָה, ləḇônāh) is a fragrant resin from a tree, known for its sweet, distinct aroma when burned. It was a primary component of temple incense and offerings (Ex 30:34, Lev 2:1-2), symbolizing prayer ascending to God and divine presence. The phrase "all trees of" emphasizes abundance and fullness of this sacred quality.
- myrrh: (מֹר, mōr) A bitter-tasting but highly aromatic resin from a tree. Used in perfumes, holy anointing oil (Ex 30:23), and embalming (Jn 19:39). It can symbolize the bittersweet aspects of love and devotion, or the sacrificial dimension, as it was one of the gifts from the Magi to Christ, hinting at his suffering and death (Mt 2:11). Despite its bitter origin, its fragrance is prized, perhaps signifying inner strength and resilience alongside beauty.
- and aloes: (וַאֲהָלוֹת, vaʾăhālōṯ) Referring to aromatic eaglewood or lign-aloes, a prized fragrant wood. Used for perfume (Ps 45:8) and in embalming alongside myrrh (Jn 19:39). This exotic and costly ingredient further amplifies the sense of luxurious fragrance and preciousness, implying enduring beauty and preservation.
- with all the chief spices: (עִם כָּל רָאשֵׁי בְשָׂמִים, ʿim kāl rāʾšê bəśāmîm)
- chief: (רָאשֵׁי, rāʾšê) Literally "heads of" or "best of," denoting superlative quality, the most excellent or premier kind.
- spices: (בְשָׂמִים, bəśāmîm) A general term for all aromatic substances.This concluding phrase functions as a comprehensive summary, encompassing all the enumerated individual spices and declaring that the Beloved's attributes collectively represent the very finest, most potent, and diverse fragrances available. It signifies a beauty and excellence that is unsurpassed and complete.
Words-group analysis
- nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon: These four introduce a spectrum of the most desirable fragrances – nard (expensive perfume), saffron (exotic), calamus (sacred anointing), cinnamon (rich spice). They paint a picture of luxurious and diverse aromatic qualities, blending the precious with the holy.
- with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes: This grouping emphasizes tree-derived aromatics – frankincense (sacred worship), myrrh (sweet-bitter depth, sacrifice), and aloes (exotic, enduring). "All trees of frankincense" indicates a lavish abundance. These suggest profound, sacred, and enduring dimensions to the Beloved's essence.
- with all the chief spices: This phrase encapsulates the entire previous list and beyond, stressing that every category and type of spice, particularly the most exquisite and supreme ones, are found within the Beloved. It underlines completeness, ultimate excellence, and an unparalleled combination of desirable attributes, making her the epitome of fragrant beauty.
Song Of Solomon 4 14 Bonus section
The mention of "all trees of frankincense" implies not just the resin, but the source itself, pointing to a generative abundance rather than just a harvested product. This highlights that the fragrance of the Beloved is intrinsic, deeply rooted, and continually produced. Many scholars also link the "sealed garden" (Song 4:12) with the Old Testament paradise and, ultimately, to the New Testament Bride of Christ, whose spiritual beauty is cultivated by God Himself. The spices listed also evoke a sense of global treasure, symbolizing that the Bride (or the Church) contains the precious spiritual blessings drawn from all creation, unified in Christ. The specific selection of spices (including those for anointing oil and embalming) not only speaks to luxury but also subtly prefigures Christ's own life and death, where such substances played significant roles, lending a sacred, Messianic undertone to the praise of the Beloved.
Song Of Solomon 4 14 Commentary
Song of Solomon 4:14 presents a vivid and elaborate portrait of the Bride's virtues through the metaphor of a garden teeming with the world's most cherished and fragrant spices. This description by the Bridegroom is a profound expression of his adoration, highlighting not just her physical beauty, but also the captivating and life-giving qualities of her character, her spirit, and her exclusive devotion. Each spice, with its distinct origin, scent, and historical use, contributes to a symphony of preciousness, sanctity, and refreshing delight. The emphasis on "all" and "chief" underscores the comprehensiveness and unparalleled excellence of her fragrant essence, signifying an abundance of grace and an inward loveliness that is diverse, complete, and utterly captivating to her Beloved. This reflects the multi-faceted beauty and spiritual aroma of a believer or the Church, produced by the Holy Spirit, which is profoundly pleasing to Christ.