Song 7:1-5 | KingComments | STEP | In follows a new description of the bride. In the groom’s earlier description of the bride ( ), he says what she means for him. There he starts the description with her head. This new description he starts with her feet, her way of walking. The first description is done from the point of view of love. The second is from the point of view of her public action, which is also seen by others. The bride is described in the royal glory she possesses and which is perceived by others. Although she has received that glory of the groom, it is not clear whether the description comes from the mouth of the groom or from the mouth of the daughters of Jerusalem. Because of the public character of the description, it is quite conceivable that the testimony about her is given by the daughters of Jerusalem. The name “prince’s daughter” (cf. ), with which she is addressed, is in keeping with this public testimony. We hear no names like ‘bride’ and ‘beloved’ as in Song of Songs 4. It is not a description of the intimate love relationship between groom and bride, but of the formal connection between king and queen. As said, the description begins with the feet. It is said that they are “beautiful”. She stands out because of her elegant way of walking. There is no hurry, it radiates peace and dignity. She moves full of elegance. She takes her steps in her “sandals”. Whoever goes into captivity goes barefoot ( ; cf. ). The father gives the prodigal son “sandals on his feet” when he returns home ( ). In the spiritual sense, the description teaches about our “royal priesthood” ( ). We are not ‘children of the King’, but we do have royal dignity. This means that, in addition to having a relationship of love with the Lord Jesus, we also have a testimony in the world. It is the desire of every believer who loves the Lord Jesus to also respond to what is said here of the bride. Can the Lord Jesus and the people around us give this testimony of us that is given here of the bride? Our feet are said to be shod “with the preparation of the gospel of peace” ( ). The meaning is not that we should be prepared to proclaim the gospel – however important that may be. It means that in our walk it is visible that we live from peace. We have peace in every circumstance in which God brings us. People see that we go our way with the peace of God in our hearts, even when it is difficult. This is only possible if we look at the Lord Jesus, Who is the example in this ( ). Then her “hips” are described. In the hips is the power for walking. After God has disrupted Jacob’s thigh or hip, he goes limping through life ( ). There is talk of “the curves” of the bride’s hips. This indicates that there are no sharp or angular edges in her walk. We can sometimes be ‘angular’ or ‘sharp’. The Lord is working to remove those sharp sides. But He sees us as round. Then the curves of the hips are compared to “jewels”. Her walk is graceful as a jewel. We don’t walk with long faces and heads hung low. If we have bent our necks before the Lord, it is seen in our walk. Then we listen to His directions and do His will (cf. ). This is how He is seen in our lives, so that we will be a blessing to those with whom we come into contact. Sharp words will not be spoken and angular or uncontrolled action will not take place. We do not have such elegant and graceful behavior by nature. It takes “the hands of an artist” to show this behavior. The Spirit of God is that Artist. The Spirit works this behavior in us as God’s workmanship, as a new creation. Own effort or all kinds of therapies for behavioral change are connected with the old man and always fail. It will only be possible if we give the Spirit the opportunity to guide our lives.

‏ Song of Solomon 7:1-5

The Work of the Hands of an Artist

In Song 7:1-5 follows a new description of the bride. In the groom’s earlier description of the bride (Song 4:1-14), he says what she means for him. There he starts the description with her head. This new description he starts with her feet, her way of walking. The first description is done from the point of view of love. The second is from the point of view of her public action, which is also seen by others.

The bride is described in the royal glory she possesses and which is perceived by others. Although she has received that glory of the groom, it is not clear whether the description comes from the mouth of the groom or from the mouth of the daughters of Jerusalem. Because of the public character of the description, it is quite conceivable that the testimony about her is given by the daughters of Jerusalem.

The name “prince’s daughter” (cf. Psa 45:13), with which she is addressed, is in keeping with this public testimony. We hear no names like ‘bride’ and ‘beloved’ as in Song of Songs 4. It is not a description of the intimate love relationship between groom and bride, but of the formal connection between king and queen.

As said, the description begins with the feet. It is said that they are “beautiful”. She stands out because of her elegant way of walking. There is no hurry, it radiates peace and dignity. She moves full of elegance. She takes her steps in her “sandals”. Whoever goes into captivity goes barefoot (Isa 20:4; cf. 2Sam 15:30). The father gives the prodigal son “sandals on his feet” when he returns home (Lk 15:22).

In the spiritual sense, the description teaches about our “royal priesthood” (1Pet 2:9). We are not ‘children of the King’, but we do have royal dignity. This means that, in addition to having a relationship of love with the Lord Jesus, we also have a testimony in the world. It is the desire of every believer who loves the Lord Jesus to also respond to what is said here of the bride. Can the Lord Jesus and the people around us give this testimony of us that is given here of the bride?

Our feet are said to be shod “with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15). The meaning is not that we should be prepared to proclaim the gospel – however important that may be. It means that in our walk it is visible that we live from peace. We have peace in every circumstance in which God brings us. People see that we go our way with the peace of God in our hearts, even when it is difficult. This is only possible if we look at the Lord Jesus, Who is the example in this (Mt 11:25-30).

Then her “hips” are described. In the hips is the power for walking. After God has disrupted Jacob’s thigh or hip, he goes limping through life (Gen 32:25 ; 31). There is talk of “the curves” of the bride’s hips. This indicates that there are no sharp or angular edges in her walk. We can sometimes be ‘angular’ or ‘sharp’. The Lord is working to remove those sharp sides. But He sees us as round.

Then the curves of the hips are compared to “jewels”. Her walk is graceful as a jewel. We don’t walk with long faces and heads hung low. If we have bent our necks before the Lord, it is seen in our walk. Then we listen to His directions and do His will (cf. Pro 3:21-22 ; Pro 25:12). This is how He is seen in our lives, so that we will be a blessing to those with whom we come into contact. Sharp words will not be spoken and angular or uncontrolled action will not take place.

We do not have such elegant and graceful behavior by nature. It takes “the hands of an artist” to show this behavior. The Spirit of God is that Artist. The Spirit works this behavior in us as God’s workmanship, as a new creation. Own effort or all kinds of therapies for behavioral change are connected with the old man and always fail. It will only be possible if we give the Spirit the opportunity to guide our lives.

Navel, Belly and Breasts

The next part of the body is the “navel” (Song 7:2). The navel has to do with life, with its origins. The unborn child is fed in its mother’s womb through the umbilical cord. When a child is born, the navel cord is cut or cut off (cf. Eze 16:4). The navel is a lasting reminder of the original connection with the mother.

The bride is an independent woman. She is a new personality. From a prophetic point of view, we see here the faithful remnant of Israel, or Jerusalem, which has been revived by a wonder of God. This remnant itself is also “at the center of the world” or “the navel of the earth” (Eze 38:12). Everything that God promised old Israel, but that the people have lost through unfaithfulness, He gives to the new Israel. From there will come blessing and life for the whole earth. We see this in the temple stream that flows out of the temple in the kingdom of peace and spreads blessing (Eze 47:1-12).

The navel is compared here with “a round goblet which never lacks mixed wine”. A goblet can be seen as a picture of a person. A round goblet has no beginning and no end, it is endless. There are no angles or points. This is a picture of the new, eternal life given to us. There is no beginning and no end to that. We ourselves did not contribute anything to its creation.

An endless, unceasing joy is connected with this life. That is what the mixed wine speaks of. It is a joy that expresses itself in various ways. We can apply this to all kinds of relationships we have. In this way we can be a joy for our wife and children in our dealings with them. This also applies to our neighbors and colleagues. We pass on joy as we reveal the new, eternal life we possess.

The “belly” is closely connected to the navel. It is the place where new life is formed and where new life comes forth (Job 1:21 ; Job 3:10-11 ; Job 31:15; Ecc 5:14 ; Ecc 11:5). The belly also speaks of the inward parts, of feelings, and of the absorption of food (Hab 3:16; Rom 16:18; Jer 51:34; Eze 3:3; 1Cor 6:13; Phil 3:19; Rev 10:9-10). Her belly is compared to “a heap of wheat fenced about with lilies”. The wheat reminds us of the Lord Jesus. He compares Himself to a grain of wheat that has fallen into the earth and died, thereby bearing much fruit (Jn 12:24). From His death and resurrection came forth “a heap of wheat”.

This applies here to Israel in the future when all who are scattered in Israel are gathered together as “a heap of wheat” (Mt 13:24-30 ; Mt 24:31). All Israel is then saved (Rom 11:26). That is the fruit of the work of Christ. The remnant has the features of Him from Whom they received life, just as every grain in the heap of wheat has the same features as that one grain of wheat from which they came.

This heap of wheat, this great harvest, is “fenced about with lilies”. The lilies are a picture of the remnant who experienced the tribulation in the land. These pictures increase the glory of the ‘prince’s daughter’, but above all of the Artist Who shaped her in this way.

The description of the breasts (Song 7:3) fits seamlessly with the description of the navel and belly. The breasts indicate adulthood, maturity. They also point to the ability to pass on to the newborn child the food she herself first took to herself. We have also seen this description in Song of Songs 4, which is given there by the groom (Song 4:5).

What was said there is also true here. Breasts are a picture of spiritual maturity and the ability to pass on food to little children. The “two fawns” seem to allude to this. Fawns drink from their mother’s milk. The milk that is passed on by the breasts speaks of the Word of God through which believers grow spiritually (1Pet 2:2).

There is also balance in the bride’s public appearance. This is expressed in the image of “twins of a gazelle”. The original word means ‘two young deer born from the same mother’. They are identical in size, one is not bigger than the other. Her life is in balance. Doctrine and life are in balance. She does not lapse into extremes. This is also important for us. We must not set these two sides of the life of faith against each other, but let them develop side by side. If so, we will go our way with the elegance of a gazelle.

Prophetically we see in the bride’s performance as a daughter of the prince the performance of the new Israel in the kingdom of peace. Israel will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth in a lovely, elegant manner, like a gazelle, during the kingdom of peace. The peoples will be provided by her with what they need.

Neck, Eyes, Nose, Head and Hairlocks

The description of her neck also fits her character as the prince’s daughter (Song 7:4). She is no longer obstinate, reluctant to bow under the yoke of the Lord, but powerful in faith. Her neck is a paragon of beauty. Earlier, her neck has been compared to the tower of David (Song 4:4), a kind of weapon storage-place, which speaks of defensive power. Here her neck is compared to “a tower of ivory”, which speaks of royal glory.

In the groom’s description by the bride she compares his belly to carved ivory (Song 5:14). Ivory is mentioned in connection with the kingship of Solomon, king of peace (1Kgs 10:22; 2Chr 9:21). Solomon made “a great ivory throne” (1Kgs 10:18; 2Chr 9:17). We can therefore connect ivory with the kingship of Christ which He exercises in peace.

That the bride’s neck is compared to a tower of ivory indicates that Jerusalem will share in the reign of the Lord Jesus. That is what the Lord says to His disciples: “And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Mt 19:28).

Now there is still rejection, but soon He will reign and then they may reign with Him. The throne and the twelve thrones speak of this. It is the throne of His glory, the throne which will be established on earth in the glory of the kingdom of peace, when “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:9b). The thrones they will sit on relate to their government over Israel, that is to say their rule over Israel. They will be distributers of blessings for Israel.

Her eyes are not compared here to doves, as has happened before (Song 1:15 ; Song 4:1), but to the rest of the pure and quiet water of “the pools in Heshbon”. It is not water from the depths or from a fountain that springs up, but water that is open and pure before the light of the sky. Her eyes radiate the peace of God’s Word, of which the pools are a picture. Everywhere she looks, she sees purity, cleanliness, everything is in accordance with God’s Word. There is nothing that disturbs this peace, for everything bears the hallmark of the prince of peace.

The pools are located “by the gate of Bath-rabbim”, which means ‘daughter of many’. If everything is in accordance with God’s Word, there is no desolation or death anymore. The LORD will increase the men of the house of Israel “like a flock” (Eze 36:37-38; cf. Zec 8:4-5). A great multitude of redeemed people, which have been brought back to the land by the LORD, shall bear witness to the great redemption which He has brought about. This is the fulfillment of His Word.

The “nose”, which used to rise in pride to express contempt for the LORD (cf. Psa 10:4; Eze 23:25), is now compared to “the tower of Lebanon”. The tower is a castle, a fortress and at the same time a lookout post for watchmen. The nose is to smell. It is said of the Messiah that “He will delight [or: His smell shall be] in the fear of the LORD” (Isa 11:3), that is to say, the air which He breathes is permeated by the fear of the LORD. The same goes for the bride’s nose.

Everything that threatens this fear of the LORD, that pollutes the air, she smells. The big threat in the end time is Damascus, the capital of Syria. From her tower she looks down on it in the kingdom of peace. Syria, in the person of the king of the north, is the leader of Assyria, who will attack, overwhelm and destroy Israel in the end time. This enemy is judged by Christ Himself (Dan 11:45).

We need to know our enemy and where he is. In recognizing the enemy, the sense of smell may be more important than seeing or hearing. Smell is not linked to words we hear or deeds we see, but to an inner discernment. That goes far beyond what we see or hear. It is about being able to distinguish between what is of God and what is not of God. Someone may look neat and what he says may sound good, but it may not smell well because there is no fear of God in it.

The description of the bride ends with the head and hair (Song 7:5). Her “head” is compared to “Carmel”. Carmel is the place where Elijah stood before God and gained victory over all that is evil (1Kgs 18:19-24 ; 37-45). It is the place of mighty prayers and the blessing that follows. The fact that her head was like Carmel means that she was aware of the power of prayer. As a result, she has gained victories and received blessing. The blessing is that Jerusalem will be given “the majesty of Carmel” (Isa 35:2).

Her “flowing locks” has a purple color, which is the color of royal garment. That also fits her description as a prince’s daughter. By speaking of “flowing locks” the emphasis is on her long hair “as a glory to her” (1Cor 11:15). This speaks of the fact that her royal dignity also has the aspect of submission to the authority of the king and that she dedicates herself to him.

This aspect arouses such great admiration in him that it makes him a captive. It captivates him, all his attention goes out to that. The same it is with us when we show our royal dignity in our submission to the Lord Jesus and to each other.

Subservience is a special feature of our dignity. We show our submission to Him by being obedient to everything He says to us in His Word. When we submit out of love, it fascinates Him so much that He only pays attention to that. All other proofs of love result from this.

After listing the bride’s beauties in her public appearance as a prince’s daughter, the groom, in awe, exclaims that she is “beautiful” and “delightful” (Song 7:6; Song 1:15 ; Song 4:1; Psa 45:11a). He has that intimate relationship of love with her. He finds his full joy in her. Whatever he might desire, she transcends everything. To him she is full of pleasure. Here he is not talking about her, but to her.

For the Lord Jesus, the bride, His earthly bride Jerusalem, is really everything. She is exceptionally beautiful and delightful to Him. She is beautiful in her appearance, she is delightful in her behavior. To Him she is the “sweetest”. His heart is full of her and goes out to her. She is His “love”, with all her “charms”. He enjoys every part of the city. There is nothing left that disturbs. Everything is perfectly in accordance with His desires. He describes in the following verses the full enjoyment He finds in her.