Song 1:14 | KingComments | STEP | Again ( ) it sounds out of the bride’s mouth: “My beloved is to me …“. She now adds to the previous comparison that of “a cluster of henna blossoms”. In the previous comparison, that of a pouch of myrrh, we hear what the groom means to her heart, her inner self. The pouch of myrrh was not seen by anyone. The henna blossoms were used by Jewish girls to make a wreath of flowers and to decorate themselves with them. Through the henna blossoms she shows others who the groom is for her. The flowers show what he is for her outwardly . They come from “the vineyards of Engedi”. Vineyards and wine represent joy ( ; ). Engedi means ‘source of the goat’. This verse depicts, together with the previous verse, that Christ is our ‘Beloved’ both internally and externally. We not only cherish Him in our hearts, but also visibly adorn ourselves with Him. We show in our surroundings that we are happy with Him. This will be noticeable by others in our behavior, in all our actions and words. When our heart is attuned to Him and He spends the night between our breasts like a pouch of myrrh, this must also become visible in our life. We give expression to this joy in ‘Engedi’. It is the name of a wilderness where David fled and hid from Saul ( ). In the wilderness of this world, we may take that special place. As has already been mentioned, Engedi means ‘source of the goat’. This determines us with the work of the Lord Jesus as the sin offering. The goat is the animal of the sin offering par excellence ( ). By becoming the sin offering, Christ worked atonement. This is also in line with a possible meaning of the word ‘henna’. It has been assumed that this word has a root that means ‘atonement’, ‘ransom’, ‘covering’. Christ is the Source of atonement, the Source of life. He is the Source out of Whom all the things that give us joy in life in this wilderness of this world are constantly arising. If He is the Source for all things in our lives from Whom we draw what we need, we may personally say with the sons of Korah: “All my springs are in you” ( ). Our surroundings will perceive this in our lives, but above all it will be seen by our ‘Beloved’.

‏ Song of Solomon 1:14

A Cluster of Henna Blossoms

Again (Song 1:13) it sounds out of the bride’s mouth: “My beloved is to me …“. She now adds to the previous comparison that of “a cluster of henna blossoms”. In the previous comparison, that of a pouch of myrrh, we hear what the groom means to her heart, her inner self. The pouch of myrrh was not seen by anyone. The henna blossoms were used by Jewish girls to make a wreath of flowers and to decorate themselves with them.

Through the henna blossoms she shows others who the groom is for her. The flowers show what he is for her outwardly. They come from “the vineyards of Engedi”. Vineyards and wine represent joy (Jdg 9:13; Psa 104:15a). Engedi means ‘source of the goat’.

This verse depicts, together with the previous verse, that Christ is our ‘Beloved’ both internally and externally. We not only cherish Him in our hearts, but also visibly adorn ourselves with Him. We show in our surroundings that we are happy with Him. This will be noticeable by others in our behavior, in all our actions and words. When our heart is attuned to Him and He spends the night between our breasts like a pouch of myrrh, this must also become visible in our life.

We give expression to this joy in ‘Engedi’. It is the name of a wilderness where David fled and hid from Saul (1Sam 24:1-2). In the wilderness of this world, we may take that special place. As has already been mentioned, Engedi means ‘source of the goat’. This determines us with the work of the Lord Jesus as the sin offering. The goat is the animal of the sin offering par excellence (Lev 16:5). By becoming the sin offering, Christ worked atonement. This is also in line with a possible meaning of the word ‘henna’. It has been assumed that this word has a root that means ‘atonement’, ‘ransom’, ‘covering’.

Christ is the Source of atonement, the Source of life. He is the Source out of Whom all the things that give us joy in life in this wilderness of this world are constantly arising. If He is the Source for all things in our lives from Whom we draw what we need, we may personally say with the sons of Korah: “All my springs are in you” (Psa 87:7b). Our surroundings will perceive this in our lives, but above all it will be seen by our ‘Beloved’.