Song of Solomon 5:10-16

In her continuing dream the YOUNG WIFE gives her response

“My beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, His locks are curly, and black as a raven. His eyes are like doves beside the water-brooks, Washed with milk, and fitly set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, As banks of sweet herbs, His lips are as lilies, dropping liquid myrrh. His hands are as rings of gold set with beryl, His body is as ivory work overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, Set on sockets of fine gold, His aspect is like Lebanon, Excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet, Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”

Almost too late the young wife has remembered the attractions of her husband. She no longer thinks of his hair as filled with dew, and his locks with the drops of the night. Now she can only think of his hair as like finest gold (possibly having in mind the custom of sprinkling gold on the hair), and his locks as curly and black as the raven. And she expands on the attributes of her husband with a mixture of descriptions, partly reminiscent of how he has previously described her (eyes like doves (Song of Solomon 4:1), springs of water (Song of Solomon 4:15)) partly taken from nature, and partly taken from the jewellery with which she has become familiar in the king's palace. She now sees him as being as precious to her, as she is to Him.

She sees him now as a mixture of that handsome young shepherd whom she had first known, and the powerful king whose wealth was bordering on the fabulous. But it can all be summed up in terms of the opening and closing descriptions, ‘he is the fairest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely'. He is both her ‘beloved' and her ‘friend', someone to be delighted in and trusted. Now she knows that nothing must be allowed prevent the complete fulfillment of their relationship.

Seeing it in terms of the Lord Jesus Christ it depicts His perfections, and what He is to us, both ‘beloved', because we love Him, and ‘friend' because He is both our companion and our helper. ‘You are my friends if you do the things which I command you' (John 15:14). To us too ‘He is the fairest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely'. The overall descriptions remind us that He is both of earthly nature (descriptions from nature) and of Heaven (descriptions in terms of splendor). We may see it as reminding us that He is both man and God. How foolish we are then when we keep Him at a distance.

The descriptions contain within them the ancient ideas of beauty and splendor. If we wish to go into detail we may see the fact that He is white and ruddy as indications of His matchless purity, and His precious redeeming blood (1 Peter 1:1). The gold in His hair may be seen as reminding us that he is a King with all the riches of Heaven at His disposal, and as portraying that in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). The blackness of His locks points to His permanent youthfulness as the giver of life. There is no aging with Him. From everlasting to everlasting He is God (Psalms 90:2). His dove's eyes demonstrate that He is the Prince of Peace and of gentleness (Isaiah 9:6). That they are fitly set indicates His ultimate perfection. That His face and lips emit the perfumes and scents of nature indicates that His face is ever towards us for good, and that His words will be sweet in our ears, even when sometimes they are necessarily tender words of rebuke. The descriptions of His hands, body and legs in terms of the finest materials and jewels bring out His infinite glory and beauty. Lebanon was seen as pointing to all that was most splendid about nature, with its towering cedars and its fragrant trees and plants. His aspect can thus be seen as reflecting the glory of the Creator. The sweetness of His mouth reminds us of the gentleness of His words and the beneficial effects of His teaching. ‘Altogether lovely' sums up the whole. How wonderful then to be able to say, ‘this is my Beloved, and this is my friend, O all you who hear'.