John Gill Commentary Song Of Solomon 4:13

"Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants," — Song Of Solomon 4:13 (ASV)

Your plants [are] an orchard of pomegranates These plants are the members of the church, true converts, believers in Christ; pleasant plants, plants of renown, planted in the church by Christ's heavenly Father, and shall never be plucked up; or, your gardens, as it may be rendered ^F14 ; particular churches, well taken care of and watered; these make an orchard, or are like one, even a paradise, as the word ^F15 signifies: it is generally thought to be a Persic word; see (Nehemiah 2:8); but Hillerus ^F16 derives it from (rrp) , to "separate", it being a garden, separated and enclosed as before; one like Eden's garden, exceeding pleasant and delightful: and not like an orchard of any sort of trees, but of "pomegranates", of which there were plenty in Canaan, hence called a "land of pomegranates", (Deuteronomy 8:8); many places in it had their names from thence, (Joshua 15:32) (19:13) (21:24).

To which believers in Christ may be compared, for the various sorts of them ^F17 , for their largeness, fruitfulness, and uprightness; saints have gifts and grace, differing from one another as to size, but all pomegranates, trees of righteousness; some are larger, and excel others, are full of all the fruits of righteousness; but all are, more or less, fruitful and upright in heart: And so the saints of the higher class may be here designed, as those of a lower are by other trees and spices after mentioned; with pleasant fruits ;

that are valuable, precious, and desirable, of which an enumeration follows: camphire, with spikenard ; or "cypresses", or "cyprusses with nards" ^F18; both in the plural number: the former may intend cypress trees, so called on account of their berries and fruits growing in clusters; see (Song of Solomon 1:14); and the latter, because there are different sorts of them, as "nardus Italica", "Indica", and "Celtica": to these saints may be compared, because pleasant and delightful, of a sweet smell, and rare and excellent.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F14: Vid. Guisium in Misn. Sheviith, c. 2. s. 2.
• F15: (odrp) (paradeisov) , Sept. "paradisus", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Cocceius, Marckius, Michaelis.
• F16: Onomastic. Sacr. p. 291.
• F17: Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 13. c. 19.
• F18: So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.