HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE “SHULAMITE” BRIDE (Song 7:1-13) The bride and the Bridegroom entered the garden, and experienced mutual love through their eternal spiritual union. The Bridegroom then describes his bride, the Church, differently than before, and communes with her saying: 1. “How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter!” (Song 7:1). He calls her the daughter of a prince, for she is related to Him. She is born from water and the Spirit, as a daughter to the Heavenly King, therefore she is called in the Psalm, “The royal daughter” (Ps. 45:13). After her fall she became wretched, but through her relationship with God, she became of a royal descent. The bride praised her Bridegroom earlier (Song 5:11-15), and she described Him from head to toe, for she was fascinated by His glory and majesty. She said His head represented His Person, then, praised His feet. Conversely, when the Bridegroom praised the bride, He starts with the feet, or her footsteps, then, tells of her head. There are two reasons for this: first, He wanted to emphasize that the cause of her beauty and her life, or her walk in the royal path, is her repentance and her return to the Bridegroom. Secondly, He wanted to give greater honor to the members of the body which seem less honorable (1 Cor. 12:23-24). His talk of the sandals refer to the Church, as a community or as individual members, that has shod her feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15). The Bridegroom first concentrated in describing her footsteps toward the gospel of peace. She followed the same path of the Bridegroom, practicing her righteous life full of peace. This is the source of her spiritual beauty, she knew the way and entered through it! Thus, she carried the testimony to her Bridegroom, as St. Paul said, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Rom. 10:15). The Prophets also said, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bring good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Is. 52:7), and “Behold, on the mountains, the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, perform your vows, for the wicked one shall no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off” (Nah. 1:15). When one bears the Word of God, one has the Source of inner peace for the self and for others. Then one may preach the word of salvation and the kingdom of God that was declared on the Cross. One pours joy into the hearts of believers; thus, they receive the spirit of victory and triumph over Satan. 2. “The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a skillful workman” (Song 7:1). The thighs carry the whole body and help it to move. The curves of the thighs refer to the unity of the whole Church in Christ Jesus through love. St. Paul said, “From the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:16). Through this love the body grows and is strengthened (Col. 2:19), then, the message of the Church is achieved. This unity is like chains that bind the human race together, in spite of various 5 languages, races, and cultures. It also binds different generations so the Church may carry its catholic (universal) spirit throughout the entire world. This is the handiwork of the great Creator, the Holy Sprit, who grants fellowship to all. 3. “Your navel is a rounded goblet which lacks no blended beverage” (Song 7:2). The navel is anointed with the Holy Myron oil in the Sacrament of Confirmation (Chrismation). The Holy Spirit sanctifies the outer members as well as the inner ones, so that one is consecrated completely to the Lord. When the Lord spoke with Ezekiel about the abomination of the people’s sins He said, “As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut” (Ezek. 16:4). Before the child is independent from his mother, his navel cord must be cut. He no more needs nourishment from his mother’s blood. Similarly, when bridal couples start their new life, they must be cut from their parents’ houses to practice mature love in unity of the spirit. The Lord Jesus sees His Church the same way. On a heavenly level, her navel cord is cut, and her navel is like a rounded goblet. She bears the heavenly nature (a circle has neither beginning nor end), and does not seek the same food as before; for she does not seek worldly pleasure but she is truly satisfied with the Heavenly Bridegroom. 4. “Your waist is a heap of wheat set about with lilies” (Song 7:2). The Church is the storehouse of spiritual food (wheat), or the living bread coming down from heaven (John 6:51) that satisfies the soul, in whom the Lord dwells. From outside, the Church may seem poor and hungry, but inside, she is stored with abundant blessings, as St. Paul said, “As poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Cor. 6:10). These blessings are surrounded by sweet-smelling lilies, for the fruits of the Church satisfy and attract souls. 5. “Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle” (Song 7:3).1 6. “Your neck is like an ivory tower” (Song 7:4). He spoke of her strength and endurance in temptation earlier, saying, “Your neck is like the tower of David, built for an armory” (Song 4:4). Now, however, he describes her neck as an ivory tower. We previously mentioned that the ivory refers to accepting suffering to the point of death, as does the elephant when ivory is extracted from it. Since the Faith of the Church is as high as a tower, the Church accepts various types of suffering until the point of death. She remains faithful and steadfast in the Faith, not deviating toward any strange doctrine or heresy, to preserve her priceless, apostolic faith! Her faith is like ivory, very white, with no impurities and very precious! The bride’s neck also refers to the purity of the Church, for her head is continuously elevated, which cannot be humiliated by sin in the dust. 7. “Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim” (Song 7:4). Earlier, He compares her eyes to those of a dove, for the eyes are where the Holy Spirit is apparent and sanctifies her inner life. Now He describes her eyes as fish pools in Heshbon, which means that she can see as far as pools opened toward heaven. This openness reflects concern for the entire human race; for whoever looks at her, finds all the fish (community of believers) inside of her pools. He did not use a fountain in this description, for she does not have any air bubbles (vanity and empty life); nor did he use the sea, for she is not burdened with 1 Please refer to commentary on Song 4:5 6 worry. In simplicity of faith, she lives with a calm and spiritual outlook towards life. The city of Heshbon was chosen here for the following reasons: A. Heshbon means “account.” One with simple, far-sighted vision does not necessarily live without accountability or circumspection, but with wisdom he counts the cost. B. The city of Heshbon is now called “Hesyan.” which is the remnants of a city on a hill, about 16 miles east of Jordan and 9 miles north of Madaba, which is between Arnok and Gabok. Sihon, the king of the Amorites, took this city to be the capital of his kingdom. Lying on the boundaries of Ruben and Gad (Num. 32:37, Josh. 13:26), Moses the Prophet gave it to the children of Reuben as a possession. Out of the 48 cities given to the Levites (Josh. 21:37, 1 Chron. 6:66), Heshbon was one of the six refuge cities. The eyes of the Church, or the spiritual vision of the believer, are like quiet pools and a refuge city, to which people go to enjoy the Lord Jesus Christ, our true Refuge (rest)1. C. The city of Heshbon was at the main crossroads where many multitudes passed by. This refers to the openness of the believer’s heart to enjoy the Lord Jesus, “The eternal Refuge.” That is why the Bridegroom continues His talk: “By the gate of Bath Rabbin.” The bath was a unit of measure the Jews used to measure liquid. Rabbin, meaning “the daughter of the multitudes.” refers to the believer’s becoming a son of the multitudes, or the believer’s enjoying of spiritual visions and calling everyone to share with him this vision. 8. “Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus” (Song 7:4). This statement reveals the bravery of the Church in witnessing the truth and not fearing evil. Although she is meek and humble, she is strong and mighty. The nose refers to the sense of smell, which discerns between the nice aroma of Christ and the vain temporal aroma of the world. The true believer has a nose like a tower, who can discern between an enemy and a friend, between what is for edification and what is for destruction. In looking toward Damascus, the commercial city caring for temporal affairs refers to the strength of the Church attacking all temptations. Since the believer has to have such a nose, how much more the shepherd should not have a marred face (Lev. 21:18). Fr. Gregory the Great said: [The one with a marred face is the one who is unable to discern. With the sense of smell, we can discern between sweet aroma and bad aroma. This sense can refer to the sense of discerning between virtue and vice. That is why in praising the Church, the bride, it was mentioned “Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon.” The holy Church can discern between different temptations, and knows in advance, from its tower, the battles of evil about to take place.2] 9. “Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, and the hair of your head is like purple; the king is held captive by its tresses” (Song 7:5). 3 The head of the Church is elevated like Mount Carmel, the mountain which is 2000 feet high, not in human pride, but in the power of victory over the love of the world and all its storms. 1 Refer to the cities of the shelter and their symbols to the Lord Jesus in the “Book of Numbers.” by St. George Church of Alexandria, p. 45, by the author. 2 The author, The Shepherd’s Love, 1965 ed., p. 657-658 3 The Septuagint 7 Carmel means “the land of the garden,” which is characterized by lush green and plentiful fruits and forests1. Hence, the head of the Church is not empty but fruitful, where no vain thoughts can stay, but carries glorious deeds and presents fruits which fill many. Mount Carmel was in the south of Brook Shihor (Josh. 19:26), which carried glorious memories. There, Elijah the Prophet stood against all the priests of the Baal and told them not to falter between two opinions, either to follow the Lord God or the Baal! There, he killed all the priests of the Baal (1Kgs. 18:17-40). Thus, when the Church rises toward the heavenly matters, she does not know how to falter between the love of God and the love of the world, but she mortifies every deviation and leads everyone toward the truth. On top of Mount Carmel, Elijah the Prophet bowed down on the ground and worshiped God asking for rain (1 Kgs. 18:42-46). Likewise, in the Church, the believers worship with contrite hearts, so that God may rain the waters of His grace in their hearts, until they repent and bring forth fruits. His disciple, Elisha the Prophet, visited Mount Carmel (2 Kgs. 2:25) when the widow met him and he raised her only son (2 Kgs. 4:25). These are some of the memories about Mount Carmel, to which the head of the Church was compared (Ps. 27:6). However, the hair refers to the community of believers. It is like purple, which is the attire of kings, as well as it is a symbol of the blood of Christ when we unite with the Bridegroom the King. All the members carry the royal characteristics, through the sanctification with the precious blood. Before this righteous, wonderful scene, the Bridegroom said, “The king is held captive by its tresses,” as if He does not want to forsake her. This is what the Psalmist David ascertained when he said, “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation; This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it” (Ps. 132:13-14). 10. “How fair and how pleasant you are, O love, with your delights! This stature of yours is like a palm tree, and your breasts like its clusters. I said, ‘I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its branches.’ Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples, and the roof of your mouth like the best wine. The wine goes down smoothly for my beloved, moving gently the lips of sleepers” (Song 7:6-9). At the end of His description, He communes with her saying, “How fair and how pleasant you are!” According to the origin of this statement, He said, “How beautiful you are!” The beauty of the Bridegroom was reflected on her, and by living inside her, she had a special beauty! This beauty was mingled with the fruit, for which He asks and finds inside her. He looked at her and found her resembling the palm tree and her breasts like the clusters. The stature of the Church is like a palm tree and she is straight forward. She advances to reach “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). David the Psalmist said, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon” (Ps. 92:12). The seventy apostles were symbolized with the seventy palm trees (Ex. 15:27, Num. 33:9), and the temple of God was decorated with palm trees (1 Kgs. 6:29, Ex. 40:22, 41:18). In eternity, the believers carry palm branches as a sign of victory (Rev. 7). A palm tree, with its hidden deep roots, meets the fountains of living water and presents its fruits apparent to many especially in poor regions. Its branches are used in welcoming kings, whom they wave as a sign of 1 Is. 33:9, 35:2, Amos 1:2, Nah.1:4 8 victory and triumph. In this analogy of the Church and the palm tree, the Heavenly Bridegroom sees in His Church the hidden deep union with Him, and the fruits presented to the hungry world and the victorious royal life! The Bridegroom rejoices with His fruitful bride, so He rises to the palm tree to reap its fruits. He does not send any of the servants to reap its fruits, but He Himself rises to pluck the fruits with His hands. Here, He declares the honor and greatness of the human soul; for her sake, He descended to the world to be united with her, and now He arises above her. She rose after she fell, and by her rising with her Bridegroom to share His glory in heaven, He sees Himself ascending on His palm tree to pluck her fruits, which is the work of His Holy Spirit! He holds her high branches, as if her victory is His victory, and in her rising, she glorifies His act of salvation. We hold the branches, for we conquer with the Lord’s help. He holds our victory, for it is for the glory of His holy name. He rejoices for every triumph we achieve! The kinds of fruits are: A. He sees her breasts like clusters of vine. Earlier, we mentioned that the breasts of the Church are the Old and New Testaments, for they stir the spirit of joy in the lives of believers. B. He sees her nose as apples. Apples symbolize the divine incarnation, as if she continuously smells the aroma of the Incarnate God. C. The roof of her mouth like the best wine refers to the words of continuous joy, which makes the Bridegroom Himself rejoices for her joy, then the signs of joy appear on His lips and teeth. Hearing the praise of the Bridegroom to His bride, the bride responds, “All the good qualities with which you have described me, are from You and for You, O My Beloved.” “I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me” (Song 7:10). In the second chapter, when the bride looked at the Crucified One, she realized His love when He offered Himself on the Cross, so she presented her life to Him, saying, “My Beloved is mine and I am His, He feeds His flock among the lilies” (Song 2:16). In the sixth chapter, she asks Him to enter His garden, that is her heart, to accept her love and receive her life, with all its inner energies, as a love response for His work for her, saying, “I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine. He feeds His flock among the lilies” (Song 6:3). However, here she is elevated to the eternity, not to offer her life as a love response, but to reveal His desire toward her, “I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is toward me” (Song 7:10). She is telling Him that she knew the mystery of His praising her, and that He seeks her to be with Him and to be the subject of His yearning forever! This time, she does not tell Him, “My Beloved is mine,” but she is astonished in front of His joy and yearning for her. “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation” (Ps. 132:13). In front of this great love of the Bridegroom toward her, she calls Him saying, “Come, my Beloved, let us go forth to the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love” (Song 7:11-12). Realizing His love for her, the bride asks Him to go out with her alone to the field and lodge in the village, away from the hustle of the city, where they can pluck 9 the fruits. THE FIELD Which field is this, where she invited her Bridegroom to go out with her? This is the vast field of divine work, which the Lord Jesus has said, “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest” (John 4:35). The Lord Himself calls us for work; however, we cannot go out without Him, but with Him, for He is the owner of the vineyard, and He grants it growth. St. Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building” (1Cor. 3:6-9). Cain went out to the field by himself, but the Lord was not with him, and there he could not endure Abel the righteous, so he killed him. When the Lord rebuked him, he answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9). Then He cursed the land and said, “So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth” (Gen. 4:11-12). The bride refuses to go out to the field unless she is accompanied by the Bridegroom, then her heart will be widened with love to her brother and she feels the responsibility toward him, then the land will be blessed because of her. The field reminds us of the meeting, full of love, between Isaac and Rebecca. Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw Rebecca, his bride, on the camel. When she saw him, she dismounted from the camel and met him. The bride desires to go out with him in the field of meditations, where the Heavenly Bridegroom reveals His divine mysteries. Then, she realizes His unutterable glories. He accepts her to be His bride forever, and she lives in His eternal bosom. Also, the field can mean the life of continuous strife. In the book of Proverbs, it is mentioned, “He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread” (Prov. 12:11). One cannot struggle to be satisfied unless the Lord works with him and in him. LET US GO FORTH! The bride says, “let us go forth.” In the Lord’s talk to His bride, she discovered a fact which she had not realized before, which is that God is not isolated in heaven, as Aristotle said that God moved the world but stopped to control it. On the contrary, God is dynamic, and continuously in motion with dealing with man. God is love, not isolated; He came for us, forsaking His glories, so we may not fear Him, but love Him and accept Him. He came to us and dwelt among us, and for our sake, He became a slave! He came outside the camp carrying our reproach on His shoulders! He reveals in us beauty, which is a reflection of His beauty on us and the fruit of His love which surrounds us. Now the soul seeks Him saying, “Let us go forth;” she realizes that without Him, she loves herself and becomes captive to her “ego.” She pleads with her Bridegroom to release her from her ego, so she may live with Him in the field of love, seeking what is for others. This is a living picture of a true marital love, where each partner does not captivate the other partner inside him, but rather he opens the heart for the other partner and appreciates him as an independent person. Sometimes, we see that one partner seeks what is for himself, and does not share with the other partner, but rather exploits him to satisfy his own psychological, social, and biological needs. It is a 10 selfish love where one partner chokes the will of the other partner and his freedom, thinking that he loves him! When the bride opens her heart to the bridegroom, she does not want to exploit him, as St. John Chrysostom said, and to shape him the way she wants, where he fulfills all her requests, fills all her needs, and solves her problems. But she goes out of herself seeking him and submitting to his will. If she asks him to solve her problem or to bless her work, this becomes as a result of their meeting together and not as the purpose of that meeting, in other words, God becomes priority in her life; she loves Him for Himself and not just for His gifts! LET US LODGE IN THE VILLAGES! What are these villages, where she wants to lodge there with her Bridegroom? 1. She means her inner life with its various aspects. She tells him to get away from the outward signs of the city, and to enter her heart, thought, emotion, and inner energies. She asks him to lodge in the village, so both of them may reveal the fruits of the Holy Spirit inside her, where the vine has budded, the grape blossoms are open and the pomegranates are in bloom. 2. This may also be a call to serve in the villages, for many may like to serve in rich cities; however, here the bride, which is the Church, is obligated to minister in the villages where the poor and the simple live. 3. Here the call is to lodge in different villages, that is, to accompany him from one village to another. Her heart does not rest in the city or in a certain village, but rather she unites with her Bridegroom while ministering in every place. Hence, the believer does not find his complete rest until he preaches to the entire human race. In the first chapter (Song 1:6), the soul rebuked the daughters of Jerusalem that they made her a keeper of the vineyards, but now she asks to rise early to go to the various vineyards. She went out of her selfishness to rise early to the vineyards, to work with the True Vinedresser. It is amazing that she not only wants to serve others, but she hastens to serve them, “get up early.” She realized that the time is short and the days are evil (Eph. 5:16). The bride then says, “There I will give you my love.” There, in the field of ministry, in the field of the Lord, in the villages, in the vineyards, she presents her unity with Christ, that is her love to the Lord. She presents her breasts (the two Testaments), that is the word of God, being the food which satisfies the soul. Finally, she tells him, “The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our gates are pleasant fruits, all manner, new and old, which I have laid up for you, my Beloved” (Song 7:13). The mandrakes are one of the most beautiful flowers which refer to the unity between the husband and the wife. Because of the mandrakes, Rachel and Leah had a fight (Gen. 30:14). The bride concludes her talk by saying that the fragrance of the marital love is apparent, between the Heavenly Bridegroom and the bride, and the time has come to perfect this unity. This unity with a nice fragrance carries pleasant fruits. It comes new every day and is old with deep roots. These are the fruits of the word of God, working in the souls of the believers. The precious fruits appear at the doors of the believers, who are members in the holy bride. This is what the bride, the mother, presents to Christ, the eternal Bridegroom. She presents the fruits of her members through the Holy Spirit!
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