This is the one day in a woman’s life when she is queen of all who gaze upon her, the day of her wedding. This chapter describes the ornate garments and jewelry which bear little resemblance to Western brides. Should we see such a bride, we would still appreciate her splendor, but the elements of her wardrobe would be exotic at the least. The reader is encouraged to ride along with the narrative and not ask too many questions.
If you’ve ever seen the dark colored Middle Eastern goats, you would recognize the reference to dark waves rippling down the hillsides of Gilead, the perfect terrain for such creatures. Of this image her long wavy hair reminds him, with all the vast wealth they might mean.
An adult woman with flawless dentistry was quite rare in that culture. It represents her high noble status, rather like the obsessive reaction Western men have to gorgeous celebrities of our day. She’s almost too much for him. The wedding veil cannot really hide her stunning beauty. The image of a pomegranate is the food of the wealthy, who can afford to dawdle over it picking at the juicy red pearls. We don’t know much about the Tower of David, but in Solomon’s time we know it was regarded as the finest in Eastern architecture, a grand landmark visible from afar. It was decorated with rows of polished shields, conjuring the image of imposing power and wealth.
What man does not celebrate an indescribable thrill at fondling a lover’s breasts? Solomon luxuriates here with common images of justified lust, including references to the most expensive heady perfumes. Finally he runs out of superlatives. Unwrapping the ultimate wedding gift is too much for words.
The cultural image of coming down into Palestine from Lebanon is difficult to translate. In ancient times, Lebanon was a famous tourist destination for those seeking natural beauty. It’s not too shabby today, but it was even grander in ancient times. So you pass through the most refreshing sights and days of sweet smelling trees and a sense of very ancient spiritual richness. Coming down from this lofty garden of the Creator, you enter this rich land where some of the finest agricultural production was offered to the rest of the world, a land flowing with milk and honey. It pulls in at least two well-known stories of exotic brides brought back for leading men of Israel, Isaac’s Rebekah and Jacob’s Rachel. It includes a far wider range of rich imagery about all the wonderful good things God gave to His servants, traveling down from the heights of Lebanon.
So in his mind this bride is his private garden, reserved for him alone. Again, it’s a cultural image hard to fully appreciate from this great distance of time and space. The literal meaning is obvious: She disrobes for no other man. Exclusive access to such a fine specimen of human flesh for a righteous pleasure is indescribable.
So the bride agrees, calling on God’s creation to witness to the moral uprightness of all of this, and to bless this wedding night with the full power of God’s divine character.
