Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Song of Solomon 4:15
A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
15. a fountain of gardens, &c.] Some take these words as vocatives, but more probably thou art is to be understood as in R.V. Budde would read ‘my garden’ ( gann) for ‘gardens’ ( gannm), and would translate, “The fountain of my garden is a well of living waters.” This is supported by the reading of the LXX, for they, from their having would seem to have read not gannm but gann, i.e. ‘his garden,’ the Heb. letter waw being the sign for both his and and. But that would give no meaning here. The probability therefore is that the reading the Greek translators really had before them was gann, i and o being hardly distinguishable in the writing then in use. Moreover, it would give a better arrangement of the text. In Son 4:12 the bride is compared to a garden and a spring. Son 4:13-14 expand and particularise the garden simile. By Budde’s reading Son 4:15 becomes a similar expansion of the spring simile. We should then read, thou art the fountain of my garden, a well of living, i.e. flowing, waters, and rushing Lebanon streams. She is the source of all the joy and refreshment of his existence, just as a fountain is the cause of all the coolness and shade of the garden which it waters.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Son 4:15
A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
The Church a garden
Again and again the Church is represented as a garden, all up and down the Word of God, and it is a figure specially suggestive at this season of the year, when the parks and the orchards have put forth their blossom and the air is filled with bird-voices.
1. It is a garden because of the rare plants in it. Sometimes you will find the violet, inconspicuous, but sweet as heaven–Christian souls, with no pretence, but of much usefulness, comparatively unknown on earth, but to be glorious in celestial spheres. In this garden of the Lord I find the Mexican cactus, loveliness within, thorns without, men with great sharpness of behaviour and manner, but within them the peace of God, the love of God, the grace of God. They are hard men to handle, ugly men to touch, very apt to strike back when you strike them, yet within them all loveliness and attraction, while outside so completely unfortunate. But I remember in boyhood that we had in our fathers garden what we called the Giant of Battle–a peculiar rose, very red and very fiery. Suggestive flower, it was called the Giant of Battle. And so in the garden of the Lord we find that kind of flower–the Pauls and Martin Luthers, the Wycliffes, the John Knoxcs–Giants of Battle. What in other men is a spark, in them is a conflagration; when they pray, their prayers take fire. When they suffer, they sweat great drops of blood; when they preach, it is a pentecost; when they fight, it is a Thermopylae; when they die, it is martyrdom–Giants of Battle. But I find also in the Church of God a plant that I shall call the snowdrop. Very beautiful but cold; it is very pure, pure as the snowdrop, beautiful as the snowdrop, and cold as the snowdrop. I would rather have one Giant of Battle than 5000 snowdrops. You have seen in some places, perhaps, a century-plant. You look at it and say, This flower has been gathering up its beauty for a whole century, and it will not bloom again for another hundred years. Well, I have to tell you that in this garden of the Church, spoken of in my text, there is a century-plant. It has gathered up its bloom from all the ages of eternity, and nineteen centuries ago it put forth its glory. It is not only a century-plant but a passion-flower–the passion-flower of Christ; a crimson flower, blood at the root, and blood on the leaves, the passion-flower of Jesus, the century-plant of eternity. Come, O winds from the north, and winds from the south, and winds from the east, and winds from the west, and scatter the perfume of this flower through all nations. Thou, the Christ of all the ages, hast garments smelling of myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces.
2. The Church of Christ is appropriately compared to a garden because of its thorough irrigation. There can be no luxuriant garden without plenty of water. I saw a garden in the midst of the desert, amid the Rocky Mountains. I said, How is it possible you have so many flowers, so much rich fruit, in a desert for miles around? I suppose some of you have seen those gardens. Well, they told me they had aqueducts and pipes reaching up to the hills, and the snows melted on the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, and then poured down in water to those aqueducts, and it kept the fields in great luxuriance. And I thought to myself–how like the garden of Christ! All around it the barrenness of sin and the barrenness of the world, but our eyes are unto the hills, from whence cometh our help. There is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of our God, the fountain of gardens and streams from Lebanon. Water to slake the thirst, water to refresh the fainting, water to wash the unclean, water to toss up in fountains under the sun of righteousness, until you can see the rainbow around the throne. I wandered in a royal garden of choicest plants, and I saw the luxuriance of those gardens were helped by the abundant supply of water. I came to it on a day when strangers were not admitted, but, by a strange coincidence, at the moment I got in the kings chariot passed, and the gardener went up on the hill and turned on the water, and it came flashing down the broad stairs of stone until sunlight and wave in gleesome wrestle tumbled at my feet. And so it is with this garden of Christ. Everything comes from above–pardon from above, peace from above, comfort from above, sanctification from above. Streams from Lebanon–oh! the consolation in this thought. How many have tried all the fountains of this worlds pleasure, but never tasted of the stream from Lebanon! How many have revelled in other gardens, to their souls ruin, but never plucked one flower from the garden of our God! I swing open all the gates of the garden and invite you in, whatever your history, whatever your sins, whatever your temptations, whatever your trouble. The invitation comes no more to one than to all: Whosoever will, let him come. ( T. De Witt Talmage.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 15. A fountain of gardens] Perhaps gannim, “gardens,” was originally chaiyim, “lives,” a living fountain, a continual spring. See Houbigant. But this is expressed afterwards; though there would be nothing improper in saying, “a living fountain, a well of living waters, and streams from Mount Lebanon.” A fountain of gardens may mean one so abundant as to be sufficient to supply many gardens, to water many plots of ground, an exuberant fountain. This is the allusion; the reference is plain enough.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
These are the words either,
1. Of the bride, who returns this answer to the Bridegroom. Thou callest me a fountain, but in truth thou only art that fountain from whence I derive all my streams of comfort; or rather,
2. Of the Bridegroom, who hath hitherto been speaking to and of the church, and still continues his speech. He seems to add this by way of correction to or exposition of what he said, Son 1:12. Though my spouse be in some sort a fountain shut up or sealed, yet that is not so to be understood as if she kept her waters to herself, for she is like a fountain or well of living or running water, which floweth into gardens, and maketh tho flowers and plants to grow and flourish. The church conveyeth those waters of life which she receiveth from Christ unto particular believers and congregations.
Streams from Lebanon; like those sweet and refreshing rivers which flow down from Mount Lebanon, of which Jordan is one.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. ofThis pleasure-ground isnot dependent on mere reservoirs; it has a fountain sufficient towater many “gardens” (plural).
living (Jer 17:8;Joh 4:13; Joh 4:14;Joh 7:38; Joh 7:39).
from LebanonThough thefountain is lowly, the source is lofty; fed by the perpetual snows ofLebanon, refreshingly cool (Jer18:14), fertilizing the gardens of Damascus. It springs uponearth; its source is heaven. It is now not “sealed,” butopen “streams” (Re22:17).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Some c take these words to be the words of Christ continued, speaking still of his church, and explaining and enlarging upon what he had said of her, So 4:12; but they are rather the words of the church; who, upon hearing herself commended, and knowing that all her fruitfulness, and the flourishing condition she was in, were owing to the grace of Christ, breaks forth in these words, and ascribes all to him, saying, “O fountain of gardens, O well of living waters”, c. for so the words may be rendered in the vocative case d. By the “gardens” may be meant particular distinct churches, such as were gathered in the first times of the Gospel, and since, as the churches of Asia, c. separated from the world, and planted with trees of righteousness, such as are before described: and though there are many gardens or churches, there is but one “fountain” which supplies them all with gifts and grace, and that is Christ, and his fulness, the fountain from whence flow all grace, and the blessings of it: who also is the “well of living waters” a well deep and large, fathomless and bottomless, dug by sovereign grace, and full of all grace signified by “waters”, for the abundance of it; and said to be “living”, because by it dead sinners are quickened, and drooping saints revived; and is ever running e, ever flowing and overflowing; so that there is always a supply for all Christ’s gardens, and for all believers in all ages; who, with the bucket of faith, draw water with joy out of this well, or wells of salvation, Isa 12:3; and the flows of grace from hence are like “streams from Lebanon”, because of the abundance of it; the constant and continued supplies of it; the rapidity and force with which it comes, bearing down all obstacles in its way, and for the pleasure it gives, the flows of it being as delightful and grateful as streams of water in hot countries. Respect seems to be had to several places called by these names; there was one, called “the Fountain of Gardens”, which flowed from Lebanon, six miles from Tripoli, and watered all the gardens, whence it had its name, and all the country that lay between these two places f; and there was another, called “the Well of living Waters”, a little mile to the south of Tyre; it had four fountains, from whence were cut various aqueducts and rivulets, which watered all the plain of Tyre, and all its gardens; which fountains were little more than a bow’s cast from the main sea, and in which space six mills were employed g: and there is a rupture in Mount Lebanon, as Mr. Maundrell h says, which runs up it seven hours’ travelling; and which, on both sides, is steep and high, and clothed with fragrant greens from top to bottom; and everywhere refreshed with “fountains”, falling down from the rocks, in pleasant cascades, the ingenious work of nature; and Rauwolff i, who was on this mountain in 1575, relates;
“we came (says he) into pleasant groves, by delightful “rivulets” that arose from “springs”, that made so sweet a noise, as to be admired by King Solomon, So 4:15;”
and these streams gave rise to some rivers, as Jordan, Eleutherus, &c. k to which the allusion is here. There were two cities, one in the tribe of Judah, and the other in the tribe of Issachar, called Engannim, the fountain of gardens, Jos 15:34.
c So Cocceius, Schmidt, Heunischius, Marckius, Michaelis. d So Ainsworth, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Marckius. e “Flumine vivo”, Virgil. Aeneid. l. 2. v. 715, “Semper fluenti”, i.e. “naturali”, Servius in ibid. f Adrichom. Theatrum Terrae Sanctum, p. 107, 108. g Ibid. p. 6. h Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 142, 143. i Travels, part. 2. ch. 12. p. 187, 188. Ed. Ray. k Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 20. Joseph. Antiqu. l. 5. c. 3. s. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The panegyric returns now once more to the figure of a fountain.
15 A garden-fountain, a well of living water,
And torrents from Lebanon.
The tertium compar. in Son 4:12 was the collecting and sealing up; here, it is the inner life and its outward activity. A fountain in gardens ( , categ. pl.) is put to service for the benefit of the beds of plants round about, and it has in these gardens, as it were, its proper sphere of influence. A well of living water is one in which that which is distributes springs up from within, so that it is indeed given to it, but not without at the same time being its own true property. is related, according to the Semitic usus loq., to , as “ niedergehen ” (to go down) to “ weggehen ” (to go away) ( vid., Pro 5:15); similarly related are (Arab.) sar , to go, and sal (in which the letter ra is exchanged for lam, to express the softness of the liquid), to flow, whence syl ( sel ), impetuous stream, rushing water, kindred in meaning to . Streams which come from Lebanon have a rapid descent, and (so far as they do not arise in the snow region) the water is not only fresh, but clear as crystal. All these figures understood sensuously would be insipid; but understood ethically, they are exceedingly appropriate, and are easily interpreted, so that the conjecture is natural, that on the supposition of the spiritual interpretation of the Song, Jesus has this saying in His mind when He says that streams of living water shall flow “out of the belly” of the believer, Joh 7:38.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Love of the Church to Christ. | |
15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. 16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
These seem to be the words of the spouse, the church, in answer to the commendations which Christ, the bridegroom, had given of her as a pleasant fruitful garden. Is she a garden?
I. She owns her dependence upon Christ himself to make this garden fruitful. To him she has an eye (v. 15) as the fountain of gardens, not only the founder of them, by whom they are planted and to whom they owe their being, but the fountain of them, by which they are watered and to which they own their continuance and well-being, and without whose constant supplies they would soon become like the dry and barren wilderness. To him she gives all the glory of her fruitfulness, as being nothing with out him: O fountain of gardens! fountain of all good, of all grace, do not thou fail me. Does a believer say to the church, All my springs are in thee, in thee, O Zion? (Ps. lxxxvii. 7), the church transmits the praise to Christ, and says to him, All my springs are in thee; thou art the well of living waters (Jer. ii. 13), out of which flow the streams of Lebanon, the river Jordan, which had its rise at the foot of Mount Lebanon, and the waters of the sanctuary, which issued out from under the threshold of the house, Ezek. xlvii. 1. Those that are gardens to Christ must acknowledge him a fountain to them, from whose fulness they receive and to whom it is owing that their souls are as a watered garden, Jer. xxxi. 12. The city of God on earth is made glad with the river that flows from this fountain (Ps. xlvi. 4), and the new Jerusalem has its pure river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, Rev. xxii. 1.
II. She implores the influences of the blessed Spirit to make this garden fragrant (v. 16): Awake, O north wind! and come, thou south. This is a prayer, 1. For the church in general, that there may be a plentiful effusion of the Spirit upon it, in order to its flourishing estate. Ministers’ gifts are the spices; when the Spirit is poured out these flow forth, and then the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, Isa. xxxii. 15. This prayer was answered in the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of pentecost (Acts ii. 1), ushered in by a mighty wind; then the apostles, who were bound up before, flowed forth, and were a sweet savour to God, 2 Cor. ii. 15. 2. For particular believers. Note, (1.) Sanctified souls are as gardens, gardens of the Lord, enclosed for him. (2.) Graces in the soul are as spices in these gardens, that in them which is valuable and useful. (3.) It is very desirable that the spices of grace should flow forth both in pious and devout affections and in holy gracious actions, that with them we may honour God, adorn our profession, and do that which will be grateful to good men. (4.) The blessed Spirit, in his operations upon the soul, is as the north and the south wind, which blows where it listeth, and from several points, John iii. 8. There is the north wind of convictions, and the south wind of comforts; but all, like the wind, brought out of God’s treasuries and fulfilling his word. (5.) The flowing forth of the spices of grace depends upon the gales of the Spirit; he stirs up good affections, and works in us both to will and to do that which is good; it is he that makes manifest the savour of his knowledge by us. (6.) We ought therefore to wait upon the Spirit of grace for his quickening influences, to pray for them, and to lay our souls under them. God has promised to give us his Spirit, but he will for this be enquired of.
III. She invites Christ to the best entertainment the garden affords: “Let my beloved then come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits; let him have the honour of all the products of the garden (it is fit he should), and let me have the comfort of his acceptance of them, for that is the best account they can be made to turn to.” Observe, 1. She calls it his garden; for those that are espoused to Christ call nothing their own, but what they have devoted to him and desire to be used for him. When the spices flow forth then it is fit to be called his garden, and not till then. The fruits of the garden are his pleasant fruits, for he planted them, watered them, and gave the increase. What can we pretend to merit at Christ’s hands when we can invite him to nothing but what is his own already? 2. She begs he would visit it, and accept of what it produced. The believer can take little pleasure in his garden, unless Christ, the beloved of his soul, come to him, nor have any joy of the fruits of it, unless they redound some way or other to the glory of Christ, and he will think all he has well bestowed upon him.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
15. Well of living waters The fountain which was “sealed,” now diffuses in the garden to which its “waters” are conveyed, life to all verdure, beauty to every flower, and flavour to all fruits. It is a source of “ living waters,” like the pure, perennial streams of Lebanon. From Lebanon flow Abana and Pharpar, the rivers which give Damascus its life and beauty.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Son 4:15. A fountain of gardens, &c. Houbigant reads it, A living fountain, a fountain of living waters, flowing as it were from Lebanon.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
Here it should seem the Church takes up the discourse, and having heard her Lord thus enlarging upon the graces, which she well knew if she enjoyed she had them all and everyone from him, she breaks out in the highest commendation of her Lord. A fountain of gardens: a well of living waters; and streams from Lebanon, is my loved. It is as if she had said, am I a garden; then, Lord, it is thou that hast made me so? Am I inclosed? Yes! thy distinguishing grace hath shut me in. Am I a spring? Yes, Lord! for thou art the fountain of all the gardens; a well of living waters, for I wholly live by thee and in thee and all my refreshments are from thee, as the streams from Lebanon. Reader! it is blessed while we enjoy our mercies to enjoy yet more the author of them; and while we have all things from Christ, to feel the blessedness of all things in Christ. Jesus is indeed the fountain of all, the source of all, and the end of all. And like the well, and the well of living waters, in his Godhead, and in his mediatorial fulness, he is all in all. Oh! for grace to be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fulness of God. Eph 3:18-19 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Son 4:15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
Ver. 15. A fountain of gardens, a well, &c. ] Or, O fountain of the gardens, &c. For they do best in mine opinion that make this to be the Church’s speech to Christ, grounded upon his former commendation of her. And it is as if she should say, Callest thou me, Lord, a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed? True it is I am the garden which thine own right band hath planted, walled, watered, &c., but for all that I am or have, the entire praise belongs to thee alone. All my plenty of spiritual graces, all my perennity of spiritual comforts, all my pleasance and sweetness, is derived from thee, no otherwise than the streams of Jordan are from Mount Lebanon; “all my springs are in thee,” as in their well head. Certam est nos facere quod facimus, sed ille facit, ut faciamus, saith Augustine. True it is that we do what we do; but it is as true that Christ maketh us to do what we do; for “without him we can do nothing”; Joh 15:5 “in him is our fruit found”: Hos 14:8 it is he that “works all our works in us.” Isa 26:12 Hence it is that the Church is nowhere in all this book described by the beauty of her hands or fingers, because he alone doth all for her. The Church of Rome, that will needs hammer out her own happiness (like the spider climbing up by a thread of her own weaving, and boasting with her in the emblem, Mihi soli debeo I own to myself alone.), shows thereby of what spirit she is. That wretched monk died blasphemously who said, Redde mihi aeternam vitam quam debes, Pay me heaven which thou owest me. And what an arrogant speech was that of Vega, Caelum gratis non accipiam, I will not have heaven of free cost? Haec ego feci, haec ego feci, shows men to be no better than mere faeces, said Luther wittily. This I have done, and that I have done, speaks them dregs, and dogs that shall stand without doors. Rev 22:15 Hear a child of our Church speaking thus of himself: a
“ Fabricius studuit bene de pietate mereri;
Sed quicquid potuit, gloria, Christe, tua est. ”
This was matrissare,
A well of living.
And streams from Lebanon.
a Georg. Fab. Chemnicensis de seipso.
b Abbot’s Georg., 251.
c Godw. Catal. Giral. Camb. Puteus effosus ubi est aqua viva scaturiens et clara. – Merc.
A fountain = [With] a fountain.
fountain of gardens = a garden-fountain, without which no garden was complete.
Let my beloved. The Shulamite speaks in response, with the eloquent brevity of her overwrought feelings.
my beloved. Here, masculine, which shows who the speaker of this sentence is.
his = its.
fountain: Son 4:12, Ecc 2:6
a well: Psa 36:8, Psa 36:9, Psa 46:4, Jer 2:13, Jer 17:13, Joh 4:10, Joh 4:14, Joh 7:38, Rev 22:1
streams: Jer 18:13, Jer 18:14
Reciprocal: Gen 26:19 – springing water Num 19:17 – running water shall be put thereto 1Ki 21:2 – a garden of herbs Isa 58:11 – be like
Son 4:15. A well of living waters Though my spouse be in some sort a fountain shut up, yet that is not so to be understood as if she kept her waters to herself, for she is like a fountain of living or running water, which flows into gardens, and makes its flowers and plants to flourish. The church conveys those waters of life, which she receives from Christ, to particular believers. And streams from Lebanon Like those sweet and refreshing rivers which flow down from mount Lebanon, of which Jordan is one.
4:15 {h} A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
(h) The Church confesses that all her glory and beauty comes from Christ who is the true fountain of all grace.
Though she had kept her most intimate parts from others in the past, they were now open to Solomon, and he experienced full satisfaction with her love.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)