At last the day arrived for the Shulamite to wed her beloved! Not only would he claim her as his wife, but she would discover that her husband was the king!
Claiming the bride (3:6–11). The glorious procession appears on the horizon. It is Solomon being carried in his richly decorated palanquin, surrounded by sixty of his bravest soldiers, with a cloud of fragrant incense above him. He wears a wedding crown given to him by his mother. The daughters of Jerusalem get excited and sing to each other, “Go forth, O daughters of Zion!” The bride has her attendants, the king has joy in his heart, and the time has finally come for the wedding to take place. Today’s Christians would see in this a reminder of the coming of the King of Kings to claim His bride, the church.
Extolling her beauty (4:1–7). In modern marriages, the bride is the center of attention, and “What did the bride wear?” is the big question. But the king is more concerned with her beauty than with her attire. He has claimed her for himself and it is now their wedding night. She will lay aside her veil as a symbol that she belongs to him and she has nothing to hide. (See Gen. 24:65.) His speech opens and closes with, “You are beautiful!” The images the king uses to describe her beauty may seem strange to us, but measures of beauty change from age to age and culture to culture.
Doves’ eyes would reflect peace and depth. The bride’s teeth were clean, even, and beautiful. When you remember that ancient peoples didn’t quite understand dental hygiene, this is an admirable trait. Healthy teeth would also affect her breath (7:8). She had a queenly neck and a posture with it that exuded control, power, and stability. She was a tower of strength! The “mountains of myrrh” refer to her breasts, which he would enjoy all night until the dawn would break, and she would also enjoy his expressions of love.
Consummating the marriage (4:8—5:1). Beginning in verse 8, six times he calls her his “spouse” or his bride. After the marriage is consummated, she is no longer a bride but a wife. They are enjoying a “mountaintop experience” as they share their love (v. 8), and he tells her how beautiful she is. “Thy love” in verse 10 refers to her words and actions and not just her feelings. It could be translated “love-making.”
He rejoices that his bride is a virgin, “a garden locked up, a spring enclosed and a fountain sealed” (v. 12). This is another evidence that the Lord wants both the man and the woman to stay sexually pure. Conjugal love is pictured in terms of satisfying thirst (v. 15; see Prov. 5:15–23) and exploring a beautiful and fruitful garden that never grows old. The bride is the garden, and the bridegroom prays that the winds of life will make her even more beautiful and desirable. We may not appreciate the north wind, but even it can help us mature in our love.
With this lovely preparation completed, the bride is now ready, and she invites her husband to come into his garden and drink the living water and eat the nourishing fruits. He accepts her loving invitation and then says, “I have come into my garden!” They had feasted at the beginning of their relationship (1:2—2:7), but it was nothing like this! They now had truly tasted the fruits and enjoyed the wine, milk, and fragrant spices.
Who speaks in verse 5b? Is it the bride telling her husband-lover that he may visit the garden often? “Drink deeply” (“drink your fill”) suggests that there is always more to learn and enjoy as the marriage progresses. But the noun “beloved” is plural and can be translated “lovers.” Surely the daughters of Jerusalem aren’t there at that private sacred moment! It’s been suggested that this may be God speaking to the couple and through them encouraging all married couples to enjoy the blessings of married love, for He created sex for pleasure as well as for procreation.