God’s Word for You
Song of Solomon 5:14-16 This, this is Christ
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Sunday, June 16, 2024
14 His arms are rods of gold set with chrysolite.
His body is polished ivory decorated with sapphires.
15 His legs are marble pillars set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as cedars.
16 His palate is sweetness; he is altogether desirable.
This is my husband! This my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
The bride just does not stop with her praise. She praises his arms as rods or bars of gold. Now, gold is certainly lovely to look at, but it dents and bends easily; she might have said “bronze” if she wanted to describe his strength, and therefore that isn’t her intention. She wants to describe his value; his infinite worth. For his arms aren’t just gold, they are gold decorated with chrysolite. That word (Greek χρυσόλιθoς) is the precious stone we call topaz but which is often “chrysolite” in the Bible (Exodus 28:20; Revelation 21:20). In Hebrew it is tarshish, the name of a port on the Atlantic coast in southern Spain not far from modern Cadiz (Jonah 1:4). That’s where those precious stones were found. It is more than unlikely, improbable or impossible, that the text implies that a man in Israel would have decorated or painted his nails the way a woman would, although this is a conclusion some commentators make with no historical support. It is altogether possible and even likely that she means that the white semicircular rings at the base of his fingernails (the lunula) is what is meant here.
As Delitzsch correctly points out, “The description now proceeds from the uncovered to the covered part of his body, the whiteness of which is compared to ivory and marble.” Each part of his body has an accompanying precious stone or metal: Arms: gold and chrysolite. Body: ivory with sapphires. Legs: marble on bases (feet) of gold. The series is almost a chiasm (ABBA pattern): gold, ivory, marble, and back to gold, except that the second gold reference is the accompanying precious thing with the marble pillars of his legs. Still, she is not finished, and the rapid near-chiasm flits by like a fluttering bird so that the impression is more important than the detail.
The detail she gets to next is that his overall appearance is “like Lebanon,” the great pine forest to Israel’s northwest. She mentions Lebanon’s “choice cedars,” and choice here is the passive “chosen.” Solomon (the same author) talks about choice gold (Proverbs 8:10), choice silver (Proverbs 10:20), choice morsels to eat (Proverbs 18:8), and choice food and oil (Proverbs 21:10). Here the meaning is lumber that is gone over, turned round and round, to select the very best pieces to build with. The bride uses the language of a merchant or of the lady of the house making sure that only the finest things are selected. He is her tall pine tree. But no—he is her towering pine forest! And more than that, he is Lebanon itself, the tallest and richest pine nation!
Once again she describes his mouth. This time she uses the word hec, the roof of the mouth (Lamentations 4:4). From a man’s mouth come both his breath and his words. The breath of God is the Holy Spirit. The Word of God is Christ, and also all of the words of the Scriptures, which are entirely inspired by the Holy Spirit through authors chosen by God (2 Peter 1:21). It is sweet, this source of God’s message! The word of God tasted “as sweet as honey” in the mouth of the prophet (Ezekiel 3:3), and David says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).
We should also remember that God’s prophets, apostles and ministers speak the word of God to us, explaining, applying, and comforting us with God’s forgiveness. “You welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6).
The bride finally turns to her companions, as the church and its people lifting up as with one voice together in praise: “This is our God! This is Christ Jesus our Lord!” “This… this,” the bride says. This is my lover-husband; this is my friend. The church is the bride of Christ, and we worship him with our words, our actions, and our lives. Her words are echoed in the first verse of the Christmas hymn, “What Child is This?”:
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing.
Haste, haste, to bring him laud,
The babe, the son of Mary.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.