Commentary - Song of Solomon 3:6-11

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of the Song, the perspective shifts. We are no longer dealing with the intimate and sometimes frantic search of the beloved for her lover. Instead, we are presented with a public spectacle, a royal procession of immense grandeur. The bride, or perhaps the daughters of Jerusalem, beholds the approach of King Solomon on his wedding day. This is not just a man coming to get his wife; this is a king in his glory, secure and magnificent, arriving for the consummation of his covenant love. The imagery is rich, moving from the wilderness to the city, from personal longing to public declaration.

The central point here is the glory of the bridegroom. He comes with wealth, power, and protection. This is a picture designed to make the heart of the bride swell with confidence and joy. And because this entire book is a picture of a greater love, we are meant to see in this glorious Solomon a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the true King who comes for His bride, the Church, not in weakness, but in overwhelming strength and splendor. This passage is a celebration of the majesty of the divine Bridegroom, who secures and beautifies His bride, making her the envy of all.

Outline

The Royal Procession and the Gospel

It is crucial that we not read this as a mere historical account of a lavish ancient near-eastern wedding. The Holy Spirit included this inspired poem in the canon for our instruction, and its ultimate subject is Christ and the Church. This procession is a living parable. Solomon, the son of David, the king of peace, is a type of Christ. His coming from the wilderness represents Christ coming out of the cursed earth to claim a people for Himself. The wealth, the power, the security, all of it points to the spiritual realities of our salvation.

Christ does not come to us as a beggar. He comes as a triumphant king. The myrrh and frankincense speak of His priestly sacrifice and intercession. The sixty mighty men are a picture of the angelic host and the ordained ministry of the Word that protects the Church from the "dreadful things of the night", from heresies, temptations, and the accusations of the devil. The sedan chair, made of the finest materials and "inlaid with love," is a picture of the Church herself, built by Christ from the silver of redemption, the gold of divinity, and the purple of royalty, all held together by His covenant love. The call for the daughters of Zion to come and see is the gospel call itself, inviting all to behold the glory of the King on the day of His great joy, which is the salvation of His people.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 6 “Who is this coming up from the wilderness Like columns of smoke, As rising incense of myrrh and frankincense, With all scented powders of the merchant?

The question is one of astonishment. Something is happening that disrupts the ordinary. It is a spectacle. The procession is coming "up from the wilderness." The wilderness in Scripture is often a place of testing, of chaos, of being outside the blessings of the covenant land. But here, out of that very place, comes this glorious display. This is what the gospel does. It brings an astonishing glory out of the barren wilderness of our sin. Christ comes into our world, a spiritual wilderness, to bring us out. The "columns of smoke" are reminiscent of the pillar of cloud that led Israel. This is a divine procession. The scents of myrrh and frankincense are priestly and royal. Myrrh was used for anointing and burial, speaking of Christ's death. Frankincense was for worship, speaking of His acceptable offering. He comes as a king who has offered Himself as a priest, and the fragrance of His work fills the air.

v. 7 Behold, it is the traveling couch of Solomon; Sixty mighty men around it, Of the mighty men of Israel.

The object of wonder is identified. It is the very carriage of Solomon, the king of peace. This is not some generic king; it is the king. And notice the first thing mentioned after the couch itself: its security. It is surrounded by sixty mighty men. This is not a man traveling alone and vulnerable. This is a king who understands the world he lives in. He is secure. The number sixty, a multiple of twelve, may well point to the completeness of this guard. This is a picture of Christ's Church. She is the precious vehicle in which Christ dwells and is carried through this world, and she is not left unprotected. He surrounds her with His power, with His angels, and with faithful men who guard the truth.

v. 8 All of them are those who seize the sword, Learned in war; Each man has his sword at his side, Guarding against the dreadful things of the night.

These are not ceremonial guards. They are veterans, "learned in war." They handle the sword with skill and readiness. Their swords are not packed away in some armory; they are "at his side." Why? Because of the "dreadful things of the night." The night is a time of fear, of unseen dangers, of demonic assault. This world is a dark place, and the Church travels through it as a pilgrim. But her King has provided for her protection. He has given us the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. He has given us pastors and elders who are to be skilled in spiritual warfare, ready to defend the flock from the wolves that come in the night. The Christian life is not a peacetime stroll; it is a wartime march, but our King has provided the guard.

v. 9 King Solomon has made for himself a sedan chair From the timber of Lebanon.

This is a personal project. The king "made for himself" this chair. Christ builds His Church. It is His own workmanship. He did not delegate the essential work. The material is "timber of Lebanon," the finest, most durable, and most fragrant wood available, the same wood used for the Temple. This points to the humanity of Christ, the noble stock from which He came, and the preciousness of the materials He uses to build His Church. He takes common wood, sinners like us, and makes us into a glorious dwelling for Himself.

v. 10 He made its posts of silver, Its back of gold And its seat of purple fabric, With its interior inlaid with love By the daughters of Jerusalem.

The details are glorious. The posts are silver, the metal of redemption. The foundation of the Church is the ransom price paid by Christ. The back is gold, the metal of deity and royalty. The Church rests upon the divine nature and kingly authority of Jesus. The seat is purple, the color of royalty. We who are in Christ are made to sit with Him in heavenly places; we are a royal priesthood. And the interior, the heart of it all, is "inlaid with love." This love is not abstract; it is the skilled work of the "daughters of Jerusalem," the members of the Church themselves. As we are loved by Christ, we are to love one another, and this mutual love is the very fabric that furnishes the interior of Christ's dwelling place. It is a love that responds to His love for us.

v. 11 Go forth and see, O daughters of Zion, King Solomon with the crown With which his mother has crowned him On the day of his wedding, And on the day of his gladness of heart.

This is the great invitation. "Go forth and see." Do not stay inside. Do not be indifferent. This is a sight that must be seen. The daughters of Zion, the covenant people, are called to witness the glory of their King. He is wearing a crown, but this is a peculiar coronation. His mother crowned him. Who is the mother of our Lord in this sense? It is Israel, the people from whom He came according to the flesh. But it was on the cross that His mother, humanity, crowned him with thorns. And God transformed that crown of shame into the crown of glory. The day of his wedding is the day of covenant union with His people, a union sealed by His sacrifice. And this is the "day of his gladness of heart." Let us never forget this. It is the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom, and it is Christ's deep joy to save His bride. Our salvation is not a grim duty for Him; it is the glad consummation for which He endured the cross.

Application

First, we must see our King as He is. He is not a weak, sentimental Jesus. He is the mighty King Solomon, coming in power and glory. He is surrounded by warriors. He is more than capable of protecting His people from all the terrors of the night. We should therefore live with confidence, not fear. Our security does not depend on our own strength, but on the mighty guard our King has placed around us.

Second, we must recognize the value He places on His Church. He built her Himself, from the most precious materials: redemption, deity, and royalty. He has furnished her with love. We should therefore love the Church as He does. We should see her not as a flawed institution, but as the glorious carriage of the King, the apple of His eye.

Finally, we must heed the call to "go forth and see." The gospel is a public proclamation of the glory of the King on His wedding day. It is a call to look away from ourselves and our own wilderness and to fix our eyes on Him. It is a call to join the celebration, to share in the gladness of His heart. To be a Christian is to have seen the King in His beauty and to have had your heart captured by the sight.