GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
SONG OF SOLOMON 7:8-9a
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8 You are as tall as a palm tree,
and your breasts are like its clusters of fruit.
9 I said, “I will climb the palm tree
and lay hold of its fruit.”
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine.
We have been reading and interpreting the Song of Solomon as the mystic union of Christ and his Church. Some passages have been more about the spiritual side of this; others have been more about the earthly, marital side. But every passage, every verse so far, has had applications both to the marriage of man and woman and also the love of Christ and the church, much like a river that wends its way through the boundary of two regions. The floating poetry sometimes veers closer to one shore than the other, but one can always see the other bank. At this point, the Song is taken over to the human marriage side in such a way that very little of the other side can be seen. The Polish scholar Christian David Ginsburg wrote:
“We earnestly request that those who maintain the allegorical interpretation of the Song seriously to reflect whether this verse, and indeed the whole of this address (he probably means the verses from here to the end of the chapter), can be put into the mouth of Christ as speaking to the Church. Would not our minds recoil with horror were we to hear a Christian using it publicly, or even privately, to illustrate the love of Christ for his Church?”
However, we can and should consider the mention of the palm tree. The date palm (coconut palms are tropical) grows very tall. Where palm trees grow, there is fresh water. Where palm trees grow tall, there is abundant water. The presence of fresh or living water is seen as one of the marks or signs of the church (John 7:38): the preaching of the pure gospel and the forgiveness of sins through the proper administration of the sacraments (Ephesians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 4:17). In this way the church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). “For the true unity of the church, it is enough to agree concerning the teaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. It is not necessary that human traditions or rites and ceremonies, instituted by men, should be alike everywhere. It is as Paul says, ‘One faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all’ (Ephesians 4:5-6).”
When the husband describes his wife as “tall as a palm tree,” the context is not given, but there is emphasis on the word “tall (height).” The word qomah is used for the height of anything, tall or short (Genesis 6:15; Exodus 25:10). What about this bride? We recall that the bride was easily abused and beaten by the night watchmen (5:7), and she was also bullied by her brothers into working so much in the hot sun that she was sunburned (1:6). It is unlikely that she was a tall, powerful, athletic woman. It is more probable that this woman (perhaps an idealized woman) was not as tall as her husband, and of a fairly typical height for her time and place, perhaps not much more than five feet tall (or even less). This was my own mother’s stature, and she often complained about being too short for this or that, or for reaching things down from high shelves.
Yet her husband says, “In my eyes, you’re as tall as a palm tree!” Her physical height does not enter into his estimation of her beauty, of their love, of their friendship, or of any of her talents or abilities. “Do not consider the height” (1 Samuel 16:7). She is who she is, as the Lord made her, and her husband loves her. She has found favor in his eyes (Genesis 18:3; Ruth 2:13; Song 8:10).
Also, the unspoken but certainly implied presence of abundant fresh water is behind all of the passage’s references to fruit in clusters (both dates and grapes) as well as the tallness of the palm tree. The Lord says: “I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees” (Ecclesiastes 2:6). Spiritually, where the Word of God flows, God’s people flourish. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Psalm 1:3).
Finally, we also remember that it was palm branches that were strewn and waved when our Savior rode the colt into Jerusalem before his crucifixion, and the people shouted “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). This is an echo of the scene in heaven, when all believers will be wearing the white robes of Jesus’ righteousness, and will be holding palm branches, crying out, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9).
Luther says this about palm branches: “The carrying of palm-branches was a sign of submission, especially of such as asked for mercy and peace, as was commonly done among ancient people. By their pomp before Christ they indicated that they would receive him as their Lord and King, sent by God as a victorious and invincible Saviour, showing themselves submissive to him and seeking grace from him. Christ should be preached and made known in all the world.”
When our Savior Jesus Christ calls out accolades and compliments, true Christians blush in humility. “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty” (Luke 17:10). When he praises us for things that he himself gives, especially faith, we should notice his attention and do everything we can to support and build on that faith: “Let us live up to what we have already attainted” (Philippians 3:16). The sinner cries out to the Savior, “Only let us be called by your name; take away our disgrace!” (Isaiah 4:1). And this is what he has done. He has received us and brought us into his favor “so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:14).
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Song of Solomon 7:8-9a Tall as a palm tree