Song of Solomon 4:14 (ASV)

Passage

Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 4:12 A garden shut up is my sister, [my] bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

Song of Solomon 4:13 Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants,

Song of Solomon 4:14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.

Song of Solomon 4:15 [Thou art] a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon.

Song of Solomon 4:16 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 precious fruits.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "spikenard", "saffron", "calamus", "cinnamon", "trees", "frankincense", "myrrh", and "aloes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "spikenard" and "saffron", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates..." into verse 15's "Thou art a fountain of gardens A...", so "spikenard" and "saffron" belong inside that flow. In Song of Solomon context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "spikenard" and "saffron" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.