Song of Solomon 4:13 (DBY)

Passage

Thy shoots are a paradise of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants;

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 4:11 Thy lips, [my] spouse, drop [as] the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

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

Song of Solomon 4:13 Thy shoots are a paradise 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 A fountain in the gardens, A well of living waters, Which stream from Lebanon.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shoots", "paradise", "pomegranates", "precious", "fruits", "henna", "spikenard", and "plants". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shoots" and "paradise", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "A garden enclosed is my sister my..." into verse 14's "Spikenard and saffron Calamus and cinnamon with...", so "shoots" and "paradise" 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 "shoots" and "paradise" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.