Song of Solomon 4:14 (DBY)

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 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.

Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, north wind, and come, [thou] south; Blow upon my garden, [that] the spices thereof may flow forth. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat its 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 a paradise of pomegranates..." into verse 15's "A fountain in the gardens A well...", 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.