Song of Solomon 4:12 (DRB)

Passage

My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.

Nearby Context

Song of Solomon 4:10 How beautiful are thy breasts, my sister, my spouse! thy breasts are more beautiful than wine, and the sweet smell of thy ointments above all aromatical spices.

Song of Solomon 4:11 Thy lips, my spouse, are as a dropping honeycomb, honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments, as the smell of frankincense.

Song of Solomon 4:12 My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.

Song of Solomon 4:13 Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates with the fruits of the orchard. Cypress with spikenard.

Song of Solomon 4:14 Spikenard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all the trees of Libanus, myrrh and aloes with all the chief perfumes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sister", "spouse", "garden", "enclosed", "fountain", and "sealed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sister" and "spouse", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Thy lips my spouse are as a..." into verse 13's "Thy plants are a paradise of pomegranates...", so "sister" and "spouse" 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 "sister" and "spouse" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.