Song of Solomon 4:14 (DRB)

Passage

Spikenard and saffron, sweet cane and cinnamon, with all the trees of Libanus, myrrh and aloes with all the chief perfumes.

Nearby Context

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.

Song of Solomon 4:15 The fountain of gardens: the well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Libanus.

Song of Solomon 4:16 Arise, O north wind, and come, O south wind, blow through my garden, and let the aromatical spices thereof flow.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "spikenard", "saffron", "sweet", "cane", "cinnamon", "trees", "libanus", and "myrrh". 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 plants are a paradise of pomegranates..." into verse 15's "The fountain of gardens the well of...", 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.