4:12–15

In 4:12–15 the man described the woman as an ideal garden with abundant water. The description uses hyperbole, since no real garden in ancient Israel had such a variety of plants growing together in one place. When the author describes the garden, he probably implies the effect that the woman herself had on the man. The author probably does not refer here to the effects of specific body parts related to sexual intimacy.

The author related these verses to the previous ones by using common themes and words. In 4:12 he repeated the phrase, my sister, my bride, that was used twice in the preceding verses. He also continued to speak of fragrances, and he concluded 4:15 with the Lebanon theme.

4:12a

In 4:12 the man continued his theme of the woman being hard to reach, which he described in 4:8. But here the man used the metaphors of a “locked garden” and a “sealed fountain” to describe her.

My sister, my bride, you are a garden locked up: Here the man described the woman with the metaphor of a beautiful garden that is locked up. No one was able to enter and come to her. Some scholars think that her beloved already came to her and had sexual relations with her. However, it is more likely that she was still a virgin. As in 2:14 and 4:8, the man again gently encouraged her to give herself totally to him. In 4:16 she will respond and invite him to “enter her garden” to be intimate with her.

In some languages it is more natural to change the order of the words in this sentence. For example:

My bride, my sister is a garden that is locked.

This statement is a metaphor. Other ways to translate the metaphor are:

• Use a simile. For example:

My sister, my bride, you are like a garden that is locked.

• Use a simile and indicate the implied meaning. For example:

My sister, my bride, you are as ⌊private⌋ as a locked garden.

My sister, my bride: The phrases My sister and my bride are parallel terms that the man used to express affection to his bride. The word bride also implies a marriage celebration. For a more detailed discussion of My sister, my bride, see the note on this phrase in 4:10a.

garden: In the land where the man and woman lived, a garden was like a park that had trees and flowers. The man did not refer here to a small garden with a few vegetables. The type of garden to which the man compared his bride was unusually beautiful. The trees in the garden were filled with delicious fruit, and its flowers included fragrant herbs. It was an imaginary garden, where everything was ideal. Use an appropriate word in your language for such a garden.

In 4:12 the man referred to the woman as if he were talking about her to others. But in 4:13 it is clear that he spoke directly to her when he said “your shoots.” In many languages it is more natural to indicate in both verses that the man spoke directly to her. For example:

You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride…

4:12b–c

a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed: The phrases a spring enclosed and a fountain sealed have similar meanings. Literally, they indicate that no one but the owner of the spring or fountain can take any of its water. Figuratively, they indicate that the woman was private. No one could come to her without permission. She was the source of refreshment for the man, and he was the only one who had a right to enjoy lovemaking with her.

In some languages it may be more natural to translate the figure of speech about the private spring and fountain only once. For example:

You are like a spring that is only for me.

a spring enclosed: There is a textual issue here with the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spring :

(1) The Hebrew text has the word gal, which means “spring” or “pool.” For example:

you are a spring enclosed… (New International Version)

(2) Other ancient versions have a word that means “garden.” For example:

a walled garden… (Good News Translation)

The decision about which text to follow is difficult, since either approach makes sense in the context. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), which follows the Hebrew text. It fits both the sounds of the poetry and its meaning especially well.

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