Section Three
THE WEDDING NIGHT 3:6 – 5:1
- My sister my bride – Is she his sister? 4:9
- Have they had sex yet? Verse 4:15
- How about now? Verse 5:1
- Who is giving approval? 5:1
- Who took the lead in the timing, the pace?
Who is this coming from the wilderness like columns of smoke, filled with fragrance of myrrh and frankincense, from every scented powder of the merchant? Behold! It is the carriage of Solomon, sixty mighty men around it from the mighty of Israel; all of them holders of the sword, trained for battle; each, his sword at his side for the terror of the nights.
A royal carriage King Solomon made for himself from the timber of Lebanon. Its posts he made of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple, its interior inlaid with love by the women of Jerusalem.
Go forth O young women of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother has crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of his heart’s rejoicing.
She is coming to the city. The large group is stirring up a cloud of dust that looks similar to smoke from a long distance away. Girls — I don’t think you will be able to duplicate this for your wedding. She isn’t walking. She is being carried in some kind of carriage, with 60 elite armed and well trained warriors around her. He wasn’t taking any chances at this point. Rivals have used this as a time to attack. They can’t take on the king or leader, so they try to take away the bride. Guys in our culture will still try to take a last shot at a girl before she marries.
The word translated carriage twice in this section in the original language (Hebrew), is actually two different words. It could be that the first one is describing what they carried her in and the second one is describing the wedding bed.
Notice the whole wedding ceremony and reception is described in 5 verses. In our culture, weddings and especially receptions have become a huge deal. I guess it makes sense. If the couple has already been having sex, then sex on the wedding night is no big deal. But the wedding ceremony and reception give the bride a chance to be like a home coming queen. The whole thing is centered around her and what she wants. That is very unique — a once in a life time experience. She may divorce and remarry multiple times, but this first on will be the biggest and best.
The wedding night. They are alone. They have experienced love, romance, the start of a relationship, and marriage. Now the last piece comes into play — SEX.
Behold! You are beautiful, my darling companion. Behold! You are beautiful. Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats moving briskly down Mount Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep which have come up from the washing, each one bearing twins and bereaved of not one of them. Like a scarlet ribbon are your lips, and your mouth is lovely. Like the sliced opening of a pomegranate are your parted lips behind your veil. Like the tower of David is your neck, made for strength; a thousand shields hand upon it, all the shields of the mighty men. your two breast are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle which graze among the lotus flowers.
Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.
You are completely beautiful, my darling companion, and there is no blemish in you.
With me from Lebanon, O bride, with me from Lebanon come. Descend from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions and the mountains of leopards.
You have made my heart beat fast, my sister, my bride. You have made my heart beat fast with one glance of your eyes, with one strand of your necklace.
How beautiful is your lovemaking, my sister, my bride. How much better is your lovemaking than wine and the fragrance of your perfumes than any spice. Honey form the comb your lips drip, by bride, Honey and mile are under your tongue. And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
You are a garden locked my sister, my bride. you are a garden locked, a fountain sealed. Your tender shoots a paradise of pomegranates with delicious fruits; henna blossoms with nard plants, nard and saffron; fragrant reed and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes — with all the best spices. A fountain of gardens you are, a well of fresh water and stream flowing from Lebanon.
He is taking his time describing to her what he sees. She may be thinking of imperfections in her looks. She could be worried about how he will like having sex with her. He waited, he made it official (signed the license or whatever they did). He went through with the ceremony in front of friends and family. He committed himself to the relationship without ever having sex. She might be worried about whether he will be disappoint in her looks when he see her entire body, or about how well she responds to him now that the wishing is over and the actions start.
He then describes action he will take. Refer back to her wishes of him having contact with her breasts. He is offering to do much more than that now.
He talks about her being alike a locked up garden. They might have seen lions and leopards from a distance, but they didn’t see their dens. These were high in the mountains. He is saying she has been like that — far away out of sight. He is talking about her body sexually, not literally. Notice that he adds smell to his description. They seem to be in much closer contact.
At the end of the section he describes something important. He isn’t saying how he knows, but he knows that her ‘golden triangle’ is wet and well lubricated. He is telling her that her body is ready for sex.
Her response:
Awaken, O north wind, and come wind of the south. Blow upon my garden and cause its spices to flow like a stream. May my beloved come to his garden and eat its delicious fruits.
He has been doing all the talking. She now responds. Yes, green light, go for it. She is certainly saying she is ready.
The engage in sex. For how long, we don’t know. But we do have his response:
I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey. I have drunk by wine with my milk.
He is stating that he:
went all the way
hit a home run
scored
had sexual relations until her brains fell out of her head
However you say it, that is what he is saying, but he is saying it with a lot of class.
Who is making the statement in the last part of this verse?
Eat, O darling companions. Drink and be drunk, O beloved ones.
Whoever it is uses the plural of the term she uses for him and the plural of the term he uses for her.
When everything is lined up, everything is place:
- Love
- Romance
- Marriage
- Relationship
- and now Sex
Then you are the pathway toward Great.
Enjoy the journey!!
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