(figuratively) to love · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix
cluster
אֶשְׁכֹּ֨ל'esh.Kol
H811
a bunch of grapes or other fruit · noun, common masculine singular construct
camphire
הַכֹּ֤פֶרha.Ko.fer
H3724
properly · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
vineyards
בְּכַרְמֵ֖יbe.khar.Mei
H3754
a garden or vineyard · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct
En-gedi
עֵ֥ין'ein
H5872
En-Gedi · proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Joshua 15:62 And Nibshan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages.
1 Samuel 23:29-24:1 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En-gedi.
Song of Solomon 1:13 A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
Song of Solomon 2:3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his frui…
Song of Solomon 4:13-14 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
John Gill on Song of Solomon 1:14
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi. Engedi was a place near Jericho, and famous for palm trees, as that was, hence called Hazazontamar, 2 Chronicles 20:2. Pliny (o) sneaking of this place, which he calls Engadda, says, it is second to Jerusalem for fertility and groves of palm trees; and Josephus (p) observes, that there grew the best palm trees and opobalsam; wherefore Aben Ezra, and other Jewish writers, think that dates, the fruit of the palm trees, which grow in clusters, are here meant: and because the balsam tree also, grew in this place, as observed before from Josephus, and grew in the manner of vines, as others (q) assert; and this being said t…
The woman thirsts for the sincere love of her man the way a traveler would thirst for the water of En-gedi, an oasis in the wilderness west of the Dead Sea. • Henna is an aromatic shrub from the region around En-gedi; its blossoms were used for red hair dye.
Rashi on Song of Solomon 1:14
A cluster of henna. There is a spice called כֹּפֶר as in, “Henna כְּפָרִים with spikenard,”51Below 4:13. and it is shaped somewhat like clusters.
In the vineyards of Ein-Gedi. [Ein-Gedi is] the name of a place, and there it is common. I saw in Aggadah that those vineyards produce fruits four or five times a year. And this is an allegory of the many atonements and forgiveness that the Holy One, Blessed Is He, forgave them for the numerous trials with which they tried Him in the wilderness.52Alternatively, henna are composed of many seeds and their fragrance diffuses over great distances, symbolizing that the miracles God performed were heard from afar.
A cluster of cypress is my kinsman to me. The beginning is of the word, in the Word; and the beginning of cypress, that is, of flowering, is in the bud, whence she says: A cluster of cypress — that is, of flowering — is my kinsman to me. The cluster of cypress is not for all, but for those who are worthy of its flower. To others the grape is varied; to her alone who is black and beautiful he offers himself in the beauty of the flower. A cluster of cypress is my kinsman to me. She does not say simply, "A cluster of cypress is my kinsman," but with the addition, "to me," to teach that he is not a cluster of cypress to all. But let us see in what regions this cluster of the bride is. In the vineyards of Engedi, which is interpreted "eye of temptation." In the vineyards, then, of the eye of temptation, a cluster of cypress is my kinsman to me. The eye of temptation is in the present life. For we abide in temptation in this world; and human life upon earth is a temptation. While we are engaged in this light, we are in the vineyards of Engedi. But if afterward we deserve to be transplanted, we shall be transferred by our husbandman. And do not doubt that you can be transferred from the vineyards of Engedi to better places. Our husbandman has by frequent practice already become skilled at transferring the vine. For you brought a vine out of Egypt; you cast out the nations, and planted it. Its shadow covered the mountains, and its branches the cedars of God. And these things which we have expounded, let the bride have spoken of the bridegroom, signifying her love, and the lodging of the coming bridegroom — how, between her breasts, and in the secret place of her heart, the coming bridegroom takes his rest. Again the bridegroom's word is directed to her, and he says:
As far as concerns the explanation of the letter itself, there is something ambiguous in what it says: "A cluster of henna is to me as a kinsman"; for a flowering vine is also called henna, since it too bears a certain flowering fruit put forth in the manner of a blossoming grape. But the words seem to refer rather to the fruit of the vine, since mention has been made of the vineyards of Engedi. Now Engedi is a district of the land of Judaea, flourishing not so much in vineyards as in balsams. This, then, will be the historical sense of the bride speaking to the maidens, so that she is understood to be saying, first indeed: "My nard renders to me the fragrance of my bridegroom." Second: "My kinsman has become to me a bundle of myrrh lingering between my breasts." Third: "A cluster of henna from the vineyards of Engedi, surpassing everything that there is among fragrances and flowers of sweetness"; namely, that the maidens hearing these things may be roused more and more toward love and affection for the bridegroom. And she names them one by one and in order — first her nard, then the myrrh, and after these also the cluster of henna — so that through these she may teach certain steps and advances of love. But let us now see what the spiritual understanding holds. For if this which is called a cluster is to be referred to the fruit of the vine — just as we receive the Word of God as wisdom and power and the treasure of knowledge, and many other things, so also is he called the true vine. As therefore in those in whom wisdom and knowledge are brought about, not suddenly, but through certain advances and steps, according to the zeal and intention and faith of those who share in him whether in wisdom, or in knowledge, or in virtue, he renders them wise and knowing and vigorous in virtues; so also in those in whom the true vine is brought about, he does not suddenly produce for them ripe and sweet clusters, nor is there suddenly made for them the wine that is sweet and gladdens the heart of man, but first he produces for them only the sweetness of fragrance in the blossom. This cluster is recorded to be flowering in the vineyards of Engedi, so that the grace of its fragrance may be sent into the beginnings of the soul, that after these things it may be able to endure the bitterness of tribulations and temptations which are stirred up for those who believe on…
Dictionary and topics
Camphire — (Heb. copher), mentioned in Cant. 1:14 (R.V., “henna-flowers”); 4:13 (R.V., “henna”), is the al-henna of the Arabs, a native of Egypt, producing clusters of small white and yellow odoriferous…
Vine — One of the most important products of Palestine. The first mention of it is in the history of Noah (Gen. 9:20). It is afterwards frequently noticed both in the Old and New Testaments, and in the…
Camphire · .A shrub bearing fragrant flowers (not related to — .A shrub bearing fragrant flowers (not related to
Cypress · (Margin) — (Margin)
En-Gedi · Famous for its vineyards — Famous for its vineyards
Grape · .At En-gedi — .At En-gedi
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
My beloved is to me a grape-cluster from Cyprus in the vineyards of Engaddi. And indeed, according to the surface of the letter, the sense of this verse is: Just as the Cyprus island is accustomed to produce clusters of grapes larger than other lands, and just as in the city of Judea, called Engaddi, vines more noble than the rest are grown, from which a liquid flows not of wine but of balsam, so my beloved to me is connected with a special love above all others, so much so that no creature can separate me from His affection. Typically, however, just as myrrh, because of its bitterness (for it is as healthy for healing infirmities as it is bitter to taste) signifies the sorrow of the Lord's passion, where He Himself also received myrrhed wine to drink from the soldiers, and buried by the disciples was anointed with myrrh, as we have said; so also the cluster not incongruously announces the joy of His resurrection. For wine gladdens the heart of man (Psalm CIII). Hence, the Lord in His resurrection became a cluster of Cyprus who had been a bundle of myrrh in His passion. Rightly He abides between the breasts of the bride, because the same was turned into a cluster for a vineyard. Holy Church, therefore, never removes the memory of the Lord's death from her heart, because He who died for her transgressions also rose for her justification. And to her who follows in His footsteps, He provided an example of rising after the anguish of death. He is also remembered as being in the vineyards of Engadi; for in the vineyards of Engadi, as we have mentioned before, balsam is produced, which in the making of chrism, is customarily mixed with olive oil, and consecrated by episcopal blessing, so that all the faithful may be signed with this anointing during the laying on of hands by the priest, by which the Holy Spirit is received; with which also the Lord's altar, when it is dedicated, and other things which ought to be sacred, are anointed. Hence, very rightly through the vineyards of Engadi, divine charisms are figured. And the bridegroom is in the vineyards of Engadi, because the Lord himself appearing in the flesh is full of the Holy Spirit, and he himself bestows the gifts of the Spirit upon believers. Therefore, he calls balsam trees vineyards, because they rise in the manner of vineyards, which without supports do not sustain themselves; indeed, they are more…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
