Mbostrom2's Blog

The maiden is overcome with the King’s love for her. She receives that love. That is what we are to do, receive the love of Jesus! When we reject it we stay in darkness, but when we receive His love we cannot help but to praise Him!

Song 1:16, “Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green. (17) The beams of our houses are cedar, and our rafters of fir.”

We see her 6-fold response in verses 16 & 17:

1. You are handsome, beautiful
   1. Fair – yapheh,
2. You are MY Beloved
   1. She has now made this very personal
3. You are pleasant–  delightful, lovely kind
   1. Pleasant, Hebrew Naiym (na-Em’), generous to any one; agreeable
4. Our Bed – couch, divan
   1. Green pastures are beds for sheep
   2. She has now been fed, reclining to rest (Ps 23:2, beside still waters- waters of rest)
5. Beams of our houses (plural) are cedar
   1. Cedars from Lebanon, tall and strong trees
   2. Cedar was used for building and adorning the Temple and royal palaces, especially for wainscots and ceilings
   3. Cedar was used for the cleansing of lepers (Lev 14:51-52) and purification of sin (Num 19:6)
   4. This represents firmness and stability; supports. Humanity that is filled with glory!
   5. Cyprus and Fir were the 2 chief kinds of wood in Solomon’s time
6. Rafters of fir
   1. Fir is a fragrant & beautiful wood, pleasing in sight & smell that was used for the galleries for walking in the Temple
   2. Fir here is also called Cypress. Hebrew Berowth, and is used for cypress, fir, juniper, pine.
   3. Cypress is produced in a place called “death city”. The Jews planted cyprus beside their graves. Hence, cyprus signifies our Lord’s death. Our shelter is the Lord’s humanity and benefits of His death.

Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary on BlueLetterBible.org, “Every thing in the covenant of grace (on which foot all their treaties are carried on) is very firm, very fine, and very fragrant.”