Song 4:12–15 depicts the body of the bride as a ‘locked garden’ filled with fruits, exotic and medicinal plants and abundant freshwater. These luxuries are said to be plentiful and appealing but carry with them the threat of spoiling. In this way, the garden is ready for enjoyment, but forbidden (locked) at the same time. The geo-metaphor of the bride fits perfectly with the ancient belief of
This article explores whether the insights of eco-sustainability can be fruitfully used to retrieve ecological wisdom from the metaphor of Song 4 depicting the bride as a locked garden. It involves the disciplines of biblical exegesis, elements of ecological hermeneutics and insights from sustainability theories.
Song of Songs open in 1:2 with the voice of the woman (‘Let him kiss me’) while her presence and voices dominate the speeches of the book. She vigorously seeks her lover (1:7), and ‘held him’ and ‘would not let him go’ until ‘bringing him’ into the house of her mother (3:4; 8:1–2). This woman seems to be both vulnerable and self-assured (3:1–4; 5:7) (Van der Merwe
Song 4 starts with the so-called
However, verse 8 adds a kind of
That’s why from verse 12, the beloved is depicted as a locked garden and a sealed fountain of living water (v. 15): the first (garden) offers fruit and spices (vv. 13–14), while the second gives life-giving water (v. 15), but both are locked. The garden is ready for enjoyment but forbidden (locked) at the same time. There is a tension between desire and distance. The description of this garden is more in line with Kohelet 2:4–6 and oriental kings’ gardens than a normal Israelite’ garden (Koh
The question is which assumptions about or attitudes towards Nature/Earth are reflected in the author’s use of nature imagery to describe the Beloved? The answer to this question will touch on the perceptions the author might have about the
Song 4 provides us with a means of understanding the author’s appreciation of the value of Nature identified with the beloved woman as a
This has attracted our attention towards an ecological reading of the metaphor of Songs 4. The insistence that the garden is only a sexual euphemism ignores the polysemantic aspect of poetry. In other words, the image of the garden is as much about sexuality as about nature in Eden-like world. In this way, the text can serve as a locus for ecological reflection. Songs 4:12–15 presents Nature as a ‘primordial home’, the paradise filled with all kinds of exotic fruits, spices, flowers and an abundance of life-giving water. The lover celebrates her as the symbol of all life (Landy
Though the poet’s agenda is not about ecology, the use of nature as a vehicle of man and woman’s love-play hints at the author’s ecological worldview. The
In contrast to Cartesian dualism exorcising mind from nature, the Song of Songs celebrates nature as both the Beloved and the ideal domain of intimacy. Landy describes the Song’s principal metaphor as a ‘rural retreat’ (Landy
An ecological reading of Song 4 is not therefore a cherry-picking interpretative attempt. In fact, meaning arises from the confrontation between the worlds
In general, sustainability or sustainable development is defined as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland
It is with this ideal in mind that we are reading the metaphor of Song 4:12–15. The idea is to see how the author was led by eco-sustainability insights in his or her depiction of the bride as an appealing but locked garden and sealed but flowing fountain. In this way, in addition to the hermeneutics of suspicion and retrieval, the principle of intrinsic worth of the Earth Bible Project will be used in the analysis.
By intrinsic worth, the project means that ‘the universe, Earth and all its components have intrinsic worth/value’ (Habel
By hermeneutics of retrieval, this study will involve features that can enable the recovery of insights of
The book of Song of Songs is feminine at heart: it is the tale of a woman, telling her story, her plight, her yearnings, her strengths and her frailty, her oppression and fight to freedom (McMonagle
A metaphor has three elements: vehicle, referent, and tenor. The tenor links the vehicle and the referent. In Song of Songs, most of the time an element of nature serves as the vehicle for love or the lover (the referent), which is linked to the vehicle through the tenor. The tenor concerns elements of the vehicle (nature) that invite particular understandings of the referent (erotic love). The Earth bible principle of the intrinsic worth of nature is used in the analyses (The Earth Bible Team
A root metaphor is the underlying worldview or perception that shapes an individual or an author/writer’s understanding of a situation. A root metaphor provides the reader with more possibilities for application and elaboration in proportion to a number of reciprocal aspects it shares with the thing or situation it describes (Holland
The woman as garden illustrates the reciprocity of the referent (the beloved/love) and nature. The beloved becomes a beautiful, delectable garden and the garden becomes a desirable woman. These metaphorisations and personifications denote our oneness with nature: humans and Nature blend, the one mirroring the other (Viviers
By experiencing the one (woman’s body) you sense the other (garden/nature). Nature is in the mind of the author, not something to dominate (as in Gn 3), but to love. At his time, Alexander von Humboldt observed what he called the
This overview contains material on ecological readings of the book of Song of Songs. It offers four categories that are representative, but not comprehensive interpretations. These are eco-feminist, Marxist, deep ecology and eco-justice readings of Song of Songs.
According to Fontaine (
Fontaine observes whether the same ideas can be said on the text when the reader would place Earth (instead of women) in the centre of the interpretations. The dominant nature (as opposed to social) imagery of the Song would mean more than the background upon which the lovers lean back (Fontaine
Therefore, the author depicts Earth in Song of Songs as a metaphor for the loved one, and a sign of power. In reference to Song 4:12–5:1, Fontaine describes Earth as a metaphor for the loved one in the sense that:
Nature imagery depicts both the male and female lover (not only the female lover).
Nevertheless, the male lover is depicted as wild, having freedom of movement, and feeding from the woman (5:1); the female lover is portrayed as more static (garden, well, locked, sealed), and bringing forth plants and food (4:12–15). She is acted upon.
These gendered distinctions should not be overdrawn. Neither sex totally monopolises any one domain. Nature appears largely without conflicts.
This applies to all creatures, including male and female humans. A restoration of sorts deliberately reverses the curses of Eden and a kind of a ‘peaceable kingdom’ is opened wide to invite humanity’s participation.
Boer (
Boer proposes that we cut the link between the vehicle and the referent (by showing no interest in the tenor), which results in the liberation of the vehicle (nature) from the idea of bodily (erotic) love. By implication it means that the vehicle (nature) be treated literally (according to Boer) – reading Song of Songs as if it is about nature. Hence, the title of his article ‘Keeping it literal: The economy of the Song of Songs’.
With reference to Song 2:11–12 Boer (
Deep ecologists purport that the Song concerns the mystical union with nature through the union of lovers: it is the story of two lovers, and the story of their love for the Earth (Deep-Ecology
Drawing inspiration from nature, they [
But there is more to the metaphor in the ability of these two lovers to flow magically from shape to shape. Their fluidity arises from the author’s sense of connectedness with the web of life. The Song is an articulation of the primordial religion of love and wonder, and
In this sense, Song 4:12–5:1 would be seen to be about bridal mysticism. It would be a kind of a mystical union in which human Eros leads to mystical love (wedding) of earth (cf. Mother Earth myth). In other words, Deep love for another has the potential to lead us into the most profound communion with nature and its source of life. Also the love for the body would lead to the love of nature.
I argue that the Song of Songs, which was set in its final form some 300 years before the birth of Christ, preserves elements that are much older – rooted in a time when our sacred role in the renewal of life was thought to be the very heart of religion. Animated with Nature’s passion for the renewal of life, the bride (Julieta) draws her Romeo more deeply into the story of the Earth (Can 4:16).
Viviers offers an ecojustice reading that exemplifies an approach proposed by Norman Habel through The Earth Bible project. Viviers reads Song of Songs through the lens of three of the six ecojustice principles suggested by Habel, namely ‘the celebrative voice of Earth and its inhabitants, the interconnectedness of the Earth community, and Nature’s intrinsic worth’ (Viviers
Viviers reads the Song as the love-play between man and woman. He asserts that Song of Songs unquestionably is subversive literature. It subverts patriarchy and the moral and religious mores of its time (4th or 3rd century BCE). Viviers also emphasises the mystical aspect of nature as portrayed in Song of Songs. He comes close to a deep ecology reading of the text. Reference is made to Song 4:12–5:1 in his sections on Earth as home, and the interconnectedness of humans and nature:
Earth as home:
The gardens, the pastures and the peaceful villages are a haven for the intimacy of the two lovers (1:7–8; 2:16; 4:12–5:1; 6:2–3, 11–12; 7:11–13).
We are reminded of the appearance of first life as we experience the eternal cycle of new life springing forth from Earth. This is (again) illustrated in the metaphor of the woman as garden, as
The Earth community in the Song becomes a far better ‘eden’ than the first one in Genesis: perfect harmony between the genders; humans, plants and animals are kin. Love is the key which unlocks life.
Interconnectedness of humans and nature:
The woman as garden illustrates the reciprocity of metaphorisation and personification. Woman becomes beautiful, delectable garden and garden becomes desirable woman. By experiencing the one you sense the other.
Viviers concludes that the way in which humans identify with their world does not only come to the fore in their ‘languaging’ of it, but markedly also in what they ‘do’ with it.
This article links up with insights from Deep ecology and the ecojustice reading. The metaphor used in Song 4:12–15 creates a context in which the ecological meaning is retrieved.
There are many propositions of the structural outline of the book of Song of Songs, and here is not the place to argue for/against any specific structural model. The book is either presented in an abundance of distinct, independent poems, or it can be united as a single grand poetic structure. However, it is generally agreed that dialogue is the pattern that determines the poetic development of the book. Mostly, Song 1:2–2:7 and 8:3/5–14 are seen as
This article is in line with the structural insights in which Song 4:12–15 is part of the literary unit (Can 3:6–5:1). However, within the structure of Song 3:6–5:1 itself, Song 4:12–15 is part of the peak or the finality of the unit, the union of the lovers in Song 4:12–5:1 (Dorsey
Song 3:6–5:1 contains an
The three units of Song 4:8–5:1 (4:7–11; 4:12–16 & 5:1) are deeply affected by the verb ‘to come’ (בוא) at its
Therefore, Song 4:12–15 is part of the centre and the culmination of Song 3:6–5:1. While it shares direct affinities with the progressive ‘coming nearer’ of the two lovers from Song 2 until their union in Song 5:1, it also sets up limits to be aware of in the ‘enclosed garden’.
The translation and structure of the text is presented in
Structure of the text.
Translation of Song 4:12–15.
Translation | Hebrew |
---|---|
12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a garden |
גַּ֥ן׀ נָע֖וּל אֲחֹתִ֣י כַלָּ֑ה גַּ֥ל נָע֖וּל מַעְיָ֥ן חָתֽוּם׃ |
13 Your channel |
שְׁלָחַ֨יִךְ֙ פַּרְדֵּ֣ס רִמֹּונִ֔ים עִ֖ם פְּרִ֣י מְגָדִ֑ים כְּפָרִ֖ים עִם־נְרָדִֽים׃ |
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes— | נֵ֣רְדְּ׀ וְכַרְכֹּ֗ם קָנֶה֙ וְקִנָּמֹ֔ון עִ֖ם כָּל־עֲצֵ֣י לְבֹונָ֑ה מֹ֚ר וַאֲהָלֹ֔ות עִ֖ם כָּל־רָאשֵׁ֥י בְשָׂמִֽים׃ |
15 a fountain of the gardens, |
מַעְיַ֣ן גַּנִּ֔ים בְּאֵ֖ר מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֑ים וְנֹזְלִ֖ים מִן־לְבָנֹֽון׃ |
, Following the Old Versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac), I prefer to read twice the words גַּן נָעוּל [locked garden] in contrast to the MT proposition of reading here גַּל נָעוּל [spring locked]. The participle נָעוּל in the second part of the verse can be connected to the blocking-up of a garden door (or gate), but it is less appropriate for the blocking of a spring (cf. the meaning of נָעוּל in Can 5:5) (Barbiero
, V. 13: the word שְׁלחָיַךְִ is rendered as ‘channel’ or conduit from the root שׁלח [to send] with Nehemiah 3:15. Others prefer here ‘your shoots’ with reference to Isaiah 16:8.
, The Masoretic Text has here the plural mayim ganin (fountain gardens) which can be rendered literally as ‘fountain of gardens, a fountain that irrigates gardens.’ We refer here the rendering of the Masoretic Text, the Syriac, Vulgate and certain manuscripts of the LXX instead of the one retained by the NRSV following the proposition of LXX8 proposing the singular kepou. It is a plural of generalisation (cf. 6:2; 8:13).
This translation is derived from the New Revised Standard Version. Where I changed it, I will mention it in the text due to my ecological sensibility.
The strophe is framed by verses 12 and 15 in which the ‘garden’ (גַּן) and the ‘fountain’ (מַעְיׇן) are respectively stated to be locked and sealed (AA′), while the central part (vv. 13–14) enlists the valuable fruit and exotic plants of the garden (BB′). In all, verse 4 enlists 12 plants, a number which links up with the tribes of Israel, and thus identifying the woman with the promised land (Barbiero
The enclosed garden is depicted by four verbs, all participles referring to the
Indeed, the whole chapter (Can 4) reflects the tension between having access to and being prevented from having access to something (e.g. Veil: vv. 1, 3; the origin of the woman in mountains with lions/leopards [4:8], the garden locked [vv. 12ff.]). Contrary to Proverbs 5:15–20 in which the value of the woman is considered from male perspective (as a well/cistern), to whom the enjoyment of love is reserved, in Song 4, love is not possible without the consent of the beloved the woman. Like Genesis 2–3, Song 4 reflects the tension between what should be left untouched (what is forbidden) and what can be enjoyed.
The woman is the garden and the garden is the woman. This illustrates the reciprocity of metaphorisation and personification. The identity of the Beloved is depicted very sensually in natural metaphors of exotic plants, spices, and springs of water. At the same time, the garden becomes a subject in its own right; nature is personified in the woman, nature is humanised/womanised (Landy
The garden is locked (גַן נָעוּל) and fertile: she is delectable and desirable but secured and locked. The Hebrew word garden (גַן) derives from the root
The geo-description of the bride fits perfectly with the ancient belief of ‘Mother Earth’ that resists the dominion drive of the Anthropocene. The Akan people of Ghana say ‘you must be prepared to do to the land/earth what you can do to your mother’. The Akan people consider
The identification of the woman with the garden in Song 4 is a particular case of her identification with the land in the sense that attitudes towards women epitomise attitudes towards nature (Ruether
Scholars do not hesitate to name modern disastrous anthropocentric encounters with nature as ‘the rape of the earth’ (Tucker
Contrary to the multiplication and dominion mandate of Genesis 1:28 to subdue (כבש), the Song lacks allusion to procreation and dominion. The book presents human love as an end in itself (Lys
Love as devotion, alterity, reciprocity and mutualism as expressed in Song 4, resists the commodification of the other (woman/nature). The world can be
The expression ‘honey and milk’ under the tongue of the Beloved (Can 4:11) links up with Exodus 3:17 about the Promised Land (Osherow
According to Song of Songs, enjoying Nature (the promised land) is likened to enjoying each other and
When we become deeply absorbed, as in a natural landscape, it is as if we were swallowed into a larger body. At the same time this landscape is swallowed into our embodiment, transforming it from within. (p. 165)
Life on the promised land requires a balanced tension between enjoyment and abiding by given principles (Dt 8). The land vomits those who engage in unsustainability like the other nations (ungodly) (Lv 18:25). With this in mind, the metaphor presents the body of the bride as a sacred arena, which is appealing but also restricted. It reflects the tension between what should be left untouched (what is forbidden) and what can be enjoyed, similar to Genesis 2–3.
The readiness of the woman to give her love stems from the exotic plants and fruits. Verse 13 starts with the plural שְׁלָחַיִךְ, which is a
In verse 13a, the Hebrew פַּרְדֵּס [paradise] is also found in Ecclesiastes 2:5 and Nehemiah 2:8 designates a ‘Royal Park’. Due to the post-exilic context of the book (after 586 BCE) (Brettler
The first two plants in the Song’s Garden are fruit trees: pomegranate (רִמּוֺנִים) with delicious fruits (מְגָדִים פְּרִי) (13a). In Oriental iconography, the term pomegranate is often linked with the tree of paradise, the tree of life (Keel
The earth becomes the woman and the woman becomes the earth. Whether the author had Genesis 1:12 in mind, it is not sure; but it is possible that he or she knew it since both texts are dated in the early Persian period. Most of the time this becoming one body with nature happens without our conscious awareness. But when it is not there, when life around us has diminished or vanished, we suddenly notice a deep emptiness and meaninglessness. It is then that we should listen to the cry of the earth protesting against its irresponsible inhabitants (Kavusa
The erotic depiction of the beloved woman through nature images implies that the author had the intrinsic worth of Earth in mind. The metaphor of Song 4 invites us to adopt this perception as we deal with Earth in any enterprise. Earth or the Promised Land is capable to provide for whatever is needed if we adopt the ethics of the Promised Land (Dt 8). Otherwise, instead of producing פְּרִי מְגָדִים [delicious fruits] (Can 4:13a), it would turn into an unproductive and stressful land with thistles and thorns of Genesis 3:18 und would vomit his inhabitants.
The metaphor of a fruitful garden as depicted in verses 13–14 is probably based on the ‘notion of the earth as a woman (cf. Song 2:17) from whose womb all vegetation springs forth’ (Keel
Versets 13b-14 enlist delicious fruits and exotic plants of the garden. Henna (כְּפׇרִים) is the only one of the plants listed here that grows without human effort in Israel: ‘even today it can be found in Jericho, the valley of the Jordan and the coastal plain’ (Zohary
While Saffron (כַרְכֺּם) is used in the Mediterranean as condiment, the ‘aromatic calamus’ (קׇנֶה) was used as anointing oil together with myrrh (מֺר), cinnamon (קִנׇּמוֺן) and cassia (Ex 30:23). According to Jeremiah 6:20, Isaiah 43:24 and Ezekiel 27:19, the calamus was a commercial good imported from far away. In Proverb 7:17, calamus, myrrh and aloes (אֲהָלוֺת) are cited in relation to ‘the bed of the strange woman’ to attract her victims.
The plants in the garden depicted in verses 13a–14 are impressive not only because they were imported
It is not by accident that these plants are used here: they were regarded as precious and were mostly used in cultic, medical or erotic attraction contexts (Barbiero
In the OT [
The expressions such as ‘every tree of frankincense’ (כׇּל־עֲצֵי לֵבוֺנָה) (v. 14c) or ‘all the most precious spices’ (כׇּל־רׇאֺשֵי בְשָמִים) (v. 14d) testify at the incredible possibilities that a well-maintained Earth might offer. An ecological reading sees within these verses the reinforcement of the uniqueness and value of this garden. Earth/nature, the valuable ‘locked garden’ of Song 4, contains precious elements which are intrinsically destined to be valued and used not abused since located in a ‘enclosed’ domain.
The Beloved is both a ‘fountain sealed’ (מַעְיָ֥ן חָתֽוּם) (v. 12) and a well of living water (בְּאֵ֖ר מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֑ים), a fountain spring flowing from Lebanon (וְנֹזְלִ֖ים מִן־לְבָנֹֽון׃) to irrigate the garden (v. 15c). Verse 12 highlights the sacredness or security of the fountain, while verse 15 focuses on its natural function. This explains the plural מַעְיַן גַּנִּים (literally ‘fountain of the gardens’) or a fountain that irrigates gardens (Murphy
The Beloved is both a
The water is said to be sourced from Lebanon. Lebanon is the living and secured place of the bride in Song 4:8. Ezekiel 31:1–9 compares Assyria with the evergreen forests of Lebanon: Birds, Beast and nations made the lofty Forests of Lebanon their secure living place. Ezekiel 31:8 says the cedars in the garden of God could not rival the beauty of Lebanon (v. 8). That is why Lebanon is included in the boundaries of the Promised Land (Dt 11:24; Jos 12:7).
The reference to Lebanon implies that Song 4:15 presents the enclosed garden as more beautiful than Eden. The freshwater of Lebanon never ceased to flow as its fountains are sealed. The expression חתם תורה in Isaiah 8:16 means ‘keep the Torah securely’. Thus, Song 4:12 implies that there are security measures (mountain, lions, leopards), which sustains its freshness und prevent it from pollution. The flowing water of Lebanon is both accessible and protected. Just as the enduring snow of Lebanon guarantees the perennial freshness of its springs (Jr 18:14), the beloved (the garden) is permanently watered and never loses her power to refresh even in the hot Near Eastern region (Keel
In contrast to a cistern keeping only collected rainwater, a well of living water (בְּאֵר מַיִם הַיִּים) of verse 15 is a shaft with a bubbling spring at the bottom (cf. Gn 26:19; Jn 4:10–15). The water of the enclosed garden is not
On 28 July 2022 a sustainability Global Network report has made it clear that humans have consumed the totality of biological resources that the earth needs to regenerate the entire year. This means that for the rest of the year, we are living in ‘ecological deficit by drawing down local resource stocks and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere’.
This is particularly dangerous for humanity and the sustainability of the planet. Unless we know that there should be limits, the future of the planet is uncertain. That is where the metaphor of Song 4:12–15 about availability and restriction is relevant to limit the contemporary over-consumption mentality.
Just as the availability of and restrictions in the Garden of Genesis 2, the love metaphor of Song 4:12–15 reflects my perspective of viewing nature as both appealing (fruits, water, exotic plants) and restricted (sealed and enclosed). The metaphor assumes letting nature make itself available to us, not just breaking its ‘seals’ and lockers, which could be disastrous.
Scientific data are indeed needed to make us ecologically responsible, ‘but we also need love stories like the Song to touch us deeply’ (Viviers
It should be noted that two main aspects of the text wight pose problem for the ecological relevance of this text. First, the fact that this garden is imaginative might undermine the ecological potential of Song 4:12–5:1. Second, the fact that most of the plants in this imagined garden are imported luxuries does not fit with the ideal of eco-sustainability consisting of giving priority to indigenous plants. Finally, Meredith’s (
The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.
K.J.K. is the sole author of this article.
This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.
This article is enabled by the generous support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany) that gave the author a fellowship in 2020 to conduct research on indigenous knowledge and ecological sustainability. The author also expresses his gratitude to the Department of Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures of the University of Pretoria for having granted him both a Postdoctoral fellowship (2017–2018) and Research Associate position (2020–to date) to conduct research in relationship with ecological hermeneutics and African issues.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the author.
A metonymy associates things; a metaphor substitutes things while the simile (simile) looks for similarities.
A
Nature should be experienced and felt.
Bosadi means motherhood in Northern Sotho dialect of south Africa. Eco-bosadi would be the equivalent of eco-feminism in the Western context.
Only Pomegranates grew in Palestine, all others were imported luxuries (Jenson
Translation into English: I am the fountain of garden, a well of running water flowing from Lebanon.
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