Question 1

What does Christ mean by coming into His garden in this passage?

Accepted Answer

When Christ says He has come into His garden, He is speaking of His own people as a garden that belongs to Him. He takes delight in the graces He has planted in their lives, pictured by myrrh, spice, honey, wine, and milk. These are like the fruits, sweetness, and strength that flow from His work and His gospel. By eating and drinking there, He shows that He gladly accepts what His people offer Him, and that He Himself is present among them to enjoy and to share rich spiritual food.

Question 2

Why does Christ invite friends to eat and drink abundantly?

Accepted Answer

The call, “Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly,” shows that Christ does not keep His blessings to Himself. He invites His people, whom He calls friends and beloved, to share in the feast of grace He has prepared. The picture is of a table full of what satisfies the soul, not just a little taste. Wine and milk point to joy and nourishment that come from Him. This call is open and generous, urging believers not to hold back but to receive fully what He offers.

Question 3

What does I sleep, but my heart waketh teach about spiritual life?

Accepted Answer

The words “I sleep, but my heart waketh” describe a believer who has grown dull and slow in practice, yet still has real love for Christ inside. The “sleep” points to carelessness and being taken up with lesser things, so that answering Christ’s call feels hard. Yet the heart is awake enough to hear His voice and know it is Him at the door. This shows how mixed a believer’s state can be, with true affection still present, even while laziness and distraction get in the way of quick obedience.

Question 4

Why does the woman make excuses instead of opening to her beloved?

Accepted Answer

When the beloved knocks, the woman answers with excuses about having taken off her coat and washed her feet. This pictures a believer who finds comfort and ease more appealing than getting up to meet Christ in prayer and obedience. The excuses sound small, but they reveal a heart that has grown slow and self‑pleasing. The passage shows how easily we can treat fellowship with Christ as a burden when it calls for effort, instead of seeing it as a gift. These small delays can lead to a sense of His withdrawal.

Question 5

What is meant by Christ putting His hand through the hole of the door?

Accepted Answer

Christ putting His hand through the hole of the door is a picture of His grace reaching in when His voice alone has not moved the believer. It is as if He does more than knock; He touches the heart directly. When this happens, the bride says her inner being was moved for Him. That means her coldness begins to melt, her love is stirred up, and she is now willing to rise. It shows that when we are slow and stubborn, Christ Himself works within us to make us willing to seek Him again.

Question 6

Why does the beloved withdraw before she opens the door?

Accepted Answer

After she finally rises and opens, she finds that her beloved has withdrawn and is gone. This shows the painful result of long delays and neglect. He is still loving, but the sense of His nearness is withheld for a time. Her soul fails, she seeks and calls, but there is no quick answer. This does not mean He has truly abandoned her; rather, she now feels the loss of what she once took lightly. This sorrow leads her into earnest search for Him and a deeper longing than before.

Question 7

Who are the watchmen that wound the woman and take her veil?

Accepted Answer

The watchmen who patrol the city and wound the woman can picture harsh or unfaithful leaders who do not understand a soul seeking Christ. Instead of guiding gently, they strike the conscience with human rules or rough treatment. Taking away her veil may point to shaming her, exposing her, or stripping away comforts. The scene shows that even while seeking Christ, believers may meet with misunderstanding and hurt from people who should have guarded them well, adding to their grief during times when He seems distant.

Question 8

Why does the woman say she is sick of love?

Accepted Answer

When the woman asks the daughters of Jerusalem to tell her beloved she is “sick of love,” she is saying that her longing for Him is so strong it feels like an illness. She is restless and pained because she cannot find Him or feel His presence as before. This love‑sickness is not shallow emotion but a deep desire for restored fellowship. Her earlier excuses are gone; now she wants nothing but Him. It shows how God can use a sense of loss to awaken stronger love and earnest seeking in the heart.

Question 9

What do the daughters of Jerusalem mean by asking, What is thy beloved more than another?

Accepted Answer

The daughters of Jerusalem ask, “What is thy beloved more than another beloved?” because they do not yet see why He is so precious to her. Their question opens the way for her to speak of His greatness in the verses that follow. It also shows that not everyone around a believer understands deep love for Christ or the pain of feeling far from Him. The question invites a testimony: why He is worth such seeking and such sorrow when He seems hidden, and how different He is from every other love.

Question 10

How can this passage guide believers who feel distant from Christ today?

Accepted Answer

This passage speaks to those who know that Christ is good, yet feel dull, distant, or slow to respond to Him. It warns that small excuses and love of comfort can lead to a painful sense of His absence. At the same time, it encourages us that He still knocks, calls us with tender names, and works within to stir our hearts. When we feel far from Him, we can rise, seek Him in prayer and His word, be honest about our slowness, and keep longing for Him, trusting that He values our seeking.

Song of Solomon 5:1

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

The Bride and Her Beloved

The Torment of Separation

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Song of Solomon 5:1

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

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The Bride and Her Beloved

The Torment of Separation

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