God’s Word Translation
Song of Songs 4:12
12My bride, my sister is a garden that is locked, a garden that is locked, a spring that is sealed.
Song of Songs 4:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
- New International Version (NIV)You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
- English Standard Version (ESV)A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A spring shut up, A fountain sealed.
Context of Song of Songs 4:12
10How beautiful are your expressions of love, my bride, my sister! How much better are your expressions of love than wine and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice. 11Your lips drip honey, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your clothing is like the fragrance of Lebanon. My bride, my sister is a garden that is locked, a garden that is locked, a spring that is sealed. 13You are paradise that produces pomegranates and the best fruits, henna flowers and nard, 14nard and saffron, calamus, cinnamon, and all kinds of incense, myrrh, aloes, and all the best spices.
Read all of Song of Songs 4Song of Songs 4:12 word by word
גַּ֥ן׀ נָע֖וּל אֲחֹתִ֣י כַלָּ֑ה גַּ֥ל נָע֖וּל מַעְיָ֥ן חָתֽוּם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Commentaries on Song of Songs 4:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12A garden enclosed - a spring shut up, a fountain sealed - Different expressions to point out the fidelity of the bride, or of the Jewish queen. See the outlines. She is unsullied, a chaste, pure virgin. None has ever entered into this garden; none has yet tasted of this spring; the seal of this fountain has never been broken. Among the Athenians, the interior part of the house, called the women's apartment, was not only locked but sealed; so Aristophan…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-15Verses 8-15 Observe the gracious call Christ gives to the church. It is, 1. A precept; so this is Christ's call to his church to come off from the world. These hills seem pleasant, but there are in them lions' dens; they are mountains of the leopards. 2. As a promise; many shall be brought as members of the church, from every point. The church shall be delivered from her persecutors in due time, though now she dwells among lions, Ps. 57:4. Christ's heart…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12a garden locked up, a spring enclosed, a fountain sealed: This statement about her purity and virginity highlights his unique and special status (see Proverbs 5:15 for similar imagery). The images of spring and fountain suggest the most private parts of a woman's body.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. The Hebrew has no "is." Here she is distinct from the garden (So 5:1), yet identified with it (So 4:16) as being one with Him in His sufferings. Historically the Paradise, into which the soul of Jesus Christ entered at death; and the tomb of Joseph, in which His body was laid amid "myrrh," &c. (So 4:6), situated in a nicely kept garden (compare "gardener," Joh 20:15); "sealed" with a stone (Mt 27:66); in which it resembles "wells" in the East (Ge…Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 12A locked up garden This refers to the modesty of the daughters of Israel, who are not loose in immoral actions.Read the comment
Topics related to Song of Songs 4:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Song of Songs 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries