Jesus was the apple tree in the woods

JESUS WAS THE APPLE TREE IN THE WOODS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Song of Solomon2:3 3Like an apple tree among the
trees of the forestis my belovedamong the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my
taste.
The Apple Tree In The Woods
BY SPURGEON
“As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my Beloved
among the sons.”
Song of Solomon 2:3
BY the apple tree would probably be intended by the oriental writer either the
citron, or the pomegranate, orthe orange. I suppose he did not refer to the
apple tree of our gardens, for it would scarcelybe known to him. The word
would not, however, be properly rendered if we confined it to any of the three
fruit trees we have mentioned, or if we excluded our ownapple from it, for the
term apple comprehends all large round fruit not enclosedin a shell. And so
we may, without making any mistake, think of the apple tree of our own
English orchards and the metaphor will stand good, exceptthat the shadow of
our apple tree at home is hardly so excellenta retreat from the sun as the
shadow of the other trees included under the term.
Our own apple tree will suffice us, however, and we shall not need to enter
into any minute distinctions, or to carry you away to Palestine. We cansit at
home in England and can say with greatpropriety, if we love the Lord Jesus
Christ, “As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my Beloved
among the sons.” The point of the metaphor is this. There are many trees of
the forestand they all have their uses, but when one is hungry, faint and

thirsty, the foresttrees yield no succor, and we must look elsewhere.They
yield shelter, but not refreshing nutriment. If, however, in the midst of the
woods one discovers an apple tree, he there finds the refreshment which he
needs, his thirst is alleviatedand his hunger removed.
Even so the Church here means to saythat there are many things in the world
which yield us a kind of satisfaction–manymen, many truths, many
institutions, many earthly comforts–butthere are none which yield us the full
solace whichthe soul requires. There are none which can give to the heart the
spiritual food for which it hungers. Jesus Christ, alone, supplies the needs of
the sons of men. As the apple tree is the exceptionto the foresttrees in bearing
its fruit. As it stands on that accountin contrastto the trees of the woods, so
does Jesus our Belovedcontrastwith all others and transcendently excel
them–
“An apple tree in simple beauty stands,
And waves its juicy treasure gracefully,
Among the barren trees which eroded the woods,
Of lofty form, but destitute of fruit.
So Jesus, ‘midst the failing sons of men
Bears for my use the fruits of covenantlove,
And fills my heart with rare delight and rest.”
Wandering, as I have been, during the lastfew days, up and down in the New
Forest, the only realforest of our country, and finding restin its vast
solitudes, often has this text occurredto me and therefore I can do no other
than speak of it to you–“As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is
my Belovedamong the sons.” We shallat the outsetspeak of the tree which
the fainting soul most desires. We shall then remark that it is no small wonder
that the needy one finds an apple tree in so singular a position. And, thirdly,
we shall note her very natural conduct when she found so desirable a tree in
such a position–she satdown under its shadow with greatdelight and feasted
upon the delicious fruit.
1. First, then, our text speaks ofTHE TREE WHICH THE FAINTING
SOUL MOST DESIRES. Imagine yourselfupon some sultry day in
autumn as a wanderer in the leafy lanes of a greatforest. The grand
cathedralaisles reachbefore you to lengths immeasurable, or huge
domes of foliage rise above you like a secondsky. Imagine yourself
roaming amidst the ferns and brakes, trampling on the briars and
hollies, or sitting down on mossybanks and knolls softwith layers of
leaves. Suppose, also, thatyou are hungry and thirsty and that no
rippling streams offer their cooling floods while you are so far away

from human ears that, hungry though you might be even to death, there
would be no eyes to see you and consequently no hands outstretchedfor
your help.
In such a plight it needs no imagination to conceive you as glancing to the
trees, your only companions, and silently appealing to them for aid. Some of
them look as if their bowing branches would sympathize if they could, others
grotesquelygrin at you and the most of them sternly refuse you succorby
their solemn silence. You will ask in vain of oak, orash, or elm. Suppose you
appeal to yonder statelytree which is the greatestofthem all, the king of the
forest, unequalled in greatness orgirth? Admire its stupendous limbs, its
gnarled roots, its bossybark, the vastarea beneath its boughs. You look up at
it and think what a puny creature you are and how brief has been your life
compared with its duration. You try to contemplate the storms which have
sweptover it and the suns which have shone upon it.
Great, however, as it is, it cannot help you. If it were a thousand times higher
and its topmost boughs sweptthe stars, yet it could minister no aid to you.
This is a fit picture of the attempt to find consolationin systems of religion
which are recommended to you because theyare greatly followed. Here is a
religion which has been patronized by kings and nobles for centuries–a
religion which has the support of the greatand fashionable at the present
hour–will not this content you? Is it not enoughto belong to the same religion
as the majority, especiallywhenthat majority includes the aristocrats ofthe
land? Is not the religion of the people the voice of God? What more do you
need? Why should you be singular?
Alas, the greattree is not the fruit-bearing tree. The true Christian, believing
in Jesus Christ with all his heart, counts it no desirable thing to be found in
the broad road where the many go, for he remembers that his Masterspoke of
it as leading to destruction. Majorities are nothing to him, for he remembers
that, “straitis the gate and narrow is the way which leads unto life, and few
there are that find it.” He does not reckonthat the greatnessofthe company
will make right wrong, or overawe the Judge of All, or make eternal
punishment one whit the less intolerable. We desire not the wayof the
multitude–the way of the Crucified we delight to follow. It is not the mightiest
tree of the forest that we look to with hope, but to the Lord Jesus, our
Beloved, who is the apple tree among the trees of the woods!
His fruit is sweetto our taste. He is the way, the truth, and the life to us. His
Personis most dear to us and His teachings are the food of our spirits. Happy
are you who dare to be singular with Christ! Blessedare you who have found
the narrow way which leads unto eternallife! Blessedare you because you are

not carriedaway with the strong current and fashion of the age, but have
heard the voice that says, “Be not conformed to this world, but be you
transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Wisdom tells the hungry man to
prefer the solitary apple tree to whole groves of the largestoaks orbeeches.
And wisdom given from above has brought you, O Believerin Jesus, to prefer
your Redeemerto all the greatones of the earth.
Suppose that in your wanderings to and fro you come upon another tree
which is saidto be the oldestin the forest. We, all of us, have a venerationfor
age. Antiquity has many charms. I scarcelyknow if antiquity and novelty
should run a race for popular favor, which might win. Nowadays we are
pesteredby a class of men who would gladly fascinate our nation to error by
the charms of antiquity. They will tell us that a certain ceremony, though no
trace of it is to be found in Scripture, must be venerable because practicedin
the fourth century. And they imagine that worship in buildings which were
founded by Saxons and garnishedby Normans must be peculiarly acceptable
with God! To be ancient–is it not a greatadvantage? As cleanliness is next to
godliness, surelyantiquity must he next to orthodoxy!
Yet if there is no Scripture to warrant it, an ancient ceremonyis only an
ancient farce!There are some things which are so old as to be rotten, eaten of
worms and fit only to be put away. Many things called ancient are but clever
counterfeits, or when they are true they are but the bones and caresses ofthat
which once was goodwhen life filled it with energy and power. There is an
“old way which wickedmen have trod,” as well as a goodold way in which the
righteous walk. We cannotbe certainthat a thing is right because it is old, for
Satanis old, and sin is old, and death is old, and Hell is old–yetnone of these
things are right and desirable on that account.
No, Jesus Christ our Lord, since the day in which we have known Him by
faith, has quieted our conscience, has calmedour fears, has given us joy and
peace through believing. And we are not to be seducedfrom Him by all the
antiquated falsehoods whichmay weave their spells around us. Old even to
decaymay be the trees in which other travelers delight, but as for us, we
choose the tree of heavenly fruit–the apple tree is our choice, Jesus is our
Beloved. Ritualists may glory in their fourth century doctrines, their fathers,
their councils and their ancient customs. The Bible is primitive enough for us!
The Cross ofour Lord Jesus Christ is venerable enough for us! We are
content with Him and need no more. To us the main thing is to find food for
our souls, the bread that never perishes, the fruit which will quench our
desperate thirst. We have found it in the Savior and from the Savior we will
not depart.

It may be that in the midst of the forest, while you are hungry and thirsty, you
come upon a strangely beautiful tree. Its proportions are exact and as you
gaze upon it from a distance you exclaim–“How wonderful are the works of
God!” And you begin to think of those trees of the Lord which are full of sap,
the cedars ofLebanon which He has planted. You stand under it and look up
among the majestic boughs and the spreading branches and you againadmire
the beauty of Nature as it comes from the hand of the Most High. But beauty
can never satisfyhunger and when a man is dying of thirst it is vain to talk to
him of symmetry and taste. He needs food. This reminds us that nowadays
there are some who try to satisfy the souls of men with beauty. Look at their
processions–who wouldnot be charmed with their varied costumes, their
spangledbanners, their gilded crosses and their melodious hymns?
Listen to their choir–is not the singing perfection? If you want a concerton
Sunday and do not like to attend a theater, you can find it in the cathedraland
in many a parish Church. If you want to have your senses gratifiedand
cannot conscientiouslyattend an opera on Sunday, you canhave ears and eyes
gratified at Church, yes and the nose as well in some places–andthese
amusements they mistake for religious exercises!Compared with the
plainness of worship which we follow, our casting out of everything like
symbol, our abhorrence of everything that would take awaythe mind from
God Himself and fix it upon secondaryobjects–comparedwith all this their
worship is enchanting, indeed, to the carnalmind–and we do not wonder that
those who are led by taste should follow after it.
But oh, if a man once hungers after the bread of Heaven, his taste for finery
will be reduced to a very secondaryposition as a governing powerof his mind.
If once the soul craves afterGod, after peace, pardon, Truth, reconciliation,
holiness–itwill seek the Lord Jesus, the Apple Tree–andforgetthe other trees,
howevershapely they may be. “These bearno fruit for me,” says the hungry
soul. The awakenedconsciencelistens to the chant as it is echoedamong the
massive pillars and watches the smoke as it rises like a cloud among the
arches of the roof, and he cries, “Whatare chants and smoke to me? I need a
Savior!” He sees the processionandafter he has gazed upon it he says, “What
are these mummeries to me? I need washing in the blood of Christ.”
As the incense smokes to Heaven he says to himself, “O for the incense of the
Savior’s merit! What are these gums of Araby to me if they should burn all
day long?” He turns away, sick and faint in heart, from all the gew-gawsand
outward trappings of modern Poperyand he cries, “O God, You are a Spirit,
and they that worship You must worship You in spirit and in truth. I need
You, O my God! I need spiritual life within myself that I may commune with

You! And where can I find it but in my Savior? He gives it to me! He is the
only fruit-bearing tree among the trees of the woods.”
We will pursue our investigations in the forestand while we are doing so we
shall come upon some very wonderful trees. I have seen, just lately, instances
in which branches are curiously interlacedwith one another. The beech sends
forth a long drooping bough and lestit should not be able to support itself,
another bough strikes up from below to buttress it, or descends from above
and clasps it and the boughs actually grow into one another. Strange things
may be observedin the undisturbed woods whichare not to be seenin our
hedgerow trees, ordiscerned in our gardens. Trees have odd habits of their
own and grow marvelously if left to their own sweetwills.
I have stoodunder them and said, “How can this be? This is singular, indeed!
How could they grow like this? What wondrous interlacing, intertwining,
gnarling and knotting!” Yes, but if a man were hungry and thirsty, he would
not be satisfiedwith curiosities. So is it with some preaching that I know of. If
you regardit from the standpoint of literary excellence youconfess that it is
wonderful. There are greatorators and deep thinkers to be found to whom I
would not presume to hold a candle–whoseperformances are really
wonderful. I have felt, after I have heard their essays,like the Primitive
Methodist who went to dinner with the squire and then pronounced the
blessing afterwards–“Lord, we thank you that we do not have such a good
dinner as this every day, for it is too rich to agree with us.” I have felt just like
that after hearing the fine oration, though, mark you, I did not remember a
bit of it after it was over and my heart was none the better.
How many sermons are published nowadays, as well as preached, which are
full of what is calledthought? By the cant word, “thought,” is generallymeant
contradicting the plain meaning of Scripture and starting new notions. A man
who preaches plainly what God reveals is saidto be an echo of the Puritans, a
dealerin platitudes, a repeaterat secondhandor exploded dogmas. But to find
out some new lie every week to tell your people, to shake their faith in
Inspiration every time you open your mouth–and make them believe that
there is nothing certain, but that everything is a mere matter of opinion–that
is “thought and culture” in these days. And there are in certain dissenting
pulpits the most miserable specimens of this schooland in the pews a number
of their silly admirers.
Brothers and Sisters, some of us are too old-fashioned ever to be led astrayin
that way, and what is more, we have such an awful appetite–we are possessed
of such a dreadful hunger, and such insatiable thirst that we dare not go away
from the Apple Tree–becausewe needto be always eating. We dare not go

awayfrom Jesus Christ, because we are always needing pardon, always
needing peace, always needing fresh life. And provided we can retain our hold
on Jesus we are not particular about the way in which some of these
wonderful trees twist their boughs. We do not feelconcernedabout the
marvels of modern thought, or the resurrectionof ancient errors–
“Should all the forms that men devise,
Assault my soul with treacherous art,
I’d callthem vanities and lies,
And bind the Gospelto my heart.
For if we searchthe globe around,
Yes, searchfrom Britain to Japan,
There shall be no religion found,
So just to God, so safe to man.”
But as we are wandering in the forestand are still hungry I hear someone
saying, “Ah, here is the place for food. You need not boastof your Apple
Tree–the ground is coveredwith meat beneath this noble tree.” I look up–it is
autumn time–and I see a huge tree loadedwith beechnuts which fall from it
like rain. “Here is the place for food.” Was that a human voice I heard? No, it
was the grunts of a herd of swine! See how content they are–how happy–how
they are munching the meat as it falls from the trees. Yonder is a grove of
oaks, allshedding their acorns–andhow delighted the swine are! How they
fatten upon the spoil! “Will you not come here?” they seemto say, as they
munch in comfort! “Will you not come here? Do not tell us about trees which
bear no fruit–there is surely fruit enoughhere.”
Even thus I hear a voice from the Exchange–“Here are the trees which bear
us golden apples! Come here and be filled.” I hear it from those who caterto
public amusements–“Here are the fruits which candelight the soul! Here is
the place to spend a happy day.” And so I hear it from the gay followers of
vice–“This dalliance, this dance, this flowing bowl, this sweet-sounding viol,
these are realjoys.” Yes, to you, to you who choose them! Beechnuts and
acorns are goodenough for swine. To you who canfind comfort, solid
comfort, in the gain of merchandise, or in the pleasures ofsin, or in the
delights of pomp, these things are goodenough! But a man, a God-made man,
a man into whom God has put a new heart–not a swine’s heart, but a man’s
heart–needs apples, not acorns–needs spiritual food!
He needs food for an immortal Nature and there is no such food to be found
short of the Lord Jesus Christ, for He, and He only, is the Apple Tree among
the trees of the woods!I might enlarge, but I will not. I will simply saywhat
every child of Godhere knows that the Lord Jesus Christ has given to us, ever

since we found Him, everything we have needed. When we came to Him we
were worn out with faintness, we were hungry to get rid of our sins, but we
are now rid of them, every one of them. We went up to His Cross and as we
saw Him hanging on it, the strings which bound our burden to our shoulders
beganto crack. Ourload rolled off into His sepulcherand we have never seen
it since. We have half fancied we have felt it again, but we never have, for if
our sins are searched for they cannotbe found! No, they shall not be, says the
Lord.
You remember when you first came to that precious tree where the Savior
died? There you discoveredthat your sin was blotted out and that you were
acceptedin the Beloved. And there you were made to be forevermore an heir
of Heaven! Oh, the lusciousness ofthe fruit which you tasted, then! Oh, the
delightful quiet of that shadow under which you sat that day! Blessedbe His
name! You had searchedamong the other trees, but you found no fruit there.
You tried to rest in the shadow of other boughs, but you never restedtill on
that blood-stainedtree of the Cross you saw your sins put awayand your
salvationsecured!And then you restedand were satisfied. But the Lord Jesus
Christ has not only satisfiedus as to the past, see whatHe has done for us as
to the present!
My dear Hearers, there are some of you who have never known, yet, what it is
to be perfectly happy. I do not call it being perfectly happy to be full of
excitement, laughter and apparent joy–and then to go home in the evening
and sit down and feel disgustedwith it all. That is the froth of fancy and not
the true wine of joy. But to be perfectly happy is to be able to think about all
things on earth and all things in Heaven, and yet to say, “I lack nothing!
There is nothing I desire, nothing I pine after! I am saved!I am a child of
God–the eternal God is my own Father! I am on my wayto His own glorious
house. If death should strike me now it would not matter, or if I am spared for
another 50 years it will make no difference to me, for all is well and could not
be better! If there are crossesin my lot, they are God-sentcrosses. If I have
troubles, they work my lasting good. If I lose, I am a gainerby my losses.If I
have all things, I see God in all things. And if I have nothing, yet I see all
things in my God. Nothing more can I desire. Christ is all and Christ is mine
and, therefore, I have all things.”
Now, that is the position of the Christian this day. He sits down under the
shadow of Christ and Christ’s fruit is sweetto him. Let me ask you, canyou
imagine any other place where such peace of mind or such happiness can be
enjoyed? Why, I know sick people who are far more happy in their sickness
than worldlings are in their health! And I know poor men who are infinitely

more at peace and more contentthan rich men who have not the Savior. Jesus
Christ, alone, satisfies us for the past and delights us for the present. And then
as to the future. The man who has found Christ looks forward to it not merely
with complacency, not simply without a dread, but with a joyous expectancy
and hope! Those things which make others tremble make us glad.
There is such a thing as dying–thank God, there is! Who wants to live here
always? Thatnarrow streamwhich separates this country from the better
land must be forded by eachof us. Who would have it otherwise? Insteadof
being afraid to cross it, we have sometimes said–
“O Lord of Hosts, divide the waves,
And land us now in Heaven.”
The judgment? The Christian quails not at the thought. Who shall lay
anything to his charge? The coming of the Lord? The Believerfears it not, no,
it is his grandesthope! Eternity and its never-ending cycles? He dreads it not,
for it is to him the climax of his joy that it is to be everlasting. O, happy people
who have Christ! Happy souls who rest in Jesus!They may saywhat none
others can–“As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved
among the sons.”
DearHearer, is He your Beloved? Canyou claim Him as your own? If you
can, then I am sure you will bear witness, as the text does, to the satisfying
powerof the Savior and declare with Ralph Erskine–
“What foolsoeverdisagrees,
My sweetexperience proves
That Jesus is the tree of trees
Among a thousand groves.”
II. The spouse spoke ofthe tree which she most desired–THE WONDER WAS
THAT SHE FOUND IT. It was an apple tree, but it was not in a garden, a
fruit tree but not in a vineyard–it was “among the trees of the woods.” Who
would know of so greata rarity as an apple tree in a forestif he were not first
told of it? So Jesus Christ, at this present day, is not known to all mankind. It
is a most unhappy thought that probably the majority of the human race have
not heard of the Saviorat all–anda very large proportion have never heard of
Him exceptthrough misrepresentations. Only a small minority of our fellow
men know anything about the Savior–
“What millions never knew the Lord!
What millions hate Him when He’s known.”

Even in our own country you will not find it a difficult thing to meet with
persons who are totally ignorant of Christ. Try it and you shall find in country
towns and in hamlets men grown up who could not give you an answerto this
question–“How is it that the death of Jesus saves the soul?” No, they do not
even know the fact that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners!
“Well,” you say, “we know the rural districts are ignorant.” Yes, but they are
far superior in light to parts of London. You can readily find children in our
streets, and what is worse, artisans in our workshops, to whom the bare name
of Jesus may be known, but anything like the doctrine of His substitutionary
Atonement is a thing of which they have not heard.
Living in the light they abide in darkness!Amid a thousand lamps they see
not. One of the problems which may most surprise us is the existence ofsuch
dense ignorance in persons who live in intimate connectionwith instructed
people. If you want the grossestignorance,probably you would not find it in
Pekinor Timbuktu, but in London or New York. Where the greatestlight is,
there the shadows are deepest. Mennearestto the Church are often furthest
from God. You cannoteasilyfind an apple tree in a greatforest. If you were
put down in the middle of a forestand told there was an apple tree there, you
might wander for many a day before you discoveredit–and often go over your
own footsteps, lostin endless mazes–andyou may not find the objectof your
search.
And so, though there is a Savior, men have not found the Savior–andthere
may even be souls here present who long for that which Jesus is able to give
and yet have not discoveredHim. You know all about Him in the letter of His
Word but you cannotfind Him spiritually. And I hear you cry, “Oh, that I
knew where I might find Him.” I know I am speaking to some such. You have
been going up and down for months with your prayers and your tears and
your goodworks. You have been trying to do all you can to save yourselves,
but you find your own actions to be barren trees and you know that there is
an apple tree somewhere, but you cannot find it. Ah, poor Soul, you are like
the Ethiopian eunuch, when he was askedif he understood what he read, he
gave the answer, “How canI, unless some man should guide me?”
Do you not wonder that the spouse found her apple tree among the trees of the
woods? The factis, none ever find it except they are led there! And none can
lead a soul to that Apple Tree but the eternal Spirit of God. He canmake use
of His ministers and He does. And therefore, Brothers in the ministry, let us
always be preaching about this Apple Tree. Let us preachup Jesus Christ, let
us make tracks to the Tree of Life! Whatever we do not preach, let us preach
Jesus Christ! I have found, whereverI have been during the last month, that

though there might not be a road to this place or that, there was sure to be a
London road.
Now, if your sermon does not happen to have the doctrine of Election, or the
doctrine of Final Perseverancein it, let it always have Christ in it. Have a road
to London, a road to Christ, in every sermon. Still, the most plain preaching
will require the Spirit of God to go with it, or else the soul will hear about this
glorious tree and about the sweetnessofthe fruit, but will never find the
shadow–andwill never eat the dainty apples. Have you come to Christ, dear
Brothers and Sisters? Thengive God the glory for it! Jesus led you. His Spirit
guided you. Praise and bless His holy name. Now, is it not a strange place for
an apple tree to be found in–in a forest? We seldomhear of such a thing. An
apple tree should grow in a garden. How should it be found in a forest?
And is it not a strange thing that a Saviorshould be found for us among men–
not among angels? You shall searchfor a Savior among “the helmed
cherubim and worded seraphim” as long as you will, but there is none there.
The Savioris found in a manger at Bethlehem, in a carpenter’s shop at
Nazareth. Among the poor and needy is He seenwhile He sojourns among the
sons of men. As I was turning this text over in my mind, I thought, “Ah, and
what strange trees this tree grew among, for there it stands with a gallows tree
on either side, and two thieves hanging upon them. "He was numbered with
the transgressors.”–
“Notamong you, O you cedars,
Not among you, O mighty oaks,
But among the bushes of the desert,
Among the trees accursedwas Jesus found!”
“He made His grave with the wicked.”–
“As in some sere and unproductive wood
One lovely, fruit-producing apple tree,
Bright contrastto the ruined thousands round;
So in this populous but vicious world
O You Desire of nations, did You stand.”
Now, there is something very sweetabout this, because a forest is the very
place where we most love to find Christ growing. If I had come, the other day,
upon an apple tree in the forest and it had happened to be the time of ripe
fruit, I should have felt no compunction of consciencein taking whatever I
was able to reach, for a tree growing in the forestis free to all comers. Should
there be a hungry one beneath its bough, he need not say, “MayI?” when his
month waters atthe golden fruit! He need not say, “It would be stealing. I am

unfit to take it. I am unworthy of it.” Man, if there is an apple tree in the
forest, no man can keepit for himself or deny your right to it, for each
wandererhas a right to what fruit he can gather!The animals have rights of
pasturage. And the birds have rights of nesting. And you have rights of
feeding. Pluck away, Man, and eat to your full!
The shadows and the fruits of foresttrees are free to all who need them. This
ought to delight any seeking soulhere this morning. Jesus Christ is not hedged
about in the Scriptures, as some theologians woulddesire to guard Him from
coming souls. The Lord has planted no protection of thorns and hollies by
saying, “You must bring with you preparations for Grace. You must feel this
and feelthe other, and only then may you dare to come to Christ.” It is a gross
error to tell a man to do something and be something before he believes in
Jesus. No!There He stands with no hedge about Him and whoeverwill, may
partake freely! If you hear the Gospelcall, your reply to it should be–
“Justas I am, Your love unknown
Has broken every barrier down.
Now to rely on You alone,
O Lamb of God, I come.”
Christ has no barriers around Him to keepyou from Him. If there are any
they are of your own making–
“None are excluded but those
Who themselves exclude
Welcome the learned and polite,
The ignorant and rude.”
Whoevershall come shall be welcome to this priceless Apple Tree! There is
some comfort, therefore, in thinking that He grows among the trees of the
woods.
III. It was little wonder that when the spouse, all hungry and faint, did come
upon this apple tree in the forestSHE ACTED AS SHE DID. Straightwayshe
satdown under its shadow with greatdelight. And its fruit was sweetunto her
taste. She lookedup at it–that was the first thing she did and she perceived
that it met her double need. The sun was hot, there was the shadow. She was
faint, there was the fruit. Now, see how Jesus meets all the needs of all who
come to Him? God’s anger, like the hot noon-day sun, falls on me–how can I
escape it? There is no escape fromthe angerof Godexcept by an Interposer.
What is a shadow? Is it not causedby the interposition of the bough, or the
rock, or whateverit may be which comes betweenus and the sun? If we sit
under a tree in the shadow, it is because the tree receives the heat and so we

escape from it. Jesus Christ’s greatoffice is the Interposer, the Mediator, the
Substitute, the Atonement, the Sacrifice–andwhen we hide beneath Him we
are screened. God’s wrathcannot come on us because it has come upon Him
on our behalf–
“When Christ my Screenis interposed
Betweenthe sun and me
My joyful heart and lips unclosed,
Adore the glorious Tree.”
That is a beautiful picture in Solomon’s Song where the king is said to ride in
his chariotof love. He takes his spouse with him and they ride togetherin his
palanquin, and it has over it a canopy. Did you ever notice what it is made of?
It is said, “The covering thereof was of purple,” for truly the only
interposition betweenus and the sun of God’s wrath is the purple canopy of
the atoning blood! Is it not delightful to sit down beneath the scarletcanopyof
the Savior’s blood and feel, “Godcannot smite me–He has smitten His Son.
He cannot demand payment a secondtime. If Jesus sufferedin my place, how
can God make me suffer, again, for my sin? Where were the justice of the
MostHigh to punish an Immaculate Substitute and then punish men for
whom that Substitute endured His wrath?” This is the cool, calm, holy
shadow under which we abide!
But then, the spouse also found that she was thirsty and that the fruit of the
tree exactlymet her case. Ourinner life needs sustenance and food. Now, in
the Lord Jesus is life and the bread of life. He is that Bread which came down
from Heaven, of which if a man eats he shall live forever. O, to geta heart full
of Christ, to geta whole Christ into one’s inmost soul, to have Him abide in
you–this is bliss! Then your soul feels, “It is enough–Ihave all things, for I
have Jesus.” Letus, therefore, seek atthis time, and especiallythis afternoon
in our meditations–andwhen we come to the communion table this evening–to
abide under the shadow of Jesus and there to be found abundantly eating of
His fruit.
One thing more is to be noted–the spouse, when she had begun to enjoy the
provision and the shade, and had sat down under it as if she intended to say,
“I never mean to leave this place. In this delicious shadow I mean to repose
forever,” then she also beganto tell of it to others. In the text she describes
Christ as the Apple Tree and gives her reasonfor so calling Him–“I sat down
under His shadow with greatdelight, and His fruit was sweetto my taste.”
Experience must be the ground upon which we found our descriptions. If a
preacherwants to preachwith power, let him tell what he has felt, tastedand
handled. It is of little use to say Christ is precious, unless you can add, “I have

found Him so.” Therefore the Church brings in her own experience–“Sweet
shade! I there satdown as one at home and there regaledmy soul with most
delicious fare.”
She could not hold her tongue about her Beloved!She must speak!She could
not retain the secretofthis Apple Tree and say to herself, “Others may go to
it, and so perhaps when I go another time there may be nothing left for
myself.” No, she spread the news. She setit down in black and white in the
Inspired Volume for an everlasting testimony that there is an Apple Tree
among the trees of the woods of which she had eaten–sothatothers might eat
of it, too–andenjoy the same sweetness forthemselves. This morning every
renewedheart desires that every other heart should know the Savior. I can
speak wellof my Lord and Master. I do not know that I can say anything
better of Him than most of His people can, for the experience of the saints is
much alike. But I cansay this, if there is happiness beneath the sky, Jesus can
give it to you! If there is peace and restto a jaded soul, Jesus cangive it you!
If there is a delight, a brimming delight, an overflowing delight, if there is that
which can make the eyes sparkle and the pulse to beat right merrily–and the
blood to leapin the veins–it is when Jesus Christ is consciouslyours and we
are resting in Him. I am sure, if there were an apple tree in any forestand it
were once found out, everybody would be takento see it, it would be such an
attraction! There would be many paths to it and everybody who had been in
the forestand seenit would tell his neighbors. Now, I beseechyou, who have
found the Savior, to be telling others what you know about Him and try to
lead others to look at Him. You cannot make them feed upon Him, but God
can, and if you can leadthem to the Tree, who knows but God will give them
spiritual hunger and will lead them to feedas you have fed.
O you silent Christians, you silent Christians, who neither by your tongue, nor
your pen, nor by any other way, ever tell about Christ, I do not know what to
make of you! I wonder the seats you sit on do not push you off and speak
instead of you, and that the stones ofthe streetdo not cry out againstyou as
you pass over them. Why, what can you be made of, to be savedfrom going
down to Hell and not want others to be saved, too? Shame on you! Shame on
me, also, wheneverI am silent about such a blessedsalvation, such a Divine
redemption. I would gladly setyour tongues going about this blessedApple
Tree among the trees of the woods!
There is nothing about which you can speak so freelywithout fear of
exaggeration. All the world has been talking about the Shah of Persia. I wish
they would talk half as much about the Christ of God! All the goodyou will
ever getout of the Shah you may see with your eyes shut. But the benefit that

will come from the King of Heaven to your own souls and ten thousands of
other souls is unlimited! Cry the Savior up, Beloved!Set Him on a high
throne! Give Him the best of your thoughts, the best of your words, the bestof
your actions!Give Him of your time and your substance. He deserves to have
honor above all the sons of men, for He is the best of all.
As the apple tree to the hungry man excels allother trees, so does Jesus excel
all other loves. Let us give Him, today, our hearts' warmestlove and praise
Him forever and forever. God grant it, for His name’s sake. Amen.
PORTIONS OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Psalm23. Isaiah
12.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Lineage Of David
Ruth 4:18-22
J.R. Thomson
This book closes witha genealogy. Readers ofthe Scriptures may sometimes
have felt perplexed at the frequency with which genealogicaltables occurboth
in the Old Testamentand in the New. There is a sufficient reasonfor this.
I. SCRIPTURE SANCTIONSTHE INTERESTHUMAN NATURE FEELS
IN GENEALOGY. No one is insensible to his own ancestry, especiallyif
among his progenitors have bee: men of eminence. Interest in ancestrymay be
carried too far, and may spring from, and minister to, a foolish vanity, but in
itself it is good. It is a witness to the dignity of human nature; it may be an
inspiration to worthy deeds;it may be a incentive to transmit influences of
characterand culture to posterity.
II. SCRIPTURE ATTACHES SPECIALIMPORTANCETO THE
GENEALOGYOF THE DEECENDANTSOF ABRAHAM. Israelwas the
chosenpeople, and the lineage of the tribes of Israel, and especiallyof Judah,
was a matter of national and local, but also of world wide, importance.
III. SCRIPTURE CAREFULLY RECORDSTHE GENEALOGYOF
CHRIST JESUS. He was the Son of man, the Sonof David, as well as the Son
of God. By evincing this, provision was made for commending Jesus to the

reverence of the Hebrew people; for making manifest the fulfillment of
prophecy, which was thus authenticated; for presenting the Saviorin all the
powerof his true humanity before the human race, as the objectof faith,
attachment, and devotion. Lessons:-
1. The obligations under which we individually may be laid by a pious
ancestry.
2. Our debt to posterity.
3. The claims of the Son of man upon our hearts. - T.
Biblical Illustrator
I have bought all that was Elimelech's.
Ruth 4:9
Redemption accomplished
S. H. Tyng, D. D.
This passagebrings to our view the greatsubject of the gospelrevelation —
redemption accomplishedin the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ in human flesh for guilty man. Boaztook his kinsman's shoes as a
simple but solemn tokenof the agreementwhich he had now assumed. He
calledall the inhabitants and elders of his city to witness that he
acknowledgedallthis responsibility, and was pledged to accomplishthe
redemption which was thus described and undertaken. The actual
accomplishmentof the work now depended upon the ability and the
faithfulness of Boaz. Everything now restedupon his powerand his truth.
Was it not just so with the hope of man from the day of his fail to the day of

the Saviour's manifestation and victory? He had undertaken to be man's
Redeemer. Could He, and would He fulfil the wonderful promises which He
had given, and upon which He had causedHis people to place their trust? The
history of the New Testamentanswers this all-important question. These
sacredScriptures reveal the facts of redemption accomplished;the work
undertaken completely finished; the fidelity of the Kinsman Redeemer
gloriously established;and His almighty power triumphantly made known.
This is now the greatmessageofthe gospelto guilty man. It proclaims this
accomplishedwork, and it begs man to acceptand enjoy the blessings which
are offeredin it freely and without price. Like Boaz, Jesus bought back the
whole inheritance for man. All that was lostin the first Adam is restoredby
the second. The RedeemerHimself now owns the inheritance which He has
purchased. That which was Elimelech's is now the property of Boaz. That
which was man's, and to be in the reward of man's obedience, is now Christ's,
and only to be had in the freeness and fulness of His gift. It is His own
inheritance, and He bestows it upon His people according to His will;
according to the measure of the gift of Christ. We have everything in Him.
Without Him we have nothing. He has bought back man also for Himself. His
chosenflock are His purchased possession, and are to be to the praise of His
glory for ever. But the people of Bethlehem were not merely the witnesses of
this covenantof Boaz; they were partakers of his joy. They united in their
supplications for abundant blessings upon the noble and exaltedplan which
Boazhad proclaimed. So angels, the witnessesofthe covenantof our
Redeemer, were more than silent witnessesalso. Whenthe foundation of this
wonderful work was laid in the Divine covenantthese morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shoutedfor joy. When the Saviour appeared
as babe in Bethlehemthey filled the heavens with their songs ofpraise and
prayer: "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, goodwill to men." When
He was travelling in the greatness ofHis strength, beneath His load of sorrow
on the earth, they ministered unto Him and strengthened Him for His work.
(S. H. Tyng, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(3) Apple tree.—So the LXX. and Vulg.; Heb., tappuach. Out of the six times
that the word is used, four occur in this book, the other two being Proverbs

25:11—“apple ofgold”—Joel1:12, where it is joined with vine, fig, &c, as
suffering from drought. It has been very variously identified. The quince, the
citron, the apple, and the apricot have eachhad their advocates.
The apple may be set aside, because the Palestine fruit usually calledthe apple
is really the quince, the climate being too hot for our apple. (But see
Thornson, The Land and the Book, p. 546.)The requirements to be satisfied
are (1) grateful shade, Song of Solomon 2:3; (2) agreeabletaste, Song of
Solomon2:3-5; (3) sweetperfume, Song of Solomon 7:8; (4) golden
appearance, Proverbs 25:11. The quince is preferred by many, as being by the
ancients consecratedto love, but it does not satisfy (2), being astringent and
unpleasant to the taste till cooked. The citron does not, according to Thomson
and Tristram, satisfy(1); but according to Rev. W. Drake, in Smith’s Bible
Dictionary, “it is a large and beautiful tree, gives a deep and refreshing shade,
and is laden with golden-colouredfruit.” The apricot meets all the
requirements, and is, with the exception of the fig, the most abundant fruit of
the country. “In highlands and lowlands alike, by the shores of the
Mediterraneanand on the banks of the Jordan, in the nooks of Judiæa, under
the heights of Lebanon, in the recesses ofGalilee, and in the glades of Gilead,
the apricotflourishes, and yields a crop of prodigious abundance. Many times
have we pitched our tents in its shade, and spread our carpets secure from the
rays of the sun. . . . There can scarcelybe a more deliciously-perfumed fruit;
and what can better fit the epithet of Solomon, ‘apples of gold in pictures of
silver,’ than its golden fruit as its branches bend under the weight, in their
setting of bright yet pale foliage?”(Tristram, Nat. Hist. of Bible, p. 335).
Among the sons—i.e., among otheryoung men.
BensonCommentary
Song of Solomon 2:3. As the apple-tree — Whose fruit is very pleasantand
wholesome;among the trees of the wood — Which are barren. I sat down
under his shadow — I confidently reposedmyself under his protection. His
fruit was sweetto my taste — The benefits which I receivedby him, namely,
remissionof sins, faith, grace, andassurance ofglory.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:1-7 Believers are beautiful, as clothed in the righteousness ofChrist; and
fragrant, as adorned with the gracesofhis Spirit; and they thrive under the
refreshing beams of the Sun of righteousness. The lily is a very noble plant in
the East;it grows to a considerable height, but has a weak stem. The church is
weak in herself, yet is strong in Him that supports her. The wicked, the

daughters of this world, who have no love to Christ, are as thorns, worthless
and useless,noxious and hurtful. Corruptions are thorns in the flesh; but the
lily now among thorns, shall be transplanted into that paradise where there is
no brier or thorn. The world is a barren tree to the soul; but Christ is a
fruitful one. And when poor souls are parched with convictions of sin, with the
terrors of the law, or the troubles of this world, wearyand heavy laden, they
may find restin Christ. It is not enough to pass by this shadow, but we must
sit down under it. Believers have tastedthat the Lord Jesus is gracious;his
fruits are all the precious privileges of the new covenant, purchased by his
blood, and communicated by his Spirit; promises are sweetto a believer, and
precepts also. Pardons are sweet, and peace ofconsciencesweet. If our mouths
are out of taste for the pleasures ofsin, Divine consolationswill be sweetto us.
Christ brings the soulto seek andto find comforts through his ordinances,
which are as a banqueting-house where his saints feastwith him. The love of
Christ, manifested by his death, and by his word, is the banner he displays,
and believers resortto it. How much better is it with the soul when sick from
love to Christ, than when surfeited with the love of this world! And though
Christ seemedto have withdrawn, yet he was even then a very present help.
All his saints are in his hand, which tenderly holds their aching heads. Finding
Christ thus nigh to her, the soul is in greatcare that her communion with him
is not interrupted. We easilygrieve the Spirit by wrong tempers. Let those
who have comfort, fear sinning it away.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
The bride's answer:"As the 'tappuach' with its fragrant fruit excels the
barren trees of the wild wood, so my beloved his associatesand friends etc."
‫חופת‬ tappûach may in early Hebrew have been a generic name for apple,
quince, citron, orange etc.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
3. Her reply. apple—generic including the golden citron, pomegranate, and
orange apple (Pr 25:11). He combines the shadow and fragrance ofthe citron
with the sweetnessofthe orange and pomegranate fruit. The foliage is
perpetual; throughout the year a successionofblossoms, fruit, and perfume
(Jas 1:17).
among the sons—parallelto "among the daughters" (So 2:2). He alone is ever
fruitful among the fruitless wild trees (Ps 89:6; Heb 1:9).
I sat… with … delight—literally, "I eagerlydesiredand sat" (Ps 94:19; Mr
6:31; Eph 2:6; 1Pe 1:8).

shadow—(Ps 121:5;Isa 4:6; 25:4; 32:2). Jesus Christ interposes the shadow of
His cross betweenthe blazing rays of justice and us sinners.
fruit—Faith plucks it (Pr 3:18). Man lost the tree of life (Ge 3:22, 23). Jesus
Christ regainedit for him; he eats it partly now (Ps 119:103;Joh6:55, 57;1Pe
2:3); fully hereafter(Re 2:7; 22:2, 14); not earnedby the sweatof his brow, or
by his righteousness (Ro 10:1-21). Contrastthe worldling's fruit (De 32:32; Lu
15:16).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
As the apple tree, whose fruit is very pleasantand wholesome,
among the trees of the wood, which are either barren, or bear ungrateful and
worthless fruit.
I satdown under his shadow;being wearyand heavy laden with manifold sins
and troubles, inward and outward, I confidently reposedmyself under his
protection, (which is commonly signified by a shadow, as Isaiah4:6 25:4, &c.,)
and by him was defended from the scorching heatof God’s wrath and from
the curse of his fiery law, and from the mischief or hurt of all sorts of
distresses.His fruit; the benefits which I receivedby him, the clear, and full,
and certainknowledge ofGod’s will, and the wayof salvation, adoption, and
remissionof sins, faith and repentance, and all manner of grace, and
assurance ofglory. Thus he was to me both a sun and a shield, as is said,
Psalm84:11.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the
sons,.... As the apple tree, in a garden or orchard, excels and is preferable to
the wild barren trees of a forest (k), especiallyit appears so when laden with
choice fruit; so the church, who here returns the commendation to Christ,
asserts, thathe as much excels all the "sons", the creatures of God, angels or
men: angels, as the Targum, who, though sons of God by creation, Christ is
the Sonof God, in a higher sense;he is their Creator, and the objectof their
worship; they are confirmed by him in the estate they are, and are ministering
spirits to him; and he is exalted above them in human nature: men also, the
greatestprinces and monarchs of the earth, are sometimes comparedto large
and lofty trees;but Christ is higher than they, and is possessedoffar greater
power, riches, glory, and majesty. All the sons of Adam in generalmay be
meant; wickedmen, who are like foresttrees, wild, barren, and unfruitful;

yea, even goodmen, Christ has the pre-eminence of them, the sons of God by
adopting grace;for he is so in such a sense they are not; he is their Creator,
Lord, Head, Husband, and Saviour, and they have all their fruit from him;
and so ministers of the word have their gifts and grace from him, and
therefore Christ excels all that come under this appellation of sons. Christ
may be compared to an apple tree, which is very fruitful; and, when full of
fruit, very beautiful; and whose fruit is very cooling, comforting, and
refreshing. Christ is full of the fruits and blessings of grace, whichare to be
reachedby the hand of faith, and enjoyed; and as he is full of grace and truth,
he looks very beautiful and glorious in the eye of faith; and which blessings of
grace from him, being applied to a poor sensible sinner, inflamed by the fiery
law, and filled with wrath and terror, sweetlycool, refresh, and comfort him.
The apple tree has been accountedan hieroglyphic of love, under which lovers
used to meet, and sit under its delightful shade, and entertain eachother with
its fruit; to which the allusion may be; see Sol8:5; the apple was sacredto love
(l). The Targum renders it, the pome citron, or citron apple tree; which is a
tree very large and beautiful; its fruit is of a bitter taste, but of a goodsmell;
always fruit on it; is an excellentremedy againstpoison, and goodfor the
breath, as naturalists (m) observe;and so is a fit emblem of Christ, in the
greatness ofhis person, in the fulness, of his grace, in the virtue of his blood,
and righteousness andgrace, whichare a sovereignantidote againstthe
poison of sin; and whose presence, andcommunion with him, cure panting
souls, out of breath in seeking him; and whose mediation perfumes their
breath, their prayers, whereby they become grateful to God, which otherwise
would be strange and disagreeable;
I satdown under his shadow with great delight: under the shadow of the
apple tree, to which Christ is compared; whose person, blood, and
righteousness, casta shadow, which is a protecting one, from the heat of
divine wrath, from the curses of a fiery law, from the fiery darts of Satan, and
from the fury of persecutors, Isaiah25:4;and is a cooling, comforting, and
refreshing one, like the shadow of a greatrock to a wearytraveller, Isaiah
32:2; and though the shadow of some trees, as Pliny (n) observes, is harmful to
plants that grow under them, others are fructifying; and such is Christ; "they
that dwell under his shadow shall revive and grow", &c. Hosea 14:7. "Sitting"
here supposes it was her choice;that she preferred Christ to any other
shadow, looking upon him to be a suitable one in her circumstances, Sol1:6; it
intimates that peace, quietness, satisfaction, andsecurity, she enjoyed under
him; it denotes her continuance, and desire of abiding there, Psalm 91:1; for
the words may be rendered, "I desired, and I satdown" (o); she desired to sit

under the shade of this tree, and she did; she had what she wished for; and she
sat"with greatdelight": having the presence of Christ, and fellowshipwith
him in his word and ordinances, where Christ is a delightful shade to his
people;
and his fruit was sweetto my taste;the fruit of the apple tree, to which the
allusion is. Solon(p) advisedthe bride to eat a quince apple before she went
into the bridegroom, as leaving an agreeable savour;and intimating how
gracefulthe words of her mouth should be. By "his fruit" here are meant the
blessings ofgrace, which are Christ's in a covenantway, come through his
sufferings and death, and are at his dispose;such as peace, pardon,
justification, &c. and fresh discoveries andmanifestations of his love, of which
the apple is an emblem: and these are sweet, pleasant, anddelightful, to those
that have tastedthat the Lord is gracious;whose vitiated taste is changedby
the grace ofGod, and they savour the things of the Spirit of God.
(k) "Quantum lenta solent inter viburna cupressi", Virgil. Bucolic. Eclog. 1. v.
26. "Lenta salix", &c. Eclog. 5. v. 16. (l) Scholiast. in Aristoph. Nubes, p. 180.
The statue of Venus had sometimes an apple in one hand, and a poppy in the
other, Pausan. Corinth. sive l. 2. p. 103. (m) Athenaei Deispnosoph. l. 3. c. 7. p.
83. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 53. & 12. c. 3. Solin. Polyhistor. c. 59. Macrob.
Saturnal. l. 3. c. 19. (n) Nat. Hist. l. 17. c. 12. (o) "concupivi, et sedi",
Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Marckius. (p) Plutarch. Conjug. Praecept.
vol. 2. p. 138.
Geneva Study Bible
{b} As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the
sons. I satdown under his shadow with greatdelight, and his fruit was sweet
to my taste.
(b) The spouse testifies her greatdesire toward her husband, but her strength
fails her, and therefore she desires to be comforted, and felt it.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
3. the apple tree] The Heb. word is tappûach. Tristram, Fauna and Flora of
Palestine, p. 294, takesit to mean the apricot; while Delitzsch, in his
commentary on Proverbs, suggests the citron or orange, but neither view has
more than a slight support. As betweenapple, which is held to be the tree
meant, by Löw, Prof. RobertsonSmith, Dr Postin Hastings’Bible Dictionary,
and Prof. Driver on Joel1:12, and quince, which is supported by the authors
of the article ‘Apple’ in the Encycl. Bibl. and others, it is difficult to choose. A

strong argument againstthe quince is contained in the last clause of the verse.
The quince is not sweet, but rather bitter, and as the reference here is to the
fruit in its natural state, we cannot get over the difficulty by saying that it is
delicious when sweetened. DrPost, who is a medical man living in Syria,
remarks that to-day sick persons almost invariably ask the doctorif they may
have an apple, and if he objects they urge their case with the plea that they
want it only to smell. This is strikingly parallel to what we have in Song of
Solomon2:5, and on the whole we would decide for apple tree.
I satdown under his shadow with great delight] Lit. In his shadow I delighted
and satdown. The A.V. gives the sense ofthe Heb. accurately, as the two
verbs are intended here to express one idea, and the secondverb, as is usual in
such constructions, is the principal one.
his fruit] i.e. the joy of loving converse with him.
3–7. In these verses the Shulammite replies, but turns her thoughts awayfrom
her royal lover to her betrothed, and compares him as contrastedwith other
young men to a fruitful and shady tappûach tree among the other trees of the
wood.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 3. - As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved
among the sons. I satdown under his shadow with greatdelight, and his fruit
was sweetto my taste. That these are the words of the bride there can be no
doubt. The apple tree is noted for the fragrance of its blossomand the
sweetness ofits fruit; hence the name tappuach, from the root naphach, "to
breathe sweetly." The trees of the woodor forestare speciallyreferred to,
because they are generally wild, and their fruit sour and rough, and many
have no fruit or flower. The Chaldee renders, "citron;" Rosenmullerand
others, "quince." The word is rare (see Proverbs 25:11; Joel1:12). It is
sometimes the tree itself, at other times the fruit. It occurs in proper names, as
(Joshua 12:17), "The King of Tappuah," etc., and that shows that it was very
early known in Palestine. It occurs frequently in the Talmud. The word is
masculine, while "lily" is feminine. "I sat with delight" is expressedin true
Hebrew phrase, "I delighted and sat," the intensity of feeling being expressed
by the piel of the verb. By the shadow is intended both protection and
refreshment; by the fruit, enjoyment. Perhaps we may go further, and say

there is here a symbolical representationof the spiritual life, as both that of
trust and participation. The greatnessand goodnessofthe tree of life protects
and covers the sinner, while the inner nature and Divine virtue of the Saviour
comes forth in delicious fruits, in his character, words, ministry, and spiritual
gifts. If there is any truth in the typical view, it must be found in such passages
as this, where the metaphor is so simple and apt, and has been incorporated
with all religious language as the vehicle of faith and love. Hymnology
abounds in such ideas and analogies.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me,
Which lieth betweenby breasts.
14 A bunch of cypress-flowers is my beloved to me,
From the vine-gardens of Engedi.
Mostinterpreters, ignoring the lessons ofbotany, explain Sol1:13 of a little
bunch of myrrh; but whence could Shulamith obtain this? Myrrh, ‫רמ‬ (‫,ררמ‬ to
move oneselfin a horizontal direction hither and thither, or gradually to
advance;of a fluid, to flow over the plain),
(Note:Vid., Schlotmann in the Stud. u. Krit. (1867), p. 217.)
belongs, like the frankincense, to the amyrids, which are also exotics
(Note:They came from Arabia and India; the better Arabian was adulterated
with Indian myrrh.)
in Palestine;and that which is aromatic in the Balsamodendronmyrrha are
the leaves and flowers, but the resin (Gummi myrrhae, or merely myrrha)
cannot be tied in a bunch. Thus the myrrh here can be understood in no other
way than as at Sol 5:5; in general‫,רפרצ‬ according to Hitzig's correctremark,
properly denotes not what one binds up together, but what one ties up - thus
sacculus, a little bag. It is not supposedthat she carried such a little bag with
her (cf. Isaiah3:20), or a box of frankincense (Luth. musk-apple); but she
compares her beloved to a myrrh-repository, which day and night departs not
from her bosom, and penetrates her inwardly with its heart-strengthening
aroma. So constantlydoes she think of him, and so delightful is it for her to
dare to think of him as her beloved.
The 14th verse presents the same thought. ‫רור‬ is the cypress-clusterorthe
cypress-flowers, κύπρος (according to Frst, from ‫רוכ‬ equals ‫,רוע‬ to be whitish,
from the colourof the yellow-white flowers), which botanists callLawsonia,

and in the EastAlḥennā; its leaves yield the orange colourwith which the
Moslemwomen stain
(Note:Vid., the literature of this subject in Defrmery's notice of Dozy-
Engelmann's work in the Revue Critique, III 2 (1868), p. 408.)
their hands and feet. ‫לּכרא‬ (from ‫,ּככא‬ to interweave)denotes that which is
woven, tresses, ora clusteror garland of their flowers. Here also we have not
to suppose that Shulamith carrieda bunch of flowers;in her imagination she
places herselfin the vine-gardens which Solomonhad planted on the hill-
terraces ofEngedi lying on the westof the DeadSea (Ecclesiastes2:4), and
choosesa clusterof flowers of the cypress growing in that tropical climate,
and says that her beloved is to her internally what such a clusterof cypress-
flowers would be to her externally. To be able to callhim her beloved is her
ornament; and to think of him refreshes her like the most fragrant flowers.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Shulamite (young woman) speaks...
Song 2:3 "Like an apple (note) tree among the trees of the forest, so is my
beloved among the young men. In his shadow (note) I took greatdelight and
satdown, And his fruit was sweetto my taste.
SHE "REPAYS" HIS
COMPLIMENT
NET Bible - Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved
among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweetto my
taste.
NLT - Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my lover among other young
men. I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit.
Carr - Now she calls for aphrodisiacs on the one hand and requests on the
other that love be not awakeneduntil all is ready. After the requestfor his
kisses (Song 1:2), her desires are given further expression. She continues the
comparisonwith plants and animals, then quickly moves on to her own

excited response to his presence....Some commentators have suggestedthat
fruit is to be takenas equivalent to lovemaking. While the apple is frequently
an erotic symbol, such an interpretation is unnecessaryhere. (The Song of
Solomon- Tyndale Old TestamentCommentaries - G. Lloyd Carr)
Like an apple tree - (apple is a frequent word in this Song 2:3, 2:5, 7:8, 8:5)
The actualfruit to which this refers is uncertain. The Hebrew word is found
elsewhere onlyin Pr 25:11 and Joel1:12 Song 2:2 Like a From Song 7:8 we
know that this fruit was fragrant. And so the young womanuses this
comparisonto return Solomon's compliment (given in Song 2:2) She pictures
him as standing out from other men, even as an apple tree from the trees of
the forest. It would be unusual to find an apple tree in a common forest, so she
is saying in essencethathe is "one in a million." Do you feel that way about
your spouse beloved? Be wary of the wandering eye!
Like an apple tree - Song of Solomonmakes liberal use of terms of
comparison// similes // metaphors. A simile is easilyidentified by a preceding
"as" or"like." As is used in 9v - Song 5:6, 8, 11, 15;6:4, 10, 13; 8:6, 10. Like is
used 47x in 36v - Song 1:3, 5, 7, 9, 15;2:2, 3, 9, 17; 3:6; 4:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11; 5:11,
12, 13, 15; 6:5, 6, 7, 10; 7:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9; 8:1, 6, 10, 14. Ask the Spirit, your
Teacherto guide you in the correctinterpretation of these terms of
comparisonand this should greatly assistyour understanding of this great
love letter.
POSB - He was like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, a rare sight
bearing a unique treat. The apple tree did not grow in the forests of the
region, and the rare one was usually the result of a seeddropped by a visitor
or a passing bird. Foran individual traveling through the woodlands, an
apple was a refreshing treat. (Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible-
Ecclesiastesand Song of Solomon)
NET Note on apple tree - Apple trees were not native to Palestine and had to
be imported and cultivated. To find a cultivated apple tree growing in the
forestamong other wild trees would be quite unusual; the apple tree would
stand out and be a delightful surprise. Like a cultivated apple tree, the Lover
was unique and stoodout among all other men. In ancient NearEasternlove
literature, the apple tree was a common symbol for romantic love and sexual
fertility (S. N. Kramer, The SacredMarriage Rite, 100–101). The “apple tree”
motif is used in the Song in a similar manner (e.g., Song 2:3; 8:5). Likewise,
the motif of “apples” is used as a symbol of fertility (Joel1:12) and sexual
desire (Song 2:5, 7, 9).

Robert Rayburn on Song 2:3 - Now, she responds with a like statement about
him. Now, obviously the couple has met before and had the opportunity in
some way to fall in love and to enjoy one another’s company and attention
and then to feel and in some way to express the mutual attraction. Their love
cannot have been a secretto one another! You may be aware that there has
been of late a movement of conservative Christians attempting to revive what
they call the “courtship” model of choosing a mate. According to this model
parents, especiallyfathers, play a much more active role in selecting a spouse
for their children, especiallytheir daughters. Now, it is fair to saythat our
American model of dating has been largely discredited by the results, however
“obvious” it seems nowadays to American young people. Ours is about the
dumbest approach to spouse selection – viz. young people trying out a series of
possibilities, unprotected from sexualexperience by parentally and societally
erectedbarriers – that the world has ever contrived. No wonderwe are, in this
respect, the laughing stock of the world. However, it goes beyond the biblical
evidence to say that parents are supposed to control the selectionprocess. In
the Song it is quite obvious that the couple made their own choice and the
parents, or, in this case, the brothers are simply serving their younger sister
by protecting her purity until the wedding. (Song of Songs)
Joe Guglielmo - Finding a fruit bearing tree, not necessarilyan apple tree
because that was not common in that area, but a pomegranate orthe orange
tree and finding one in the forestwas not common. And she is saying that her
beloved is special, he is one in a million! And she found contentment,
satisfaction;joy in just sitting next to him, in his shadow. She did not want
any recognition. And I like the way that Glickman (Ref) sums this up as he
wrote, “Whereas before she came to him she workedlong hours in the sun
(Song 1:6), now she rests under the protective shade that he brings. And
although formerly she was so exhausted by her work she could not properly
care for herself, now she finds time for refreshment with him.” (Song of
Solomon)
My beloved - The young woman's term of endearment for the young man.
This specific phrase "my beloved" occurs 24xin 23v - Song 1:13, 14, 16; 2:3,
8, 9, 10, 16, 17; 4:16; 5:2, 4, 5, 6 (twice), Song 5:8, 10, 16; 6:2, 3; 7:9, 11, 13;
8:14. (There are only 2 other uses in the entire OT - Isaiah 5:1, Jeremiah
11:15).
Beloved(01730)(dod) is translated two entirely distinct ways - uncle and love
(beloved). The first 12 uses in the Pentateuchand historical books are all
translated uncle. When one comes to the Wisdom literature we see that dod
begins to be translated as love and is a keyword in the book of Solomonwhich

has 38 uses in 31 verses. Song 2:2 Like a Proverbs 7:18 clearly speaks oferotic
(and in this context immoral) love. In IsaiahGod uses dod metaphorically
declaring "Let me sing now for my well-belovedA song of my beloved (dod)
concerning His vineyard. My well-belovedhad a vineyard on a fertile hill."
(Isa 5:1)
In the first use in Song 1:2, dod is translatedin the Septuagint (also in Song
1:4) with the noun mastos which means breastand can describe either sex
(e.g., see John's description of Jesus in Rev 1:13) = " For your breasts are
goodbeyond wine." Clearly this verse in Hebrew is depicting her longing for a
physical relationship. One gets the picture of her placing her head on his chest
(or desiring to do so). Here in Song 1:13 beloved is translatedin Septuagint
with the rare noun apodesmos whichmeans breast-band or girdle. The
English is rendered "brotherkin." In most of the other uses in Song where
dod is used with the sense of beloved it is translatedin the Septuagint (Lxx)
with the noun adelphidos (Song 1:13f, 16;2:3, 8-10, 16f; 4:16; 5:2, 4-6, 8-10,
16; 6:1-3; 7:9-11, 13; 8:1, 5, 14)which means beloved one, kinsman, brother.
While this noun is not used in the NT, the relatedword adelphos is so that it is
reasonable to see how adelphos is defined. Adelphos is derived from a =
denotes unity + delphus = a womb and is translated brother or near kinsman.
Zodhiates adds that "Song 2:2 Like a Adelphos generallydenotes a fellowship
of life basedon identity of origin, e.g., members of the same family (Mt. 1:2;
Lk 3:1, 19;6:14); members of the same tribe, countrymen, and so forth (Acts
3:22; 7:23; Ro 9:3)." Jews usedadelphos to describe fellow countrymen (Acts
3:22).
Dod conveys three thoughts (1) the name or address given by one lover to
another (Song 5:4, 6:3, 7:9); (2) Love, where it speaks ofthe adulteress (Pr
7:18) and in a positive sense ofthe love betweenSolomonand the Shulammite
(Song 1:2, 4:10). Love is used symbolically of Jerusalemreaching the "age for
love" (Ezek 16:8). Dod is used metaphorically to describe the (spiritual)
adultery (KJV = their whoredom) of Jerusalemin Ezek 23:17. They should
have loved God (Who loved them - Ezek 16:8), but instead choose gods who
are no gods!This is a good"working description" of the deception(and
apostasy)of one's heart! (3) As noted above Dod in some contexts means
"uncle" (Lev 10:4, 1Sa 10:14-16, Esther2:15).
Dod - 60xin 53 verses - NAS Usage = beloved (31), beloved's (1), beloved's and
my beloved(1), love (8), lovers (1), uncle (11), uncle's (6), uncles' (1).
Leviticus 10:4 Moses calledalso to Mishaeland Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron's
uncle Uzziel, and said to them, "Come forward, carry your relatives away
from the front of the sanctuaryto the outside of the camp."

Leviticus 20:20 'If there is a man who lies with his uncle's wife he has
uncovered his uncle's nakedness;they will bear their sin. They will die
childless.
Leviticus 25:49 or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or one of his
blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may
redeem himself.
Numbers 36:11 Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah and Noah, the daughters of
Zelophehad married their uncles' sons.
1 Samuel 10:14 Now Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you
go?" And he said, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they could not
be found, we went to Samuel."
15 Saul's uncle said, "Please tellme what Samuel said to you."
16 So Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been
found." But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which
Samuel had mentioned.
1 Samuel 14:50 The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of
Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner,
Saul's uncle.
2 Kings 24:17 Then the king of Babylon made his uncle Mattaniahking in his
place, and changedhis name to Zedekiah.
1 Chronicles 27:32 Also Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, a man of
understanding, and a scribe; and Jehielthe sonof Hachmoni tutored the
king's sons.
Esther 2:7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, his uncle's daughter,
for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form
and face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecaitook her as his
own daughter.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of
Mordecaiwho had takenher as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she
did not request anything except what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in
charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who
saw her.
Proverbs 7:18 "Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; Let us
delight ourselves with caresses.
Song of Solomon 1:2 "Mayhe kiss me with the kissesofhis mouth! For your
love is better than wine.

4 "Draw me after you and let us run together!The king has brought me into
his chambers." "We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love
more than wine. Rightly do they love you."
13 "My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh Which lies all night betweenmy
breasts.
14 "My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms In the vineyards of
Engedi."
16 "How handsome you are, my beloved, And so pleasant!Indeed, our couch
is luxuriant!
Song of Solomon 2:3 "Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, So is
my belovedamong the young men. In his shade I took greatdelight and sat
down, And his fruit was sweetto my taste.
8 "Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, Climbing on the mountains,
Leaping on the hills!
9 "My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind
our wall, He is looking through the windows, He is peering through the lattice.
10 "My beloved responded and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful
one, And come along.
16 "My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies.
17 "Until the coolof the day when the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether."
Song of Solomon 4:10 "How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How
much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance ofyour oils Than all
kinds of spices!
16 "Awake, O north wind, And come, wind of the south; Make my garden
breathe out fragrance, Let its spices be wafted abroad. May my beloved come
into his garden And eatits choice fruits!"
Song of Solomon 5:1 "I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have
gatheredmy myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb and
my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and
imbibe deeply, O lovers."
2 "I was asleepbut my heart was awake.A voice!My beloved was knocking:
'Open to me, my sister, my darling, My dove, my perfect one! Formy head is
drenched with dew, My locks with the damp of the night.'

4 "My beloved extended his hand through the opening, And my feelings were
arousedfor him.
5 "I arose to open to my beloved; And my hands dripped with myrrh, And my
fingers with liquid myrrh, On the handles of the bolt.
6 "I opened to my beloved, But my beloved had turned awayand had gone!
My heart went out to him as he spoke. I searchedfor him but I did not find
him; I calledhim but he did not answerme.
8 "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, As to what
you will tell him: For I am lovesick."
9 "What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women?
What kind of belovedis your beloved, That thus you adjure us?"
10 "My beloved is dazzling and ruddy, Outstanding among ten thousand.
16 "His mouth is full of sweetness.And he is wholly desirable. This is my
beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem."
Song of Solomon 6:1 "Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among
women? Where has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?"
2 "My beloved has gone down to his garden, To the beds of balsam, To
pasture his flock in the gardens And gather lilies.
3 "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, He who pastures his flock
among the lilies."
Song of Solomon 7:9 And your mouth like the best wine!" "It goes down
smoothly for my beloved, Flowing gently through the lips of those who fall
asleep.
10 "I am my beloved's, And his desire is for me.
11 "Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country, Let us spend the night in
the villages.
12 "Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has
budded And its blossoms have opened, And whether the pomegranates have
bloomed. There I will give you my love.
13 "The mandrakes have given forth fragrance;And over our doors are all
choice fruits, Both new and old, Which I have savedup for you, my beloved.
Song of Solomon 8:5 "Who is this coming up from the wilderness Leaning on
her beloved?" "Beneaththe apple tree I awakenedyou; There your mother
was in labor with you, There she was in labor and gave you birth.

14 "Hurry, my beloved, And be like a gazelle or a young stag On the
mountains of spices."
Isaiah5:1 Let me sing now for my well-belovedA song of my beloved
concerning His vineyard. My well-belovedhad a vineyard on a fertile hill.
Jeremiah32:7 'Behold, Hanamel the sonof Shallum your uncle is coming to
you, saying, "Buy for yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the
right of redemption to buy it."'
8 "Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard
according to the word of the LORD and said to me, 'Buy my field, please, that
is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of
possessionandthe redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that
this was the word of the LORD.
9 "I bought the field which was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle's son,
and I weighedout the silver for him, seventeenshekels ofsilver.
12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the sonof Neriah, the sonof
Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle's sonand in the sight of the
witnesses who signedthe deed of purchase, before all the Jews who were
sitting in the court of the guard.
Ezekiel16:8 "ThenI passedby you and saw you, and behold, you were at the
time for love; so I spreadMy skirt over you and coveredyour nakedness. I
also swore to you and entered into a covenantwith you so that you became
Mine," declares the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel23:17 "The Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her
with their harlotry. And when she had been defiled by them, she became
disgustedwith them.
Amos 6:10 Then one's uncle, or his undertaker, will lift him up to carry out
his bones from the house, and he will say to the one who is in the innermost
part of the house, "Is anyone else with you?" And that one will say, "No one."
Then he will answer, "Keepquiet. For the name of the LORD is not to be
mentioned."
The Lxx uses agapao to translate dod in Song 1:4. In most of the other uses in
the Song of Solomon, the Greek noun adelphidos is used (Song 2:3, et al) and
is a term of endearment meaning beloved one. It can also mean kinsman.
NET Note on delight - Alternately, “I desired” or “I took delight in.” The
meaning of this use of the verb ‫ח‬ ָ‫מ‬ַ‫ת‬ (khamad, “delight, desire”)is debated.
The root has a basic two-fold range of meanings: (1) “to take pleasure in,
delight in” (Job 20:20; Pss 39:12;68:17;Prov 1:22; Isa 1:29; 44:9; 53:2) and

(2) “to desire passionately, to desire illicitly” (Exod 20:17; 34:24;Deut 5:21;
7:25; Josh7:21; Prov 1:22; 6:25; 12:12;Mic 2:2) (HALOT 325 s.v. ‫;תמח‬ BDB
326 s.v. ‫ח‬ ָ‫מ‬ַ‫.)ת‬ The relatednoun ‫ח‬ ַ‫מ‬ ְ‫מ‬ָּ‫ת‬ (khemékhah)describes objects which are
“delightful, precious, desirable” (HALOT 325 s.v. ‫ח‬ ַ‫מ‬ ְ‫מ‬ָּ‫.)ת‬ Commentators who
adopt an erotic view of the extended metaphor in 2:3 opt for the sexualdesire
nuance: “I desired (sexually).” Those who adopt the less erotic approachfavor
the more generalconnotation:“I took delight in” or “I delight in.”
In his shade - Pictures his protectionas shadow is a well-knownbiblical
metaphor for protection (Judges 9.15;Ps 17.8;121.5).
Carr on his shade - His shadow (shade, NIV, JB)here suggests delightand
comfort. The meaning protection, common elsewhere in the Old Testament
for this word (e.g. Gen. 19:8; Judg. 9:15; Ps 17:8; 91:1), is out of place here.
(The Song of Solomon - Tyndale Old TestamentCommentaries - G. Lloyd
Carr)
NET Note disagrees withCarr regarding the meaning of shade - The term ‫א‬ֵ‫צ‬
(tsel, “shade”)is used figuratively to depict protectionand relief. This term is
used in OT literally (physical shade from the sun) and figuratively (protection
from something) (HALOT 1024-25 s.v. ) :(‫א‬ֵ‫)1צ‬ Literal: The physical shade of
a tree offers protection from the heat of the midday sun (Jdg 9:15; Ezek
17:23;31:6, 12, 17; Hos 4:13; Jonah4:6; Job40:22; 40:22). Similar protection
from the sun is offered by the shade of a vine (Ps 80:11), root (Gen 19:8),
mountain (Judg 9:36), rock (Isa 32:2), cloud (Isa 25:5), and hut (Jonah 4:5).
(2) Figurative (hypocatastasis):Justas physical shade offers protection from
the sun, the Israelite could find “shade” (protection)from God or the king
(e.g., Num 14:9; Isa 30:2; 49:2; 51:16;Hos 14:8; Pss 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 63:8;
91:1; 121:5; Lam 4:20; Eccl7:12). The associationbetween“shade”and
“protection” is seenin the related Akkadiansillu “shade, covering,
protection” (AHw 3:1101;CAD S:189). The epithets of severalAkkadian
deities are sillu and sululu (“Shade, Protector”). The motif of protection, rest,
and relief from the sun seems to be implied by the expression ‫ו‬ ְ‫י‬ ְ‫ש‬ ָ‫ַּכ‬‫ו‬ ְ‫פ‬
(véyashavti, “I satdown”) in 2:3b. During the summer months, the
temperature often reaches 110–130ºFin the Negev. Thosewho have never
personally experiencedthe heat of the summer sun in the Negevas they
performed strenuous physical labor cannot fully appreciate the relief offered
by any kind of shade! Previously, the young woman had complained that she
had been burned by the sun because she had been forcedto labor in the
vineyards with no shade to protect her (Song 1:5–6). She had urged him to tell
her where she could find relief from the sun during the hot midday hours

(Song 1:7). Now she exults that she finally had found relief from the scorching
sun under the “shade” whichhe offered to her (Song 2:3). S. C.
Glickman writes:“Whereas before she came to him she workedlong hours on
the sun (Song 1:6), now she rests under the protective shade he brings. And
although formerly she was so exhausted by her work she could not properly
care for herself, now she finds time for refreshment with him” (Solomon's
Song of Love - Let a Song of Songs Inspire Your Own Romantic Story).
POSB - His shade provided solaceand protectionfor her. The shade of his
branches was in stark contrastto the burning sun that had darkenedher. The
king had snatchedher awayfrom a life of hard, scorching labor, and was soon
to place her within the secure environment of his palace. She was sheltered,
safe, and even spoiled with him. He had rescuedher. Note that she sat in his
shade. This testifies of her commitment to him. No longer would she wander
among the other trees of the forest. She had found her place under his tree
and would remain there. (Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible- Ecclesiastes
and Song of Solomon)
Sweetto my taste - The picture is that of intimate personalexperience, evenas
the psalmist wrote "Taste andsee that the LORD is good. (Ps 34:8).
NET Note on his fruit - The term ‫ופ‬ ְ‫ר‬ ְ‫ֹו‬ (piryo, “his fruit”) is a figure for the
young man himself or perhaps his kisses whichthe young woman delights to
“taste” (e.g., Song 4:11;5:13). It is possible to take the imagery of the young
woman tasting his “fruit” as kissing. Likewise,the imagery of the gazelles
grazing among the lilies is probably a picture of the young man caressing and
kissing his beloved (Song 2:16; 6:3).
NET Note on sweet - The term ‫חפמ‬ ַ‫מ‬ (matoq, “sweet”)is used literally and
figuratively. When used literally, it describes pleasanttasting foods, such as
honey (Jdg 14:14, 18; Prov 24:13;Ps 19:11)or sweetwater(Num 33:28; Prov
9:17). Used figuratively, it describes whatis pleasantto experience:friendship
(Job 20:12;Ps 55:15;Pr 27:9), life (Eccl11:7; Sir 40:18), sleepfor the weary
(Eccl5:11), eloquence in speech(Pr 16:21, 24), and scripture (Ps 19:11). Those
who adopt the “hyper-erotic” approachopt for the literal meaning: his “fruit”
tastes sweetto her palate. The non-erotic approachtakes the term in its
figurative sense:The experience of his love was pleasant.
Carr on taste - Taste (chek 02441 -‫ח‬ ֵ‫ת‬ - lips, mouth, palate, roof of its mouth)
is more correctlypalate, often including the lips, teeth, and the whole mouth.
The Hebrew word for discipline or training (ānak) is derived from the same
root. The first step in teaching a child is the anointing of his lips with honey so
that learning is identified with sweetness. If this idea has any application in

this text, the girl may be expressing her delight in the ways of love in which he
has instructed her. Song 2:2 Like a Song 2:2 Like a Song 2:2 Like a (The Song
of Solomon- Tyndale Old TestamentCommentaries - G. Lloyd Carr)
NET Note on taste - Heb “my palate.” The term ‫ו‬ ְ‫ר‬ ְ‫ת‬ (khikki, “my palate”)is
used metonymically in reference to the sensationof taste which is associated
with a person’s palate. The idea of “tasting” is used as a metaphor in the OT
for the experiential knowledge whichis acquired through a person’s
relationship with someone (e.g., Ps 34:9). Just as a person would learn
whether a fruit was ripe and delicious by tasting it, so a personcould learn of
the quality of a person’s characterby experiencing it through personal
interaction. This extended metaphor compares the delights of his love to (1)
the refreshment of sitting in the shade of a tree for refuge from the desert sun,
and (2) the delight of tasting a sweetapple – a fruit that was not indigenous to
Palestine.
POSB - The fruits of his love were sweet, comparedto the bitter fruit she had
been forced to endure before Solomoncame into the picture. The rewards of
being his darling were sweeterthan anything she had ever known. He had
changedher life. (Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible- Ecclesiastesand Song
of Solomon)
Song of Solomon 2:3
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the
sons. I satdown under his shadow with greatdelight, and his fruit was sweet
to my taste.
3. the apple tree] The Heb. word is tappûach. Tristram, Fauna and Flora of
Palestine, p. 294, takesit to mean the apricot; while Delitzsch, in his
commentary on Proverbs, suggests the citron or orange, but neither view has
more than a slight support. As betweenapple, which is held to be the tree
meant, by Löw, Prof. RobertsonSmith, Dr Postin Hastings’ Bible Dictionary,
and Prof. Driver on Joel1:12, and quince, which is supported by the authors
of the article ‘Apple’ in the Encycl. Bibl. and others, it is difficult to choose. A
strong argument againstthe quince is contained in the last clause of the verse.
The quince is not sweet, but rather bitter, and as the reference here is to the
fruit in its natural state, we cannot get over the difficulty by saying that it is
delicious when sweetened. DrPost, who is a medical man living in Syria,

remarks that to-day sick persons almost invariably ask the doctorif they may
have an apple, and if he objects they urge their case with the plea that they
want it only to smell. This is strikingly parallel to what we have in Song of
Solomon2:5, and on the whole we would decide for apple tree.
I satdown under his shadow with great delight] Lit. In his shadow I delighted
and satdown. The A.V. gives the sense ofthe Heb. accurately, as the two
verbs are intended here to express one idea, and the secondverb, as is usual in
such constructions, is the principal one.
his fruit] i.e. the joy of loving converse with him.
3–7. In these verses the Shulammite replies, but turns her thoughts awayfrom
her royal lover to her betrothed, and compares him as contrastedwith other
young men to a fruitful and shady tappûach tree among the other trees of the
wood.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
DAVE GUZIK
3. (3) The maiden enjoys the loving presence of her beloved.
Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I satdown in his shade with greatdelight,
And his fruit was sweetto my taste.
a. Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods:The language oftrees and
plants continues, now with the maiden describing her beloved as being like a
large, healthy, life-giving apple tree.
i. “A humble wildflower herself, she recognizes her Bridegroomas a noble
tree, alike ornamental and fruitful.” (Taylor) Yet it is unlikely that Solomon
had what we know as an apple tree in mind. “By the apple tree would
probably be intended by the oriental writer either the citron, or the

pomegranate, orthe orange. I suppose he did not refer to the apple tree of our
gardens, for it would scarcelybe known to him.” (Spurgeon)
ii. We sense the couple is busy complimenting eachother. “I’m a simple
wildflower.” “No, you are a wildfloweramong the thorns.” “You are like a
beautiful apple tree” and so on.
b. I satdown in his shade with great delight: The maiden found a greatsense
of security and peace under the protective covering of her beloved. She felt
shelteredand shaded; that she was no longerat the mercy of others, but now
under his care.
i. Her feeling of security is directly connectedto his openly proclaimed
preference of her in the previous verse. She is not at the mercy of a man who
might choose anotherwoman at the slightestwhim; she canfeel secure in the
love of a man who genuinely prefers her.
ii. “Whereas before she came to him she workedlong hours in the sun (1:6),
now she rests under the protective shade that he brings. And although
formerly she was so exhaustedby her work she could not properly care for
herself, now she finds time for refreshment with him.” (Glickman)
iii. Sweetto my taste:“Taste is more correctlypalate, often including the lips,
teeth, and the whole mouth. The Hebrew word for discipline or training
(hanak) is derived from the same root. The first step in teaching a child is the
anointing of his lips with honey so that learning is identified with sweetness.”
(Carr)
iv. Spurgeongave an allegoricalapplicationto the idea of the maiden
(representing God’s people) resting under the shade of her beloved
(representing Jesus):“Straightwayshe sat down under its shadow, with great
delight, and its fruit was sweetunto her taste. She lookedup at it; that was the
first thing she did, and she perceived that it met her double want. The sun was
hot, there was the shadow:she was faint, there was the fruit. Now, see how
Jesus meets all the wants of all who come to him.”
Under the Apple Tree
by
C. H. SPURGEON
(1834-1892)

"I sat down under His shadow with greatdelight,
and His fruit was sweetto my taste."
Solomon's Song 2:3.
Christ known, should be Christ used. The spouse knew her Belovedto be like
a fruit-bearing tree, and at once she sat under His shadow, and fed upon His
fruit. It is a pity that we can know so much about Christ, and yet enjoy Him so
little. May our experience keeppace with our knowledge,and may that
experience be composedof a practicalusing of our Lord!
Jesus casts a shadow, letus sit under it: Jesus yields fruit, let us taste the
sweetness ofit. Depend upon it, that the wayto learn more, is to use what you
know;and, moreover, the wayto learn a truth thoroughly is to learn it
'experimentally'. You know a doctrine beyond all fear of contradiction when
you have proved it for yourself by personal testand trial. The bride in the
song as goodas says, "Iam certain that my Belovedcasts a shadow, for I have
satunder it, and I am persuaded that He bears sweetfruit, for I have tastedof
it." The best way of demonstrating the power of Christ to save, is to trust in
Him and be savedyourself; and of all those who are sure of the divinity of
their holy faith, there are none so certainas those who feelits divine power
upon themselves. You may perhaps reasonyourself into a belief of the gospel,
and you may perhaps by further reasoning keep yourselforthodox. But a
personalevaluation, and an inward knowing of the truth, are incomparably
the bestevidences of the reality of divine life in the soul.
If Jesus is as an apple tree among the trees of the woods, do not keepaway
from Him, but sit under His shadow, and taste His fruit. He is a Saviour- do
not believe the fact and yet remain unsaved. As far as Christ is known to you,
so far make use of Him. Is not this sound common-sense?
We would further remark that we are at liberty to make every possible use of
Christ. Shadow and fruit may both be enjoyed. Christ in His infinite
condescensionexists for needy souls. Oh, let us sayit over again: it is a bold
word, but it is true, -our Lord exists for the benefit of His people. A Saviour
only exists to save. A physician lives to heal. The GoodShepherd lives, yes,

dies, for His sheep. Our Lord Jesus Christhas wrapped us about His heart;
we are intimately interwovenwith all His offices, with all His honors, with all
His traits of character, with all that He has done, and with all that He has yet
to do. The 'sinners' Friend lives for sinners, and sinners may have Him and
use Him to the uttermost. He is as free to us as the air we breathe. What are
fountains for, but that the thirsty may drink? What is the harbor for, but that
storm-tossedboats may find refuge there?
What is Christ for, but that poor guilty ones like ourselves may come to Him
and look and live, and afterwards may have all our spiritual needs supplied
out of His fullness?
We have thus the door set open for us, and we pray that the Holy Spirit may
help us to enter in while we notice in the text two things which we pray that
you may enjoy to the full. First, the heart's rest in Christ: "I satdown under
His shadow with great delight." And, secondly, the heart's refreshment in
Christ: "His fruit was sweetto my taste."
I. To begin with, we have here THE HEART'S REST IN CHRIST.
To set this forth, let us notice the characterof the person who uttered this
sentence. She who said, "I sat down under His shadow with greatdelight,"
was one who had known before what weary travel meant, and therefore
valued rest; for the man who has never labored knows nothing of the
sweetness ofrepose. The loaferwho has eatenbread he never earned, from
whose brow there never oozeda drop of honestsweat, does not deserve rest,
and does not know what it is. It is to the laboring man that restis sweet;and
when at last we come, toil-worn with many miles of weary plodding, to a
shaded place where we may comfortably sit down, then are we filled with
delight.
The spouse had been seeking her Beloved, and in looking for Him she had
askedwhere she was likely to find Him. "Tellme," she says, "O You whom
my soulloves, where You feed, where You make Your flock to rest at noon?"
The answerwas givento her, "Go your way forth by the footsteps ofthe
flock." She did go her way; but, after a while, she came to this resolution: "I
will sit down under His shadow."

Many of you have been sorely weariedwith going your way to find peace with
God. Some of you tried ceremonies, andtrusted in them, and the priest came
to your help; but you found that this only mockedyour heart's distress.
Others of you soughtby various systems of thought to come to an anchorage;
but, tossedfrom billow to billow, you found no rest upon the seething sea of
speculation. More of you tried by your goodworks to gain rest for your
consciences. Youmultiplied your prayers, you poured out floods of tears. You
hoped, by almsgiving and by the like, that some merit might accrue to you,
and that your heart might feel acceptancewith God, and so have rest. You
toiled and toiled, like the men that were in the vesselwith Jonah when they
rowedhard to bring their ship to land, but could not, for the sea rockedand
was tempestuous. There was no escape foryou that way, and so you were
driven to another way, even to rest in Jesus.
My heart looks back to the time when I was under a sense of sin, and sought
with all my soul to find peace, but could not discoverit, high or low, in any
place beneath the sky; yet when "I saw one hanging on a tree," as the
Substitute for sin, then my heart sat down under His shadow with great
delight. My heart reasonedthus with herself- Did Jesus sufferin my stead?
Then I shall not suffer. Did He bear my sin? Then I shall not bear it. Did God
acceptHis Son as my Substitute? Then He will never smite me. Was Jesus
acceptable with God as my Sacrifice? Thenwhat contents God, may well
enough content me, and so I will go no farther, but: "sit down under His
shadow," and enjoy a delightful rest.
She who said, "I sat down under His shadow with greatdelight," could
appreciate shade, for she had been sunburned. Did we not read just now her
exclamation, "Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened
by the sun."? She experiencedwhat heat meant, what the burning sun meant;
and therefore shade was pleasantto her. You know nothing about the
deliciousness ofshade until you travel in a thoroughly hot country; then you
are delighted with a respite in the shade. Did you ever feel the heatof divine
wrath? Did the greatSun-- that Sun without variableness or shadow of a
turning- ever dart upon you His hottest rays, -the rays of His holiness and
justice? Did you cowerdown beneath the scorching beams of that great Light,
and say, "We are consumedby Your anger"? If you have ever felt that, you
have found it a very blessedthing to come under the shadow of Christ's
atoning sacrifice. A shadow, as you know, is castby a body coming betweenus
and the light and heat; and so, our Lord's most blessedbody has come

betweenus and the scorching sun of divine justice, so that we sit under the
shadow of His mediation with greatdelight.
And now, if any other sun begins to scorchus, we fly to our Lord. If domestic
trouble, or business cares, orSatanic temptation, or inward corruption,
oppresses us--we hastento Jesus'shadow, to hide under Him, and there "sit
down" in the coolrefreshment with great delight. The interposition of our
blessedLord is the cause ofour inward quiet. The sun cannotscorchme, for it
scorchedHim. My troubles need not trouble me, for He has takenmy trouble,
and I have left it in His hands. "I satdown under His shadow."
Mark well these two things concerning the spouse. She knew what it was to be
weary, and she knew what it was to be sunburned; and just in proportion as
you also know these two things, your appreciationof Christ will rise. You who
have never pined under the wrath of God have never prized the Saviour.
Wateris of small value in this land of brooks and rivers, and so you
commonly sprinkle the roads with it; but I warrant you that, if you were
making a day's march over burning sands, a cup of cold water would be
worth a king's ransom. And so to thirsty souls Christ is precious, but not to
others.
Now, when the spouse was sitting down, restful and delighted, she was
overshadowed. She says, "Isat down under His shadow." I do not know a
more delightful state of mind than to feel quite overshadowedby our beloved
Lord. Here is my black sin, but there is His precious blood overshadowing my
sin, and hiding it for ever. Here is my sinful condition by nature- an enemy to
God. But He who reconciledme to God by His blood has overshadowedthat
also-so that I forgetthat I was once His enemy, in the joy of being now His
friend. I am very weak;but He is strong, and His strength overshadows my
feebleness. Iam very poor; but He has all riches, and His riches overshadow
my poverty. I am most unworthy; but He is so worthy that if I use His name I
shall receive as much as if I were worthy: His worthiness overshadows my
unworthiness.
It is very precious to put the truth the other way, and say- If there be anything
goodin me, it is not goodwhen I compare myself with Him, for His goodness
quite eclipses and overshadowsmy goodness. CanI say I love Him? So I do,

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