Song Of Solomon 1:12

¶ While the king [sitteth] at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.

While the king {H4428} sitteth at his table {H4524}, my spikenard {H5373} sendeth forth {H5414} the smell {H7381} thereof.

[She] As the king reclines at table, my nard gives forth its perfume:

While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.

While the king sat at his table, My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.

Song of Solomon 1:12 presents a tender moment within the unfolding love story, where the Shulamite woman expresses her deep affection and presence in the presence of her beloved king.

Context

This verse is found early in the Song of Solomon, a poetic dialogue celebrating the passionate love between a king (traditionally Solomon) and his beloved, the Shulamite woman. Following expressions of mutual longing and admiration, this scene depicts a moment of intimate connection. The "table" suggests a setting of rest, feasting, or close communion, where the king is attentive and present. In this atmosphere, the Shulamite feels secure and empowered to express her devotion.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Costly Devotion: The "spikenard" (a very expensive and highly prized aromatic oil) symbolizes the Shulamite's precious offering. It represents her deepest essence, her beauty, her purity, and her unreserved love. She doesn't just offer something, but her very being, which is costly and valuable.
  • Pleasing Presence: The fragrance of the spikenard filling the air signifies that her love and presence are perceptible and pleasing to the king. It's an active expression of her affection that reaches him directly.
  • Intimacy and Response: The verse highlights the dynamic between the beloved's presence and the Shulamite's response. While the king is at his table, indicating his attention or repose, her essence is released, creating a rich, sensory experience of their bond.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "spikenard" is nerd (נֵרְדְּ), referring to a costly perfume derived from a plant native to the Himalayas. Its high value made it a luxury item, often used for anointing, perfuming, and religious rites. The mention of its fragrance "sending forth" (נָתַן, nathan – to give, to put forth) emphasizes the active release of its essence, making its presence known and felt.

Related Scriptures

The image of costly spikenard being offered in devotion is powerfully echoed in the New Testament. For instance, Mary anointed Jesus' feet with a pound of very costly spikenard, demonstrating profound love and worship, much like the Shulamite's offering to her king. This act of giving one's most precious possession finds a spiritual parallel in offering our best to God, becoming a "fragrant offering" or a "sacrifice of a sweet savour" (Ephesians 5:2) to Him.

Practical Application

For believers, this verse can serve as a beautiful metaphor for our relationship with God. When we are in His presence, resting in His love and provision (the "king at his table"), our inner "spikenard"—our worship, our devotion, our genuine love for Him—should naturally flow forth. This isn't about outward show but about the sincere, heartfelt offering of our very best to Him, which is a sweet aroma in His nostrils. It encourages us to cultivate a life of deep, personal intimacy with Christ, where our very being is offered as a pleasing fragrance to Him.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • John 12:3

    Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

  • Revelation 3:20

    Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

  • Mark 14:3

    And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured [it] on his head.

  • Matthew 22:4

    Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and [my] fatlings [are] killed, and all things [are] ready: come unto the marriage.

  • Matthew 22:11

    And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

  • Revelation 8:3

    And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

  • Revelation 8:4

    And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

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