What is the meaning of Song of Solomon 2:5? Sustain me with raisins - In the ancient world raisins were compact, energizing, and celebratory. Abigail carried “five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins” to David (1 Samuel 25:18), and David later blessed the people with “a cake of raisins for each one” when the ark arrived in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:19). - The bride is asking her beloved for tangible strength. She knows love is not only an emotion; it needs to be nourished. Just as Israel’s warriors carried raisin cakes for stamina (1 Chronicles 12:40), she seeks sustaining grace for the intensity of covenant love. - By voicing this request she admits dependence. Love that is God-honoring never boasts of self-sufficiency (1 Corinthians 13:4–5) but humbly asks for help. refresh me with apples - Apples were prized for fragrance, sweetness, and the cool shade of the apple tree—“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved” (Songs 2:3). They picture delight that revives the senses. - The bride does not want mere survival; she longs to be refreshed—body, soul, and spirit. Consider how Jonathan “tasted a little honey… and behold, my eyes have brightened” (1 Samuel 14:29). Apples serve the same purpose here: brightening weary eyes. - Our walk with Christ includes moments when we need fresh mercies “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). He supplies both the sustaining raisin-like strength for the long haul and the apple-like refreshment that lifts the heart. for I am faint with love - The intensity of covenant love can be overwhelming. Later she confesses, “I adjure you… do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires” (Songs 8:4). Until the mutual commitment of marriage is secured, the experience can leave one breathless. - Physical weakness mirrors spiritual longing. David cried, “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD” (Psalm 84:2). True love—whether between man and woman or between Christ and His church—can empty us of natural strength and drive us to seek divine supply. - The phrase underscores purity: she is not faint from indulgence but from yearning restrained until the proper time (Songs 3:5). Such restraint honors the Creator’s design for marriage (Genesis 2:24; Hebrews 13:4). summary The bride’s simple plea paints a vivid picture of covenant love. Raisins represent lasting strength, apples immediate refreshment, and her faintness reveals the very real cost of waiting for love’s fulfillment. God designed love to be passionate yet dependent, powerful yet humble. He alone provides the sustaining grace and refreshing joy that keep love pure, strong, and enduring. |
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