My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the perfumed terraces, to pasture his flock in the gardens and to gather lilies (Song of Songs 6:2).
The “lily” (Heb. shushan) may derive its name from the number “six” (Heb. shesh), indicating a flower with six petals. A likely candidate is the Madonna lily (Lilium candidum), shown here. These lilies were photographed at Maoz Zion, a western suburb of Jerusalem.
My darling, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, as lovely as Jerusalem (Song of Songs 6:4)
The choice of Tirzah as a point of comparison is of uncertain significance. During the later Divided Kingdom, it was briefly the capital of the northern state of Israel (1 Kgs 15:33–16:24), which indicates that it was a desirable city in a good location. Tirzah is usually identified with Tell el-Farah (North), which has remains from the Late Bronze–Iron II.
You are as awesome as an army with banners (Song of Songs 6:4).
The “banner” (Heb. degel) appears a number of times in the Hebrew Bible as a sign or flag that identified military units (Num 1:52; 2:2; 2:17) related to the various Israelite tribes. Although these are mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, such items rarely appear in the art of the period. This painted plaque is some centuries later than the time of Solomon. It depicts a horse rider who carries a flag made of cloth. This plaque was photographed at a special exhibit at Pompeii.
I went down to the nut orchard to see the green plants of the valley (Song of Songs 6:11).
Wild almond trees can be found in Israel, but this variety is very bitter and undesirable. Sweeter varieties are therefore grafted on to the local bitter trees. Almonds were cultivated in Israel as early as the time of the patriarchs (cf. Gen 43:11). This almond tree was photographed near Tell Aijalon.
Before I was aware, my fancy set me in a chariot beside my prince (Song of Songs 6:12).
Chariots could be ornate and fancy affairs, meant to showcase wealth and inspire awe. This ceremonial pharaonic chariot is made of gilded wood. It belonged to Tutankhamun, was found in the Valley of the Kings, and was photographed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
