“Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck… A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (Song of Solomon 4:9, 12).

Now we look at the Beloved’s Revelation through the names He gives to his Bride. The names given by the Beloved to his Love reveal the relationship she has to him.

The first names used by the Beloved are “my sister, my spouse.” “My sister” indicates relation in the same human family, but that she is a female not another male. Then he says, “my spouse”; which reveals this relationship is not brother and sister, but husband and wife.

In 5:2c, he adds, “my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled” and in 6:9, he further adds, “My dove, my undefiled is but one.”

Here in 4:9, the Beloved identifies who has ravished his heart, “my sister, my spouse.” That is, she (a female; my sister and not my brother) is my spouse (or my wife; my partner in marriage; my mate).

Her Beloved says in 5:2, this woman is “my undefiled”; meaning she is my wife alone, wife to no other, only me. She is holy, separate, pure, righteous, etc. She is “undefiled.”

Then in 6:9, her Beloved adds that his undefiled wife is “but one.” She is one of a kind:

“There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.” (Song of Solomon 6:8)

“My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.” (Song of Solomon 6:9)

“Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?” (Song of Solomon 6:10)

In the spiritual sense, Christ says that His Bride is “my sister,” which shows relationship; and “my spouse,” which shows a marriage relationship (Revelation 21 and 22). (See Ephesians 5:22-33.) The words “my undefiled,” reveal the Church’s holiness, faithfulness, and righteousness; her singleness of heart toward Christ. Then “is but one,” reveals she is one of a kind; there is only one Bride, one soul mate, who is the Church; those who have received Regeneration by the Spirit of God (John 3:3-8; Romans 8:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:13).

The second name used by the Beloved for his Bride is found in verse 12:

“A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”

The word “inclosed” suggests a wall, a fence, a barrier that surrounds the garden; separating it from the field, or yard, etc. That which encloses the garden is placed there by the Beloved because it is his garden and only his. He placed it there for the protection of his Love, to protect her and to protect their fruit.

This is also figurative language to describe his Love as a place of fruit-bearing, “a garden.” This indicates having plants that produce and bear edible fruits and vegetables. It is also figurative language to describe a flower garden that produces beautiful flowers, or even a garden of spices that produce seeds, etc. used to make sweet fragrances. Or this could even be a garden of herbs to be used for healing medicines and ointments.

So the Beloved uses the metaphor of a fruit and seed-bearing garden to represent his Love, his Bride. The Beloved calls his Love, his Bride, “a garden” because of the quality and beauty and satisfaction of her fruit, which is refreshing, satisfying, and beautiful.

These next two verses (13-14) indicate that this garden he speaks of is a fruit garden (“pomegranates, with pleasant fruits”); and a spice garden, whose fruit is used to make sweet fragrances (“camphire…Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense”). Some of the plants grown herein are herbs with healing qualities, such as myrrh and aloes.

In a spiritual sense, Christ’s Bride (the Church) is “a garden inclosed.” She is a garden because she is a bearer of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The Spirit’s fruit is sweet fruit, pleasant fruit, fruit that produces peace and rest, enjoyment and happiness (1 Peter 2:3). It is fruit of holiness and righteousness, which is a sweet savor (fragrance) unto God. And it is fruit of healing, which is love, which produces compassion and mercy and forgiveness.

The third name the Beloved uses is, “a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (verse 12b). This is further explained in verse 15, “A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.”

Here again he uses figurative language to define his Bride. She is “a fountain”; a fountain is a source of water, a flow of water. In the case of his Bride, the source of water was from a “spring shut up” (in the earth) “a fountain sealed” (below the earth’s surface). He further describes this “shut up” spring as “a well of living waters.”

That is, the love that flowed from his Bride was as water of life. (Water is necessary for human life to exist; water is a creation and a gift from God.) Her love was alive; “living waters.” Her love was water that sustained their love life, for her love was alive and sustained life. Only water (or God’s Love, His Spirit) can give life and sustain life.

By using the terms “a spring shut up” and “a fountain sealed”; he is, in a figurative sense, saying this love was within her spirit. It was only for him. But it was alive; it produced fruit in their love life; it was essential for their love to be sustained.

In a spiritual sense, Christ’s Bride is a garden; she is a fountain of gardens; that is, she is a well of living waters. A well is a vessel to receive water and to hold water. So Christ’s Bride is a well to receive His Water; which is Living Water. This Water is the Spirit of God; even His Word, Christ, Who is the Living Word, the Living Water; Who dwells and abides in His Bride from regeneration onward. Christ, the Living Water (John 4:1-42) dwells in the spirit of His Born from Above Children. (See Romans 8:9-16; Galatians 4:1-7; 2:20; 1 Corinthians 3:16; John 1:12-13; 17:21-24; Colossians 1:27.)

The Believer is the “well.” But Christ is the Living Water in the well. By Christ living and abiding in you, you can be called “a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.” That is, Christ is “shut up”; He is “sealed” in you; never to depart from you (Romans 8:29-39). If Christ lives in you, it means you have been baptized into His Body, His Bride, the Church. Change the singular “you” to the plural pronoun “us”; Christ is sealed in “us,” the entire Body of Christ, the Church; many members, but one body (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).

Christ’s Bride is a garden inclosed by His Person; by Who He is. He is God, Who is Creator, Controller, and Consummator. He has all power in heaven and in earth. This is proven by His Resurrection to be the Victor over death (spiritual death and physical death); declared to be the Son of God with Power (Romans 1:4). Therefore, as we are in Him and He is in us; we share in His Victory (Romans 6, 7, 8; 1 John 5:4).

His Bride is also inclosed by His Promises. (See Romans 8:29-39; Matthew 16:18; Zechariah 2:5; 2 Corinthians 1:20-22; John 10:27-30; 2 Peter 1:1-4; 1 Peter 1:2; Ephesians 1:3-14; Psalms 121:1-6; Hebrews 13:5; etc.)

The Believer cannot be a “well,” unless God has prepared him to be a “well” (Ephesians 1:3-11; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; etc.). Plus, the “well” could not receive the Living Word (Christ) in his own power.

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Read John 4:1-42; this story proves that God is the Power that places Himself, the Water of Life, in the well.

God’s Love is the Living Water; Christ is Love. Therefore, when Christ, who is Love, lives in a person, that person is “a well of living waters”; “a spring shut up.” He is “a fountain sealed” by the Holy Spirit of God.

When Christ lives in you, then you are “a garden inclosed,” a garden of the fruit of the Spirit, with pleasant fruit, with a sweet fragrance, and with healing fruit.