Israel’s Abundant Produce in the Song of Solomon

In the Old Testament, God and the people of Israel referred to the Promised Land as a “land flowing with milk and honey.” How beautiful was that land truly? We can catch a glimpse from the Song of Solomon.

[Song of Solomon 1:14] “My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En Gedi.”

Image: A hedge wall made of “henna blossoms.” The “henna blossoms” (Song of Solomon 1:14; 4:13) in the Bible are translated as Henna or Camphire in English. This is a large shrub, 2 to 7 meters tall, belonging to the Lythraceae family, genus Lawsonia. After maturing in its third year, henna contains a reddish-orange dye molecule called lawsone, which has a strong affinity for proteins and is often used as a dye for skin, hair, nails, leather, silk, and wool. The highest concentration of lawsone is found in the petioles. Chinese balsam (Impatiens balsamina), also called “fingernail flower,” is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Balsaminaceae family, genus Impatiens, and its flower juice can also be used to dye nails. Mature Israeli “henna” can symbolize protection, while Chinese “balsam” offers no protective function. The dye from Israeli “henna” is extracted from the leaves of the mature plant, whereas the dye from Chinese “balsam” is extracted from crushed flowers.

Image: Israeli “henna” (Lawsonia inermis) blooms abundantly with white, yellow, orange, or pink fragrant flowers in late April and early May.

[Song of Solomon 2:1] “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.”

Image: A Sharon tulip (Tulipa agenensis subspecies sharonensis) on Israel’s Dor-Habonim beach. The Sharon tulip is a wildflower that was once widespread throughout Israel and may be the “rose of Sharon” (Song of Solomon 2:1).

Image: The Mountain Tulip (Tulipa montana) is a type of lily in Israel that blooms from March to April. Its flowers have six petals and grow on hillsides, likely being the “lily of the valleys” (Song of Solomon 2:1). “His lips are like lilies” (Song of Solomon 5:13), a metaphor suggesting that the “lily of the valleys” was likely red.

[Song of Solomon 2:14-15] “My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.”

Image: A rock dove nesting in a crevice of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Rock doves (Columba livia), also known as common pigeons, are wild cliff-dwelling pigeons.

Image: The foxes living in the hills and plains of Israel are primarily red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Red foxes, also known as fire foxes, have white underbellies, black legs and ear tips, and are otherwise reddish.

Image: An Israeli gazelle (Gazella gazella) in Jerusalem’s Gazelle Valley. The Israeli gazelle is the national animal of Israel, also known as the mountain gazelle, a subspecies of antelope. Israeli gazelles feed on tender grass and tree bark, are slender-bodied, have long necks, and their hind legs are longer than their front legs.

[Song of Solomon 2:17] “Turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of Bether, until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.”

[Song of Solomon 3:5] “Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

Image: The Israeli gazelle (Gazella gazella) is the national animal of Israel, also known as the mountain gazelle, a subspecies of antelope. Israeli gazelles feed on tender grass and tree bark, are slender-bodied, have long necks, and their hind legs are longer than their front legs.

Image: A type of red lily blooming in the wild in Kibbutz Dvir, southern Israel, in spring.

Image: A type of red lily blooming in the wild in Kibbutz Yifat, northern Israel, in spring.

[Song of Solomon 4:2] “Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young.”

Image: On the left are shorn sheep, on the right are unshorn sheep. Shorn sheep are very white, which is why the Song of Solomon describes, “Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing” (Song of Solomon 4:2; 6:6).

Image: An Israeli pomegranate tree.

Image: Pomegranates produced in Israel.

Image: Israeli grapevines blossom and sprout between March and April.

[Song of Solomon 5:1] [Beloved] “I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk. [Friends] Eat, friends, drink, and drink abundantly, O beloved ones!”

Image: Honeycomb in a beehive, also called comb honey, is honey perfectly preserved within the honeycombs. It has low water content and higher quality than extracted honey, and can be eaten directly. Because of the natural protective barrier of beeswax, comb honey retains its flavor and aroma and can be stored longer. Before the invention of the honey extractor, almost all honey was comb honey.

Image: Fruit of a date palm tree.

[Song of Solomon 8:14] [Bride] “Make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.”

Image: An 8th-century BC Israeli seal imprinted on clay, depicting a pair of deer strolling. Several such seals have been unearthed. The roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) is believed to be the deer mentioned in Deuteronomy 14:5 and the Song of Solomon. It became extinct in Palestine in the early 20th century but has been reintroduced to northern Israel since 1997, though with a low reproduction rate.

Image: An Israeli 1 Shekel coin from 1992, featuring a roe deer and a lily, with the inscription “like a young stag” (Song of Solomon 8:14).