Song of Solomon 7:8
I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples; I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
Solomon wrote one thousand and five songs or poems, and this verse belongs to one of them. It is written as a dialogue between various parties in vivid, warm, figurative Oriental language, as an Oriental love poem and parable. Its intimate imagery gave no offense at the time it was written as it does now.
The palm tree spoken of is straight, upright, and branchless, sometimes rising to a hundred feet, and its trunk is not solid like other trees but pith in the center with a tough bark full of strong fibers that hardens and becomes woody with age. Going up to the palm means climbing the stalk to take its fruit at the top, made comparatively easy by rugged knots on the stalk, which are the vestiges of decayed leaves where the leaves were closely joined to the bark and decay below as the stalk advances in height. The verse is a poetical picture and parable of Christ and His church, setting forth His wonderful love and hers in response, though hers is often wanting in faithfulness and constancy, and experiences in Solomon's life may be typical of Christ and His church. It is to be read alone with God while keeping its picture of Christ and His church in mind.