Song of Songs 2:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

4:13), thus becoming, in a sense, delightful fruits to God, as close to the Church as they are to creation itself. Therefore, if the fig tree and the vine symbolize the churches, then we shall find refuge under their guidance (Zechariah 3:10), encouraging one another with the prophetic proclamation: "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will show us his way, and we will walk in it" (Isaiah 2:3). Should we reach this goal, all praise will be bestowed upon those who beckoned us, as it is written: "I have rejoiced in them that said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord" (Psalms 121:1). Here, fruit symbolizes our ultimate joy, prompting us to echo the Psalmist: "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to consult in his holy temple" (Psalms 26:4).

In the Song of Songs, Christ addresses the bride, representing the Church, with the words, "Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, come forth! Behold, the winter is past; the rain has gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come" (Song 2:10). This message of springtime peace is for those who trust in Him.

The Rock is Christ, for to us who believe, He serves as both a refuge and protection, a stronghold in every way. He affirms that once the Church is established, it will be fortified in all respects.

The Word speaks to the bride of a spiritual spring, a moment linking the bleakness of winter to the fruitful delight of summer. While it may indicate that adversity is fading, it does not yet reveal the full fruits of virtue, holding them in anticipation for the appropriate harvest moment. The harvest, as you know from the Lord’s teaching, denotes “the end of the age” (Matthew 13:39). The Word nurtures our hope as it blooms in virtue, and as the Psalmist notes, its fruit will emerge “in its time” (Psalm 1:3).

Just as human nature mirrors the fig tree, it has collected undesirable moisture during a metaphorical winter. The One who plants in us a soulful spring, through meticulous care, cultivates humanity by first removing everything earthy and unworthy, purifying our confessions from excess, and then nurturing qualities that reflect the joy to come, akin to a vibrant color that heralds the sweetness of future figs. The imagery of “the figs shall wear out their colour” conveys this transformation. Similarly, consider ripe grapes that will eventually provide the wine, which refreshes the heart, filling the cup of wisdom and being offered to companions “with high preaching” (Proverbs 9:3). This wine represents a divine intoxication, drawing people from the material to the heavenly. The grapes bloom, exuding a fragrant and pleasant aroma, infused by the encircling Spirit—this Spirit, as Paul teaches, produces this “fragrance” in “them that are saved” (2 Cor. 2:15). The Word highlights these signs of the soul's beautiful spring to the bride in advance, beckoning her to partake of the offerings, encouraging her with words like, “Arise, come my neighbor, my good one, my dove.”

In these exhortations, the Word succinctly points out numerous doctrinal truths. It is not the nature of divinely inspired teaching to reiterate phrases without purpose; rather, such repetition unveils profound divine thought. Essentially, it asserts that the blessed, eternal, and transcendent nature, which encompasses all existence, is not confined by any boundaries. In His essence, there are no descriptors such as time, place, color, or form—only infinite goodness exists where evil holds no sway. In contrast, our nature, being variable, contains the potential for both good and evil, and thus good is limited by emerging vice, with conflicting desires influencing our souls. Yet, the Nature that is simple, pure, uniform, immutable, and everlasting is untainted by evil and boundless in goodness, transcending any concept of limitation. Therefore, when He draws the human soul into fellowship with Himself, He elevates it beyond its previous state, inducing continual growth in goodness. As the soul engages with the divine nature, it perpetually ascends in communion, continuously finding itself enriched.

Let us observe the bride as she climbs the ladder of virtue, being guided by the Word to higher realms. The Word illuminates her through the "windows" of the Prophets and the "net" of the commandments, inviting her to approach the light and become beautiful, taking on the grace of a dove. After she has embraced all she can, the Word beckons her to partake of greater beauty, stirring her desire to ascend further, with her experience of blessings at higher levels ever expanding. Thus, the Word repeatedly calls to the bride, “Arise,” to those who are journeying, He says, “Come.” For one who truly ascends will find an unending need to rise, and for those who pursue the Lord, the path to the divine fountain never runs dry. To those who draw closer to the goal of perfection, resting is never an option. With each repetition of “arise” and “come,” the Bridegroom empowers her to reach ever greater heights of excellence.

Consider also the further message within the word. He who bids the beautiful to become even more beautiful offers directly the apostolic charge to be transformed “into the same image” from “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). Thus, the glory found in continually receiving from what is great and sublime is less than what we ultimately seek. Furthermore, even the dove, with her prior attributes, is prompted to embody her likeness once more after her transformation into greater beauty. If this latter commandment is fulfilled, so will the next, as He refers to her once more as “my dove, in the hiding place of the rock; near to the appearing” (Song of Songs 2:14).

The fig tree serves as a fitting symbol for the synagogue due to its unique characteristics. Unlike other trees that flower before they bear fruit, the fig tree produces its fruit right from the start, forgoing flowering altogether. In contrast, on other trees, blossoms fall off before fruit can form, whereas on the fig tree, the early, unripe fruits drop away to make way for newer ones. Thus, these premature fruits, not ready for harvest, arise out of order and lack the quality bestowed by nature. While other trees bloom in early spring, the fig tree uniquely skips flowering, indicating that its early fruits may not typically ripen. In arid regions, these initial figs often do not come to maturity, though this can vary. As they are replaced by later fruits, these earlier figs are deemed false and fall away, with their stems weakened by lack of moisture, yielding space for more fruitful ones that draw more nourishment from the tree’s essence. However, a few of the rarest figs remain, developing on short stems nestled between two branches. Here, protected as if cradled by Mother Nature, they receive richer nourishment. Although these fruits may take a longer time to ripen, they benefit from gentle breezes and favorable conditions, eventually surpassing their counterparts in quality and beauty.

Now, consider the conduct and mindset of the Jews: like the initial fruits of the barren synagogue, they have fallen like the early figs, paving the way for the enduring fruits of our people. The inaugural members of the synagogue were frail and their deeds withered, lacking the ability to draw from the wellspring of divine wisdom. Thus, they became ineffective, making way for new growth from the fertile branches of the ancient worship of God, leading to a new congregation in the Church. That which once existed has come to an end, so that something new might emerge, which had not existed prior. Nevertheless, these early fruits originated from Israel! Those who arose from the stronger branch, nourished under the Law and the Cross, drew from both sources of maturity, resembling ripe fruit, excelling in beauty and ripeness. To them, the promise is made: You will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, as stated in Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:30.

The Bridegroom praises the beauty of His Bride, not merely stating she is good, but affirming ‘my goodness,’ indicating her beauty is profoundly delightful to Him. He addresses her as a dove, for she possesses perfect virtue and is filled with the Holy Spirit: ‘Arise, come, my neighbor, my beloved, my dove.’ In this manner, He comforts and affirms His Church amidst her trials, persuading her to rise and ascend toward Him. He has given her the wings of a dove, as David noted: ‘If you sleep in the midst of the limits, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her inter-doors adorned with the shining of gold’ (Psalm 67:14). Here, the two Covenants represent the boundaries, the dove symbolizes the grace of the Holy Spirit, the silvered wings embody the Light of the Word, and the golden inter-doors signify the understanding of profound mysteries. In essence, He suggests that resting in the two Covenants unveils the various gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when the Bride, eager for spiritual persuasion, finds rest between the two Covenants, she discovers silver-covered wings and ascends to her Bridegroom.

Song 2:11 states: 'For behold, the winter is passing away, the rain is departing, it is departing for itself.' Song 2:12 declares: 'Flowers are appearing on the earth; the time of circumcision has come; the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.' Song 2:13 notes: 'The figs are wearing out their blossoms; the grapes are ripening and giving off a sweet aroma.' Here, 'winter' signifies the period before His arrival, 'spring' represents the time after it, and 'summer' points to the age to come. 'The winter passes away, the rain departs' indicates that the threats of the Law and the heavy burdens of sin have come to an end, as the shadow yields to the reality, and the pestilence to the Wise Teacher. 'The blossoms appear upon the earth' emphasizes the precision of this statement; He does not mention fruit, but blossoms, as the full enjoyment of the good is granted in the age to come. During this life, we echo St. Paul, 'We see now as in a mirror dimly, but then face to face' (1 Cor. 13:12). 'The time of circumcision is at hand,' as Simmachus and Aquila interpret it, signifies the time of purification. After Christ's arrival, all nations were cleansed. This aligns with the Lord's declaration: 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener; every branch that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit' (John 15:1-2). 'The time of circumcision has come' and additionally 'the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.' The voice of the turtledove represents the ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose grace is likened to this pure bird due to its cleanliness, solitary nature, and the way it builds its nests in trees. 'The voice of the turtledove is heard in our land, the fig tree is losing its blossoms,' signifying the soon-to-ripen fruit of faith from which the fruits of good works are nurtured, ripening, and made pleasing. 'The ripening grapes give off a pleasant aroma.' The spiritual grapes have blossomed and released a fragrant perfume. Thus, Song 2:13 encourages: 'Arise, come, my neighbor, my beloved, my dove, and come.'

Song 2:14 continues: 'You, O my dove, are in the cleft of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff.' He refers to her sheltering under a rocky refuge to prevent her from being stained again. The rocky shelter represents true faith and genuine confession. 'You, my dove, are under a rocky protection, near the foretaste.' Near the foretaste indicates His desire for her to not cling to the present life or focus on the visible but instead to aspire towards the invisible: for the visible is temporary, while the invisible is eternal. He offers this counsel to stay close to the pre-tribulation, urging her to let go of earthly distractions while in the body, keeping her mind on spiritual matters, and to remain untroubled amidst turmoil, distancing herself from the current city and its confines. Unless she draws near to the foretaste, she will not experience the joy of union with Him. If she does not echo Paul’s words: 'For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh' (2 Corinthians 10:3) and does not dwell between the present and the future (which I believe signifies prefiguration), our union cannot be realized. However, I implore you who enter therein, Song of Songs 2:14: 'Show me your face.' You possess a pure heart, untouched by worldly concerns. Song of Songs 2:14: 'And let me hear your voice,' for I long to hear it, then your voice shall be sweet to me. Song of Songs 2:14: 'And your appearance shall be lovely,' for my beauty will be reflected in you as in a mirror, and my words will be in your mouth. This is what the Bridegroom conveyed to the Bride and instructed His ministers to relay.