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Song of Songs 4:16

Awake, north wind! Rise up, south wind! Blow on my garden and spread its fragrance all around. Come into your garden, my love; taste its finest fruits.
Song of Songs 4:16 · New Living Translation
Parallel translations
  • WEB Awake, north wind; and come, you south! Blow on my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and taste his precious fruits.
  • KJV Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits.
  • BSB Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind. Breathe on my garden and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choicest fruits.
  • NKJV Awake, O north wind, And come, O south! Blow upon my garden, That its spices may flow out. Let my beloved come to his garden And eat its pleasant fruits.
  • NASB ¶“Awake, north wind, And come, wind of the south; Make my garden breathe out fragrance, May its balsam oils flow. May my beloved come into his garden And eat its delicious fruits!”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

The bride invites the winds to spread her garden's fragrance and welcomes her beloved to come and enjoy its fruits. It is a glad invitation to shared delight.

Overview

She calls the north and south winds to make her garden's spices flow and bids her beloved come into his garden to taste its fruits. Her self-giving welcome answers his praise with loving invitation. The mutual delight pictures the welcome the Lord receives from His people and the communion He shares with them (Rev. 3:20).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 27

  • Song 6:2My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
  • Song 5:1I have come into 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. Eat, friends! Drink, yes, drink abundantly, beloved.
  • Song 7:12–13Let’s go early up to the vineyards. Let’s see whether the vine has budded, its blossom is open, and the pomegranates are in flower. There I will give you my love.
  • Acts 2:1–2Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place.
  • Ezek 37:9Then he said to me, Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and tell the wind, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.
  • Song 4:13–14Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits: henna with spikenard plants,
  • 1 Pet 2:5You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
  • Acts 4:31When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were gathered together. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
  • Phil 1:9–11This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;
  • Col 1:9–12For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
  • 1 Th 2:12–13to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory.
  • Heb 13:20–21Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,
  • Matt 26:10However, knowing this, Jesus said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? Because she has done a good work for me.
  • Matt 26:12For in pouring this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
  • John 3:8The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
  • John 5:8Jesus said to him, “Arise, take up your mat, and walk.”
  • Rom 15:16that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
  • Rom 15:28When therefore I have accomplished this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I will go on by way of you to Spain.
  • 2 Cor 9:10–15Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;
  • Song 8:12My own vineyard is before me. The thousand are for you, Solomon; two hundred for those who tend its fruit.
  • Song 2:3As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, his fruit was sweet to my taste.
  • Song 1:4Take me away with you. Let us hurry. The king has brought me into his rooms. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will praise your love more than wine! They are right to love you.
  • Isa 64:1Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence.
  • Isa 51:9–11Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of Yahweh! Awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn’t it you who cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the monster?
  • Eccl 1:6The wind goes toward the south, and turns around to the north. It turns around continually as it goes, and the wind returns again to its courses.
  • 2 Pet 3:18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
  • 1 Pet 2:9–10But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

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Christ at the center

The poetry of covenant love between bride and bridegroom pictures, at its highest, the love of Christ for his church — the Bridegroom who gave himself for his bride.

How Song of Songs 4:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.