Verse 14 says, "His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires." The word "rings" is the same word as "folding" in 1 Kings 6:34. The purpose of the folding is to prevent something from slipping and being lost. The gold rings tell us that the works of the Lord Jesus are capable of accomplishing God's will. They will not fail halfway, because all the works issue from God. Therefore, the rings are gold. "Beryl" is mentioned a few times in the Old Testament, including Ezekiel 1:16 and Daniel 10:6. In both places, the meaning is stability. In the former verse, though the Gentiles reigned, God's governmental wheel (made of beryl) still turned. In the latter verse, we see the Christ of God (whose body is beryl) arbitrating the destiny of the world. Hence, both the gold rings and the beryl speak of the stability of the Lord's work.

The word "belly" is the same as the word "bowels" in Songs of Songs 5:4. This means that the Lord is a man of deep feelings. These feelings are directed toward His people. "Ivory" is not like gems, which are without life. In order to have ivory, there must first be sufferings or even death. This signifies that the Lord's feeling for His people comes from His suffering and the great price He has paid. "Bright" can be translated as "wrought work of." A wrought work is a fine work. This shows us that all His feelings are not shallow or casual. "Sapphires," according to the Bible, are "the body of heaven in his clearness" (Exo. 24:10). These sapphires overlay the perimeters. This means that when His feeling comes into contact with us, the contact is under the control of heaven.

Verse 15 says, "His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars." In the Bible, the feet indicate movement, while "legs" signify an upright posture. "Marble" is translated many times in the Bible as "fine linen." Here it signifies His righteousness. "Pillars" signify gravity. This means that our Lord and all He has are unshakable because of the righteousness He has established. All those who have followed Him cannot fail to have this impression. In the maiden's description of her beloved, she mentions gold three times. This means that the thoughts in His mind, the works of His hands, and the stability of His feet are all of God. God controls His whole being. He is a totally submissive person, who fully satisfies God's heart. This is the One whom we know. "His countenance is as Lebanon." He is higher than the earth, and He is living in the high places. Everything about Him speaks of Him as a heavenly person. "Excellent as the cedars." He is a man, yet a glorified man. Just as the cedar tree far transcends over all other trees, He is the only glorified man among all men.

Verse 16 says, "His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." Finally, His mouth is mentioned. The word "mouth" is not just the ordinary mouth, but the mouth with special reference to the taste. This word is the same as the word "taste" in 2:3. This is very different from the lips. The taste refers to the mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus. It means that everything from God is first tasted by Him before being transferred to us. Everything of God is first stored in Christ and then dispensed to us through Him. This is His mediatorial work, and it is very sweet. After we have known Him in this way, we cannot help but acknowledge that everything is of God and through Christ.

At this point, the listener's heart cannot help but be warmed, and the speaker's heart cannot help but be even warmer. In reviewing the way we have taken, and considering the Lord whom we confess, we cannot help but exclaim, "He is altogether lovely." Anything that we speak of concerning Him is altogether lovely. Those who have not yet followed the Lord in an absolute way should realize that this is our Beloved! This is our Friend! Can we be blamed for seeking after Him?

This description of her impression of the Lord is in a sense a description of the very Lord she knows. It is also a description of what she has received of the Lord. It is also a description of her union with the Lord and the fellowship that has resulted from this union. Since she has seen the glory of the Lord with an unveiled face, she is reflecting His glory like a mirror and is being transformed to the Lord's image, from glory to glory. By the end of her speaking, the sun has dawned upon her soul. Her words are full of feelings. It is as if she is singing and proclaiming, "He is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend."