Verse 6 says, "How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!" Now the Lord inserts His remarks. Since the Holy Spirit's word fully matches the Lord's will, the Lord is able to continue with the conversation, as if the previous words were actually spoken by Him. When He hears the Holy Spirit speaking in verse 5, He cannot help but insert His word and speak directly to the maiden, who is the subject of the discussion. This is an inserted exclamation of praise.
Verse 7 says, "This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes." In the past, there was no growth, there was no perfection, and there was no maturity; hence, there was no stature. Now she has become mature, and there is the stature. A palm tree is tall and straight, and it represents the Lord in the Bible. Saying that she is likened to a palm tree is saying that she has the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). The roots of the palm tree are in touch with the spring of living water, and although the leaves and branches are scorched by the sun, it still grows without any hindrance. Even though believers may suffer great trials in the wilderness, they are not affected, because of their union with Christ, and they can still grow.
"Thy breasts [are like] to clusters of grapes." This indicates once again that her measure is increased for the sake of others. Breasts are originally for feeding and not just an expression of love. When you are young, there is more of a sense of love than a sense of feeding. But when you become mature, the aspect of feeding is inevitably manifested. Here the emphasis is on the feeding; the breasts are like clusters of grapes, good for food and good for satisfying others.
Verses 8 to 9a say, "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; and the roof of thy mouth like the best wine." [Translator's note: The Lord's speaking stops here; see note in Darby's New Translation.] "I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof." It seems as if the Lord is trying to embrace Himself by taking hold of the stature of the believers. He wants to fellowship with the believers. It seems that this is not the time for believers to pursue after the Lord, but the time for the Lord to pursue after them. When such a Body life between the members exists (i.e., a life between the branches), the Lord is drawn to desire the believers and to communicate with them. How different this is from the initial condition of the believers sitting under His shadow (2:3)! The Lord speaks of three things in particular that satisfy His heart. First, He speaks of the maiden's capacity for feeding others. His word is a blessing in the hope that this capacity would increase. Second, He speaks of her intuition. But the emphasis is not on the function of the intuition, but on the fragrance that the intuition left in her through previous contacts. In order for the smell of the nose to be like the bergamot orange ("apples" can be translated "bergamot orange"), one must first eat the bergamot orange. Those who have eaten Christ cannot fail to give the flavor of Christ. Third, He says, "The roof of thy mouth like the best wine." This means that she has a foretaste of the power of the age to come (Heb. 6:5). The best wine should refer to the wine of the millennium (John 2:10; Matt. 26:29). She is able to provide the Lord with such a pleasant taste.