Song of Solomon6:2

This word means to “go down or descend;” it is the same word from which the name Jordan comes from, for the Jordan is the “descender,” dropping elevation until it reaches the dead sea, the lowest place on earth that is not under the sea. It is not really a word picture, so it is not in italics or bold, and some would take it as a simple statement of movement, “he has gone from point A to point B.” However, the author could have chosen a general way to say this but didn’t, he chose a very specific word that means to “descend.” Therefore I have included this aspect of its meaning in the paraphrase column.

Basemath, the name of the girl I presume to be Solomon and the Shulammite’s youngest daughter, comes from this word which can be translated “spices or balsam.”

The “answer” to the statement she used to set herself up is this: “He comes to me.” One may react by saying, “Wait, where is God in this picture? Is she taking the place of God?”  No, she is not trying to take God’s place, rather she is emphasizing the importance of the role that God has given her as a wife. As the physical, earth-bound agent of God in her husband’s life, she needs to be the one he goes to for certain things, such as encouragement, a listening ear, or some reassurance, and obviously, sexual fulfillment. He has men around him he goes to for things like information and advice, but there are forms of encouragement that only a wife can provide, and no, it is not only about sex, for sexual fulfillment is only one part of the picture.