Hebrew Highlights 09 – Draw Me

Shalom, this is Yuval Shomron, coming to you from Jerusalem.

Today I would like to talk about two simple but wonderful words. Let’s read from Song of Solomon 1:4 "Draw me after you and let us run together! The king has brought me into his chambers." "We will rejoice in you and be glad; We will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you."

In Hebrew, The book, Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, is extremely intimate. It is beautiful flowing poetry, possibly never matched in any language. When Yeshua the King and Savior’s bride says “Draw me”, the word is “moshcheini”. It is not draw me in the sense of “lure me” or “invite me”. The root word means simply to pull. Every public door in Israel has a sticker on one side which says “m’shoch”, or pull.

So, here the Bride is saying to her groom Yeshua, “lead me by the hand” and we will run together, an obvious picture of young lovers.

Next the bride says the king has “brought me into his chambers”. In Hebrew, “heviani chaderav”. There is no effort or help required from the person being “brought”. In fact, the picture which immediately springs to mind is that of a groom carrying his bride over the threshold into his personal rooms, or chambers.

Some paraphrased bibles mistakenly water these two words down to “take” or “taken”, which leaves out the sense of physical contact. Jesus does not drive up in his car, and take us places in the back seat.

Let’s look at another example. SOL 2:4 "He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.

Again, he has led me in by the hand, or carried me in. By the way, most English translations here say banqueting hall. If you look in the New American Standard Bible margin, you will see: Lit. house of wine.

Though banquets are mentioned 18 other times in the old testament, they are all based on a completely different word. In this case it really does say “house of wine”.

So, here, the picture we get in Hebrew is very different than that of the English one. In English, we get the idea of a reception hall filled with people, food, music, and laughter.

But keep in mind the fact that the context of Song of Songs 1 and 2 is completely personal between the King and his bride, speaking of intimate things, and secret places. It is as if all of the servants have been sent away from the palace for a year, so that the King and his new bride might have time alone.

So, continuing the picture of the honeymoon in these two chapters, the King takes his bride by the hand into His wine cellar. They sit at a small table with a candle, and two glasses, and share a bottle of His best vintage.

Sometimes, as Yeshua’s bride, we are pretty headstrong, trying to plan the wedding, choose the silverware pattern, and even lead the dance.

I think we will find that if we let our groom take us in his arms, He will carry us to places we haven’t dreamed about, and share with us His most intimate secrets. We need not be afraid.

After all his flag does not depict control, or judgement, or slavery. His banner over us is love.

Shalom Shalom from Jerusalem.