I went down to the nut orchard to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
The speaker here has gone down to inspect a garden, not to admire it but to check whether anything is growing. Most writers hear Christ the Bridegroom speaking, and the question that drives the verse is the one every reader must face: what does He find when He comes looking for fruit?
Why He Goes Down
One writer reads the visit against what the nation had just suffered. The Lord goes down to see what that suffering produced.
William KellySo the Lord follows this up. At the close He adds, "I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley" (v. 11). He said it because He wanted to see the fruits of the humiliation Israel had been through. Jerusalem had gone into the deepest humiliation, and He wanted to see its effects — whether there were spiritual fruits of that humiliation.
Older translations read "garden of nuts" where the ESV has "nut orchard," and "fruits of the valley" where it has "blossoms of the valley." A reference work names the tree behind the Hebrew word — and takes the bride, not the Bridegroom, as the one going down. Commentators differ on who is speaking.
Morrish Bible Dictionaryegoz. The bride "went down into the garden of nuts" (Song of Solomon 6:11). This word is thought to refer to the walnut tree (Juglans regia). Josephus and others mention the walnut tree growing in Palestine.
Fruit Gathered From Low Ground
One commentator links the valley the bride has walked through with the valley the Bridegroom Himself went into. He leaves the verse standing as a question:
Hamilton SmithThe song closes with the Bridegroom's satisfaction as He sees the fruit of the travail of His soul. Our Beloved has been into the valley of death to secure His bride. We too, like the bride of the Song, have been into the valley of humiliation on our wilderness journey. But at last Christ will gather "the fruits of the valley." He will take His place in His garden, among His own, and find fruit sweet to His taste. There was a time when He came among His people on earth seeking fruit and finding none. When He comes seeking fruit in the day of His glory, will He find fruit? Will the vines bud and the pomegranates blossom?
Valleys, then, are not wasted ground — but they only yield if they are worked through honestly with God:
F. A. HughesIf the experiences of the "valleys" are to yield their fruit, we must face them and work them through with God. The valley of Eshcol was searched out, and because the fruit of that search was in their hands, they were able to say, "It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us" (Deuteronomy 1:24-25).
An Inspection That Ends in Delight
This time the search succeeds. That is rare, one writer notes; a vineyard owner usually expects disappointment:
Andrew MillerHow seldom does a vineyard surprise its owner with a full, ripe crop! How often it is the other way! Disappointment, not satisfaction, is what his work usually earns him. So it had always been with Israel, the Lord's vineyard, until now. But now, happily, everything has changed! Grace shines — faith triumphs — the Lord prevails — the people are looking to Him, and counting on Him alone.
And the fruit He finds is not theirs by nature. It is the harvest of His own work in them, and the sight of it moves Him:
Andrew MillerWhat a day! The Lord now sees in His people the ripened fruits of His grace. His heart rejoices — the sight overwhelms Him. This is no longer a wilderness scene, where He walked with them in the desert. It is the fruitful garden, with its budding pomegranates, flourishing vines, and fruits of the valley. These fruits of His rich, patient grace move Him deeply.
The Question Turned On Us
Another writer turns the inspection into direct questions, and points to where such growth comes from:
Various"I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits … to see whether the vine flourished." Christ is the speaker here. He looks to see fruit in us. Are we producing fruit for Him? Is our vine flourishing? Is our soul fresh and growing, or is it withered up, with little desire and little power to bear fruit? Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17:5-8 give us the secret of being like a tree that flourishes and bears fruit. Read them. The secret given there is meditation in the Word of God and trusting in the Lord.
Summary
- Descent. He goes down first into the valley of death for His bride. Then He goes down into the garden to see what the valley produced.
- Valley. The fruit He seeks grows in low ground. Humiliation is what makes the vine bud and the pomegranate blossom.
- Search. He comes looking to see whether the vine budded — an inspection, not a stroll.
- Grace. What He finds is His own work ripened: the fruits of His rich, patient grace, which deeply affect Him.
- Ours. The same eye is on us now. Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17 give the secret of a flourishing vine: meditating on the Word and trusting the Lord.