What is the significance of pomegranates in the Bible?

This tree and its fruit are often referred to, though it is rather a shrub. It is named among the vines and fig trees as of the products of Palestine. The fruit is as large as an apple. It was represented alternately with bells, at the bottom of the high priest's robe, as a type of fruitfulness, and was copied as an ornament on the columns of Solomon's temple. The temples, or cheeks, of the bride in the Canticles are compared to 'a piece of a pomegranate.' Cant. 4:3; Cant. 6:7. Spiced wine was made of its juice. Cant. 8:2; Ex. 39:24-26; Num. 20:5; Deut. 8:8; 1 Kings 7:18, 42; Jer. 52:22-23; Joel 1:12; Hag. 2:19. It is the Punica granatum, which both wild and cultivated still grows in Palestine, and is highly valued.

"Thy temples are like a peace of a pomegranate within thy locks."

The temples, or cheeks as some translate it, are a very prominent part of the face, and they are likened here to a pomegranate. The simple meaning of this is that what should be most prominent in Christ's redeemed ones is fruit-bearing. The pomegranate is a fruit made up of many distinct juicy particles but all enclosed in one hull or covering. It is thus a whole made up of many parts. This recalls at once to our minds Gal. 5:22-23; "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." The hem of the high priest's robe was adorned with golden bells with pomegranates between the bells, signifying that the priest of the Lord was to have a ringing testimony for the Lord coupled with a walk that displayed the fruit of the Spirit. So our testimony should ring out for the Lord but should also always be backed by a life filled with the fruit of the Spirit. It is this that the pomegranate is a figure of.

On the hem of this garment were placed pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and bells of gold, a pomegranate and a bell alternately. The pomegranates spoke of fruitfulness, the bells of testimony. The colors on the pomegranates spoke of the personal and official glories of the Lord Jesus Christ. The bells of gold spoke of Divine righteousness.

How happy to see that our Lord's fruitfulness (pomegranates) to God was equal to His testimony (bells) for God. With us things are often unbalanced. Our walk and our talk often do not match. The walk should give power to the talk. The talk should be the product, as it is indeed part, of the walk.

Note in verse 33 of our Chapter the pomegranates come first in order, then the bells are mentioned. In the next verse the bell comes first, and then the pomegranate. Why this difference? In life the fruitfulness must be first, before there can be true testimony. Those who testify apart from practicing what they teach are like sounding brass and tinkling cymbal.

The pillars were crowned with lily work, a picture, we believe, of the glory of this reign at its commencement (Matt. 6:28-29). One characteristic detail: they had hundreds of pomegranates on their capitals. In the Word the pomegranate seems to be the image of fruit borne for God. The hem of the high priest's garment was trimmed with bells and pomegranates alternately (Ex. 28:31-35). The bells represent the testimony, the pomegranates, the fruit. These latter were "of blue, purple, and scarlet," heavenly fruit, fruit corresponding to the dignity of the Lord, and to His royal dignity as Messiah. Our fruit should bear the character of Christ and be worthy of Him; it should also correspond to and be like our testimony, just as the pomegranates were the same in number as the golden bells. One often finds Christians with more bells than pomegranates, more words than fruit!

The magnificence of the temple was enhanced by two great pillars of copper at the entrance, each measuring 18 cubits (27 feet) high and 12 cubits (18 feet) in circumference (v.15). If these were solid copper their weight must have been tremendous. In fact, they would be remarkably strong if they were hollow with only 4 inch thick walls. But nothing is said concerning this. Even the capitals placed on top of the pillars were 5 cubits (7.5 feet) high, and these were ornamented with a lattice network of chains (v.17). Besides this two rows of pomegranates formed of copper were used as ornaments, and the capitals were in the shape of lilies. The pomegranates (full of seeds) speak of the abundant fruitfulness of the work of God, while the lilies speak of the beauty of God's work (vs.18-20).

The pomegranate was the fruit of the land. (See Deut. 8:8.) Around "the ephod all of blue" (the heavenly colour) and upon the hem of it were these golden bells and pomegranates alternately. The measure of my testimony as a Christian (the sound) is equal to the fruit which I am feeding upon; it is equal to my communion. Never more, never less. Only as I feed upon Christ will Christ be heard, and the sound come from me; only thus can I fulfil my priestly service. I go in to minister.

There follows it Remmon, or Rimmon, the "pomegranate," beautiful in flower and rich in fruit, and packed with its many seeds; on the high-priest's garment it speaks of the gospel and its results, and here apparently of the same precious Word, which is indeed nothing else but gospel, and by means of which alone communion is maintained. In the pomegranate, though not of great height (which would make its treasures difficult of access), the leaf is evergreen, the flower and fruit are alike beautiful, the seeds of future fruit are found everywhere in the fruit: a precious picture of the word of divine testimony. And that which goes for communion, yet is not dependent on and maintained by that which is the communication of the grace of God, His mind for men, — is not communion. So important is this second city of Simeon, in this place.

Furthermore, the garden of the King is a fruitful garden. The plants of this garden form a paradise of pomegranates, with "precious fruits" and "trees of frankincense," and "all chief spices." The plants may vary in size and beauty, in fragrance and fruitfulness, but all are for the delight of the King. And so in the garden of the Lord; no two saints are alike, but all minister to His delight.

"Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits." There is abundance of pleasant fruits there and then follows various spices, "all the chief spices." How is it with us? Is there a fragrance about our person not only of one or two kinds of spices, but of "all the chief spices?" These spices speak to us of all those many virtues, or graces of the Spirit, that go to make up the sweet and varied fragrance of a well balanced character.

On the hem of the high priest's robe were pomegranates of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twined linen, placed alternately with a golden bell — typifying that fruit and testimony flow from Christ's heavenly position, and are borne and rendered by Christians through abiding in Him. Ex. 28:33-34; Ex. 39:24, 26. All the Israelites were to wear on the border of their garment a riband of blue (the colour of heaven) that they might look upon it and remember the commandments and be holy unto God: typical of the walk of the Christian as being heavenly in its character, not according to this world, but according to the good and perfect and acceptable will of God. Num. 15:38-40. The Lord had, alas, to declare that the scribes and Pharisees, among other pretended marks of sanctity, enlarged the borders of their garments to be seen of men. Matt. 23:5.