The Hair of Thine Head is like Purple (Song of Sol 7:5)
“Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple ; the King is held in the galleries”.
QUESTIONS
1. What are the real objects and key words in this text ?
2. What is the Spiritual meaning of each real object ?
3. What is the context of this verse in the setting of Chapter 7 of Song of Solomon ?
4. What does this verse mean Spiritually, since it can’t be understood Physically or literally since no one has purple hair ?
5. What does it mean to be “held” in the “galleries” ?
6. What does “Carmel” mean ?
Song of Solomon 7 : 5
“Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple ; the King is held in the galleries”.
Think about the Physical
Solomon is describing a beautiful woman in Chapter 7. In this verse : 5 he is concentrating on her head and the hair of her head. He says her head is like “Carmel” and her hair like “purple”.
No real woman has purple hair so it is a Spiritual Woman or Church he is describing ! (ISA. 54 : 5,6 REV. 19 : 7,8).
Locate Real Objects or Key Words
Real Objects Key Words
1. head 4. held
2. hair 5. galleries
3. purple 6. Carmel
Determine their Spiritual Meaning
The “head” of the Church is Jesus (EPHESIANS 5 : 23)
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Then, Jesus (the “head”) is pictured as being like “Carmel” so we need to know what the Bible means by “Carmel” as we compare the Scriptures and the Hebrew.
Carmel
1 Kings 18 : 19 says that “Carmel” is a mountain.
Joshua 15 : 55 says that “Carmel” is a town.
The Hebrew word for “Carmel” (# 3759, 3760 - KARMEL) means fruitful field or place and that it was a town and hill in Palestine.
The margin of the KJV Bible says that “Carmel” means Crimson or deep blood red (# 3758).
2 Chronicles 2 : 7 says that the Crimson (red) of the Sanctuary curtains are Karmiyl (# 3758) and the Hebrew letters and word spelling is very similar between # 3760 and # 3758.
Thus, the translators felt that the meaning of Crimson or red could be meant in this verse rather than the “standard” meaning of “fruitful place or hill” and so translated the Hebrew word “Karmel” into English as “Carmel”.
Thus “Carmel” could represent a mountain, a town, a fruitful place or the color Red. Before deciding which meaning to use let us go on and examine the rest of the context of the verse.
The “hair” of the head of the woman or “head” of the Church or of Jesus is described as being “like purple”.
hair (# 1803) – hair, something dangling (so the verse is talking about the “hair”) purple (# 713) - the color purple (so, it really means the color purple in Hebrew)
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Thus, the translation is a good one.
It says that the “hair” of the woman is like the color purple.
The Spiritual meaning of the word “hair” is a covering.
1 Corinthians 11 : 15 “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her : for her hair is given her for a covering”.
Another word for “a covering” is a garment.
(So, the “hair” or the covering or the garment of the head of the woman or the “head” of the Church is”purple”. In other words the Bible text is saying that “the garment of Jesus is purple”.
The color purple was the color worn by Kings.
Judges 8 : 26 “…and purple raiment that was on the Kings of Midian”.
(So, the verse is saying that the “head” of the woman or Head of the Church will be a King and will wear the purple garment of Royalty.
Purple was also the color of the rich.
Luke 16 : 19 “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen,…”.
Lets check and see if Jesus (the “head” or king) fulfilled these predictions.
Mark 15 : 17,18 “And they clothed him with purple and plaited a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews !’.
(Yes, Jesus our King was clothed in purple !).
2 Cor 8 : 9 “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich”.
Isaiah 53 : 9 “And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death…”.- 9 -
Mat 27 : 57-60 “…a rich man..named Joseph went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus and when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb which had hewn out in the rock.
(Yes, Jesus our King was rich and buried with the rich as predicted by the Bible).
The next part of the verse says “… the King is held in the galleries”.
The word “held” (# 631 - to fasten in any sense, to bind, put in bonds, tie).
The KJV margin says “bound”.
(So, the verse is saying the King was to be “bound” or “tied up”).
Matthew 27 : 2 “And when they had bound him, they led him away and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor”.
(So Jesus was “tied up” or “bound” as a capture).
When a person died they were “bound” in graveclothes.
John 11 : 44 “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes and his face was bound about with a napkin…”.
Mark 15 : 46 “… and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher”.
(So, the text is predicting that Jesus would be “bound” or “wrapped” in graveclothes.
Checking the word “King” (# 4428 - a king, Royal), it is a good translation and means “king”.
The verse said “… the king is held in the”galleries“.
Lets see what the word “galleries” means.
“galleries” (# 7298 – to hollow out, a channel, like a ringlet of hair).
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There are 3 other places in the Bible that the word “galleries” is used. They all have a different Hebrew word (# 862), so we get not help there.
Our 3 choices then for the meaning of the word “galleries” in our text (to hollow out, a channel, a ringlet hair) all point to something being hollow or having a hole in it.
Thus, the text is saying that the king (Jesus) was held (bound) in the galleries (hollowed out place).
(So, the text is predicting that King Jesus would be bound in graveclothes and placed in a hollowed out tomb).
This actually happened as recorded in (Matthew 27 : 57-60) 57 “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus disciple : 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 And laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock : and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed”.
Now, returning to the word “Carmel” we find that word could mean : mountain or hill, town, fruitful place or the color red.
In the context of the rest of the verse :
1. The “covering” or garment of Jesus to be purple.
2. Jesus to be a “King”.
3. Jesus to be “rich” and buried with the rich.
4. Jesus to be “bound” and wrapped in graveclothes.
5. Jesus to be placed in a “hollowed out” tomb.
It seems clear that the meaning of “Carmel” as “red” is the best fit, since “red” is associated with blood and death which is the main subject of the verse,
2 King 3 : 22 “…as red as blood”.
Revelation 7 : 14 “… the blood of the Lamb”.
John 1 : 29 “…John seeth Jesus coming. unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God…”
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SUMMARY
Thus this verse, Song of Solomon 7 : 5 is a prophecy predicting the death of “King” Jesus, who would be “tied up” or bound and tried in a court and then would shed His blood (red) and be wrapped or “bound” in graveclothes and placed in a “hollowed out” tomb (galleries) with the rich.
Song of Solomon 7 : 5
“Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple ; the King is held in the galleries”.
Paraphrase
The Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, will shed His blood and the covering of Jesus will be the purple robe of a King : King Jesus will be bound in graveclothes and placed in a hollowed out tomb.
FULFILLMENT OF THE ABOVE PROPHECY :
Mark 15 : 1, 17, 46
Mark 15 : 1 “And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate”.
Mark 15 : 17 “And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head”.
Mark 15 : 46 “And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher”.
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