The following is an excerpt from a chapter in The Song of the Ages Pt. 2: The Kiss of Two Seas. This provides a kind of theological support for some of the things shared in the cover article on innocence (as well as many of the other things we post regarding the all-inclusive nature of Christ’s sacrifice). This piece also goes into the symbolic nature of numbers in the Bible, providing a strong framework for understanding numerical meaning. Enjoy! 

There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,

And maidens without number;

But my dove, my perfect one, is unique:

She is her mother’s only daughter;

She is the pure child of the one who bore her.

The maidens saw her and called her blessed,

The queens and the concubines also,

and they praised her, saying…

(Song of Songs 6:8-9)

Once again, there is more to these verses than meets the eye. The mention of “sixty queens,” “eighty concubines,” and “maidens without number” carries incredible meaning, hidden and kept for those who would draw near to the Lord and listen to the whisper of His singing heart.

There are many reasons why we should recognize that there is a deeper message to this part of the Song. First of all, these are not accurate numbers from Solomon’s life. In 1 Kings 11, we find that Solomon had far more marriages than this. In fact, he had about 700 wives and 300 concubines. There is a specific reason the Holy Spirit moved Solomon to pen these particular numbers. “Sixty” and “eighty” are used strategically and spiritually to communicate something of a greater meaning. (Now perhaps the Song was written at an earlier time in Solomon’s life when he did in fact have sixty wives. But this would be no less spiritually significant, for the Holy Spirit would have moved Solomon to write this Song at that exact moment in his life. He could have written the Song when he had 400 wives or 230 concubines, but he wrote it at this precise moment, thus highlighting the importance of the numbers sixty and eighty.)

We need to go back to what was said in our first study of the Song and realize that we must look at this writing with the Hebraic model of interpretation called sod. This was the way the apostles and even Jesus Himself often interpreted Scripture. It involves pointing out the spiritual mystery behind a passage. A big part of this interpretative method involves finding the meaning behind certain numbers. This is not to be confused with people who claim that there are hidden codes within the numbers of the Bible that forecast specific events. We are simply talking about symbolic meanings, such as the story of Jonah’s three-day visit in the belly of the whale, which represented Jesus’s three-day descent into the belly of the earth (Matt. 12:40).

First, let’s take a step back and look at the Song of Songs from a natural and unspiritual perspective. The Song is a lyrical poem written by an earthly king who had married a multitude of women and who had numerous concubines as well. As the nation’s ruler, he was also entitled to any of the unmarried maidens within his kingdom, which were far more plentiful and thus “without number.” This is from a polygamous society where it was common for kings to have such a multiplicity of relationships. Most of Solomon’s “queens” were the daughters of foreign kings who had been espoused to him for political purposes. Concubines were simply for sexual pleasure or for producing an heir. The overall poem and song was then written to one of the king’s brides, whom he loved above all other queens, concubines, and maidens. This was a woman with whom he shared true intimacy and friendship. She was someone from the region of Shulam who had romantically captured his heart.

Now let’s make something very clear. In all of His blessings to this literal king of Israel, God was never condoning polygamy. God has patiently and graciously walked with humanity through our immaturity and deception. The Lord made it clear in Genesis that marriage was between one man and one woman. Nonetheless, in our descent from our original design, the Lord has worked within our broken societies and tolerated things like polygamy and divorce, though never once declaring them as right and just.

Therefore, like any other part of Solomon’s Song, it is important we see this with spiritual eyes. God is speaking to us through the writings of Solomon, even in his fallen lifestyle as an earthly king. Just like Jesus (the living Word) took on human flesh, the Bible (the written Word of God) often takes on the fallen flesh of man to communicate an eternal message of truth and hope. In the words of Joseph, God makes something good out of what man intends for evil (see Gen. 50:20). God takes Solomon’s polygamous lifestyle and brings out an amazing revelation through it. That is what we will unpack in this chapter.

The Number of Man

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is given spiritual understanding into the meaning of a particular number—six. This is the only time that the Scriptures blatantly explain the meaning of a specific number. Oftentimes it takes deeper study and prayer to discern numerical interpretations, but John makes it very easy for us in this case. He is first shown the infamous marking of “666” and is then given insight into its spiritual meaning. He tells us that this is the “number of man” (Rev. 13:18). This interpretation of six shouldn’t surprise us for man was created on the sixth day (Gen. 1:31). Six relates to anything regarding humanity. Whether six or sixty (or 600 or 666), all of it points to the same general meaning.

So with our spiritual eyes wide open, we can start to see that Solomon is writing about “sixty queens” for a specific reason. There is a symbolic connection between this statement and the number of man. Now before we look more closely at Solomon’s words, let’s look at a few other instances in Scripture where this number shows up. This will help give us a more thorough understanding of its meaning as well as the amazing revelation hidden in Solomon’s poem.

In the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, Moses uses the number “sixty” when giving directions for sacrificing a peace offering to God. Today, we understand that these sacrifices were never about the animals themselves, but what they were pointing to—the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. As our true peace offering, He is the One who restores harmony between man and God. Moses specifically instructs the priests to offer “sixty” innocent lambs as a sacrificial peace offering. He also instructs them to sacrifice sixty rams and sixty goats (see Num. 7:88). Seeing that six is the number of man, Moses’s instructions reveals that the true Lamb of God took upon Himself the sins of all mankind. All of humanity’s sin—sin itself—was absorbed into the body of Jesus and crucified. As John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). The law was symbolically prophesying this through the sixty lambs of the peace offering.

Later, in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses recounts the defeat of a wicked king named Og. This man had sought to destroy the Israelites in the same way that Pharaoh wanted to destroy them at the Red Sea. Og is a satanic figure who wants to steal, kill, and destroy. By the help of God, the Israelites defeat this king and go on to conquer all of the cities that were under his control. There were “sixty cities” to be exact (see Deut. 3:4). This also symbolically points us to the work of Christ. Jesus has completely defeated the enemy and has regained authority over the entire earth (Matt. 28:18). This means that Jesus is now the true king over the “sixty cities” of the world. In other words, He is the true King over all mankind. Not everyone is kneeling and bowing before the King, but that does not nullify the truth of His reign.

Going backwards in the Old Testament, the number six shows up in a fascinating way in the story of the flood. The Scriptures recount that Noah was exactly 600 years old when the floodwaters covered the earth (Gen. 7:6). This speaks of two things. First, it conveys the universal judgment that came upon mankind’s sin through the flood. Yet there’s another side of that coin. In the story we find 600-year-old Noah entering the ark with his entire family and thus all of future humanity with them. At that point, every single person who has ever lived since the flood was hidden in the loins of Noah and his sons. Therefore, this is also a picture of the mercy that was released upon all of mankind. All of the world—represented by 600-year-old Noah and his family—would be hidden in the ark of Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God who took the sin of the world upon Himself (just like the ark took on the floodwaters of judgment as they enveloped and beat against it). 

When you get to the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, this number shows up in a different way. As we’ve discussed before, Israel is a light to the nations and gives us a representative picture of God’s purposes for mankind. Interestingly enough, the Bible points out that 600,000 men left Egypt after the Lamb’s blood was put on their doorposts (Ex. 12:37). The meaning of this should be more obvious by now. After His blood was spilt, Jesus raised us up out of the spiritual Egypt of sin. His resurrection presented mankind innocent before God. Because of this, He is “not counting men’s trespasses against them” (2 Cor. 5:18). The 600,000 men leaving Egypt represents humanity being taken out of the condemnation of sin. It like 600-year-old Noah leaving the cursed earth to hide in the safety of the ark.

The number “sixty” shows up again during the construction of Solomon’s temple. Throughout our studies of the Song, we have made it abundantly clear that the temple represents the church. We are indeed the true temple of His Spirit. Remarkably, Solomon’s temple was built “sixty cubits” high (1 Kgs. 6:2). Its height (or stature) is the number of man. This is fitting considering human flesh was chosen to host the presence of Jesus. Therefore, mankind (symbolically represented by sixty cubits of height) was designed to be the true temple of God’s Spirit.

Long after the construction of the temple, we are told an interesting accounting fact about Solomon’s wealth. The Scriptures tell us that 666 talents of gold were annually brought into his treasury from the surrounding nations (2 Chr. 9:13). This was a huge amount of gold that came into the kingdom from all over the earth at the height of Solomon’s reign. The spiritual meaning of this is similar to the other instances. Humanity is the true “wealth of the nations” that God longs to come into His spiritual temple (Isa. 60:5). They are the lost “coins” who truly belong to God (see Lk. 15:8). Therefore, the 666 talents of gold coming into Solomon’s kingdom spiritually represent mankind being brought into Christ’s Kingdom.

Much later in the history of Israel, after they are divided, conquered, and exiled into the surrounding nations, this number shows up yet again. When the exiles finally return from slavery, one of the heads of an Israelite clan named Adonikam brings 666 people with Him in order to rebuild the temple (Ezra 2:13). The name Adonikam means “Lord of rising.” This is yet again a picture of Jesus Christ who is the true Head of humanity. Through His death and “rising,” Jesus has brought mankind back to the Father in order to rebuild the temple of His Spirit.

One last example. There is something we didn’t point out in our previous study of the Song when discussing the “sixty men” surrounding King Solomon’s travelling caravan (see Sgs. 3:7). We mentioned that this caravan gave us a picture of Christ seated upon the Mercy Seat of heaven. We then connected the sixty armed men with the angelic host that surrounds the presence of God, bringing us strength and protection in our own journey. But like so many other Scriptures, there are even more layers to this verse.

The King being surrounded “sixty men” is also a picture of Jesus being surrounded, or clothed, with humanity. Think back to Jeremiah’s mysterious prophecy about a woman encompassing a man (Jer. 31:22). This is a similar word picture of humanity surrounding the Christ. Jesus is clothed in flesh, which is again what the number six represents. This mystery of the incarnation is hidden all throughout the Scriptures. Jesus’s union with humanity is indeed one of the greatest messages of the entire Bible.

Sixty Queens

Unpacking the meaning of different symbols in Solomon’s Song is much like playing a hidden object game where one looks for concealed items within a crowded picture. The hidden item is technically right there in front of you, and yet it’s very difficult to see unless you know what you’re looking for. That’s why hidden object games usually have a key or a list so that the viewer knows what they’re searching for. If they know they should be on the lookout for a pail or a shovel, then their eyes can pick it up more easily when they come across it hiding in a bouquet of flowers.

Understanding the biblical meaning of the number “sixty” is like receiving one of those clues. As we let our eyes scan over this verse again, the strategic message behind Solomon’s “sixty queens” is opened up to us in a new way. Now that we know the biblical meaning of that number, we find here in the sixth chapter of the Song that God is speaking about something quite spectacular. We can now see the concealed message. In Solomon’s mention of sixty queens, God is speaking to us about His marriage to all of mankind.

Now before you dismiss that statement and say that God is only married to the church, please understand the full context of what is being communicated. We will find in a moment that there is a great difference between a queen and a bride. But first, let’s get some more understanding into who and what a “queen” represents. A queen is obviously someone with royal power and authority. More specifically, a queen is the feminine side of a nation’s reign. This connects to God and humanity. In Genesis 1, man is fashioned after God’s image and is then immediately given authority over the earth. And so mankind has always been like an earthly “queen” to the King of heaven.

Besides this queenly identity of mankind, there is another key element to consider when discussing God’s marriage to humanity. It is important to remember that through the incarnation, Christ has united Himself to everyone. This is why His death was the complete end of the old man—the corporate Adamic race (read Romans 5 and Romans 6:6 together). Paul clearly taught that “one died for all, therefore all died” (2 Cor. 5:14). The same “all” that He died for is the same all that actually died. There is not a single person that Jesus did not represent in His death—and He could not represent them and die as them without being in some form of union with them.

The apostle John also taught that Christ’s blood tangibly applies not only to the church, but to the entire world (1 Jn. 2:2). The apostle Peter went so far to say that the “spirits in prison”—people who lived and died long before Jesus even entered the earth—had this same good news preached to them as well. Thus they were also able to be released from the prison of death (1 Pet. 3:19 & 4:6). All of this brings us back to John the Baptist’s famous words about the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. This was an accomplished work! It is not just a potential hope for those who intellectually believe it. All sin was atoned for at the cross, for Christ was united with the sin of all humanity, whether past, present, or future.

A Complete Atonement and a Loving Bride

Bear with this quick detour on the atonement of Christ for it connects very powerfully with the story of the Shulammite and the people she is beginning to impact.

The Gospel of Christ’s work on the cross does not become true when a person believes it. It is already true and our faith is simply an acceptance and awakening to that reality. Therefore, the Gospel is not bad news for the masses of humanity with a condition of surrender attached to it that makes it potential good news. The Gospel is an exceedingly joyful announcement of a finished victory, which is why it’s called news! The word “Gospel” in the Greek (euagelion) does not signify an offer, but a clear announcement. This is why the angels at Jesus’s birth proclaimed good tidings of great joy for all people (Lk. 2:10)!

In reality, Jesus drew all humanity to Himself and reconciled all things by His blood (see Jn. 12:32 & Col. 1:20). Salvation is the result of the pure grace of God alone. But here’s something incredibly important: The benefits and experience of this salvation come through faith. Our salvation is by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). But again (and this is so important), faith is simply agreeing with what has already been accomplished. It is resting in something tangible and solid. You can’t lay your head on a pillow that doesn’t exist. You lay your head on a pillow that is present and available. A person coming to faith is someone who has rested their head on the pillowy rock of Christ—a rock that was already present on the bed of their existence. All of this is why Paul says that “Christ is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:10).

This is absolutely central in understanding the wine, the myrrh, and the apple tree of the cross—that central message of Solomon’s text and of the whole Bible. Everything is about the New Covenant, which is a covenant that was enacted between the Father and the Son. We had no part to play in this. We had already thoroughly failed in the covenant-keeping business. This is why the Father extended His own arm and worked out salvation all by Himself (Isa. 59:16). This happened through the Son who represents all of humanity, not just an exclusive club of people who do or say the right things. This is why the unborn, the mentally ill, the unreached, and those who died before Jesus’s coming are all included in the Gospel’s pronouncement. Jesus Christ is the obedient response of humanity to the Father!

In the end, there will be no boasting among men. We will not even boast in our faith or decision. Jesus has done it all and in eternity we will marvel at this for ages and ages (and I expect we will look back and have a hearty laugh over man’s self-aggrandizing doctrines about gaining or losing one’s own salvation, as though we had any part to play in this glorious work). All people are brought into the covenant, because that covenant was enacted between the Father and the Son on behalf of all. Some may insist on rejecting the wedding party or stand outside the celebration like the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son—but that does not negate the fact of their initial invite and welcome.

Our belief in the truth does not make the truth real to God—it makes it real to us. And that changes everything. So we are not talking about some forced universalism. The problem is that not all have woken up to this glorious message and said “yes” to it in their own hearts. All are under the shade of the apple tree, but not all have laid their heads down under that tree and found rest. The issue really comes down to what was mentioned at the beginning of this discussion. There is a difference between a queen and a bride. Both are included in the King’s love and in His saving work, but it is the bride who truly knows Him and draws near to the inner chambers of intimacy and friendship.

Let’s paraphrase Solomon’s statement here. “I have sixty queens…but my bride is unique” (we’ll talk about the “concubines” and “maidens” in a moment). Here’s what this translates to: Though God is united with all of humanity through the incarnation, only one has awoken to that love and union. As the Father of all creation, He is good and all-powerful and has brought salvation and redemption to all. And yet He is not looking for a forced relationship. Hence the reason for the Bridegroom’s continual words, “Do not awaken My love until she pleases!” The Lord wants a relationship of mutual love. He is looking for the “one” who will wake up and joyfully receive this amazing grace (and then manifest its beauty to a world still asleep). He is looking for a companion of love, not a servant or a political partner.

As we mentioned before, a queen in Solomon’s day was often espoused to a king for reasons that had very little to do with love. In fact, the queen could be one of the most distant people from the king in his palace. Oftentimes, a queen was just a political pawn or a way to produce an heir for the kingdom.

So let’s think back to the human perspective of this poem. A Jewish king named Solomon had numerous women all around him. He had sixty queens espoused to him through a real covenant of marriage. Yet, for the most part, it was all loveless. And yet there was a young maiden from Shulam who had stolen his heart. She is the one who had fully received his love and desired to rest in his presence. This is why the word bride is so important. A bride is an intimate term that signifies a true connection and a two-way relationship. The espoused queens of humanity are called to become brides—that is what God is looking for and that is how heaven truly invades the earth.

But in all of this, it is important to remember that our faith is not a work. Faith is an effortless response of joy—it is gleefully drinking from the cup of covenantal wine that Jesus has already poured out for all. At the cross, God knelt down on one knee and proposed His love to all of us. At that same cross, Jesus said “I do” to the Father. We get to simply stand in awe over it all and drink it in by faith. We get to join in with Jesus and also say “I do” as we taste and see how kind and gracious He is. This is how we continually enter the House of Wine, which is ready and open for all!

In the days ahead, be ready to open your gaze even wider to the wonders of the cross. Get ready for any religious thinking to be stretched by the all-encompassing grace of God. More than ever, we need to guard our hearts from the deep offense that often comes as God reveals more of His goodness to His children. There are realities within His finished work that will shock us to our core as we see how powerful and far-reaching it is.