Thy plants [are] an orchard of pomegranates,.... These plants are the members of the church, true converts, believers in Christ; pleasant plants, plants of renown, planted in the church by Christ's heavenly Father, and shall never be plucked up; or, thy gardens, as it may be rendered ; particular churches, well taken care of and watered; these make an orchard, or are like one, even a paradise, as the word signifies: it is generally thought to be a Persic word; see Ne 2:8; but Hillerus derives it from rrp, to "separate", it being a garden, separated and enclosed as before; one like Eden's garden, exceeding pleasant and delightful: and not like an orchard of any sort of trees, but of "pomegranates", of which there were plenty in Canaan, hence called a "land of pomegranates", De 8:8; many places in it had their names from thence, Jos 15:32.
To which believers in Christ may be compared, for the various sorts of them , for their largeness, fruitfulness, and uprightness; saints have gifts and grace, differing from one another as to size, but all pomegranates, trees of righteousness; some are larger, and excel others, are full of all the fruits of righteousness; but all are, more or less, fruitful and upright in heart: and so the saints of the higher class may be here designed, as those of a lower are by other trees and spices after mentioned;with pleasant fruits; that are valuable, precious, and desirable, of which an enumeration follows:camphire, with spikenard; or "cypresses", or "cyprusses with nards" ; both in the plural number: the former may intend cypress trees, so called on account of their berries and fruits growing in clusters; see So 1:14; and the latter, because there are different sorts of them, as "nardus Italica", "Indica", and "Celtica": to these saints may be compared, because pleasant and delightful, of a sweet smell, and rare and excellent.
Vid. Guisium in Misn. Sheviith, c. 2. s. 2. odrp paradeisov, Sept. "paradisus", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Cocceius, Marckius, Michaelis. Onomastic. Sacr. p. 291. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 13. c.
19.