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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 222 of 293

Odes of Solomon: Ode 30

An invitation to the thirsty.

1.Fill ye waters for yourselves from the living fountain of the Lord, for it is opened to you: 2 And come all ye thirsty, and take the draught; and rest by the fountain of the Lord. 3 For fair it is and pure and gives rest to the soul. Much more pleasant are its waters than honey; 4 And the honeycomb of bees is not to be compared with it. 5 For it flows forth from the lips of the Lord and from the heart of the Lord is its name. 6 And it came infinitely and invisibly: and until it was set in the midst they did not know it: 7 Blessed are they who have drunk therefrom and have found rest thereby. Hallelujah.

Asked of Guide

Why does Ode 30 call God's fountain 'more pleasant... than honey' and invite the thirsty to drink?

The ode presents the fountain as a living, accessible source of spiritual refreshment: “Fill ye waters for yourselves from the living fountain of the Lord” and “come all ye thirsty, and take the draught.” The comparison to honey—“much more pleasant are its waters than honey”—says the experience of God’s presence brings deeper, soul-restoring delight than any earthly sweetness.

The poem ties that delight to revelation and blessing: the water “flows forth from the lips of the Lord” and bears a name “from the heart of the Lord,” implying speech and love as the source of refreshment. Those who drink “have found rest thereby,” echoing themes of consolation found in the Psalms and in John’s Gospel, where Jesus promises “living water.”

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