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Dhammapada · narration sample

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The Forgotten Books of Eden · 232 of 293

Odes of Solomon: Ode 40

A song of praise without equal.

1.As the honey distills from the comb of the bees, 2 And the milk flows from the woman that loves her children; 3 So also is my hope on Thee, my God. 4 As the fountain gushes out its water, 5 So my heart gushes out the praise of the Lord and my lips utter praise to Him, and my tongue His psalms. 6 And my face exults with His gladness, and my spirit exults in His love, and my soul shines in Him: 7 And reverence confides in Him; and redemption in Him stands assured: 8 And His inheritance is immortal life, and those who participate in it are incorrupt. Hallelujah.

Asked of Guide

Why does the poet use images of honey and milk to praise God?

The poet uses honey and milk to name pleasures that are both natural and nourishing, tying sensory sweetness to spiritual hope: “As the honey distills” and “the milk flows” make God the source of sustaining delight. Those images turn praise into embodied gratitude—heart, lips, tongue, face, spirit, soul all respond like a body fed and glad.

This ode treats salvation as inheritance: “His inheritance is immortal life,” and participation makes one “incorrupt.” That pairing of bodily metaphor and eternal promise echoes themes in Psalmic praise and in early Christian texts like 1 Peter, which link living hope to a transformed, imperishable life.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.