Mary Magdalene got her name because she was born in a town called Magdala, which is a Hebrew word that means “Towers.” I say this often, but I’m fully convinced that in the penning of holy Scriptures, the Holy Spirit doesn’t write anything arbitrarily. Therefore, it is significant that Mary’s name carried the idea of “Towers.” The name Mary in Aramaic, which was the daily language that Jesus spoke, and in Greek, means “beloved.” Therefore, Mary’s full name that she was known as historically means “Beloved Towers.” I believe that Mary Magdalene was called by that name because her heart for Jesus and her life of radical surrender “towered” above the crowd of ordinary believers. In the Song of Solomon, we have the story of the Shulamite, who chooses to spend her life pursuing and growing in her experience and manifestation of union with Christ. The other believers are referred to as “the daughters of Jerusalem,” and they had a love for God, but the Shulamite towered above them. In 1 Peter 2:9 and the King James version it refers to Christians as a “peculiar people,” and I believe the normal Christian life is one that is so radically lived for Jesus that we look peculiar to the world. The sad thing is that often someone who is pursuing with all their heart communion with Jesus so that they can experience and manifest their union with Him, seem peculiar to a large part of the Church. Let me give you a proper word-for-word translation of that part of 1 Peter 2:9. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people into possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” The Shulamite lived her life possessed by the love of Jesus and a vision of experiencing His fullness.
The word “Towers” plays a prominent role in the story of the Song of Solomon as Jesus describes and praises this emerging lovesick bride. In Song of Solomon 4:4, Jesus describes, metaphorically, this lovesick follower by saying, “Your neck is like the tower of David built with rows of stones, on which are hung a thousand shields, all the round shields of the mighty men.” The neck in the Song of Solomon always speaks about the human will, and we know that David was the one of whom it was said, “a man after God’s own heart.” Acts 13:22 says about David that “he was always willing to do God’s will.” The name David itself means “to boil over” because he had a heart that boiled over for God. This particular reference in Song of Solomon 4:4 speaks of warfare and spiritual battle, and the towering neck speaks that they yielded will that towers above the crowd; and by referring to David. Solomon is merely trying to say that this lovesick one had a heart that was so yielded to God because of her great love for Jesus that her surrender towered above the crowd. A radically yielded will is the greatest defense against the enemy.
In Song of Solomon 7:4 Solomon (a type of Christ) says, “Your neck is like a tower of ivory.” Ivory is harvested through the suffering, death, and sacrifice of an animal, and it is very costly and has great value. In this verse, Jesus is saying that the Shulamite’s will is so yielded to Him that she would pay any price, make any sacrifice, even unto death because of her great love for Him.
I believe that Mary is referred to as Magdalene because, like David, she had a heart after God, so much so, that her radically surrendered will and life towered above the crowd, and like Revelation 12:11 says, she did not love her life even to death. The Magdalene’s extravagantly yielded life so towered above others that on that first Easter morning, Jesus rewarded her with the first encounter.