NASB Outreach Bible by Lockman Foundation - Ideal for Church & Study

I myself must have read The Song of Solomon about fifty times, since it is my favorite book of all books, and not just of the Bible, and I am also an unabashedly serious Christian.I choose the New American Standard Bible to write about this "The Song of Solomon." I find its integrity perfect for my use. If there is going to be a better version, it has to be written by Elohim himself, for me, that is.The book is extremely mystical and who knows who the author actually is. I have heard that we do not know for sure if it is the actual King Solomon, the son of King David, who built the Solomon's Temple in the Judaic golden era. There are many references to Solomon in the book, but it is the book itself that is most important, not who the actual author verifiably is. And the splendor of the ancient golden Israel radiates throughout as can be seen from these quotes:"Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,Where do you pasture your flock,Where do you make it lie down at noon?" 1:7"My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossomsIn the vineyard of Engedi." 1:14Engedi is a town, called also the city of palm trees. It was situated about thirty miles S.E. from Jerusalem, on the edge of the wilderness and on the west shore of the Dead Sea. It is full of rocks and caves. The source of the fountain from which it derives its name is on the mountain side about six hundred feet above the sea. Unger's Bible DictionarySome people might have the objection to this book as implicitly sexual and filled up with romantic fantasies. Nothing is further from the truth. Actually it is the book about love and I myself do not know how much amount of mystical experience sex can activate. But it is a book about love overwhelmingly than about sex. And it is about in reality how refined and subtle love IS.Judge it for yourself:"May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!For your love is better than wine." 1:1"My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrhWhich lies all night between my breast." 1:13Myrrh is the well-known gum resin extracted from the Arabian Balsamodendron Myrrha, Nees. It was used as a perfume, for embalming, and as an ingredient of the holy anointing oil. Unger's Bible Dictionary"Your lips, my bride, drip honey;Honey and milk are under your tongue,And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon." 4:11Lebanon (white, from the snow on its peak) the loftiest and best known mountain range of Syria, forming the northern boundary of Palestine. Lebanon is remarkable for the grandeur and beauty of its scenery, and supplied the sacred writers with many expressive similes. Unger's Bible DictionaryThe last and most important point I want to mention is the book's mystical tone. It is the most refined and exquisite as if you are touching the hem of God's garment."Like a lily among the thorns,So is my darling among the maidens." 2:2'The flowers have already appeared in the land;The time has arrived for pruning the vines,And the voice of turtledove has been heard in our land.The fig tree has ripened its figs,And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,And come along!'" 2:12,13"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine,He who pastures his flock among the lilies." 6:3"Many waters cannot quench love,Nor will rivers overflow it;If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,It would be utterly despised." 8:7"Hurry, my beloved,And be like a gazelle or a young stagOn the mountains of spices." 8:14Anyhow, beautiful as it is, it is not a smooth read as you know what is happening (action series) and who is doing what (plot). It could be the style of writing at that time or it could be so old, ragged and torn throughout its history that it does not relate well to us logically and sound scientifically.But if you grasp the bible you like best and read "The Song of Solomon" from start to finish, you will end up feeling like you are in the hands of God.