Brian Simmons - Song of Songs: Divine Romance

Song of Songs: Divine Romance, The Passion Translation Translated from the original Hebrew and Greek texts by Dr. Brian Simmons Published by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC Racine, Wisconsin, USA www.broadstreetpublishing.com 2015 The Passion Translation ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-4957-3 (paper back) ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-4977-1 (e-book) The text of Song of Songs: Divine Romance, The Passion Translation, may be quoted up to and including thirty (30) verses without written permission from the publisher. When Song of Songs: Divine Romance is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page of the work: Scripture quotations marked TPT are taken from Song of Songs: Divine Romance, The Passion Translation, copyright 2014, 2015. Used by permission of BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC, Racine, Wisconsin, USA. All rights reserved. www.thepassiontranslation.com Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from Song of Songs: Divine Romance, The Passion Translation, copyright 2014, 2105.

Used by permission of BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC, Racine, Wisconsin, USA. All rights reserved. www.thepassiontranslation.com When Scripture quotations from TPT are used in nonsalable media, such as newsletters, transparencies, church bulletins, orders of service or similar media, it is not necessary to post a complete copyright notice, but the initials TPT must appear at the end of each quotation. Quotations in excess of thirty (30) verses, or other permission requests must be approved in writing by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC. Send requests through the contact form at www.broadstreetpublishing.com/permissions. We want you to be able to use The Passion Translation and will respond to your inquiry quickly.

Cover and interior design by Garborg Design Works, Inc. | www.garborgdesign.com Interior typesetting by Katherine Lloyd | www.theDESKonline.com Printed in the United States of America

Author: King Solomon, king of Israel Audience: Every passionate lover of God Date: The reign of King Solomon, 970931 BC Type of Literature: Love poetry and wisdom literature Major Themes: Christs passion for his bride, divine relationship, the Christian life, and Christian devotion Outline: Title of the Poem of Love 1:1 The Discovery of True Love 1:21:16 The Shulamite Finds Her True Identity as the Fiance of the King 2:12:7 He Calls Her to a Higher Realm 2:817 She Endures the Dark Night of the Soul 3:15 The Revelation of the Marriage Carriage 3:611 How the King Sees His Bride-to-be 4:15 The Shulamite Says Yes to the Higher Realm 4:6 The Kings Perfect Partner 4:75:1 The Magnificent Intercessor 5:216 The King Lives in Her Heart 6:13 She Ravishes His Heart 6:49 The Radiant Bride 6:107:13 The Cup of Bliss 8:14 The Seal of Fire Placed upon Her Heart 8:57 The Vineyard of Love 8:813 The Divine Duet 8:14 The first book translated in The Passion Translation was the Song of Songs (also known as the Song of Solomon), my favorite book in the Bible. I have fallen in love with this sweetest song of all the ages. We see the Shulamites breathtaking journey unveiled in this amazing allegory. It is the path every passionate lover will choose. But this divine parable penned by Solomon also describes the journey that every longing lover of Jesus will find as his or her very own.

By translating this portion of the Word of God, the Song of Songs, I have attempted to translate not only from a scholarly or linguistic perspective, but also from the passion of a heart on fire. Love will always find a language to express itself. Fiery love for Jesus pushes our thoughts out of hiding and puts them into words of adoration. This articulation, out of the deepest places of our hearts, moves God and inspires each of us to a greater devotion. Everyone deserves to hear and feel the passion of our Bridegroom for his radiant and soon-to-be-perfected bride. The inspired Song of Songs is a work of art.

It is a melody sung from the heart of Jesus Christ for his longing bride. It is full of symbols, subtle art forms, poetry, and nuances that the translator must convey in order to bring it forth adequately to the English reader. This is what I have attempted to do with this project. Some of the cultural symbols that conveyed rich texture of meaning to the Hebrew speaker nearly three thousand years ago have become almost impossible to leave in their literal form, since the English speaker of today has little or no connection to those symbols. This requires that much of the hidden meanings locked into the Hebrew text be made explicit. That is why I have chosen to make this a dynamic equivalent translationtransferring the meaning, not just the words, into a form that many will find refreshing.

So be prepared to see yourself in this journey and hear his lyrics of love sung over you. Invest the time to read this through in one sitting. Then go back and read slowly and carefully, pondering each verse and praying through each love principle revealed in this translation. I think you may be shocked to read some of the things spoken over your life, considering them almost too good to be true. May heavens glorious Bridegroom, the Beloved of your soul, come and manifest himself to you in a wonderful fashion as you read Song of Songs in The Passion Translation. PURPOSE In reading this Shulamites journey, the storylines purpose is often missed or overlooked. PURPOSE In reading this Shulamites journey, the storylines purpose is often missed or overlooked.

I believe the Holy Spirit has hidden within the Song of Songs an amazing storya story of how Jesus makes his bride beautiful and holy by casting out her fear with perfect love. This sent-from-heaven revelation is waiting to be received with all its intensity and power to unlock the deepest places of our hearts. Most of the earliest church fathersincluding Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, and Jeromeviewed the Song of Songs as a clear representation of Christ and his bride, presented in deeply symbolic and allegorical teaching. Along with many other early church fathers, they wrote commentaries to reveal the beautiful secrets given to us in Solomons masterpiece. Unfortunately for some, the Song of Songs has become merely a book expressing sexuality, with hidden meanings and symbols of sensuality. Many modern expositors teach from the Song of Songs the sexual relationship appropriate to a husband and wife.

They find it difficult when others see the symbols and apply them to the spiritual journey every believer must take as we move further into the passionate heart of our heavenly Bridegroom. Their fear is that we over spiritualize the Song of Songs. How hard that would be! How wonderfully spiritual and holy is this song of all songs! AUTHOR AND AUDIENCE The author of this love poem is made clear at the first stanza: The most amazing song of all, by King Solomon. We can be thankful and grateful this wise, stately king gave us such a passionate, symbolic picture of the love of Godfirst for his people and then for Christs church! His poetic insights deepen your understanding of the love of God, in the same way it did for his people from generations past! MAJOR THEMES Interpreting Song of Songs. This divine song of romance is one of the most difficult books to interpret. Over the centuries there have been no fewer than six dominant ways people have understood Song of Songs, including: typical, drama, mythological-cultic, dream, literal, and allegorical. This translation reveals each symbol that the reader encounters in this song as a form of virtual reality, which when properly interpreted, helps us in our pursuit of Jesus Christ.