Customer Reviews

The Book of Ecclesiastes (New International Commentary on the Old Testament)

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I just finished a Bible class on Ecclesiastes and this was an indispensable source. This is in the NICOT series (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) - a quality series published by Eerdmans.
This is one of the few commentaries that you could from cover to cover.

Longman is not dogmatic concerning various interpretations of some of the more difficult passages (which add up to more than I assumed). Longman is also very conversant with many of the "standard scholars" on Ecclesiastes - Blenkinsopp, Crenshaw, Fox, Ginsberg, and Whybray. This is an added benefit to this book because he frequently includes their views and provides pros and cons for each and then presents his personal opinion.

Longman does not see Solomon as the author but that hardly changes the message of the book (nor can anyone prove without question that Solomon is the author).

For the class I had also picked up Provan's work on Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon in the NIVAC series (The NIV Application Commentary). I was in the habit of reading through Longman first and felt as if Provan added little.

If you need an aid for Ecclesiastes, go with Longman. He is brilliant and his strength is Old Testament Poetry.

I was quite pleased by Tremper Longman's treatment of this often missunderstood text. He spends a good deal of time introducing the genere of the book so we can better understand the type of lit. that is falls in, and from there he takes you on a verse through verse journey of what "qohelet" (the author of the book) has to say to the everyman. Also as a side note his footnotes on this volume can lead you into some exciting research of your own. I recomend this volume to anyone that is serious about understanding the wisdom lit. of the Bible better

This work typifies my frustration with Longman - much too interested in critical exegesis rather than a pastoral concern. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this work. He adopts a very pessimistic view of Ecclesiastes and often finds the author (someone other than Solomon) to be confused and disjointed. Frankly, highly disappointing for a supposedly evangelical author.

Not that Longman gets every thing wrong, he doesn't but he does force his theory of the writer of the 1st section of Ecclesiastes into his corner and then has to really shoe horn the rest of the writing into the theory when there is clear indication it doesn't fit.

My church had a men's Bible study using this book and what was clear to some of us was Longman was eisegetical especially when comparing his version of Ecclesiastes with the rest of scripture and in fact with the rest of Ecclesiastes.

This was Longman's doctorate thesis so I expect better, as a graduate at Yale Divinity though I am not surprised. He is a liberal Christian which means he is not orthodox as his commentary was also not orthodox.