Customer Reviews

The Message of Ecclesiastes (Bible Speaks Today)

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Wisdom literature is where Kidner excels (see his "Wisdom of Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes" as well as his commentary on Proverbs). I have used his commentaries on Psalms and Proverbs for personal reading for 25 years and am still filled and never disappointed. As a previous reviewer has observed, Kidner has a way of capturing the essence of the meaning of a passage and distilling it into a very brief and satisfying statement. A few words from Kidner are usually worth a few pages from some others.

This volume on Ecclesiastes shares this same lucid, penetrating and practical style. He adds very useful insight about the flow of thought (often difficult to discern on the surface) which enables one to readily assimilate what Solomon is actually trying to convey. Kidner's introduction is extremely helpful on the themes of Ecclesiastes. I especially like how he points out the "Facts to Face About God" which underly the ultimate worldview and message of Ecclesiastes and should control our interpretation.

One caveat: Kidner does not seem to view Solomon as the actual author (see his comments on 1:1 where he is purposefully, yet disappointingly, vague). However, Kidner is absolutely committed to the inspiration and authority of Ecclesiastes as scripture by whatever process he views it as coming into being. For Kidner, pinning down the human authorship of Ecclesiastes appears to be secondary to understanding God's message.

I have over a thousand commentaries on the OT in my personal library - 39 on Ecclesiastes. I consult them extensively for personal reading as well as for preaching and teaching. Kidner remains one of my favorite authors and this volume on Ecclesiastes only confirms this evaluation.

Note: A previous reviewer used this forum to complain about unmet expectations and/or bad service (apparently from a used book dealer). I wish folks would realize that there is a place on Amazon for expressing these kinds of frustrations (rating a seller). This forum is about rating the quality of a book - usually its content.

Kidner's commentary is like a slim slab of gold. While not a detailed exegetical commentary, Kidner's compact, concise, insightful, arresting style makes this one of the most useful and accessible commentaries on this often misunderstood book. He can say in a single paragraph what it takes most people a page to say. On the joy motif expressed in 2:24-26 he remarks: "In themselves and rightly used, the basic things of life are sweet and good. What spoils them is our hunger to get more out of them than they can give." Kidner's writing is to the commentary literature what poetry is to prose.

And excellent book for anyone who is interested in a study of Ecclesiastes. The writer gets to the heart of the book in a clear and concise way, making personal application and understanding of the book easier.
I would definitely purchase other books from this seller, the transaction time was minimal and the book condition was as expected.

This is a good nonfiction read for those who are doing Bible study. It is a short book and can be read in a day.