A pile of neo-orthodox feminist trash! This commentary is full of modernist anti-Christian and liberal ideas that completely undermine and distort the nature and purpose of the Book of Proverbs. He sees no overarching stucture or development to the Book! What a "fool!" Let me just say, YES! THERE IS! He downplays the Solomonic authorship. He makes no mention of the role of the book as a manual for princes, soldiers, or magistrates (common in the Ancient world i.e. Xenophon's Cyropedia). Read Psalm 1-2 and Psalm 101! This is typical of the feminism, antinomianism and political polytheism of today! There is moreover nothing said either of the role of Proverbs in a theology of Christian education or for child training. How shocking!!! The implications for Christian education and for homeshooling in Proverbs are numerous! I wonder does this guy have a wife and kids? You wouldn't think so by this stupid commentary!!! Is this scholar blind as a bat??? There is moreover very little of Christ and the Gospel in the commentary at all either! It reads like a dull and tedious academic monograph written by a complete pagan. And what theology there is in this commentary is largely watered down by modern liberal academic or neo-orthodox jargon; the constant use of YHWH instead of simply "the Lord," a very low view of the glory and sovereignty of God, the doctrine of the Covenant, the history of redemption, and of the revelation of Christ in the OT; a distorted and modernist view of the fear of God and true wisdom; a cowardly downplaying of God's wrath upon idolatry, false religion, the wicked, the foolish, the harlot, as well as pagans and idolaters in the world. You do not get any sense whatsoever of the serious contrast that is in the Book of Proverbs made between the way of the Lord (which is wisdom, the fear of God, true worship, righteousness and holiness...as well as the virtuous woman who is a godly housewife) and that of the wicked and the idolater which leads to hell. There is also no recognition whatsoever of the spiritual imagery made throughout of the church/Israel as the bride of Christ! Just the constant dumb and stupid terminology of "Woman Wisdom." How ungodly! There is no prophetic or eschatological hope! No reference made to the relation of the prophets at all either! He even speaks as if there is no mention whatsover of the resurrection or the final judgment! This makes the commentary very trite and superficial. There is also a perverse accomodation to modern feminist ideology throughout of the book. Longman even has the audacity to say that you could change "son" to "child" in many passages for the sake of gender equality, or even that Proverbs 21:9 and others like it could equally refer to a contentious man! And he says the virtuous woman is described largely in terms of "a business woman." What a brazen piece of compromising liberal feminist crap that totally distorts the Book of Proverbs! Longman has no real spiritual knowledge or understanding of the Book of Proverbs, or for that matter Ecclesiastes or the Song of Solomon. His accomodationist attitude to modern secular culture betrays him! This commentary and sadly many others like it today of the same nature (modern broad-evangelical neo-liberal scholarship) show how spiritually apostate the churches and seminaries have become over the last generation. Longman is certainly not the worst. But this is a very bad commentary! There is more "unbelief, foolishness, and chasing after the wind" in this commentary than there is real substantial wisdom, righteousness, godliness, and the fear of the Lord. You are better off getting the old works of Bridges, Wardlaw, and even Matthew Henry....which are all free on the internet. You would also be better off just to read the Book of Proverbs 20-30 times over, rather than to read this commentary. Read the Bible! Search the Scriptures! That is what Solomon says in Proverbs! And that is what the Lord Jesus says! As for this commentary it is dry and dull and without much of Christ or of true wisdom at all! Longman should have taken to heart Eccl.12:12!
Pastor Brett Woody