NICOT: The Book of Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is one of the most fascinating - and hauntingly familiar - books of the Old Testament. The sentiments of the main speaker of the book, a
person given the name Qohelet, sound incredibly modern. Expressing the
uncertainty and anxieties of our own age, he is driven by the question, 'Where
can we find meaning in the world?' But while QoheletÉs question resonates with
readers today, his answer is shocking. 'Meaningless', says Qohelet, 'everything
is meaningless'. How does this pessimistic perspective fit into the rest of
biblical revelation? In this commentary Tremper Longman addresses this question
by taking a canonical-Christocentric approach to the meaning of Ecclesiastes.
Longman first provides an extensive introduction to Ecclesiastes, exploring
such background matters as authorship, language, genre, structure, literary
style, and the bookÉs theological message. He argues that the author of
Ecclesiastes is not Solomon, as has been traditionally thought, but a writer
who adopts a Solomonic persona. In the verse-by-verse commentary that follows,
Longman helps clarify the confusing, sometimes contradictory message of
Ecclesiastes by showing that the book should be divided into three
sections - a prologue (1:1-11), QoheletÉs autobiographical speech
(1:12Í12:7), and an epilogue (12:8-14) - and that the frame narrative
provided by prologue and epilogue is the key to understanding the message of
the book as a whole.
'In the Old Testament we read GodÉs word as it was
spoken to his people Israel. Today, thousands of years later, we hear in these
thirty-nine books his inspired and authoritative message for us.' These twin
convictions, shared by all of the contributors to The New International
Commentary on the Old Testament, define the goal of this ambitious series
of commentaries. For those many modern readers who find the Old Testament to be
strange and foreign soil, the NICOT series serves as an authoritative guide
bridging the cultural gap between todayÉs world and the world of ancient
Israel. Each NICOT volume aims to help us hear GodÉs word as clearly as
possible.
'This commentary goes a long way in solving the riddle that
is the book of Ecclesiastes. [...] Will be highly treasured by those who have
opportunity to teach and preach the message of Ecclesiastes.' - Daniel I.
Block
Series: New International Commentary on the Old
Testament.
Recommended € 38,90