Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs: For Everyone

by John E. Goldingay

Westminster John Knox Press is pleased to present the seventeen-volume Old Testament for Everyone series. Internationally respected Old Testament scholar John Goldingay addresses Scripture from Genesis to Malachi in such a way that even the most challenging passages are explained simply and concisely. The series is perfect for daily devotions, group study, or personal visits with the Bible.

In this volume, Goldingay explores three books of the Old Testament in the wisdom literature genre. These three books are all associated with Solomon and his wisdom, yet unlike other books, they do not mention the Torah, the exodus, or the covenant. As Goldingay says, "The basis of their teaching is the way life actually works. They look at life and reflect on experience and encourage people to live on the basis of how life works." Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs for Everyone explores three practical, down to earth, and hopeful books.

266 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2014

About the author

John Goldingay is David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. An internationally respected Old Testament scholar, Goldingay is the author of many commentaries and books.

Reviews

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying working my way through this series. Some years ago I went through the New Testament 'For Everyone' series which was written by Bishop Tom Wright and it revitalised my personal bible study. The market is awash with biblical commentaries, study notes, guides and resources of all kinds but I wanted something that I could easily incorporate into my daily prayers and incredibly busy life. For me the most important thing about John Goldingay's series is that I enjoy it. I enjoy the way in which he explains the scripture: the history, the context, possible meanings, and then how this applies in his life, or things that have happened in his life which help him think deeply.

I think this is the main delight for me. It is easy to quote bible passages left right and centre, but it is challenging to understand it in the context of our own everyday lives and then live it. I could preach the most intellectual sermons for my congregation and show them how much theology I know, or I could preach in a way that illustrates the how's and why's of living it. There is nothing wrong with the first but my congregation want to know the second and so do I.

So John Goldingay's guides are helping me to do the second and helping me to live faithfully and lead faithfully.

One of the key themes from Proverbs is about leadership and ethics. How do we lead? It shows the way in which ethical leadership can shape the outcomes of our work and our lives for the better. Poor leadership has the opposite effect. Proverbs also remind us about ethics in our personal relationships, our family life, our friends and so on.

I also enjoyed his understanding of Song of Songs and the way he interprets it as a love song, not as some people have interpreted it as depicting the relationship between Christ and the Church. I found myself agreeing with him because I very much see this book as a love song and a celebration of romance and intimacy.

I also enjoyed Goldingay's commentary on Ecclesiates. I am left appreciating that it is not just a bunch of sayings but there is also much wisdom here and much to reflect on.

If anyone is looking for a good set of easy bible study guides for personal use or in their Churches or fellowships, John Goldingay's series is a brilliant place to start.

[Chris Halverson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was passable, I guess, but I'd hoped for NTWright level scholarship and communication style.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first experience of the Old Testament for everyone and therefore my first experience of John E. Goldingay. I was in no way disappointed. Goldingay has an astute ability to cut to the heart of a passage, and he allows the passage to say what it is saying without imposing foreign interpretations to it. For instance, he doesn't try to explain away the harsh bleakness of Ecclesiastes' Preacher (or as Goldingay calls him, "Churchman"), and therefore, this book of the Bible, which looks at the world as it really is (outside God's story of redemption, that is), speaks a powerful message about meaninglessness and the need to find what enjoyment one can find.

Really impressive is Goldingay's ability to form a meaningful commentary on the proverbs, despite the repetition of themes and the variety of subject matter, and one comes away with an experience of the wisdom of everyday living in a world that works a certain way and whose ways can be observed and taught. (Of course, Ecclesiastes will push back on the ideas of wisdom bringing a better life.)

And finally, the Song of Solomon, which Goldingay sees as a loose association of songs that don't necessarily follow a chronological outline, tells a simple message of the goodness of romantic love.

A good trilogy of books of the Bible to take together, all in all. There is a here and now message, about the goodness of everyday living, that is all too often lacking in the Christian experience of the Bible.

My one criticism of Goldingay is that his translations of the text, especially the Ecclesiastes text, are so literal that oftentimes they are indecipherable, and I had to resort to another translation. While I imagine that he translates in this way to reflect the way the Hebrew actually is, it makes reading difficult at times.