Summary
We are thankful to have Tom Gledhill’s The Message of the Song of Songs on our bookshelves, a concise, engaging guide to one of the Bible’s most poetic and perplexing books. Gledhill invites us into the rich imagery and romantic dialogue of the Song of Songs with an eye for both its beauty and its theology.
From the initial awakening of desire to the celebration of committed love, Gledhill walks us through the text with clarity and pastoral sensitivity. He helps the preacher face the text’s eroticism, its sacred secular borderlines and its deeper message about covenant love in a way that both honours Scripture and addresses contemporary church life.
Why Should I Own This Commentary?
This volume stands out for two primary reasons. First, Gledhill speaks from experience in ministry and in teaching the church, so his reflections are grounded in the realities of preaching, pastoral care and discipleship. That means you will find sermonable insights, group session suggestions and ways to bridge ancient poetry with modern life without trivialising the text.
Second, the book takes a wisely moderate path between being overly devotional and being academically forbidding. It gives enough substance to keep a pastor honest, to respect the Hebrew poetry, structure and narrative flow, while remaining accessible to non specialists. In a world where ministry time is short and demands are high, this is a commendable fit.
It should be noted: Gledhill does not aim primarily at advanced Hebrew semantics, nor does he develop deep systematic theology around the Song’s typology. If your aim is heavy original language work or exhaustive theological systematics, you will need additional tools. But for typical sermon or small group preparation, this commentary serves very well.
Closing Recommendation
In short, we recommend The Message of the Song of Songs to pastors, teachers and lay leaders who want a readable, faithful and ministry aware commentary on this fascinating book. It may not cover every technical avenue, but it builds a strong bridge between the text’s poetic wonder and the church’s preaching and teaching task.
Tom Gledhill
Tom Gledhill is a British evangelical scholar and pastor whose ministry has combined theological teaching, local church service, and accessible biblical exposition.
Gledhill’s work on the Song of Songs is widely appreciated for combining linguistic insight with reverent pastoral sensitivity. His exposition draws out the poetic beauty, theological depth, and pastoral implications of the text with warmth and clarity, making a sometimes difficult book approachable for modern readers.
He is admired for his gentle prose, careful scholarship, and a concern to help believers hear God’s Word with understanding and joy. His writing remains a useful resource for preachers, students, and home groups.
Key titles include The Message of the Song of Songs, Pentateuchal Studies, and contributions to theological education.