Evaluation

Overall Score: 7.8/10

A thoughtful, evangelical guide that helps you preach Ecclesiastes with honesty, hope, and theological backbone.

Publication Date(s): 1998

Pages: 322

ISBN: 9780802823663

Faithfulness to the Text: 8/10

Longman works closely with the Hebrew text, structure, and rhetoric of Ecclesiastes, giving a coherent reading that treats the book as a carefully framed, unified work.

Christ Centredness: 7/10

He reads Ecclesiastes canonically and moves in a Christward direction, though the explicit connections to Christ and the gospel are often left for the preacher to develop.

Depth of Insight: 8/10

The commentary offers rich reflection on Qohelet’s theology, the fear of the Lord, and life in a fallen world, with good interaction with scholarly discussion and pastoral questions.

Clarity of Writing: 8/10

Longman writes in clear, accessible prose, explaining technical issues in plain language so that pastors and serious lay readers can follow the argument without specialist training.

Pastoral Usefulness: 8/10

While not a sermon manual, it gives preachers the conceptual and exegetical framework needed to handle Ecclesiastes wisely and to avoid both despairing and superficial readings.

Readability: 8/10

The volume is reasonably concise for NICOT, well organised, and straightforward to navigate in week to week preparation, making it realistic for busy pastors to use.

Summary

At a Glance

Length: 322 pages
Type: Exegetical (Technical), Expository (Mid-Level)
Theo. Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Overall score: 7.8 / 10
Strength: Balances careful exegesis with a canonical, God centred reading of Ecclesiastes.
Limitation: Not geared to detailed sermon outlines or extensive practical application.

Tremper Longman’s Ecclesiastes volume in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament is a serious, careful attempt to make sense of one of the most puzzling books in Scripture. Longman reads Ecclesiastes as a unified work framed by a narrator, with Qohelet’s voice set within that frame. He works carefully through questions of authorship, structure, genre, and theology, and he writes with a steady, evangelical confidence in Scripture as God’s Word. The introduction is substantial, and the commentary itself moves verse by verse with constant attention to language, literary shape, and the book’s place in the canon.

Longman sees Qohelet as a wise but ultimately frustrated observer whose under the sun perspective is intentionally limited. The frame narrator then redirects the reader, pressing us toward a God centred fear of the Lord that makes sense of life in a fallen world. That reading allows him to take the darker, more troubling parts of Ecclesiastes seriously, while still showing how the book sits within the wider story of Scripture. The tone is thoughtful and honest about the tensions in the text, yet confident that Ecclesiastes belongs in the canon for the strengthening of God’s people.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

Ecclesiastes is a book that easily slides into either bleak cynicism or breezy optimism. Longman helps us steer between both errors. He gives you enough literary and theological scaffolding to see what Qohelet is doing and why, without drowning you in technical detail. For preachers, that means you can track the argument of a passage, understand how a section fits within the whole, and know what you can and cannot legitimately claim from the text when you stand in the pulpit.

Another strength is his canonical and Christward instinct. Longman does not rush to Christ in every paragraph, but he consistently asks how Ecclesiastes functions within the whole Bible and how its questions push us toward the gospel. That is invaluable for Reformed preachers who want to preach Christ from all Scripture without flattening the distinct voice of wisdom literature. His approach helps you preach Ecclesiastes as part of the one story of redemption, not as a detached philosophical essay.

At the same time, this is not a homiletical or devotional commentary. You will not find worked sermon outlines, contemporary illustrations, or extended application sections. The value here is in the exegesis and the theological framing. It partners well with more pastoral or explicitly Christ centred resources, giving you the exegetical backbone and big picture that will keep your preaching honest. Used like that, it is a very helpful volume for the working pastor.

Closing Recommendation

We are glad to recommend Tremper Longman’s Ecclesiastes in NICOT as a strong, thoughtful, and pastorally useful commentary on a demanding book. It combines careful exegesis, literary awareness, and a clear desire to read Ecclesiastes within the whole counsel of God. For pastors, students, and serious Bible readers who want to preach and teach Ecclesiastes with integrity, this is a volume worth owning and returning to.

As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.

Where to buy

Amazon Logos