The Message of Ecclesiastes

By Derek Kidner

Book Overview

What is life all about? In the end, is it no more than a wisp of vapor, a puff of wind, a mere breath? So says the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes. But is this the whole message of Ecclesiastes?

With imagination and clarity, Derek Kidner introduces this unusual Old Testament book that speaks so powerfully to each new generation. He reveals how the Preacher confronts difficult questions and examines extremes of human experience, facing the fear that God is distant and nothing has meaning. Finally, however, we are led to encounter the God who was present all along, who cares about the details of our lives.

Part of the beloved Bible Speaks Today series, The Message of Ecclesiastes offers an insightful, readable exposition of the biblical text and thought-provoking discussion of how its meaning relates to contemporary life. Used by students and teachers around the world, the Bible Speaks Today commentaries are ideal for those studying or preaching the Bible and anyone who wants to delve deeper into the text. This revised edition of a classic volume features lightly updated language and current NRSV Scripture quotations with a new interior design.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1514006316
• ISBN13: 9781514006313
• Release Date: July 2023
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Kidner at His Incisive Best

Kidner's commentary is like a slim slab of gold. While not a detailed exegetical commentary, Kidner's compact, concise, insightful, arresting style makes this one of the most useful and accessible commentaries on this often misunderstood book. He can say in a single paragraph what it takes most people a page to say. On the joy motif expressed in 2:24-26 he remarks: "In themselves and rightly used, the basic things of life are sweet and good. What spoils them is our hunger to get more out of them than they can give." Kidner's writing is to the commentary literature what poetry is to prose.