Joshua (The NIV Application Commentary) |  | Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 4366622
Media: Hardcover
ISBN: 031020934X
Dewey Decimal Number: 223.8077
EAN: 9780310209348
ASIN: 031020934X
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Product Description
Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs, which is part of the NIV Application Commentary Series, helps readers learn how the message of Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs can have the same powerful impact today that they did when they were first written.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Very Good July 9, 2008
I give this four stars because I am not yet finished with it (currently in Ecclesiastes 3). If the material maintains the same course it could easily attain the next star. I like it because of its exegetical and homiletical value. I think it is thorough, perhaps a bit wordy, but that is something I like (at least as he has done so).
As a preacher all I need is a seed sown and I can build the rest.
 Clear thinking on some confusing books May 10, 2008
Iain Provan is one of the most balanced and thoughful OT scholars alive today, and this commentary is just another example of his outstanding thoughfulness. His comments on Ecclesiastes help the reader see a unity and logical flow to a book that almost defies logical flow. What was very interesting was his take on the meaning of the word, "hebel" (sometimes translated as "vanity" or "meaningless"). Provan suggests an alternate translation of "fleeting" that makes better sense of the book as a whole. Life is not without meaning, according to the writer of Ecclesiastes. It is fleeting, and thus the activities that are designed to "use life rather than live life" create a sense of futility.
In the Song of Songs, Provan opts for a three person drama- the Shulammite woman, the king who takes her into his harem and her devoted lover from the country. Again, this interpretational grid helps unravel some of the confusion of the text, such as "How could a book devoted to sexual intimacy in marriage exalt a king with so many concubines?"
Provan's exegesis is first-rate, his theological reflections are penetrating and how he bridges contexts are worth their weight in gold for the person who is using this commentary to help prepare lessons or sermons on either of these books. Provan is at once readable and profound and you will find that purchasing this commentary will be money very well spent!!
Excellent commentary April 20, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
Dr Provan's exegesis is very insightful and penetrating. He avoids cliches in discussing Ecclesiastes and gets down to the heart of interpretation. One of the best commentaries on Ecclesisastes I have read.
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