Westminster Bible Companion: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs

by Ellen F. Davis

Publisher:

Westminster John Knox

, 2000

Overview

These books of the Bible, despite their differences, all treat the phenomenon of what it means to live wisely before God. In this readable commentary, Ellen Davis points out that the writers of these books considered wisdom—and the fruits of wisdom, a well-ordered life and a peaceful mind—to be within the grasp of anyone wholeheartedly desiring it.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Contains concise introductions to each book
• Unfolds the various contexts and principles found in Scripture
• Helps prepare pastors, students, and laity relay the Bible's teaching in a clear way

Contents

Top Highlights

“Far from being a secular composition, the Song is profoundly revelatory. Its unique contribution to the biblical canon is to point to the healing of the deepest wounds in the created order, and even the wounds in God’s own heart, made by human sin. Most briefly stated, the Song is about repairing the damage done by the first disobedience in Eden, what Christian tradition calls ‘the Fall.’” (Page 231)

“Although it is unlikely that Solomon wrote the Song, nonetheless there is a sense in which it may justly be called his. He never appears as a speaking character, yet Solomon—or Solomon’s world—figures importantly in the lovers’ imaginations, both positively and negatively. The woman imagines herself in the royal court with the lover she calls ‘the king’ (1:4, 12). On the other hand, the man feels pity or contempt for Solomon, the husband of too many wives, when he himself is so happily devoted to one woman (see the comment at 8:11–12).” (Page 239)

“But the great teacher Rabbi Akiba made the defense speech that settled the matter: ‘All the Scriptures are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies’ (Mishnah Yadayim 3:5) Maybe Akiba, himself a profound mystic, meant exactly what he said.” (Pages 240–241)

“I hope to show that the sexual and the religious understandings of the Song are mutually informative, and that each is incomplete without the other.” (Page 233)

“Yet a rabbinic story suggests that some ancients believed that the Song of Songs was worthy to replace the Temple as a means of access to God.” (Page 240)

Product Details

• Title: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs
• Author: Ellen F. Davis
• Series: Westminster Bible Companion
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox
• Print Publication Date: 2000
• Logos Release Date: 2013
• Pages: 320
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. Proverbs › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. Ecclesiastes › Commentaries; Bible. O.T. Song of Solomon › Commentaries
• Resource ID: LLS:WBCS20PR
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-24T16:45:28Z

About Ellen F. Davis

Professor Davis is interested in theological interpretation of the Old Testament, with particular concern for Christian preaching. Her current work focuses also on developing an exegetically based response to the ecological crisis. A lay Episcopalian, she has been involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue for more than 30 years. Her previous teaching appointments were at Union Theological Seminary (New York City), Yale Divinity School, and the Virginia Theological Seminary.