In the 2017-18 academic year, I took a group of Stanford College students through the book of Ecclesiastes. Several months later, I preached a sermon entitled, “Solomon’s Great Commission” to our congregation. This sermon narrowed in on one of Solomon’s dominant themes in the book: the enjoyment of earthly life. A year later, I published a small book with the same name that more fully developed my argument from the sermon. It has been a delight to study, teach, and write about this portion of Scripture.
At first blush, the book of Ecclesiastes seems like a cynical rant—something you might find written by a disgruntled philosophy major at a large university (like Stanford!). Upon closer examination, however, Ecclesiastes is a book of profound wisdom, offered to all people with arresting honesty and candor. A thorough study of this book will, I trust, bolster your contentment and deepen your appreciation for Christ and the gift of earthly life.
Although there are many other commentaries on Ecclesiastes (many of which reside on my shelf), below are the books I found most helpful in my teaching, preaching, and writing preparation. I believe they will serve you well as you trek through this great book.
Charles Bridges, Ecclesiastes, Geneva Series of Commentaries. This commentary is what you might call devotional, although that is not a very useful classification since many of us mistake devotional with exegetically thin and sentimental. Like other works by Charles Bridges (1794-1869), this one offers readers rich spiritual wisdom drawn from thoughtful engagement with the text. Nevertheless, there are places in my judgment where Bridges jumps too quickly from commenting on the text of Ecclesiastes to bringing in truth from other Scriptures to support and apply his point. While always deeply helpful, there were times when I was left with some unanswered exegetical questions and the actual meaning of the text was not made clear.
Michael Eaton, Ecclesiastes, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. I found Michael Eaton’s commentary to be a good blend of exegetical care and spiritual insight. Eaton deals with the Hebrew (though not overly technical) and offers interpretational options on tough passages. These Tyndale commentaries are concise, so you don’t have to wade through lots of technical discussion to get to some clear exegetical conclusions.
Philip Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters (Preaching the Word Series). This was a very helpful expositional commentary. Ryken provided insight into the text as well as helping me apply Solomon’s observations to my students. Quick note: this is not Ryken’s book on Ecclesiastes, Why Everything Matters. I have both, and I recommend the commentary.
David Gibson, Living Life Backwards: How Ecclesiastes Teaches to Live in Light of the End. This is a book more than a commentary, but it was still very good. I read Gibson first in my study and it gave me a good “big picture” of the book of Ecclesiastes. Most memorable quote: “Life is gift, not gain.” Here are twenty-six more excellent quotes from Gibson’s work.
William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes: The Philippians of the Old Testament. This is a good blend of an exegetical and expositional commentary. It deals with difficult texts, but it is well-written and accessible. It is probably my top pick for understanding some of the more difficult themes and passages in Ecclesiastes. I especially appreciate Barrick’s defense of Solomonic authorship as well as his comments on Solomon’s view of work as a source of legitimate earthly enjoyment.
Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Ecclesiastes (Reformed Expository Commentary). This was another good commentary, along the same lines as Ryken’s commentary (expositional/applicational), but still very solid. O’Donnell clarified many things for me, wrote in a winsome, captivating style, and provided many illustrations from literature and history. I really enjoyed reading this book.
Craig G. Barthlolomew, Ecclesiastes (Baker Commentary on the Old Testament, Wisdom, and Psalms). This work was the most thorough of all of the commentaries listed above, but it was a good blend of background information, exegetical insight, and expositional help.
Conclusion
Ecclesiastes is a tough book, but it rewards careful, diligent study. Although my initial engagement with the text was bewildering—even discouraging—due to the incredible difficulty of understanding Solomon’s argument, I was, in the end, greatly blessed by grappling with the Preacher’s difficult sayings. You will be, too. Just hang in there.
