The best Ecclesiastes commentaries are listed below. There are exegetical commentaries, scholarly and technical commentaries, as well as commentaries that are easy to understand. The “Top 10” list is based on aggregate reviews.
This list of commentaries is intended to help the reader understand and apply the author’s message in the book of Ecclesiastes. They are not suggested as a replacement for prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the reader’s own diligent study of Scripture.
It is hoped that these books will aid the Christian pastor, preacher, teacher, student, as well as any Bible reader that wants to understand more about Ecclesiastes.
May each reader’s aim be to glorify God in Jesus Christ; to strengthen Christ’s bride, the Church; and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.
After browsing the commentaries below, please see Best Bible Commentaries: Top 50. Based on aggregate reviews.
10 Best Ecclesiastes Commentaries
Please read: The “Top 10” list below is a starting point for learning about Ecclesiastes commentaries. It is not intended to be the “final word” because of its limitations.
Nevertheless, a list based on aggregate reviews is likely to point many people in the right direction to find the right resource for their purposes.
#1
The Book of Ecclesiastes
New International Commentary on the Old Testament
by Tremper Longman III
Reviews and Accolades:
• Desiring God: #1 recommended commentary on Ecclesiastes
• Keith Mathison: #5 ranked commentary on Ecclesiastes, “Like many, Longman argues that the monologue by Qohelet (the main speaker in the book) is framed by the words of a narrator.”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Longman also wrote one of the best Daniel commentaries, and one of the best Proverbs commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.
Purpose: From the publisher: “All of the NICOT volumes combine superior scholarship, an evangelical view of Scripture as the Word of God, and concern for the life of faith today.
Each volume features an extensive introduction treating the biblical book’s authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology. The author’s own translation of the original Hebrew and verse-by-verse commentary follow.
The commentary itself carefully balances coverage of technical matters with exposition of the biblical text’s theology and implications.”
See more about the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series.
Also see the best one-volume Bible commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.
#2
Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
NIV Application Commentary
by Iain Provan
Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4 out 5 stars, “one of the most interesting commentaries… the theme of the book proclaims that true love resists coerced legal love”
• Keith Mathison: #3 ranked commentary on Ecclesiastes, “Provan offers helpful insight into the meaning of the book and its relevance today. This work will prove especially helpful to preachers.”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Purpose: From the General Editor: The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context.
The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the process of moving from the original meaning of a passage to its contemporary significance.”
See more about the NIV Application Commentary series.
#3
The Message of Ecclesiastes
The Bible Speaks Today
by Derek Kidner
Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: “well written and sensible…shows application to life as well”
• Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Ecclesiastes, “It is a popular level work, accessible to any reader, yet it still contains profound insight and application. Highly recommended.”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Kidner also wrote one of the best Genesis commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.
Purpose: From the publisher: The “the three distinctives of The Bible Speaks Today series are (1) “BST authors are committed to a serious study of the text in its own integrity,” (2) that “expositors should not be antiquarians, living only in the remote past” but suggest application for living, and (3) “each book is intended to be both readable in style and manageable in size.”
See more about the Bible Speaks Today commentary series.
#4
Ecclesiastes
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by Michael A. Eaton
Reviews and Accolades:
• Keith Mathison: #2 ranked commentary on Ecclesiastes, “Eaton views Ecclesiastes as an apologetic essay. It defends the life of faith in God by detailing how terrible the alternative is.”
• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “The most helpful of the evangelical commentaries.”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.
It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”
See more about the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.
#5
Ecclesiastes
Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms
by Craig G. Bartholomew
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 5 out of 5 stars, “excellent commentary, especially strong in history of interpretation and biblical theology”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Purpose: From the publisher: “Respected Old Testament scholar Craig Bartholomew, coauthor of the well-received Drama of Scripture, provides a careful exegetical reading of Ecclesiastes in this addition to the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series.
Along with helpful translation and commentary, Ecclesiastes considers the theological implications of the text and its literary, historical, and grammatical dimensions...
Pastors, teachers, and all serious students of the Bible will find here an accessible commentary that will serve as an excellent resource for their study.”
See more about the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series.
#6
Ecclesiastes
Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary
by Peter Enns
Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4.5 out 5 stars, “Enns carefully and insightfully interprets the book and shows its immense relevance”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Enns also wrote one of the best Exodus commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.
Purpose: From the publisher: “Two features distinguish The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary series: theological exegesis and theological reflection…
The result is a paragraph-by-paragraph engagement with the text that is deliberately theological in focus.”
See more about the Two Horizons Bible commentary series.
#7
Ecclesiastes and Song Of Solomon
The Preacher’s Commentary
by David A. Hubbard
Reviews and Accolades:
• Keith Mathison: #3 ranked commentary on Ecclesiastes, “Between Hubbard and Provan, preachers should be able to help their people understand more clearly this difficult portion of God’s inerrant Word.”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “The New King James Bible has been chosen for the Preacher’s Commentary because it combines with integrity the beauty of language, underlying Hebrew and Greek textual basis, and thought-flow of the 1611 King James Version…
Readers who are more comfortable with another translation can readily find the parallel passage by means of the chapter and verse reference at the end of each passage being exposited.
The paragraphs of exposition combine fresh insights to the Scripture, application, rich illustrative material, and innovative ways of utilizing the vibrant truth for his or her own life and for the challenge of communicating it with vigor and vitality.”
See more about The Preacher’s Commentary series.
#8
A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up:
A Rereading of Ecclesiastes
by Michael V. Fox
Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “Fox’s idea of Ecclesiastes as a framed monologue is very provocative”
Purpose: From the publisher: “Pervaded as it is with pessimism, paradox, and a multitude of contradictions, Ecclesiastes has long been one of the most difficult books of the Bible to understand.
As this study demonstrates, however, it is precisely these contradictions that make Ecclesiastes so meaningful and so powerfully relevant to life in the world.
By looking carefully at the language and thought of Ecclesiastes, as well as at its uses of contradictions in probing the meaning of life, Fox confronts the problems that have confounded interpretation of this biblical book.
He shows that by using contradiction to tear down holistic claims of meaning and purpose in the world and rebuilding meaning in a local, restricted sense instead, the author of Ecclesiastes shapes a bold, honest-and ultimately uplifting-vision of life.
Based on solid scholarly insight yet readable by all, Fox’s work provides some of the best commentary available on this challenging section of Scripture.”
#9
Ecclesiastes
JPS Torah Commentary
by Michael Fox
Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “contains a helpful history of interpretation”
Purpose: From the publisher: “The JPS Torah Commentary series guides readers through the words and ideas of the Torah. Each volume is the work of a scholar who stands at the pinnacle of his field.
Every page contains the complete traditional Hebrew text, with cantillation notes, the JPS translation of the Holy Scriptures, aliyot breaks, Masoretic notes, and commentary by a distinguished Hebrew Bible scholar, integrating classical and modern sources.
Each volume also contains supplementary essays that elaborate upon key words and themes, a glossary of commentators and sources, extensive bibliographic notes, and maps.”
See more about the JPS Bible Commentary series.
#10
Ecclesiastes
The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
by Choon-Leong Seow
Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “readable yet scholarly…the theological notes are often insightful”
Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary
Purpose: From the publisher: “The series “vigorously pursues the goal of bringing to a wide audience the most important new ideas, the latest research findings, and the clearest possible analysis of the Bible.”
See more about the Anchor Bible Commentary series.
More Book of Ecclesiastes Commentaries for Christian Ministry
Please read: Why are the Ecclesiastes commentaries below not in the “Top 10”? It’s not because they have received poor reviews or because people haven’t found them helpful. The reasons vary:
- Some are relatively new and haven’t been widely reviewed, read, or used yet.
- Others haven’t been widely distributed, so it is difficult to get enough information to aggregate.
- Still others may be outdated in relation to biblical scholarship or out of print and difficult to acquire.
The “Top 10” list is reviewed annually. Readers are encouraged to consider the volumes in this section before making a purchase. These 10 are not in any particular order.
Ecclesiastes
Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised
by Jerry E. Shepherd
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4 out 5 stars, “helpful short commentary on the book… very readable”
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Written primarily by expositors for expositors… its stance is that of a scholarly evangelicalism committed to the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible… the chief principle followed in this commentary is the grammatico-historical.”
See more about the Expositor’s Bible Commentary series.
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
New American Commentary
by Duane A. Garrett
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The New American Commentary is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.” This “series has been designed primarily to enable pastors, teachers, and students to read the Bible with clarity and proclaim it with power.”
See more about the New American Commentary series.
Ecclesiastes
Reformed Expositional Commentary
by Douglas Sean O’Donnell
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
O’Donnell also wrote one of the best Matthew commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.
Purpose: The REC series has “four fundamental commitments. First, these commentaries aim to be biblical… Second, these commentaries are unashamedly doctrinal… Third, these commentaries are redemptive-historical… Fourth, these commentaries are practical…” All authors are “pastor-scholars.”
See more about the Reformed Expository Commentary series.
Ecclesiastes
Concordia Commentary
by James Bollhagen
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Theology, Audience, Purpose: Gibbs takes an evangelical approach to Scripture. He is evangelical and Lutheran.
While not technical, the volumes in the Concordia Commentary series reflect seminary-level scholarship. The target audience is pastors, professors, and teachers.
According to the publisher, authors in the Concordia series “fully affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture as it emphasizes ‘that which promotes Christ’ in each pericope.”
See more about the Concordia Commentary series.
Ecclesiastes
A Mentor Commentary
by Richard P. Belcher, Jr.
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Interview: See Best Bible Commentaries’ interview with Richard Belcher on this volume
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Belcher also wrote one of the best Genesis commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.
Purpose: From the publisher: “Mentor books are written at a level suitable for Bible College and seminary students, pastors, and other serious readers.” See more about Mentor commentaries.
Ecclesiastes
Word Biblical Commentary
by Roland Murphy
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “WBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation.
It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.”
See more about the Word Biblical Commentary series.
Ecclesiastes
Apollos Old Testament Commentary
by Daniel C. Fredericks
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Apollos Old Testament Commentary (AOTC) aims to take with equal seriousness the divine and human aspects of Scripture.
It expounds the books of the Old Testament in a scholarly manner accessible to non-experts, and it shows the relevance of the Old Testament to modern readers.
Written by an international team of scholars and edited by David W. Baker and Gordon J. Wenham, these commentaries are intended to serve the needs of those who preach from the Old Testament, as well as scholars and all serious students of the Bible.”
See more about the Apollos Old Testament Commentary series.
Ecclesiastes
The Gospel According to the Old Testament
by Zack Eswine
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Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Gospel According to the Old Testament series illuminates the good news of our Savior in the Old Testament books. Here you will find thoughtful, Christ-focused theology at an accessible level.”
See more about the Gospel According to the Old Testament commentary series.
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
Brazos Theological Commentary
by Daniel Treier
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible enlists leading theologians to read and interpret Scripture for the twenty-first century, just as the church fathers, the Reformers, and other Orthodox Christians did for their times and places.
The commentaries are designed to serve the church—through aid in preaching, teaching, study groups, and so forth—and demonstrate the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible.”
See more about the Brazos Theological Commentary series.
Ecclesiastes
Abingdon Old Testament Commentary
by Julie Ann Duncan
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries series offers compact, critical commentaries on all the books of the Old Testament.
In addition to providing fundamental information on and insights into Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful, critical exegesis so as to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed engagement of the biblical texts themselves.
These commentaries are written with special attention to the needs and interests of theology students, but they will also be useful for students in upper-level college or university settings, as well as for pastors and other church leaders.”
See more about Abingdon commentaries.
Ecclesiastes
The Old Testament Library
by James L. Crenshaw
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.”
See more about the Old Testament Library commentary series.
Classic Ecclesiastes Commentaries
Ecclesiastes
Geneva Series of Commentaries
by Charles Bridges
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Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “Charles Bridges’ commentary on Ecclesiastes shows that this neglected book of Scripture is relevant for today. Our land needs to be awakened to the futility of seeking happiness without God.”
Ecclesiastes
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
by J. Robert Wright
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The vast array of writings from the church fathers — including much that is available only in the ancient languages — have been combed for their comment on Scripture.”
See more about the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series.
Also see:
Compare 75 different commentary series on the Bible Commentary Series Comparison Chart