Richard Hess has written an insightful commentary on one of the most intriguing books of the Bible, which celebrates God’s gift of love. Following an introduction to the biblical book and a history of its interpretation, Hess divides his discussion into seven major sections. Each section begins with a fresh translation, followed by paragraph-by-paragraph commentary, and concludes with a summary of the passage’s theological implications. Technical questions related to the Hebrew text or scholarly debate are addressed in the footnotes. This is volume one in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series.

Richard S. Hess (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary. He is the editor or author of a number of works, including the commentary on Joshua in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series, Family in the Bible, and Israel’s Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls.