Jensens survey of the old testament adam 178

VII. FURTHER STUDY
1. Make an extensive study of the subject
“vanity” in Ecclesiastes.
2. Study the Bible’s descriptions of the
Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles.
This was the Jews’ most joyous feast of the


year. Why do you suppose they chose to
read Ecclesiastes, with its many pessimistic
portions, at that feast?
VIII. SELECTED READING
GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Archer, Gleason L. A Survey of Old Testament
Introduction, pp. 459-72.
Beecher, Willis J. “Ecclesiastes.” In The
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
2:894-97.
Delitzsch, Franz. Commentary on the Song of
Songs and Ecclesiastes, pp. 179-217.
Hendry, G. S. “Ecclesiastes.” In The New
Bible Commentary, pp. 570-71.
McNeile, A. H. An Introduction to Ecclesiastes.
Morgan, G. Campbell. Living Messages of the
Books of the Bible, pp. 56-70.
Oesterley, W. O. E. The Wisdom of Egypt and


the Old Testament.
Williams, A. Lukyn. Ecclesiastes, pp. v-lv.

Young, Edward J. An Introduction to the Old
Testament, pp. 339-44.
COMMENTARIES

Chambers, Oswald. Shade of His Hand.
Delitzsch, Franz. Commentary on the Song of
Songs and Ecclesiastes.
Laurin, Robert. “Ecclesiastes.” In The
Wycliffe Bible Commentary.
Leupold, H. C. Exposition of Ecclesiastes.
Rankin, O. S. “The Book of Ecclesiastes.” In
The Interpreter’s Bible.
1. In the Hebrew Old Testament, as well as
the Greek New Testament, the rst letter of a
proper noun is not distinguished from the other
letters, like the capitalizations in the English
language (e.g., Preacher).


2. Many commentators feel that the author
lived a few hundred years after Solomon’s time.
See Gleason L. Archer, A Survey of Old Testament
Introduction, pp. 462-72, for a defense of
Solomonic authorship. Some hold the view that
the author was an impersonator of Solomon in
the book, and that he lived a few hundred years
after Solomon.
3. It is interesting to observe that the
historical, poetical, and prophetical sections of
the Old Testament are of approximately equal

length, chapterwise: historical books, 249
chapters; poetical books, 243 chapters;
prophetical books, 250 chapters.
4. Each of the ve “rolls” was read at an
annual Jewish feast. Ecclesiastes was read at the
Feast of Tabernacles, which was the most joyous
of the festivals.
5. E. C. Stedman, quoted by W. Graham
Scroggie, Know Your Bible, 1:144.
6. The familiar Old Testament name of “Lord
does not appear in Ecclesiastes.