The Wisdom Books

The five wisdom books are distinctly different from each other, but have as a unifying theme a contrast between “the righteous” and “the ungodly,” and not simply between “the wise” and “the fool.” Job wrestles with why a righteous person suffers. Psalms, the most beloved book of the Old Testament, is a hymnbook. Proverbs contains practical, everyday philosophy. Ecclesiastes is about the apparent futility of life. And the Song of Solomon is a drama that extols the preciousness of human love.

The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Although each reading is short, the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. More than 200 daily readings let you explore all five wisdom books in depth.

The commentary for each of the wisdom books is introduced by an overview, summary, outline, key themes, and relevance of that book for today.