Song of Songs is the first of six volumes in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series. This series is tailored to the distinctives of poetry and wisdom literature. Features include:

" Emphasis on the message of the biblical book
" Special attention to poetic structure and literary devices
" Incisive comments based on the author’s translation of the Hebrew text
" Exegetical rigor, incorporating linguistic, historical, and canonical insights
" Closing reflections on each section that explore the text’s theological dimensions
" Textual notes that provide resources for advanced readers

Additional volumes in the series include Job by Tremper Longman III; Psalms by John Goldingay; Proverbs by Tremper Longman III; and Ecclesiastes by Craig G. Bartholomew.

Finally, here is an up-to-date commentary on the Song of Songs that is easy to use. With superb clarity and concision, Hess’s commentary makes a world of scholarship about the Song of Songs available to a broad audience. Readers will enjoy Hess’s close attention to the lyrical beauty of the Song of Songs and his discussions of the book’s theological insights.–Mark S. Smith, Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, New York University

Not much of the Song of Songs shows up in church liturgy. It seems x-rated and so user unfriendly that we want to keep it in a plain brown wrapper, but Richard Hess is not afraid of this song. He has put it squarely in the center of the Bible, where it has always been, and said ‘Fear not! There is music in this piece. Tear away the brown wrapping. Then sit quiet and the ancient music will begin.’ Thank you, Richard. We can hear it–exotic and mystical, romantic and intimate, scriptural and sexual–a song for the ages.–Calvin Miller, Beeson Divinity School