Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, vol. 6 | CBC)

The books of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs belong to the category of writings typically termed “wisdom literature.” Biblical wisdom may be defined as the exposition of a fundamental order within the universe, and wisdom is to know and follow this order. The reality of life is that the affirmations of traditional wisdom often contradict the experience of the faithful. Bad things happen to good people; and, conversely, good things often happen to bad people. August H. Konkel confronts the tension in the book of Job between the idea that virtue has its own reward and the reality that the virtuous often suffer. In his commentary on Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs, Tremper Longman III explores the meaning of life and love.