Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs: NIV Application Commentary [NIVAC]

Iain Provan (PhD, Cambridge University) is Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College. An ordained minister of the Church of Scotland, he is the author of commentaries on Lamentations and 1 and 2 Kings.

“At a time when many pastors are deeply in need of inspiration and encouragement, these volumes would be a good investment for congregations.” -- Christianity Today

“At a time when many pastors are deeply in need of inspiration and encouragement, these volumes… would be a good investment for congregations, even if it means adding a line to the annual budget.” -- Christianity Today

“The NIV Application Commentary meets the urgent need for an exhaustive and authoritative commentary based on the New International Version. This series will soon be found in libraries and studies throughout the entire evangelical community.” -- Dr. James Kennedy, PhD, Senior Minister, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church

“The NIV Application Commentary series doesn’t fool around: It gets right down to business, bringing this ancient and powerful Word of God into the present so that it can be heard and delivered with all the freshness of a new day, with all the immediacy of a friend’s embrace.” -- Eugene Peterson

“The NIV Application Commentary series helps pastors and other Bible teachers with one of the most neglected elements of good preaching---accurate, useful application. Most commentaries tell you a few things that are helpful and much that you do not need to know. By dealing with the original meaning and contemporary significance of each passage, the NIV Application Commentary series promises to be helpful all the way around.” -- Dr. James Montgomery Boice, Tenth Presbyterian Church

“The NIV Application Commentary series promises to be of great service to all who preach and teach the Word of God.” -- J. I. Packer, Regent College

“The NIV Application Commentary series will be a great help for readers who want to understand what the Bible means, how it applies, and what they should do in response.” -- Stuart Briscoe, Pastor, Elmbrook Church

“There are commentaries that provide insights into the historical, cultural, and literary contexts of the Bible. Others get us into the pastoral application of the text for our cultural moment. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a commentary series that does both with excellence? That’s exactly what NIVAC accomplishes. This series is one of the first places I turn to in my theological process for exegesis and building the bridge of application.” -- Joel Muddamalle, director of theology and research, Proverbs 31 Ministries

“This series promises to become an indispensable tool for every pastor and teacher who seeks to make the Bible’s timeless message speak to this generation.” -- Billy Graham

“This is the pulpit commentary for the 21st Century” -- George K. Brushaber, President, Bethel College & Seminary

The NIV Application Commentary series has been an essential resource for a generation of pastors and laypeople seeking a deeper understanding of the biblical text and its relevance today. The series features careful exposition of the text by some of the most well-respected evangelical scholars alive today with an eye to contemporary relevance. I'm delighted to commend it to a new generation for personal and group Bible study, preaching, and classroom use. -- Carmen Joy Imes, associate professor of Old Testament, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

“Brings the ancient and powerful Word of God into the present so that it can be heard and believed with all the freshness of a new day.” -- Eugene H. Peterson

“Here at last is a commentary which is not only academically well informed but which helps that commentary reader hear God’s Word and consider its implications; scholarship in service of the Church.” -- Arthur Rowe, Spurgeons College

“If you want to avoid hanging applicational elephants from interpretational threads, then the NIV Application Commentary is for you! This series excels at both original meaning and contemporary significance. I support it one hundred percent.” -- Howard G. Hendricks, Dallas Theological Seminary

“It is encouraging to find a commentary that is not only biblically trustworthy but also contemporary in its application. The NIV Application Commentary series will prove to be a helpful tool in the pastor’s sermon preparation. I use it and recommend it.” -- Charles F. Stanley, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Atlanta

“It takes more than interpretation of God's Word to change lives, it takes application. Application is the bottom line in preaching and teaching. Without it, we’ve missed the point of the Bible. The NIV Application Commentary is an outstanding resource for pastors and anyone else who is serious about developing ‘doers of the Word.’” -- Rick Warren, Pastor, Saddleback Valley Community Church

“The NIV Application Commentary builds bridges that make the Bible come alive with meaning for contemporary life--and the series do so concisely, clearly, and accurately. No wasted words or academic detours--just solid help and practical truth.” -- Warren W. Weirsbe

“The NIV Application Commentary dares to go where few scholars have gone before---into the real world of biblical application faced by pastor and teachers every day. This is everything a good commentary series should be.” -- Leith Anderson, Pastor, Wooddale Church

“The NIV Application Commentary is a magnificent gift to the church!” -- Dr. R. Kent Hughes, Pastor, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois