Fictional Akkadian Autobiography: A Generic and Comparative Study (Eisenbrauns, 1990)

Dr. Longman explores the genre of fictional autobiography in Akkadian literature, categorizing the texts into subgenres and comparing the Akkadian texts to similar texts from other ancient Near Eastern cultures.

Raymond B. Dillard and Tremper Longman III, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Zondervan, 1994)

Several distinctives set this volume apart from other introductions to the Old Testament: It is thoroughly evangelical in its perspective. It emphasizes "special introduction" -- the study of individual books. It interacts in an irenic spirit with the historical-critical method. It features high points of research history and representative scholars rather than an exhaustive treatment of past scholarship. It deals with the meaning of each book not in isolation, but in a canonical context. It probes the meaning of each book in the setting of its culture. With an eye on understanding the nature of Old Testament historiography, An Introduction to the Old Testament offers the reader a solid understanding of three key issues: historical background, literary analysis, and theological message.

How to Read the Psalms (InterVarsity, 1988)

Tremper Longman III describes different types of psalms, explains how they were used in Hebrew worship and shows how they relate to other Scripture.

Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind (NavPress, 1997)

As God's written Word to us, the Bible is the single most powerful agent for transforming our lives. But too often our Bible reading becomes routine and fails to engage our hearts as well as our minds. In Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind, Tremper Longman will help you discover the incredible power of the Scriptures to mold you into the character of Christ. "Even though the Bible is powerful," writes Longman, "we don't change just because we read it. Our minds may be engaged, but something needs to happen to our hearts as well." If you want to rekindle your passion for God's Word, this book will help you learn to accurately read, understand, and respond to God's Word in ways that will develop deep intimacy with Christ and transform you into His image.

Old Testament Commentary Survey (Baker, 1995)

This is a useful guide for anyone in the market for Old Testament Commentaries.

New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Ecclesiastes (Eerdmans, 1998)

"Meaningless," says Qohelet, the main speaker in Ecclesiastes, "everything is meaningless." How does this pessimistic perspective fit into the rest of biblical revelation? In this commentary Tremper Longman III addresses this question by taking a canonical-Christocentric approach to the meaning of Ecclesiastes. Longman first provides an extensive introduction to Ecclesiastes, exploring background matters and arguing that the author of Ecclesiastes is not Solomon, as has been traditionally thought, but a writer who adopts a Solomonic persona. In the verse-by-verse commentary that follows, Longman helps clarify the confusing, sometimes contradictory message of Ecclesiastes by showing that the book should be divided into three sections and that the frame narrative provided by prologue (1:1 - 11) and epilogue (12:8 - 14) is the key to understanding the message of the book as a whole.

New International Commentary on the Old Testament: Song of Songs (Eerdmans, 2001)

With this new volume in the NICOT series, Tremper Longman has written the finest commentary to date on the Song of Songs, unpacking for modern readers what this ancient love poem says about the male-female relationship -- and about God's love for his people. Beginning with an extensive introduction to the Song of Songs and its background, Longman discusses the book's authorship, date, literary style, language, structure, and theological content. In the commentary itself, Longman structures the Song of Songs according to its twenty-three poetic units and explains its message verse by verse. Though the Song of Songs has had a long history of repression by interpretation, Longman shows this beautiful portion of Scripture to be a timeless celebration of human love and sexuality.

The NIV Application Commentary: Daniel (Zondervan, 1999)

This volume of the NIV Application Commentary Series helps readers learn how the message of Daniel can have the same powerful impact today that it did when it was first written. Beginning the Old Testament part of the series, this volume explores the meanings of the book of Daniel in its ancient context, then helps the reader make the leap to modern-day applications.

The NIV Application Commentary Series explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it can speak powerfully today. Each passage is explored from three vital perspectives: The Original Meaning section helps students understand the problems, questions, and concerns of the original audience and how the biblical author spoke to those issues. All of the elements of traditional exegesis are discussed here. The Bridging Contexts section builds a bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today by looking for the timeless message in the timely pages of Scripture. The Contemporary Significance section shows how the eternal truths spoken in a different time and culture apply to the similar-yet-different needs of our culture.

Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III, Bold Love (NavPress, 1993)

We've come to view love as being nice. Forgiving and forgetting. Yielding to the desires of others. Yet the kind of love modeled by Jesus Christ has nothing to do with manners or unconditional acceptance. Rather, it is shrewd. Disruptive. Courageous. And, as a result, socially unacceptable. In Bold Love, Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III draw out the aggressive, unrelenting, passionate power of genuine love. Far from helping you "get along" with others, Bold Love introduces the outlandish possibility of making a significant, life-changing impact on family, friends, coworkers -- even your enemies.

Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III, The Cry of the Soul : How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God (NavPress, 1999)

For the person who struggles with negative emotions such as anger, fear, or jealousy, The Cry of the Soul tells us how even negative emotions can lead us closer to God. Beginning with the Psalms, Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III explore what Scripture says about our darker emotions. In this ground-breaking work they reveal that often our attempts to control our emotions -- far from an attempt to be Christlike -- are really a form of rebellion against God or an attempt to flee from Him. The Cry of the Soul is a penetrating look at the condition of the human heart. You won't find the kind of answers that alleviate struggle or help you overcome anger, jealousy, or despair in three easy steps. But you can encounter God Himself, who exults in using darkness to reveal the brilliance of His infinite goodness.

Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III, Intimate Allies (Tyndale, 1999)

Intimate Allies strips away cultural expectations and takes a fresh look at God's design for the marriage relationship. The authors focus on five foundations taken from Genesis 1-3 and include an extensive review of other biblical passages on marriage. Each section begins with a real-life story concerning an unresolved marriage issue and concludes with the same story built on the "foundation" of a godly marriage. With eloquence and wisdom, this book will challenge readers to move their marriages out of the mundane and into the fulfilling and enriching experiences God intended.

Dan B. Allender and Tremper Longman III, Bold Purpose: Exchanging Counterfeit Happiness for the Real Meaning of Life (Tyndale, 1998)

Allender and Longman use fiction and nonfiction to explore how we can find meaning in a culture that looks for God in all the wrong places.

Leland Ryken, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, James C. Wilhoit, eds., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (InterVarsity, 1998)

Every reader of the Bible has encountered the powerful, comforting and sometimes puzzling imagery of Scripture. These concrete pictures with their hidden force have struck sharp and lasting impressions on our minds. Their imprint has etched itself on the language and grammar of Christian faith and Western culture. Traditional Bible dictionaries and reference works offer little help to explorers of the Bible's galaxy of verbal pictures. They excel in describing the climate, borders and location of Galilee or Sinai. But they are often blind to the artistic expressions and deaf to the musical meanings that echo from within the world of the biblical text.

The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery is the first contemporary reference work dedicated to exploring the images, symbols, motifs, metaphors and literary patterns found in the Bible. More than that, it examines the Bible's universal archetypes or master images -- including the plot motifs and character types that recur throughout life, literature and the Bible. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery explores the dazzling variety in which the Word of God comes dressed in the clothes of everyday life. It traces the trail of images from Eden to the New Jerusalem. It captures the plotted patterns of biblical narrative. It surveys the imaged texture of each book of the Bible. Here is a Bible dictionary with a difference -- an inviting, enlightening and indispensable companion to the reading, study, contemplation and enjoyment of the Bible.

Leland Ryken, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, James C. Wilhoit, eds., Complete Literary Guide to the Bible (Zondervan, 1993)

This collection of essays has various authors, both biblical and literary scholars, addressing either a general topic dealing with the Bible as literature or a specific book or genre of the Bible.