This concise commentary, excerpted from the Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha, engages readers in the work of biblical interpretation. Contributors connect historical-critical analysis with sensitivity to current theological, cultural, and interpretive issues. introductory articles describe the challenges of reading the Old Testament in ancient and contemporary contexts, relating the biblical theme of the people of God to our complex, multicultural world, and reading the Old Testament as Christian Scripture, followed by a survey of Introduction to Wisdom and Worship: Themes and Perspectives in the Poetic Writings. Each chapter (Job through Song of Songs) includes an introduction and commentary on the text through the lenses of three critical questions: The Text in Its Ancient Context; The Text in the Interpretive Tradition; The Text in Contemporary Discussion. Wisdom, Worship, and Poetry introduces fresh perspectives and draws students, as well as preachers and interested readers, into the challenging work of interpretation.