Tremper Longman III

Tremper Longman III is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College and one of the most prolific evangelical Old Testament scholars of his generation. He has authored or co-authored over thirty books and numerous articles spanning biblical commentary, ancient Near Eastern literature, and Old Testament theology.

Academic Background

Longman earned his Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies from Yale University, with expertise in Akkadian and Sumerian literature alongside Hebrew Bible studies. Before joining Westmont College, he served for eighteen years on the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His academic training in ancient Near Eastern languages and comparative literature informs his commentary work, giving his exegesis a strong philological and cultural grounding. He has served as a translator and editor for multiple Bible translation projects, and his scholarly influence extends across both academic and pastoral audiences.

Major Works

Longman is best known for his commentaries on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, both widely respected across the evangelical spectrum. His Proverbs commentary in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms series is valued for its careful attention to Hebrew parallelism and the social context of Israelite wisdom traditions. His Ecclesiastes commentary in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT) series is considered a standard evangelical reference on the book, noted for its literary sensitivity and theological balance.

Beyond wisdom literature, he has contributed commentaries on Daniel, Song of Songs, and Jeremiah/Lamentations, and co-authored An Introduction to the Old Testament with Raymond Dillard, a widely adopted seminary textbook.

⚠ Theological Caution

NOTE: His positions on Genesis 1-11 historicity and the Flood depart from strict conservative readings. Longman views the Flood as a real but likely regional event described in hyperbolic language, not a global deluge as traditionally understood. He treats the early chapters of Genesis as theological narrative that communicates truth through literary and figurative frameworks rather than as straightforward historical reportage.

His co-authorship with John Walton of The Lost World of the Flood (2018) makes this position explicit, arguing that ancient Near Eastern literary conventions should govern how modern readers interpret the Flood account. These positions place him firmly in the progressive evangelical camp on origins questions, and users should be aware of this interpretive framework when consulting his work on Genesis and primeval history.