Here’s another early volume in what will be a completely revamped Interpretation Bible Commentary series. The Book of Acts, of course, provides its own excitement, but here’s a book that helps you catch elements of that excitement you might otherwise miss. Yes, this is a more critical commentary than people like me are going to widely use, but with a pile of more conservative ones on the desk I’m likely to pick up one like this one. What am I looking for? Some theology that other pile misses. For good measure I too hope it catches sizzling details in the story overlooked by others. This book easily meets those goals.

To have well written and provocative commentary you will subject yourself to some misfires. To think the story of Ananias and Sapphira and other such stories as some kind of gallows humor might be one example. To think one of the main points of Pentecost was to champion multiculturalism might be another. He even denigrated Stephen slightly, but in a way more than I’m used to seeing. But that’s a good case to show why I still found value in this commentary. There were those little details that caught his eye that others miss that was fascinating to me even in Stephen’s story.

Of its kind, this book stands out. Those who are of a more critical orientation will simply love it I would guess. For the rest of us, it’s not as critical as many volumes. It spoke winsomely of, say, salvation or the Resurrection at times. Most importantly, it can be captivating at pleasant intervals. Walk in knowing what to expect and you have a winner here.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

It took a few years, but we finally get the other half of Daniel Estes’ superb commentary on Psalms here. For that matter, this finishes the OT for the NAC, which is a feat few series can hold up to us. I think it’s classy that the publishers are allowing this series to be completed (there’s the final NT volume coming next year) even though the replacement CSC is underway.

Mr. Estes has taught Psalms in both the church and the academy. It shows. Though the greatest value of this commentary is later, the Introduction shines. I loved how he walked through how Psalms has been interpreted, particularly in more recent times. He creatively described the theology of Psalms in terms of “five basic worldview questions”.

From there, he launches into form, structure and setting. He well describes the more traditional genre classifications. I personally grow weary over commentators who keep coining new genres until there are so many than a genre conversation is meaningless, so I welcome his approach. On superscripts, he is a bit more agnostic than me, but you can decide for yourself when you read his explanation. Toward the end of the Introduction, he describes how he is going to handle each passage. That is a plus.

In the commentary proper he uses the same effective format as before. The commentary itself is outstanding.

Psalms is one of the most important books in the Bible and any serious pastor or Bible student will have multiple commentaries on it. Besides some of our beloved older commentaries and some other devotional ones, we must have these exegetical ones that really explain the text. This volume can truly stand as a giant beside Garrett (POTC—recently released), Ross (KEL), and Hamilton (EBTC). I wouldn’t be without any of them, but this equally valuable commentary is at least $10 cheaper per volume than any of them. For that reason and because it is truly equal to the others, you can safely start here if you are just embarking on building your library. In any event, this title simply must make its way to your shelves.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This series runs in a different lane and it’s one I enjoy traversing. Though we’re only a few volumes in, a few have already stood out to me. This design of focusing on Christian Formation strikes gold here in Job. Though that should have been obvious I guess, it hadn’t occurred to me. I see it now!

The Introduction got off to a bit of a shaky start for me in the section on “the Many Stories of Job”. At first I thought the author was highlighting inconsistencies though it turned out to be more of a history of interpretation. He was a bit too dogmatic at times about others getting it all wrong as well. Then, however, he got into the interpretation of Job and we stepped out of the shady part of the trail. Starting at page 15, I was fully engaged. Perhaps the author was a bit too mystic and Catholic, but he sure spoke to me.

There were observations a plenty that hadn’t occurred to me. His take on suffering in Job is a case in point. He did hold to a few critical positions, like Elihu’s speeches being a later addition, but mostly he kept them to himself. I imagine I like this commentary far better than had he produced a traditional one.

Each periscope gets a succinct explanation by him that consistently stays in the lane of theological observation and Christian formation. I would never make this my primary commentary on Job, but I’d sure be happy to always use it as a secondary one to dig a little more.

Replace the word “exegesis” with “fun” and you’ll get the idea of how this book struck me. Outside of the normal uses of a commentary, I am sure that some really could benefit by only using it to meditate on Christian formation. However you choose to use this commentary, I predict you are going to be pleased.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This fantastic commentary has here an update from its NAC iteration. I applaud Mr. Howard getting the nod to carry the commentary over into the CSC and extend its usefulness for decades to come.

In the introduction, I was at first fearing that there was going to be very little updating from the earlier edition. I think that was because some of the earlier topics were things he just fully still agreed with and saw no reason to expand. It was farther along that he tackled some new subjects beautifully. He had an elaborate section on ethics as there are many ethical questions in the text of Joshua. Further, he expanded explaining the archaeological evidence for the major sites found in Joshua. There’s a very telling section that described why the Israelites were attracted to the culture of Canaan too. That certainly is a worthy question and I agree with his conclusions.

He also broached the subject of the large numbers in Joshua and the rest of the Old Testament. Critics love to pound away on this subject. He concludes that it is best to comment on them as if they were accurate. I am prone to take them as is and believe them.

Modern political thinking has forced new subjects to be especially looked at in the biblical text. For example, to some people the book of Joshua reads like ugly imperialism. He writes magnanimously and in such a way that his careful laying out of the issues and options are its greatest strengths. You will leave the introduction with a firm grasp of all the issues and what is at stake in the book of Joshua. I must commend this introduction and its additions from the earlier edition.

The commentary proper is excellent. He is a wise evaluator of the issues all while fulfilling the exegete’s task. There is much help for the preacher or teacher here. I already thought the earlier edition was outstanding, and I can only say it’s even better now.

I am compelled to say that this is the best commentary for a pastor or teacher on Joshua that we have. It’s the balance of depth and good conservative conclusions that make me feel that way. The competitors of this volume are either those with less detail or those possessing some glaring defect in one category or the other; e.g., theology or historicity. If you can only have one commentary on Joshua, this is it. 

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This commentary is a trip. I’m not sure where we went, but it was quite a ride. Mr. Cook took a few curves too fast, but occasionally the scenery was spectacular. I know I saw the blue lights behind us on several occasions, but he would just smile and press the gas pedal a little harder. I’m sure he didn’t fully know where he was going either, but his outward confidence never wavered. I know it’s easy to be trite and say a commentary is different, but this one IS different. In fact, this is the very commentary that makes many others seem exactly alike.

Perhaps the aspect that makes this commentary unique is his views of how to process apocalyptic literature. Be sure to read his Preface as he lays it out. He also attacks approaches that moralize the stories of Daniel. Many do that and say to keep the Gospel primary, but that’s not exactly his angle. He has a very precise view of Wisdom. To my mind, his definition is not as different as the traditional one as he thinks. I liked how his views made him dig a bit deeper in places even if I couldn’t especially agree with him. His historical conclusions didn’t hold up for me either.

He is for sure an interesting writer. He quotes from so many unusual sources. I mean when was the last time Alice from her Wonderland was quoted in a commentary you were reading. Crazy? Yes. Interesting? Yes.

He also draws from unexpected disciplines. I saw philosophy and psychology often and several others. I kept expecting physics at any point.

Even if he travels in his own lanes, his work is well researched. There are footnotes galore throughout. I would not make this commentary my first choice on Daniel, but it is one that I will likely check going forward. If you are looking for a work that is captivating in new ways, I suspect this is the one for you.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Now that this volume completes the set on Genesis, we can evaluate where this volume stands. Its old iteration in the NAC was already a top pick, but this revision only raises its value. The other two that rivaled it most were always thought to be Wenham (WBC) and Hamilton (NICOT), but it appears they will not be revised by the original authors. Wenham no doubt was theologically brilliant, but his capitulation to some critical theories was maddening. Hamilton laid out all kinds of amazing details, but perhaps the larger picture was not always in view. In contrast, Mathews has no deficiencies. The theology is good and the exegetical work outstanding, all while adding conservative outlooks and fantastic scriptural connections. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Mathews is now all alone at the top.

Since the arrival of Abraham is such a shift in Genesis, he has an Introduction for this volume as well. He discusses the setting for the Patriarchs and does a fine job in covering theology, themes, and motifs. This Introduction runs 66 pages. The coverage of the motif on Sibling Rivalry and the one on Deception were the most captivating. If that weren’t good enough, notice at the end of the book that there is one fantastic excursus after another. Perhaps Jacob was the star of that section, but all were theological astute.

Strangely, I had a similar experience to that which I had a few years back when the earlier volume came out. I was wanting to study some Genesis passages, particularly some on Joseph, and I found the commentary so well done. Again, the parallels to other parts of Genesis in the Bible at large were fascinating. There were so many things that came up that I simply hadn’t thought of before.

This is a great commentary that I highly recommend. Perhaps the best recommendation I can give it is that I cannot imagine ever doing any major Genesis study I the future without consulting this grand volume.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.