Have you heard that Moody Publishers is in the process of re-releasing their much-beloved Everyman’s Bible Commentary series? I’m a pastor who has a warm spot in my heart for this series. As a younger Christian, and in my earlier days of teaching a Sunday school class, I built my collection of the entire set. They were a real help to me. Every volume in the set is clear, concise, yet really gets at the heart of what the passage is talking about. Further, every volume is conservative, free of scholarly jargon, and glowing with warmth.

It’s my understanding that this re-release of the series will include both paperbacks with redesigned, attractive covers and Kindle editions. The first wave of these new additions will include Daniel by John Whitcomb, Acts by Charles C. Ryrie, Romans by Alan Johnson, and Revelation by Charles C. Ryrie. All these titles are winners by the way!

Either Sunday school teachers or those attempting serious Bible study on their own will find these volumes a treasure trove. If you are in either of those categories, this pastor recommends that you don’t hesitate to secure your copies of these fine books that will greatly aid your study of God’s Word! You won’t regret it!

Scot McKnight produced this fine new commentary on Colossians in the well-respected New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) series. This volume replaces the work of F. F. Bruce and complements McKnight’s recently released volume on Philemon in the same series. Additionally, I find this commentary superior to the author’s commentary on James in the NICNT. Experience must help when it comes to commentary writing.

After a substantial bibliography, McKnight gives us an Introduction with vigor and punch. His writing style captivates even in those places that many commentaries slow down to a crawl. Some commentaries, too, bog down in scholarly interaction. He was unusually successful in weaving in other scholar’s opinions while formulating his own. I did not agree with every conclusion he made but found it easy to follow his arguments. I don’t know about you, but that’s what I want from a commentary.

He begins the Introduction with a broad-ranging discussion of the apostle Paul and the situation of the Colossians. He concludes that Paul communicates “as an apostle and missionary and pastor, hence, as a missional, pastoral theologian”. His discussion of authorship interacted with the New Perspective on Paul and provided some great independent thinking. I don’t agree with his final conclusion but found the whole discussion enlightening. He also discusses the authority of Paul, Christology, ecclesiology, eschatology, themes absent in Colossians, and relationships with Ephesians and Philemon. He re-creates the opponents and setting of Colossae with clarity. He arrives at a date for Colossians by pinpointing the imprisonment of Paul and thoroughly discusses all the possible options. He has a large section on Paul’s theology of Colossians with scholarly awareness for our benefit. The final section is on the structure of the book and recapitulates several famous scholars before he provides his own outline of the letter.

The commentary itself is excellent it’s everything you’ve come to expect in this series and manages to give help both to scholars and pastors (though I strongly disagree with him on the Household Code). This commentary takes its worthy place in this long-standing series and I highly recommend 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.

Martinus C. de Boer has written a captivating commentary on Galatians that is one of the very best in the New Testament Library (NTL) series. There’s a lot I appreciated in this volume. Often, I look to this series to find the critical position of the scholarly world, and though the author falls in that camp, he surprised me on several occasions. To his mind, the Book of Galatians is all about the Gospel. You’ve got to love that!

His Introduction is brief, but that’s only because he prefers to deal with most issues as you come to them in the text. After providing a lengthy bibliography, he began his Introduction by discussing his own approach that he will be taking in the book. At first, I didn’t know what to think when he said, “the aim of this commentary, then, is to understand and to expound Paul’s theology as it unfolds in this letter, and as the Galatians will probably understand it when they receive it”. As it turns out, the commentary doesn’t prove to be as novel as that sounds.

As is more typical in introductory materials, he explains the addressees of the Book of Galatians, which is the churches of that area. Though that section is brief, we learn that he holds to the North Galatia View. Next, he discusses the date of the book. He looks at the six references to events or time in the letter itself and formulates a conservative conclusion about the date (51 A.D.). He has a nice section on structure. He overviews the most common breakdown before he works his way to his own outline that breaks down the book into six sections. He provides an overview of the book using that outline. Strangely enough, he never mentions in the Introduction what he explicitly proclaims in the commentary itself – the primary theme of Galatians is “the gospel of Christ”.

The value of this book is really in the commentary section. He has the gift of clarity and where necessary breaks down his arguments into numbered lists. It’s easy to follow his line of thought whether you agree with it or not. He draws good parallels and connects lots of dots. Even if I can agree with whatever conclusion he makes, he understands how commentary ought to be put together. There are several fine short excursuses throughout. This one is worth checking out!

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. 

Here are two wonderful commentaries by Motyer:

1. The Message of Philippians

This commentary by the late J. A. Motyer in the Bible Speaks Today (BST) series is a reminder of what a commentary should be. Though he describes lots of trees, he never fails to present the forest. I even got the feeling as I read this book, and it’s a feeling too often missing in many commentaries, that the author here believed God wrote the book. He seemed in awe of Philippians. Christ was magnified throughout.

In the Introduction, the author did not run straight to the theme of joy as most do. In fact, he opened with: “Philippians is a joyful letter, but its undercurrent is a sober realization that time is running out.” It made sense to me! He described the setbacks Paul was facing here in his second missionary journey. He further gave a good view of Philippi as Paul’s first European church. He well highlighted unity, the coming day of the Lord, and the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ as the three keys to understanding the book. More than referencing other scholars, he referenced other scriptures. That probably tells you more than anything what kind of commentary this is, but I believe we all need some of this type.

The commentary itself was outstanding. I will always pull out Motyer even if there’s only time to glance at a few volumes. He may have been an Old Testament expert, but reading here you would assume the New Testament was his field.

There’s a chance this volume may be replaced as the BST series updates volumes from time to time. Since this author has passed away, I want to encourage the publisher to slide this volume over and print it as a classic. It’s a warm volume, so I give it the warmest recommendation.

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.

2. The Message of James

Here’s another of the great commentaries by the late J. A. Motyer in the Bible Speaks Today (BST) series. In my view, it’s as top-notch as the one on Philippians. The author had written a smaller book several years ago on James but rewrote it in its entirety to produce this commentary. It’s not as scholarly or exegetical as many commentaries, but he captures James’s message better than most.

The Introduction is quite perceptive. Though he doesn’t talk about structure per se, he gives some great insights on how the book is designed. He sees the themes of conflict, holiness or a Christian lifestyle, the recovery of the local church, concern to meet the needs of others, and our tongue. He shreds a few of the strange scholarly trends that somehow has reached ascendancy and brings us back to basic conservative conclusions. It’s good stuff!

The commentary is outstanding at getting to the heart of what James is talking about. It would be a mistake to not add this inexpensive commentary to your collection.

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 slim volume is part of the Interpretation Bible Commentary series. It’s one of the best books available to lay out the critical position (your other option is the OTL from the same publisher). Of the two, this one probably has more theology and insights to glean for the preacher. The author writes clearly, accessibly, and with enough verve to hold the reader’s attention well.

The Introduction begins by stating that Ruth is the favorite of many Bible readers and that it could be viewed as “an island of tranquility”. The first main section discusses date and purpose. Though I can’t accept all her conclusions, she reviews well the scholarly debate over the date. She also well explains the belief that the point of Ruth is to reinforce David’s right to the throne. She goes on to state her belief that the use of David is only “the storyteller’s means of legitimizing an inclusive attitude towards foreigners, perhaps especially toward foreign women”. I personally doubt that’s the theme of the Book of Ruth, but it was interesting. She also confesses that tradition has long held Samuel to be the author of this book and doesn’t counteract it other than stating her fascination with the possibility of a female author. She’s indecisive on what exactly the levirate marriage’s role is. She well describes the canonical context. The best part by far of the Introduction is her description of theological themes. She sees the themes as the peaceable community, examples of loyal living, and the place of God in the story.

The commentary itself makes for interesting reading. Yes, there are critical conclusions at many junctures, but also many perceptive theological points. I felt I got exactly what I was looking for in this commentary, and for those looking for the same, I highly recommend this book.

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.