This commentary was the inaugural volume in the developing Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (ZECNT) series that rivals all series in print today. This volume is shorter than the ones that followed, but must be credited with establishing ZECNT style that is outstanding on so many levels. Every passage has a section on literary context, a main idea, a translation, a discussion of structure, an exegetical outline followed by a quality explanation of the text, and a theology in application section. As a pastor, I love this design.

This volume was written by highly-respected scholar Craig Blomberg, and at his request, he was joined by his research assistant Mariam Kamell as co-author. As said before, it is quite shorter than other volumes in the series, but the quality of writing is up where you would hope.

Though the Introduction begins with a section entitled “Outline”, it’s really a review of structure and what has been thought in the scholarly world. A section called “Circumstances” gives us a historical setting including authorship. Authorship carries into more sections as it is often debated in the scholarly world though I find the reasons obtuse. In any event, conservative conclusions are reached here. The Introduction is followed by a fine bibliography.

The commentary proper is succinct, but solid; and again, the ZECNT format shines. The authors move through scholarly issues to help for expositors in a skillful way. I’m high on this series, and I recommend this 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.

This book by Philip Towner is an impressive entry in the venerated New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT) series. Towner had already published on the Pastorals before this major work, and was known for assisting Howard Marshall on his earlier ICC work. It’s clearly a top-5 work on the Pastorals today and is the favorite of many. Even though, I couldn’t agree with his egalitarian viewpoint, I can’t deny the quality of his scholarship and the skill of writing in this work.

He provides a huge Introduction running through page 90 with a substantial bibliography preceding it. Though he’s not too keen on the label “Pastoral Epistles”, he sees value in addressing the three letters together and takes that approach in this Introduction. After addressing a few preliminary issues, he jumps into the major division in scholarly discussion on these letters–did Paul write them, or did even the same author write them ?–and he lays out the battle lines clearly. I’m more confident of the traditional viewpoints than he is, but I enjoyed his evenhanded explanations. Authorship issues bleed into historical setting and he upholds his quality discussion throughout. He covers theology, structure, and other introductory matters with great depth as well.

As you would expect in a NICNT volume, the commentary is on the English text with deeper exegetical comments in the footnotes. What you end up with is an usable volume with access to more specialized exegetical matters. The commentary itself is top-notch and enlightening for the reader. Towner used the NICNT format to good advantage and provides us with a volume well worth checking out. I 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.

I’d have to rank this commentary as one of the best in the Old Testament Library (OTL) series. Whether it be on the level of theology or commentary. Norman Habel succeeds. He had written earlier on the Book of Job, but supersedes all his previous efforts here. Even better, this book is more conservative than several others in this series.

The Introduction is more in-depth (70 pages!) than several others in the series too. It rivals more exegetical works in that regard. He begins his Introduction by not disguising that he agrees with others who see Job as a literary masterpiece. He explains, too, the challenge of Job having so many unique words and idioms. He provides a lengthy explanation of the narrative plot and sees three main movements. In his discussion of integrity, setting, and date, he see the major place a critical orientation shows up–his willingness to rearrange chapters 21-28. His literary features and their significance section gives much food for thought in structural issues. He finishes his probing analysis in a message and meaning section.

The commentary proper is rich in theological insight. I look forward to having this volume at my disposal in all my future studies on the Book of Job. I would categorize it as indispensable to building a library for Bible study!

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’s one of the more substantial volumes in the well-known Old Testament Library (OTL) series. A. Graeme Auld has been turning out scholarly writings for a long time and is highly respected, particularly in critical circles. I often don’t agree with his critical conclusions, but must admit that he can make some brilliant observations and has a keen eye for what others miss.

After a bibliography, Auld jumps into an Introduction that begins by rightfully seeing I & II Samuel as the Book of David. To his mind, all the other characters are merely the supporting cast. He explains how “no other biblical books in such detail take us into the lives of their principal characters and families.” Next he delves into textual issues of Samuel. That takes him onto the slippery slope of sources and some opinions that could never be substantiated.

By page 20 we are into the commentary proper that runs all the way to page 630. This is the section where the nuggets lie in this book. Again, I couldn’t possibly agree with all his critical presuppositions and conclusions, but I appreciated his ability to point out things that I found no where else.

I love a commentary that can spur thinking even if there are things I disagree with. For that reason, I find it easy to recommend this commentary.

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’s a brand new volume in the second cycle of revisions on the beloved Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (TNTC) series. The new editor, Eckhard Schnabel, contributes this new volume. I really am not familiar with Schnabel, but have thought that whoever had the task of filling the shoes of Leon Morris really had their hands full in light of his incredible scholarship. After perusing this volume, I have great hope for a series I really respect.

There’s no doubt this volume really improves on the earlier Cole volume. Schnabel was given more space and made good use of it. I find it superior to its competitors in other similar series as well. I’ve just recently reviewed the IVPNT volume on Mark and much prefer this one.

His Introduction begins by discussing Mark’s place among the Gospels and its history of interpretation. He describes and personally holds to the priority of Mark. He reached conservative conclusions on authorship, date, and historical reliability. His section on theological emphases is well done and he ends with a clear outline.

The commentary proper makes up the bulk of the book and is not only helpful, but well written. That is a winning trait missing in many commentaries. Every passage I reviewed was never superficial nor prolix. I thought many details and good points were brought out for the reader.

For its target audience, this would have to be highly rated. I 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.

Eugene Merrill is a name you can trust. Without fail, his writings are clear, conservative, and helpful. This title is on one of the most important books in the OT. Jesus often quoting Deuteronomy proves that fact. Fortunately, this volume is in the economical, pastor-friendly New American Commentary (NAC) series that many pastors like me absolutely love.

Merrill begins the Introduction by explaining the meaning of the title, and then slides into date and authorship. Critics have been especially abusive to Deuteronomy, so it’s nice to have a strong case made for those of us who accept the Bible as God’s Word without reservation. He succinctly describes the historical background for us too. He analyzes structure to good effect, briefly describing the path of sometimes wobbly scholarship before bringing us back to good sense. He sees no credible evidence to question the canonicity of Deuteronomy. After providing an outline, he gives us what he calls “analysis of the contents of the book”. It is well done. He ends the Introduction with a fine overview of the theology of Deuteronomy.

The commentary itself is superb and much more trustworthy than those of many other series. Every passage I perused gave the kind of help I like to receive.

This book is an excellent addition for every pastor or teacher. 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.

This volume is a precursor to Craig Keener’s large socio-rhetorical commentary on Matthew’s Gospel. Over the last several years he has garnered quite a reputation as a voluminous writer of large commentaries. After that large Matthew commentary, Keener gave us a large 2-volume commentary on John and then a massive 4-volume commentary on Acts that is so big it could be made into a piece of furniture. Before all of those prolific writings, Keener tried his hand on Matthew here in the respected IVP New Testament series. This series is geared toward “solid, biblical exposition and helpful explanatory notes in … user-friendly format.”

He begins his almost 30-page Introduction with a discussion of his approach and desire that the shock value of Jesus’ statements remain. He then explains how source, form, and redaction criticisms have the study of Matthew. I’m not sure that would be as important to his target audience as he feels, but he is clear in his presentation. In different ways he discusses Matthew, his historicity, as well as the structure, authorship, provenance, and date. He is better, in my view, discussing unique features of Matthew’s Gospel.

The commentary is competent and helpful. It is more in line with the aims of the series than the Introduction. I believe it could be an asset to pastors and teachers. It’s the right length for this type of series and provides the right level of help. 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.

Darrell Bock is clearly one of the most-respected scholars on Luke and his Gospel. It’s interesting to note that Bock first turned out a major commentary on Luke Gospel in the BECNT series before he attempted this more streamlined, expositional approach. His love of Luke’s Gospel is clear and he seems to enjoy this chance to move past the technical discussion of Luke to this more relevant approach.

He begins his Introduction of Luke by explaining Luke’s unique place among the Gospels. He skillfully discusses authorship, audience, date, and purposes and arrives at reasonable conclusions throughout. He briefly outlines Luke’s major theological themes and explains the value of preaching Luke. His is a good example of a succinct Introduction for these mid-level commentaries.

In the commentary he made the leap from his earlier exegetical commentary to this type of work. I thought he found his voice as a clear commentator on Luke quite well. In a briefer format, he was able to give meaningful help. His BECNT work is more well known, but I believe this book could help a greater swath of people. I 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.