This latest in the NICOT series is massive, especially to get through only chapter 6. I can sum this one up quickly. If you are coming to this commentary for academic concerns, you will feel like you’ve received candy from your stocking on Christmas morning. If you are more into sermon prep or regular Bible study, not so much. To be fair, this work approaches commentary writing in the pattern that has developed over the last couple decades in this series, though maybe even a bit more detail.

There are good things to share here, but let me share my concerns. First, more weight was laid upon genre than it could bear. The genre “court tales” is simply overused to explain Daniel at large here. Assumptions are made and then those conventions are too often made the central argument to what’s going on. Second, the history of composition and the corresponding historical background of those times also carries too much. I love a big commentary, but I’m not sure we need 30 pages there. Finally, the structure and theology sections were weak. For these reasons, the long Introduction was not too helpful to me.

Again, with an eye to fairness, more scholars would think I’m off base than the authors here, but I think, for example, pastors would agree with me.

On the plus side, the scholarly work here will be graded exceptional in those circles. When something is addressed, no one can deny the sweat evident in the work. Additionally, the commentary hits a higher gear in the commentary proper. Check out the background on young men like Daniel being taken into the service of Babylon. That’s what I call thoroughness!

I’m a fan of this series, and I’ll want the follow up volume to have the full coverage of the commentary proper, but let’s rate it 5 stars for scholars and 4 stars for the rest of us.

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’s been at least 25 years ago that I picked up this volume’s predecessor in the NAC series. I’ve used it many times to advantage over those years. Count me as happy this one got a revision and landed in the CSC series here. Reading again his now improved Introduction reminds me of why I like Blomberg on Matthew. I’ve gotten more out of it than volumes in several larger academic series.

Ironically enough, I recently reviewed a fine theology on Matthew. Following up so soon with this volume makes me really appreciate how in so many less pages than that huge volume he still covered all the key things sufficiently well. I agree with most of his conclusions and even appreciate how he weighed things. In other words, he had a great understanding of which issues were important and which ones were not so much.

His section on structure was fairly brief, but most people are in fairly close agreement over Matthew’s structure. It’s the theology section beginning on page 10 that was his best. Again, he took the topics in order of importance and I think he nailed it as he really grasps what Matthew is all about.

I marked up several pages for things I need to go back and add to my own studies on Matthew. It was a real help to me. As I have already mentioned, I have used the commentary section for years. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

This is a great volume that is perfect for pastors or teachers or those just doing some really serious Bible study. You simply can’t go wrong with this one. 

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.

Can you believe this is the second major commentary on Zephaniah in the last few months? Perhaps even more surprising, I must label this volume a winner just like I did the other recent one in the ZECOT. To be sure, they possess different strengths. Both are very unique contributions that don’t mimic each other at all. Some readers are definitely going to favor this one. It’s deep, but very understandable. The last portion of the Introduction does get into the minutiae a bit, but it’s different minutiae than the other one too. I don’t know if I can sell you on having two standalone commentaries on Zephaniah, but that is actually what I think you should do.

One of the reasons that Mr. Chisholm can write so many interesting things in a different lane is that he is open to dispensational theology. Don’t expect a dispensational treatise, as I’m not suggesting that at all; but it can just give some very interesting viewpoints that other commentaries do not. Still, all the basic things you look for are here as well.

The introduction is outstanding and full of learning. It didn’t have as much on structure, but it did seem to have better linkage with the rest of the Old Testament. Its historical background was excellent, but I felt the book was at his best at bringing in material that really illuminated the big picture. He even has some pages that suggest possibilities for a sermon series on Zephaniah. You don’t see that too often.

The scholarly conclusions and the theology are both warmly conservative. The amount of research that he did is very impressive. The introduction runs to 140 pages! They held my interest all the way through.

Mr. Chisholm is a name that has always come up favorably over the years I have been doing Bible study. He has still got 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.

The OLT is my go-to for these conservative eyes to grasp the more liberal viewpoint. I know going in what to expect and that I’ll have a host of disagreements. I rate these volumes, though, on how interesting they are and how much imaginative theology is given. What did I find here? It was easy to read, it was not as extreme as I figured especially with this being on Genesis, and it was sufficiently imaginative. It gave me that out-of-my-box perspective I hoped it would.

The positions held in the Introduction were as expected, but without the usual pontificating. The raggedly worn Documentary Hypothesis theory was held to, but it seemed Petersen instinctively knew it would weary readers so he didn’t drone on about it. Some of his literary conclusions were still a bit much for me, but somehow he was still interesting in discussing it. Though I disagreed with much, there were a few nuggets along the way in the Introduction. Readers like me could safely skip the Introduction actually.

It’s when you get to the commentary proper that your time is repaid. If you work around a few subversive sentences, you will discover stimulating ones await you. I told you what I was looking for and I got it here. Better than some OTL volumes and better by far than Von Rad’s volume that preceded it, Petersen gives us a thoughtful work here. Liberal theologians should love it while we conservatives who admit we can learn from others can walk away with something worthwhile as well.

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.

“Wow” comes to mind on this one. The NAC volume this replaces (though that volume is still in print) was solid and well worth having, but this one is next level. Lanier displays such mature scholarship with a hint of seeing all the scholarly world and being weary of some of it. I share his weariness and love having what he offers to learn from.

Just reading the Author’s Preface will tell you this is going to be good. Look at the six things he’s attempting to do in this commentary. One of those, focusing on Luke rather than some speculative “Q” behind him, means a tenth of the commentary isn’t pure rubbish as befalls so many works. Another, his upholding a high view of God’s Word, wins my trust out of the gate. I feel he kept all six of his aims.

He also showed that he felt no straitjacket bound him when he began the Introduction by expounding Luke 1:1-4. I’ve never seen that before, but especially here in Luke so many introductory issues were brought up in the text and made him avoid redundancy. From there, he explained Luke as literature and discussed sources. He slapped “Q” around a little more (can you tell I loved it?) and ended the section by reminding us of the full inspiration of Scripture. That’s such a breath of fresh air.

Some elite types will read what I’ve said so far and assume we have a lightweight commentary before us. How incredibly wrong they would be. Watch him guide us through plot, setting, narrative devices, and background factors and you will see that he’s not taking a backseat to anyone. He reasons his way to several conservative conclusions (e.g. authorship) rather than just stating positions. He also dismantled the untenable “community” ideas (e.g., Johannine community or Lukan community) that for some bizarre reason took a stronghold on so much NT scholarship. I further loved how he rolled his eyes at the circuitous routes of the “so-called quest for the historical Jesus”. I think I’ve shared enough for you to see the direction of the introduction, and I must say it is outstanding.

They were some of the most eye-appealing and helpful charts throughout the work, both in the introduction and in the text itself. They shared really helpful information to those of us trying to grasp the gospel of Luke. His commentary on individual passages was so helpful as well. I mean really good.

There are a lot of good commentaries on Luke, and several not as good as their reputation, but I see no reason why this one couldn’t be a pastor‘s first choice. It has what those of us preparing sermons need the most. Along the way, you’ll be told what the scholarly world has done with certain issues without yourself having to drown in them. I assure you, I will keep this one handy.

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 a nice TNTC volume gets an update that will extend its usefulness for a long time to come. When I think of Wayne Grudem, I think Systematic Theology since that volume is perhaps as influential as any in print today. What he proves here is that he can run too in the commentary-writing world. He may have written a couple paragraphs in a systematic theology style in this book, but this a truly helpful commentary.

The 50-page Introduction is pretty full as this series goes. He is consistently conservative in his conclusions and I found myself agreeing with him at many points. More important to you, he explains how he arrives at those conclusions quite lucidly. For those who care, he interacts with scholarship well without letting that dominate. He also is not afraid to go against the grain where scholarship has gone amok. For example, he dispenses with the idea that 1 Peter is meant to be read as a baptismal sermon. As he effectively shows, baptism is hardly mentioned in Peter and then mostly in cursory way. How do scholars fall in these ditches?

Half way through the Introduction he transitions to theology and major themes. Don’t miss this section as that can be a great aid to understanding Peter. He works through twelve themes found in 1 Peter and you’d be hard pressed to disagree with his twelve.

If you are familiar with this series, you’ll find this a good representative of it. There are constraints on length, so it’s the type of work where every sentence counts. And here they did. Background, exegetical understanding, and a bit of theology pervade the writing on every passage. This is a fine 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 perfect book on Acts for Bible students. Whether you are doing personal study, preparing a Sunday School lesson, or are a busy pastor preparing a sermon, this book can be a help to you. It’s the perfect length to really give help while not being so massive as many modern commentaries are. Mr. Shade has academic credentials, but did not parade his learning. His years as a missionary add another dimension that is especially dynamic for a commentary on Acts.

His Introduction is not of extreme length but touches on many issues usually found in such a chapter. I found it easy to agree with him on many points. He is well read, but gets quickly to the heart of the matter. One feature of the work is that it comes from a dispensational perspective. That’s not going to dominate the commentary but in a few spots it will provide insights many modern works won’t give you.

The commentary proper is helpful. There are even a few pictures and maps to help illustrate the work. I warmly recommend this work.

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.