Craig Keener turns out massive scholarly books at a rate unmatched by anyone I can think of. More impressive, they tend to be quite highly rated. Though I haven’t personally used it, his recent multivolume commentary on Acts is already legendary for its scope. To be honest, I wondered if this commentary on Galatians would be dry or overly padded. It wasn’t. I was pleasantly surprised at the engaging quality of the writing. Though there are some paragraphs that pastors can afford to overlook and copious footnotes, bibliography, and indices, I felt the commentary itself was the perfect length for a true in-depth exegetical commentary. He has a knack for surveying scholarly opinion and providing clarity in telling you what he concludes that is truly helpful whether you agree with him or not.

The Introduction for Galatians that followed his translation and outline for the book could fairly be labeled to-the-point. He began by sharing insights on how Galatians has been interpreted historically including a nod to Luther. From there, he addressed whether Galatians is an apocalyptic letter. He tackled author, provenance, and date with a skillful thoroughness. Without a doubt, you will have all the information you need to conclude on Galatian’s date after you read here. He defined Paul’s audience and laid out the well-known North Galatia versus South Galatia hypotheses that scholars have been debating for years before landing on the North Galatian side himself. Next, he gets into another debatable area, this time that of Paul’s opponents in Galatians. He gives, perhaps, his most detailed attention to this subject in his introduction. I found it really enlightening as that was not a debate I had deeply considered before. Finally, he looked at structure, rhetoric, polemic, before he gave a short summary of the effectiveness of Paul’s letter.

The commentary proper runs from page 47 to 588. I’m, again, impressed at his balance between thoroughness and effectiveness. No doubt, he will address some topics that only scholars will find interesting, but I fail to see how anyone couldn’t get help in understanding what each passage is addressing. You could be like me, and not agree with his conclusions as much as you might with some other commentators, but it is his laying out the issues, explanations of word meanings, and stellar historic and scholarly background that makes this book such an asset. Though it’s not in one of the major series, I suspect it will be as influential as if it were. If you are a scholar, I imagine his footnotes and bibliography will be a gold mine for you. Perhaps the book could have used a few pages of conclusion for the letter as a whole after the commentary, but I certainly can’t think of anything else that you will find lacking here. Like the best of commentaries, he will share his conclusions, but his real help is giving you the information to draw your own. That always wins for me.

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.

David Toshio Tsumura has finally completed the second volume in his now two-volume set covering the books of Samuel. It’s great to see that the New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT) series now has both books of Samuel covered. After I’ve carefully looked this book over, I feel that maybe his first volume was not fairly evaluated. Even when I reviewed the first volume myself, I think I missed how high of quality this book really is. Most have said that the author is a fine philologist, but perhaps the overall impact of this commentary is not as keen as others. Since I took more time with this second volume to understand his approach, I want to greatly upgrade the ranking I would give to it and now label it as totally top-notch. I fear that some have graded him more for his opinion about MT texts over the LXX and other variants than for his actual work. What we really have here is a superior approach linguistically to most commentaries on the market today as well as solid commentary for readers.

He begins his introduction by explaining his approach to textual criticism. I found it to be totally refreshing. Most textual critics today butcher the text, even lord over it trying to tell us what we can receive or not receive, but his approach allows the Scripture to speak for itself. What is brilliant about it is how he proves it at a linguistic level. I don’t possess that specialty but found him easy to follow as I read. He gets into the genre, style, discourse, and structure, before he gets into the message of the book. His section on themes and theology is not long, but good as far as it goes. His outline is as good as anyone’s and his bibliography is quite extensive.

I dug into his commentary for my favorite II Samuel passages, passages that I was most familiar with and have studied before. I found that he continued to make his brilliant linguistic points while truly contributing thoughtful reflection on what the text was saying. He also always stayed close to the text which is what we are really looking for in a commentary, wouldn’t you agree?

Some may be influenced by the reviews given for his first commentary, but I recommend you check it out for yourself. As for me, it is a five-star volume all the way.

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 word on the street was that this commentary by Robert Hubbard in the NIVAC series was one of the best that the series had to offer and with it now in my hands, I can understand why. That is no small accomplishment when you consider that Joshua has never been thought of as the easiest book of the Bible from which to draw present-day application. That’s not to criticize that wonderful book of Scripture, but to admit that there are many issues in it that do not exactly line up with modern sensibilities. This commentary is full of keen observations and thoughtful application. I really can’t agree with all its historical and textual conclusions, but if you will look past those things what is left is of much value.

The introduction, quite frankly, is a little spotty. He is pretty good at explaining the tension between the viewpoints of Joshua’s day and our own. His brief summary of the contents of the book was fair but not deep. His explanation of Joshua himself brought out some fine points. Again, though he was fair to mention that there is an early date viewpoint out there, I don’t personally agree with his dating. If you do, you’ll like the book even more. He can be quite speculative when he talks about the Deuteronomic influence in the book. His thoughts on the theological themes in the book are much better and a chart demonstrating the echoes of Moses’ life in Joshua’s life was outstanding. After a brief outline, he gives a select bibliography that’s quite lengthy for one of these volumes.

It’s in the challenging passages of Joshua where this commentary comes alive. It takes the NIVAC format of original meaning, bridging contexts, and contemporary significance and uses that template to advantage. The depth of description in the original meaning section was impressive throughout. No one can offer applications that will ring true for every reader in every passage, but this one does a fine job for us.

I would check other volumes for historical matters, but this one delivers explanation and application with the best of them. Highly recommended.

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’ve enjoyed books by Eugene Peterson over the years. On the one hand, he’s a great spiritual help in our out-of-control world while he is, on the other hand, a fine encourager for pastors. He knows how to make you slow down to think and always pushes you toward thoughtful reflection. What I’m not used to seeing is Peterson showing up in a commentary series. Since this series (Westminster Bible Companion) is directed at laymen I’m not as familiar with it as I am with others. Apparently, it aims to do for laymen what the Interpretation Bible Commentary series might do for pastors or students: give thoughtful theological commentary from a critical perspective. What I’ve learned from a little research is that Peterson has contributed this work and made it unlike the others in the series. Truth be told, nobody cares because Peterson is always worth reading, and for that matter, some may like his style more than the typical ones found in this series anyway.

You will see what I mean the moment you read the introduction. There are almost none of the issues you find in a typical introduction for a commentary. When he talks about story, history, or God, he’s not really talking about them as much about the books of Samuel as he is how we ought to think about them in general. It appears to me that with very little editing he could have written this introduction for any book of the Bible. For the record, he overplays the whole “storyteller” idea too.

In any event, his few paragraphs on every passage are a joy to read as they are so out-of-the-box and spiritually minded. To be sure, sometimes I think he’s talking about something that is not really in the passage at all, yet I’m usually happy to go digging for nuggets where I’m sure to find some. In this book, if you will dig among the stones, you will find those nuggets. This book may not be as valuable as some others I’ve read by Peterson, but as always, it is a good 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.

Perhaps you are familiar with volumes in the Interpretation Bible Commentary (IBC) series on various books of the Bible. Those volumes don’t dig too deep in exegesis but excel at providing theological implications within the text. Though that theology is much more liberal than my thinking, I’m often challenged to think of things that I would have otherwise overlooked. I’ve discovered that the Interpretation series has additional volumes on a variety of scriptural topics like this one on the 10 Commandments. What has surprised me when I picked up this volume by Patrick Miller is the depth of content that really unpacks these commandments while still pointing out the theology this series loves.

With every commandment studied Miller explains the commandment in depth, what it means, how it has been applied, the moral issues involved, and how it relates or is expanded to other Scripture. My only complaint is the occasional sentence that totally capitulates to modern progressive norms. The wise Bible student can get around those because this volume digs out too much needed information to miss.

This book impresses me. I can’t imagine ever studying the 10 Commandments as a whole or one of the individual ones without consulting this book in the future. I rank it higher than any IBC I have ever used. I’d even call it the ideal place to begin for study of the 10 Commandments.

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.

Professor August H. Konkel produced this commentary on 1&2 Kings in the New International Version Application Commentary (NIVAC) series. Its greatest strength lies in what the series itself aims at: application for our day. Without doubt, the scholarship that undergirds the work is solid, but the scholarly issues that he makes his focus might be less helpful than if he had, say, dove more deeply in the structure or broad themes of the book.

In fact, it is in the introduction that this becomes clear. Perhaps I overgeneralize, but he makes the theme of his introduction that of the Books of Kings being Deuteronomic history.  That emphasis almost exclusively thinks in terms of genre and composition. Even his review of the “prophetic character of Kings” is viewed from that rubric. I feel that there are clearly better options to serve as an overall guide for Kings. If you are of his mind, you will probably rank this volume as “great”.

Despite that caveat, I still can fully recommend this book for its commentary and application. Maybe I’m crazy, but somehow he reminded me of John Walton who has also written in this series. The book increases in value, too, when you consider how few volumes guide us in that last link of the chain called application.

For the record, what was slightly annoying in the introduction was in no way overwhelming in the commentary proper. I should stress again that the scholarship itself is well done. I see much evidence of careful study and thoughtful reflection. He is never trite or trivial, so you will get plenty of needed help for this often-neglected portion of Scripture.

While there are a few volumes in the NIVAC series that I enjoyed a little more, this commentary is a solid effort that I without hesitation recommend for your library.

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.

Veteran commentator G. K. Beale strikes gold in this commentary on Colossians and Philemon in the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT) series. From the onset, Beale explains that he hopes to make a distinct contribution to Old Testament allusions in Colossians (Philemon has too few to really qualify). Strangely enough, though he handles those allusions with care and thoughtfulness, it is the exegesis itself that compels me to rate it highly. The well-reasoned conservative conclusions, the passion for Scripture, and the guidance offered throughout are what most stands out in this newly released commentary. He will tell you what other scholars have thought yet has a knack for interacting without endlessly droning on. At 500 pages it is not as bulky as some of the modern exegetical commentaries but it still delivers everything that you’re looking for regarding exegesis. Scholars will be quoting it in the future while pastors can use it practically for real help with the text.

His introduction to Colossians first addresses authorship. As you are probably aware, a certain segment of scholarship has been attempting to take Colossians away from Paul for many years. I loved how Beale fairly addresses the arguments for all non-Pauline positions while knocking the props out from under them with the skill that only a seasoned commentator could muster. To my mind, he could be a template for any of the Pauline epistles that are questioned or attributed to pseudonymity.  Next, he well explains the background both of the letter and its historical setting. He proves that he is, in fact, going to be dedicated to working out all the Old Testament allusions to be found in the letter. He mentions the relationship of Colossians to Ephesians and provides a detailed outline of the book. Perhaps the weakest aspect of this introduction is that of structure. Pretty much he just shares the divisions that some other prominent scholars propose.

The commentary itself is excellent. Again, there’s real help on every passage. Just in case you’re not as interested in his beloved Old Testament allusions as he is, he kindly provides those as additional notes at the end of every section.  I checked several passages that I had either studied a great deal or knew might be controversial and really appreciated his contributions.

Though I preferred his Colossians to his Philemon, he did offer some real help both in the short introduction and commentary on Philemon.

This commentary immediately becomes a Top-3 commentary for what’s available today on Colossians and Philemon.

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.

Romans 9 is one of the key chapters of Reformation thinking, so this volume covering chapters 9-16 is pivotal in the Reformation Commentary on Scripture (RCS) series. Since this volume has been released, an additional volume covering Romans 1-8 has also come out giving us an extraordinary resource in Reformation views on this key book of the New Testament. In this volume (9-16), two Lutheran professors, who happen to be brothers, Philip D. W. Krey and Peter D. S. Krey, culled all of Reformation commentaries to create this fine resource. These two were even raised by a Lutheran pastor, so they have lived in Reformation thinking their entire lives. They certainly have the credentials to assemble this volume of the best that Reformation commentators have to offer. To my mind, they have succeeded.

Their introduction to Romans 9-16 shows their understanding of the issues that were at the heart of Reformation thinking. In our day, many of us would label those views as Calvinist views, though they give the most kudos to Augustine and Luther. They do, however, quote Calvin in several places throughout the commentary itself. It’s clear these editors agree with those they quote in many cases. In that introduction, they will speak of predestination, double predestination, single predestination and offer an excursus on Erasmus and the freedom of the will as well as opposing views that they label as conditional predestination. Still, they get into other key issues that they label the call of the nations, the ministry of the word, and Christian ethics. All in all, it was well done.

The commentary itself is of the quality that I have so far found in every volume in this series that I have reviewed. There is likely an overabundance of primary material to sift through with corresponding choices to be made for what best represents Reformation thinking to share in this volume, but they appear to me to have done an excellent job. I feel one could easily get a full grasp of what the reformers thought about most passages in Romans 9-16 in this compilation. If you grab the one that’s now released on Romans 1-8, you will have a resource well worth having and consulting for this mountain peak of Scripture called Romans.

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 on Leviticus and Numbers by Roy Gane is easily one of the best in the NIVAC series. While the value of Leviticus in this book might surpass that of Numbers in my estimation, you will receive real help on both. The writing is so engaging, the passion so evident, and rather than apologize for the Bible Mr. Gane wisely counsels us to put our own modern culture on trial. On more than one occasion, he finds that we ultimately struggle with the same problems they once did. If the goal of the NIVAC series is to provide a scholarly explanation of the text and then take it on to modern application, then this volume has succeeded in spades. I can’t recall what is admonished in Leviticus ever having been more profitably related to our day than what you will find here.

I was thoroughly impressed with all that was nicely explained in the 13 pages of the introduction to Leviticus. The big picture, the relationship to the New Testament, and a careful case made for Leviticus being something more than legalism was made clear. There’s a brief pass at authorship (God, then mostly Moses) before an exceptional section on structure and themes. I’ve read many thick exegetical commentaries that were far less helpful on structure than what you find here. I felt the introduction to Numbers was not as well-done as that of Leviticus, but what you read there is all helpful.

The best value of all will be found in his explanation of the details of Leviticus. Without doubt, many struggle here. Again, it appears that the normal design of a NIVAC commentary (original meaning, bridging context, and contemporary significance) fit Mr. Gane like a glove. Some commentaries in this series will often either shortchange bridging context or contemporary significance, but I was pleasantly surprised to find something truly helpful in every one of those sections. The volume was more conservative than I expected while the engaging style exceeded any expectations I would’ve had for a volume on Leviticus! If you would like to see if I am reviewing accurately, find some obscure subject in Leviticus and go read what Mr. Gane has to say about it. If you will do that, you will agree with me.

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.