Here is a full-scale revision of Mr. Butler’s 1983 offering to the Word Biblical Commentary series. I can say upfront that this is the best revision by the same author that I have ever seen done in a major commentary series. I own the older volume and this revision has numerous upgrades. So many upgrades, in fact, that it had to grow to two volumes.

Reading the new Author’s Preface you can tell Mr. Butler was surprised that his earlier edition of this commentary was not as well received by conservatives as he expected. While he tried to explain himself at great lengths to prove that he was more conservative than thought, he nevertheless brought this commentary more squarely into the conservative camp by what he wrote this time. I still don’t agree with him on compositional issues, but really appreciate the direction he came.

In volume 1 he has a three part Introduction. The first part is about textual issues and he makes the Masoretic Text his focus. Then he gives a major, impressive section on a “Review of Critical Research”. With a deft hand he brings us from Keil to the present. It could serve as a prototype of what a history of interpretation ought to look like. It was fascinating to see all the zany sidewalks of thought in the study of Joshua, but you will be up to speed on where scholarship has gone before. The final part covers things like ethical and theological issues,

The rest of the volume is commentary in the typical WBC format covering Joshua 1-12.

The second volume covers Joshua 13-24 in 362 more pages. Some paragraphs are unchanged, but many have been rewritten or at least tweaked.

There are many other helpful additions including some well done charts that were not present in the first edition. The visual additions really aid comprehending what he is saying. There are massive bibliographies throughout that will delight the scholars too.

All in all, this set is a winner and will be around for years to come.

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.

As the subtitle “A way forward for those who are tired of taking sides” suggests, this is a provocative volume. His reference to “outside the lines” refers to his preference for living inside the lines where all is a perfect black and white. His writes because he is tired of taking sides. He is tired of all the isms and as he says, “…the ism that feeds them all: elitism”.

In writing he exposes that our “outrage” is often enjoyed. He says that “…some part of us loves feeling 1) right and 2) wronged.” It is all helpfully convicting, especially as he shows that Jesus operated a different way. It wasn’t simply about outrage for Him, but rather people and right and wrong. That is not a subtle difference.

What was subtle about this book, however, is how Mr. Sauls took the subject of outrage and turned it on us. Not only do we live in soundbites and thrive on arguments, but we have lost sight of what we should most scrutinize–ourselves. For example, he transforms the discussion on the unborn and poor into one about how we really view those made in the image of God. He took the issue of declining church attendance and made it about what we have done to drive them away.

In Part 2, he went deeper inside us. He took issues and discussed where a Christian must stand for truth while exposing where we are only playing a game. The chapters “Hypocrite or Work In Progress?” and “Self-esteem or God-esteem?” were his best.

This book speaks to areas of real need in our lives as Christians 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.

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The Book of Psalms has been well served in the world of commentaries of late, and here the venerable New International Commentary series enters the fray. Three scholars, Nancy deClaisse’-Walford, Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner, combine to give us this 1000-page one-volume commentary.

The target audience ranges from studious pastors to scholars. In this recent spate of commentaries, its niche seems clear. There is a recent fine three-volume set by Allen Ross among others, and this volume appeals to the same audience except offering a more economical option in one volume. This volume attempts to cover the same territory in a more succinct way. Ross would likely be more conservative, though I imagine the depth of three volumes verses the compactness of one volume will be the criteria of choice among purchasers.

The Introduction runs to page 51 and covers key issues well. Pastors will find some parts of it more helpful than others while scholars will delight in it all. Mr. Jacobson writes the bulk of the Introduction (and, as a matter of personal taste, he was my favorite of the three and I found myself agreeing with him more). Settling on the Masoretic Text rather than endless speculations over the elusive “original” is certainly a plus. An easy-to-follow history of approaches to scholarly trends in studying the Psalms was helpful.

Discussion on the Five Books within the Psalms as well as division within the books made sense. Special collections, like the Psalms of Ascent, are discussed in a meaningful way. There is less coverage of Hebrew poetry itself and main theological themes, though what was given I found interesting.

The commentary itself is exegetically satisfying. For reasons not clear to me, only Mr. Jabobson offered us a reflections section on some of the Psalms he covered. Perhaps it would have made the book too large to have it on every Psalm, but I especially enjoyed them. On that point, we can just enjoy what we got.

The writers chose not to translate hesed, which seemed odd to me. “Mercy’ or ‘Loving-kindness” are pretty good English words. Some Psalms seemed a little short in coverage, but, perhaps, that is the cost of covering Psalms in one volume.

Still, this is a fine volume and a worthy counterpart among New International Commentary volumes, and I suspect it will be around for a long time to come.

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.

Most Christians find Leviticus rather difficult to grasp. Here is a volume aimed at Bible students and pastors that will provide real help at an economical price. Mr. Skylar has spent much of his career on this portion of Scripture and it shows.

There is a fine Introduction that runs through page 84. It well addresses the more vexing issues of Leviticus. Solidly conservative in its conclusions, this volume well handles the ethical questions that arise. The categories of sin that are clearly present are explained as are the ritual states of impure, pure, and holy. Great care is given where our cultural simply is not familiar with what is asked of the Israelites. There are some fine charts that give visual help and greatly increase our comprehension.

Blood atonement is given its due. the illustration of a check covering the debt before it clears the bank was distinctly rewarding. Because it is so foreign to our thinking, ritual and why it can be so important is brought out. The Introduction ends where I think any one on Leviticus should–Jesus!

In the commentary proper every passage is given sufficient, interesting, and helpful discussion. You could not help but gain by this fine volume. The Tyndale Commentary series now under revision finds another worthy volume here. 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.

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Cyril Barber gives us a fine volume on Job aimed at laypeople, but quite pleasing to pastors. I will never understand why volumes by this fine writer aren’t more well known. He shows such an outstanding, broad reading behind what he writes.

He gives great insight into Job, his times, his family situation, his wife, and his physical ailments. Discussion of Satan at work is equally enlightening. The discussion of the three friends and the psychological impact on Job is explained in a way that opens up the text.

Along the way there is helpful discussion on the theology of suffering, which is one of the keys of the book. He gives Elihu’s comments good perspective too at the end. The length is ideal for what this volume purports to be.

While this will can not take the place of an exegetical commentary, read this volume after studying such commentaries and you will be greatly enriched.

This volume may not be as good or as in-depth as his volumes on First and Second Kings, but it is still quite helpful. I recommend it and all the Cyril Barber volumes published by Wipf & Stock.

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.

Looking for a solid commentary on Acts aimed more at expositional help rather than just exegetical detail? You ought to check out the new EP Study Commentary volume by Guy Prentiss Waters. That is not to say that it isn’t exegetically sound, but that it is written in a way at once interesting and clear.

The Introduction is short but gets you going in the right direction. Mr. Waters writes from both a reformed and amillennial perspective, and though that is not my own viewpoint, I still recommend this volume anyway because of the perceptive comments he so often gives. In fact, I have a growing appreciation for this series as a whole, though I only have a few volumes, because of its warm-hearted approach. As with the series, this volume is particularly pastor-friendly.

Perhaps the best commendation I can give it is the nuggets I found myself underlining as I perused it. Yes, I found some paragraphs that I disagreed with, but I never failed to see one who loved our Lord, His Word, and the Book of Acts in particular. The application was of the sort one hopes to find in preaching. The commentary length is ideal as well.

I appreciate the exegetical commentaries and use them often, but it is volumes like these where the reading turns pleasant. I wholeheartedly 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. 

Check out many other commentaries here. 

Tyndale Commentaries (IVP) continues its quest to revise its venerable Old and New Testament series. With a few Old Testament volumes already out, this volume is the first one for the New Testament. In this case, the editors chose to retain well-known scholar Douglas Moo. Although it is not a major revision (some paragraphs are unchanged), Mr. Moo is an active scholar who has also written a larger commentary on James as well as several others. The editors made a good choice here.

As we have come to expect from this series, the introduction is succinct and appropriate. All the key issues are brought up and made sense of. Authorship, background, date, structure, and theological emphasis are all well covered. I found myself agreeing with many of his conclusions.

In the commentary, each passage is discussed in terms of context, commentary, and theology. That format is ideal to help grasp the meaning of the passage. The help is more substantial than many of the briefer commentaries out there.

In the key test in evaluating the value of any commentary on James, this volume succeeds in making friends of Paul and James and their respective theologies. Both in the Introduction and the commentary proper, Mr. Moo, with clear analysis of the theological points and probing interaction with the text itself, makes his case.

Of course there is much more to James and this volume handles it well too. This is a solid 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.    

Are you looking for a clear, helpful commentary on Jeremiah that focuses less on technical exegesis and more on explaining the meaning of the text you read? Then I strongly recommend this volume in The Bible Speaks Today series published by IVP.

The first thing you will notice and appreciate is the passion that exudes from Mr. Wright for Jeremiah. In fact, he displays a belief and love for all of God’s Word that is sadly lacking in some modern commentaries. It doesn’t hurt, either, that his prose sparkles on page after page. That is a distinct bonus in commentary writing.

This volume replaces the volume by the quintessential short commentary writer Derek Kidner. That man could say so much in a few words. Though I plan to continue using the Kidner Volume (IVP has republished it as a classic commentary), this new volume surpasses it. Mr. Wright gives us help on every passage, which Kidner could not do because of stricter space constraints.

After a truly helpful, short introduction for Jeremiah, the bulk of the 444 pages explain the text. In reviewing this volume I especially studied his comments on about ten passages that I had studied in-depth and preached on previously in my pastoral ministry. His commentary was outstanding in each case and I look forward to using this volume often in the years ahead as it will take a prominent place on my shelves. He gives great explanation coupled with real spiritual insight.This volume is a real boon to the expositor!

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 is a jewel of a commentary by a writer always worth reading–Iain Duguid. He writes in venerable Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series (TOTC) on a book of the Bible, Song of Solomon, where many commentaries are disappointing. This volume, for me, was a breath of fresh air.

It is a specimen of succinctness while still speaking on all the important issues that larger volumes tackle. (You can do as I did and take a glance at Duane Garrett’s WBC for meticulous detail on interesting subjects raised here). While the old Tyndale volume on the Song by Carr was a good commentary, I found this one more helpful.

For one thing he respects the allegorical approach (or as he explains, a typological approach). He gently discusses where there might be problems, but he also does on the natural approach. He finally comes to a natural interpretation, minus sexual excess, with a dash of typology. I personally would have more a typological approach with a dash of natural interpretation, but I was enriched by this outstanding volume. 

For another, he is talented as a commentary writer wrestling with the text. He has other commentaries out there worth getting too. I found a few places in the text where I disagreed with his conclusions, but again, he writes well and fair. Pastors and Bible students will be glad to get this wonderful, economical commentary. Five stars 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.