Marvin A. Sweeney, an author who has written several major exegetical works, turns out this volume on First and Second Kings in the Old Testament Library (OTL) series. There seems to be a consensus that this volume is an improvement on the earlier volume on Kings in this series by John Gray that it replaced. I’ve noticed several positive reviews on this volume, and if you wonder how it compares to others in the series, I’d say it’s stronger on exegetical matters and weaker on theological ones. Just as the others in the series, though, it well expresses the viewpoint of the critical camp.

After a lengthy bibliography, Mr. Sweeney begins his Introduction by explaining the big picture of First and Second Kings being a narrative history of Israel and Judah. In presenting his historical views that a conservative reader like me could never agree with, he explains that he feels these books are more designed to tell us why Israel and Judah were exiled rather than to present with historical accuracy. He further explains that the people and the kings have failed to obey the Lord and His word, and have brought God’s hand against themselves. While I could easily believe that along with the historical accuracy of these books, there is no doubt that the explanation of what happened to Israel and Judah is in view in these books.

With a peculiar confidence, he reviews sources, or as he calls it, deuteronomistic history. He will trace that through Josianic, Hezekian, Jehu Dynastic, and Solomonic histories. While I couldn’t get into that sort of thinking, it’s there if that’s your cup of tea. He well explains the textual history of Kings by looking at the Masoretic version, Hebrew manuscripts from Qumran, the Septuagint version, Peshitta and Syriac versions, and even the Vulgate. Which version you favor also plays into how he explains the chronology of Kings. To my mind, he seems antagonistic to the Masoretic text and arrives at a chronology I couldn’t agree with. Still, he explains the common critical assumptions with aplomb.

In the commentary proper, he commentates mostly on the final form of the text. He does at times mention some of these issues regarding sources, but the forte of this volume is its rigorous exegesis. As I see it, this is the best volume to grab to get a clear presentation of the critical viewpoint on the books of First and Second Kings.

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 jewel of a commentary and was first written in 1974 and revised in 1988 by the venerable Leon Morris. It will likely be replaced soon as the whole Tyndale New Testament Commentary (TOTC) series is under revision, but I suggest you secure a copy as it is the ideal brief commentary on Luke. Leon Morris was the editor of the whole series before this latest round of revision kicked in, and understood what made a good commentary. In addition, there’s always a glowing spiritual warmth that pervades good scholarship in his writings. This volume on Luke is one of his great ones.

In the Introduction, he discusses authorship, date, language, Luke as a theologian, and the relationship of Luke to the other Gospels. He is thoroughly conservative throughout. The commentary is sterling. In fact, I fail to see how any reader couldn’t benefit from this fine book. If I were reading Luke and just wanted to grab one volume to orient myself or ask a question about the passage, this is the one I would grab. I hope IVP prints this commentary as a standalone volume when it comes time for Luke to be replaced in their TOTC series. Just in case they don’t, you’d better grab a copy while you can.

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.

If you are like me, even though you are conservative Bible student, you like to turn to the Old Testament Library (OTL) series to get a good grasp of the critical position. Though there are some things you will greatly disagree with in the series, there often observations on structure and theology that others miss. This volume by Richard J. Clifford that replaced McKane’s earlier one accomplishes all those things. It does it in spite of the fact that the Book of Proverbs lends itself less to such observations.

After a bibliography, Clifford jumps into an Introduction of the Book of Proverbs. There’s a very interesting outline given. The discussion of dating and the editing of the text matches the critical position, as does the historical context. My least favorite aspect of the introduction that can also be found in the commentary itself is the author’s conviction that the book of Proverbs is modeled off Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and other such cultures. When Clifford addresses the distinctive ideas found in Proverbs he’s especially helpful. He has a unique way of expressing himself that really gets you to thinking.

Any commentary on the Book of Proverbs, including the best ones out there, is of necessity a little hit-or-miss on any specific verse. In any event, what’s found here is much helpful exegesis and theology, despite the sentences you may have to dismiss out of hand.

This book fully lives up to the OTL standard and is worth consulting if you can ignore his Mesopotamian obsession.

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 Judges and Ruth by Mary J. Evans is the latest new one in the highly-respected Tyndale Old Testament Commentary (TOTC) series that is being completely revised. The volume it replaced was nearing 50 years old, and was done by Arthur Cundall and Leon Morris. Morris, who was a prolific scholarly writer on New Testament issues, handled Ruth in the older book, which I thoroughly enjoyed. No doubt, however, it was time for IVP to produce a new volume to keep the series up-to-date. Evans, who produced this new volume, has written a commentary on Samuel in IVP’s BST series several years ago.

As I read through the introduction to both Judges and Ruth by Evans, the strengths and weaknesses of the book became quickly apparent. When matters of history or sources were under discussion, I was completely unimpressed. When the discussion turned to background, theology, or other such matters, I found it quite readable and enjoyable.

In the Introduction to Judges, the author first tackles literary issues including overall structure. When she finally worked her way to recurring motifs, I found it quite interesting as well as a discussion of author’s intention. When overviewing canonical context, discussion of sources somewhat marred the relationship of Judges to Deuteronomy, Joshua, or Samuel. Particularly helpful was a discussion of all the surrounding tribes and nations and false gods found in Judges. The discussion of theological themes was solid, and even if I think more could have been said regarding the ethical issues facing readers today from the difficult Book of Judges, at least the questions were brought up. The commentary itself shared some of the same pluses and minuses as were found in the introduction, but there was real help to be found.

I found Evans more inspiring in the Book of Ruth. The background information was excellent as were the character studies. The theological discussion of themes found in Ruth was excellent, only falling short when discussing the Kinsman Redeemer. Her discussion of recurring motives brought up some things I hadn’t thought of before and was quite interesting.

This book is a solid entry in a great series!

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.

If you are looking for a quality textbook on Paul, then you should consider this second edition of “Rediscovering Paul” by David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves, and E. Randolph Richards. It addresses enough of modern scholarly debates on Paul to please students while being well-written enough to please pastors or Bible students.

I felt that chapter 1 about placing Paul in his times and world was worth the price of the book. It read so well, and so engages the reader, that it was a pure joy. Some works that explain to us how we err in viewing Paul through Western eyes are so dry, but that could not be said of this one.

The next chapter addresses what the authors call the Christophany. Some modern scholars almost paint Paul and Christ as rivals, but these authors do a good job of making them friends. Still, they reference and interact with some of those wild scholarly theories. In fairness, as a textbook they had no choice.

Chapter 3 looks at Paul as a letter writer and contains some interesting information I had not seen anywhere else. The next four chapters consider Galatians, the Thessalonian letters, the Corinthian letters, and Romans. The other Pauline letters are addressed in chapters 8 and 9. The final chapters consider Paul’s theology, his legacy, and then viewing his letters in modern times.

There are some maps, a very helpful glossary for students, a lengthy bibliography, and several helpful indices at the end of this attractive hardback.

There were some capitulations to some of the newer scholarly conclusions that I couldn’t agree with, but overall this is a quite helpful book. It succeeds on every level as a textbook, but as a pastor I’d label it an asset to the rest of us too. It’s engaging writing style was its best asset. Some of the interesting asides covering no more than a page or so were also appreciated. I warmly 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.

These early volumes of the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (EEC) series are impressive. Just think, if they hadn’t decided to start printing these formerly digital-only volumes, I would’ve missed it completely. This volume on the Book of Jude by Herbert W. Bateman IV is of the same high quality of the earlier volumes I’ve seen.

Bateman has turned out a fine Introduction to the Book of Jude. I love the way he clearly expresses his conclusion at the end of each section. He begins with discussing some of the textual issues before he jumps into authorship and place of writing. As you would expect, he discusses which Jude this book is about and other theories of authorship. His conclusions are conservative. When he addresses the recipients of the letter, he seems to feel that we are to decide between either Jewish or Gentile Christians. He concludes a Jewish ethnicity of Jude’s readers and that affects everything he discusses thereafter. He next discusses dating the letter and has an outstanding overview of other scholarly opinions. He sees it as written during the apostolic period.

He reaches a unique conclusion that the revolutionary forces of the Judean rebels are the false teachers, or opponents, of Jude. To be honest, I wasn’t convinced of his conclusion, but found it fascinating. You couldn’t accuse this volume of being a regurgitation of some other commentary for sure. The Introduction is thorough and including the bibliography almost reaches 100 pages.

The commentary is outstanding and holds up well with any major exegetical commentary. The depth is good, the options well-defined, and the conclusions are carefully stated. He interacts with scholarship both ancient and modern in this carefully researched volume. Every passage receives an introduction, textual notes, translation, and detailed commentary, followed by biblical theology comments and application and devotional implications.

If you pick up this commentary, I think you’ll agree that it has to be in the running for the best exegetical commentary we have on the Book of Jude today.

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.

Volume 12 of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary (EBC) is a major revision of volume 11 of the old series that also covered Ephesians through Philemon. Only two authors revised their earlier works and every other commentary is a new treatment by a different scholar. What we have here will be a real blessing to pastors and Bible students.

The Book of Ephesians is now handled by William Klein. Considering the importance of Ephesians, some will label it a very concise volume. Still, don’t see the brevity as superficiality. This volume is well done. In the Introduction he discusses authorship, structure, setting, date of composition, purpose, the relation to Colossians, theology, and textual issues. There’s also a fine bibliography and outline. If you see a negative review of this one, you may find that it’s not for any lack of quality work, but his corporate view of election and the fact that he’s a complementarian may be the real reason. I appreciate this work.

The Book of Philippians now has highly-respected scholar David Garland as its commentator. That’s a coup for this series. The writer of massive, major commentaries has proven himself adept here with a briefer entry. In the Introduction, he discusses background, date and place of origin, integrity of the letter, purpose and occasion, literary form, followed by a bibliography and outline. The commentary itself is outstanding.

Todd Still does Colossians. In his introduction he begins by discussing the overarching Christological theme. He surveys all the other typical introductory issues, also providing a bibliography and outline. The commentaries in the same fine style as the rest of these in the series.

Robert Thomas revises his earlier work on Thessalonians. Some criticize him for his dispensational viewpoint, but I’ve always enjoyed reading it. It appears to me that he took care in doing the revision and it’s even a far better work than before.

Andreas Kostenberger replaced two authors from the old series in his handling of the Pastoral Epistles. He has since written other commentaries on those epistles and this is a fine improvement over the older series (though I like them as well). He tackles each of those three epistles separately. Again, this is a quality commentary for pastors to have.

Philemon sees a revision by the previous author and continues to be a very usable entry.

This book is another economical, wonderful tool for pastors and teachers. Many of us have used the older set for several years, and appreciate the care that went in producing this new set that will last for years to come. I give it the highest 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.

Volume 2 in this revised edition of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary (EBC) now covers from Numbers through Ruth. It’s a huge volume of over 1300 pages! You will find the same quality commentary throughout that the series is known for. It is a pastor’s favorite for many.

The Book of Numbers has been revised by Ronald Allen. He was given more space in the old set and that continues to be true in the 450 pages of quality commentary we have here. Though there has been some updating, the Introduction is still divided into the same 12 parts. Some of the most provocative are the two sections that outline the problem of the large numbers and the suggestion of a solution.  I can’t personally follow his theory there, but appreciate the overall conservative approach. The commentary itself is one of the better available today.

The commentary on Deuteronomy has been replaced with a new one by Michael Grisanti. The Introduction is short, but covers the basis. The bibliography is extensive, and some helpful maps have been added to the commentary. The commentary itself is successful because of its clarity and conservative conclusions.

The commentary on Joshua also has a new author in Helene Dallaire. Though briefer than Numbers and Deuteronomy above, it has still been well received as a mid-length commentary. The Introduction gives an overview of the book, and one of Joshua,  followed by a discussion of authorship and composition, literary form, historical background and dating, the people of the land, and theology. There’s also a bibliography and outline. Since the scholarly world is really varied in dating Joshua, the author gives a good synopsis of both conservative and liberal views. There are some helpful charts throughout the commentary too. I would label this commentary as solid and helpful.

The commentary on Judges also has a new author, this time by highly respected Mark Boda. He stays within the confines of the series, which limits page number, but still succeeds in providing a concise, yet penetrating volume. He approaches Introduction by discussing in turn, its canonical forms, its historical contexts, its sociological dynamics, it’s a literary shape, it’s rhetorical purpose, and its theological potential. He also has a nice bibliography and outline. In using it you will easily see the hand of a seasoned commentator.

George Schwab provides a new commentary on the Book of Ruth. I had a lot of trouble agreeing with his conclusions in the Introduction. The chart on page 1308, however, was outstanding. The commentary itself is helpful, but I found a few conclusions in the commentary a little over the top as well. I’m not saying it isn’t worth consulting, just that it wouldn’t be my favorite.

I don’t see how you could go wrong with this thick commentary covering five books of the Old Testament. When you think about what you’re getting, you could even call it an economical value too. This is really a nice 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.