BUILDING AN OLD TESTAMENT LIBRARY: 1 SAMUEL—JOB

On the books of Samuel, P.K. McCarter’s commentaries in the Anchor Bible (AB; Doubleday, 1980/1984) series remain important with their thorough discussions of translational and text-critical issues, along with comments on broader issues and themes. The Word Biblical Commentary volumes on 1 and 2 Samuel (WBC; Word) by R.W. Klein (1983) and A.A. Anderson (1989), respectively, also address textual and translational issues extensively before going on to discuss each passage under the headings Form/Structure/Setting, Comment, and Explanation. All of the WBC commentaries contain extensive bibliographies at the beginning of each section, which makes them an invaluable resource for students. A.F. Campbell (The Forms of the Old Testament Literature [FOTL]; Eerdmans, 2003/2005) builds his exposition around his delineation of the passages’ structure, and he is to be commended for attending to questions of redaction and composition, while at the same time addressing literary techniques and considering the text’s final form. D.T. Tsumura’s excellent new commentary on 1 Samuel in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT; Eerdmans, 2007) begins with a detailed and up-to-date summary of Samuel research. The discussion of the text likewise interacts with all of the important scholarship in its judicious and well-written interpretation, and Tsumura’s forthcoming volume on 2 Samuel is to be eagerly anticipated.

Turning to Kings, I.W. Provan’s solid commentary in the New International Biblical Commentary (NIBC; Hendrickson, 1995) provides a careful theological analysis of the books’ final form, while also exploring all of the historical issues. Excurses on Solomon, Elijah, Elisha and Hezekiah/Joash “in canonical context” are another interesting part of this volume for the Christian reader. R. Nelson (Interpretation; John Knox, 1987) writes from a literary perspective, treating 1-2 Kings as “preached history” with a “kerygmatic intent.” His study of plot and other literary features yields valuable theological insights, and he frequently makes suggestion about preaching and teaching 1-2 Kings in the church. S.J. DeVries, writing on 1 Kings (WBC; 1985), likewise pays close attention to theological concerns, but approaches them from a historical rather than literary perspective. Respecting the text as a source for understanding Israelite history, he shows how the text’s presentation of that history reveals the author’s understanding of God. The volume on 2 Kings in this series on comes from the pen of T.R. Hobbs (1985) and is also a helpful resource for pastors and students alike. G.H. Jones’s book in the New Century Bible Commentary series (NCBC; Eerdmans, 1984) includes a thorough introduction that discusses issues of chronology, redaction, sources, history and theology, followed by traditional phrase-by-phrase commentary.

The books of Chronicles have seen a spate of new commentaries that will be consulted for years to come. R.W. Klein’s commentary on 1 Chronicles in the erudite Hermeneia series (Fortress, 2006) caps a long career of research on these books. While thoroughly covering all the critical issues, Klein has a clear writing style that will make this volume extremely useful to a broad range of readers. Likewise, G. Knoppers has completed his two volumes on 1 Chronicles in AB (2004), and we anxiously await his commentary on 2 Chronicles. The WBC commentary on 1 Chronicles by R.L. Braun (1986) includes an extensive introduction covering authorship, setting, composition and theological themes, followed by thorough discussion of the text. The volume on 2 Chronicles by R. Dillard (1987) is likewise an important resource. There are also two single volume commentaries on 1-2 Chronicles that will serve the pastor and student well. S.S. Tuell’s contribution to Interpretation (2001) exposits the text clearly and concisely and is a pleasure to read. Another valuable resource is the Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries volume by S.L. McKenzie (AOTC; Abingdon, 2004), who is currently one of the foremost scholars of Old Testament historical literature.

H.G.M. Williamson’s study of Ezra and Nehemiah (WBC, 1985) probably remains the best available for these books. It is extensive and detailed, paying close attention to issues of translation, history, and theology. The introductory pages of D.J.A. Clines’s commentary in the NCBC (1984) give a good but concise summary of both the historical difficulties and the theological issues in the books, and the commentary itself is also valuable. M.A. Throntveit (Interpretation, 1992) focuses largely on literary issues and structure, and his frequent insertion of theological and hermeneutical insights makes this brief volume a good choice for preachers. G.F. Davies in Berit Olam (Liturgical Press, 1999) undertakes a rhetorical analysis of these books, giving close attention to details in the text and to the text’s effect on the audience.

In studying Esther, F.W. Bush’s volume on Ruth and Esther (WBC, 1996) will be the first to consult. Typical of the series, it is the most thorough and detailed commentary to date. J.G. Baldwin’s inviting writing style and her theological reflection make her study in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary (Intervarsity, 1984) a happy choice, as well. Her excellent introduction gives a nice summary of the pertinent literary and historical issues. Another such summary appears in the NIBC volume on Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther by L. Allen and T. Laniak (Laniak on Esther), which sees more historical veracity in Esther than most commentators (2003). C.M. Bechtel (Interpretation, 2002) presents a more homiletical treatment, allowing her delineation of theological themes to arise from her attention to form and structure.

D.J.A. Clines’ massive commentary on Job (WBC; 1989/2006) is now complete through ch. 37, leaving only volume 3 to be published. With its thorough and detailed analysis, this work will long set the standard for scholarship on this book. The recent volume by S.E. Balentine (Smith & Helwys, 2006) is also excellent. This accessibly written commentary includes numerous sidebars that present information about the history of interpretation of Job and the question of theodicy and suffering, with a special focus on art and literature. Other choices would be the commentaries by J.G. Janzen (Interpretation, 1985) and J.E. Hartley (NICOT, 1988).

By Craig Vondergeest, John Wesley Fellow, now on the faculty of Presbyterian College.