Judges, Ruth (NAC) by Daniel Block is an excellent commentary on the Old Testament books of Ruth and Judges. For Ruth, Block does a fine job, but the real treasure is his treatment of Judges. This review focuses on Judges.
Pros:
* Easy and fun to read
* Great focus on the text; brings out literary features such as ironies, phonetic tidbits, and changes/omissions as the story unfolds
* Makes connections outside the text
* Makes strong application points
Cons:
(For my purposes, I can't think of anything significant. If you disagree with the fundamental way he handles the text, you obviously won't get much out of this book.)
Excellent commentary! I used this to prepare for an adult Bible Study. The group kept growing as the summer went on; people wanted the notes if they missed a study. It helped us not only understand Judges, but gave us tools and motivation for looking carefully at the text.
3 comments:
Todd, I just picked this one up and used it for help with a message on Ruth last month. Block was at a one day Pastors' conference at my alma-mater Northwestern College in Orange City 2 years ago. I was very impressed with his passion for displaying the Gospel through the Hebrew Scriptures, and his knowledge of the historical background is incredible as well. I also got his 2-volume work on Ezekiel that has been very helpful in seeking understanding for an often difficult prophecy book. Thanks for your thoughts on these commentaries!
I read and heard great things about his commentary on Ezekiel. John Glynn says it might be the best OT commentary there is. Thanks for your thoughts!
I was very impressed with his passion for displaying the Gospel through the Hebrew Scriptures, and his knowledge of the historical background is incredible as well..
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Julie
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