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Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on The New Testament #10
Ephesians (10)
Concentrate on the biblical author's message as it unfolds. Designed to assist the pastor and Bible teacher in conveying the significance of God's Word, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series treats the literary context and structure of every passage of the New Testament book in the original Greek. With a unique layout designed to help you comprehend the form and flow of each passage, the ZECNT While primarily designed for those with a basic knowledge of biblical Greek, all who strive to understand and teach the New Testament will benefit from the depth, format, and scholarship of these volumes.
544 pages, Hardcover
First published November 2, 2010
103 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Clinton E. Arnold
78 books18 followersClinton Arnold (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is the Dean and Professor of New Testament Language and Literature at Talbot School of Theology.
Dr. Arnold enjoys teaching, speaking and writing on various aspects of the New Testament. He has had a special interest in the historical and cultural setting of the letters of Paul. He is currently serving as the Vice President of the Evangelical Theological Society. Arnold is the editor of the four-volume Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary for which he wrote commentaries on “Acts," "Ephesians” and “Colossians”. He is the general editor of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament for which he has written the volume on “Ephesians.” Arnold has published in Christianity Today and was a regular columnist for Discipleship Journal. His research articles have appeared in such journals as New Testament Studies, Novum Testamentum, Journal for the Study of the New Testament and the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Arnold, his wife and three boys are vitally involved in their local church.
Dr. Arnold enjoys teaching, speaking and writing on various aspects of the New Testament. He has had a special interest in the historical and cultural setting of the letters of Paul. He is currently serving as the Vice President of the Evangelical Theological Society. Arnold is the editor of the four-volume Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary for which he wrote commentaries on “Acts," "Ephesians” and “Colossians”. He is the general editor of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament for which he has written the volume on “Ephesians.” Arnold has published in Christianity Today and was a regular columnist for Discipleship Journal. His research articles have appeared in such journals as New Testament Studies, Novum Testamentum, Journal for the Study of the New Testament and the Journal of Psychology and Theology. Arnold, his wife and three boys are vitally involved in their local church.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 24, 2014
You cannot find a better commentary on Ephesians. Arnold's insights into the world of magic and power in first century Ephesus are most helpful and enlightening. Arnold aptly displays that the theme of spiritual warfare begins in chapter one, verse three, and concludes with chapter six with the full armor of God. Arnold consistently points to Christ and his available power for every believer. A most encouraging commentary and I don't usually say that about a commentary.
January 3, 2021
Arnold is in the top 3 essential commentaries for exegetical study of Ephesians. Often a difficult decision in interpretation came down to Arnold vs. Hoehner (see my review of Hoehner). But Arnold contributes in many areas where other commentaries lack. Arnold does read more into background of the epistle with the "cosmic battle" and pagan gods he often sees behinds Paul's letter. But with that small caveat, this is highly recommended for any preacher, Bible teacher, or serious student of the Word.
September 2, 2019
Excellent commentary on one of my favorite New Testament Epistles. Arnold’s writing is clear and his outlines are easy to follow and helpful. This is a prime resource for preaching and teaching Ephesians.
May 13, 2016
A superb commentary. Although not as detailed on an academic level as O'brien's commentary, Arnold works through the texts carefully and brings them to bear in powerful ways on the reader's life.
July 9, 2020
I love this series and find its position among commentary series unique.
September 23, 2017
If you are looking through and evangelical commentary on the Greek of Ephesians, Ephesians, by Clinton E. Arnold published by Zondervan Academic is what you are searching for. This commentary is a recent volume in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament Series also edited by Clinton E. Arnold, a series which is synonymous with excellent exegesis and superior application, this volume continues the long legacy. This volume is one of the most articulate and practical modern commentaries on the Epistle to the Ephesians. While Arnold is no stranger to Biblical commentaries this is his first foray into this first-rate commentary series.
Ephesians begins with the typical study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, this is common place in Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament. This works dives into history and recent scholarship, of the book of the Epistle to the Ephesians which always helpful to Pastors, Teachers, and Scholars. This introductory section is one of the longest I have had the privilege of reading and it ranks as one of the best interaction with critical scholarship while giving evangelical conclusions.
In reference to the commentary sections on the text of the the Epistle to the Ephesians, Arnold, takes great care in carefully showing the original context of passage while applying it directly to the modern day reader. He also uses his own translation of the Greek text, which demonstrates his depth of knowledge of the text itself. The outlines that he provides are also of great use for a pastor looking to preach though the Epistle to the Ephesians exegetically.
With regard of recommending Ephesians to others I would whole heartily recommend this commentary to students of scripture, with one caveat. By this I mean I recommend this work to Pastors, Bible Teachers, Bible College Students, and to a limited extent educated Laymen looking to teach a Sunday school class, there is enough scholarly weight to this work to understand a particular issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. There are many commentaries about the Epistle to the Ephesians available at this moment but Ephesians of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series is a giant leap above all other commentaries on this book of the Bible.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Academic in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Ephesians: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
© 2010 by Clinton E. Arnold
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Page Count: 544 Pages
ISBN: 978-0310243731
Ephesians begins with the typical study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, this is common place in Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament. This works dives into history and recent scholarship, of the book of the Epistle to the Ephesians which always helpful to Pastors, Teachers, and Scholars. This introductory section is one of the longest I have had the privilege of reading and it ranks as one of the best interaction with critical scholarship while giving evangelical conclusions.
In reference to the commentary sections on the text of the the Epistle to the Ephesians, Arnold, takes great care in carefully showing the original context of passage while applying it directly to the modern day reader. He also uses his own translation of the Greek text, which demonstrates his depth of knowledge of the text itself. The outlines that he provides are also of great use for a pastor looking to preach though the Epistle to the Ephesians exegetically.
With regard of recommending Ephesians to others I would whole heartily recommend this commentary to students of scripture, with one caveat. By this I mean I recommend this work to Pastors, Bible Teachers, Bible College Students, and to a limited extent educated Laymen looking to teach a Sunday school class, there is enough scholarly weight to this work to understand a particular issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. There are many commentaries about the Epistle to the Ephesians available at this moment but Ephesians of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series is a giant leap above all other commentaries on this book of the Bible.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Academic in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Ephesians: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
© 2010 by Clinton E. Arnold
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Page Count: 544 Pages
ISBN: 978-0310243731
May 11, 2017
Clinton Arnold, who also happens to be the editor, contributes this volume on the wonderful Book of Ephesians in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary (ZECNT) series. Mr. Arnold is a scholar highly qualified to comment on this book, one of the most important in the Bible. It’s obvious that Ephesians has been area of expertise for him. As with several volumes in the series, Mr. Arnold holds conservative viewpoints and defends them in a magisterial fashion. His bold proclamation of a belief in the inerrancy of Scripture was much appreciated by this reviewer.
He begins his Introduction by relating his awe of the Book of Ephesians. He believes the destination of the letter is Ephesus and shows the recent scholarly rejection of it to be built on a foundation of sand. He draws a vibrant portrait of the setting in Ephesus including its diverse religious and cultural background. He traces where Judaism stood there. I found it easy to agree with his four main themes of Ephesians too.
On authorship he remains convinced of Paul and explains why we should as well. He sifts through the scholarly debate over Ephesians similarity to Colossians to good advantage. He doesn’t have as much to say about structure as some, but doesn’t believe rhetoric is as in play as some have argued. After an outline and bibliography, he jumps into the commentary of the text.
The commentary is in the pastor-friendly ZECNT style. I read through some of what I believe to be the harder passages and loved what I found. There’s great presentation of options and clear reasoning about what he feels to be the right conclusion. I thought his section on the household code was balanced and firmly complementarian.
There’s a lot of competition in the Ephesians commentary category. He’s much more succinct than Hoehner and up near the staus of O’Brien. The writing flows well and the content is top notch. This volume is clearly in the must-have category.
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.
He begins his Introduction by relating his awe of the Book of Ephesians. He believes the destination of the letter is Ephesus and shows the recent scholarly rejection of it to be built on a foundation of sand. He draws a vibrant portrait of the setting in Ephesus including its diverse religious and cultural background. He traces where Judaism stood there. I found it easy to agree with his four main themes of Ephesians too.
On authorship he remains convinced of Paul and explains why we should as well. He sifts through the scholarly debate over Ephesians similarity to Colossians to good advantage. He doesn’t have as much to say about structure as some, but doesn’t believe rhetoric is as in play as some have argued. After an outline and bibliography, he jumps into the commentary of the text.
The commentary is in the pastor-friendly ZECNT style. I read through some of what I believe to be the harder passages and loved what I found. There’s great presentation of options and clear reasoning about what he feels to be the right conclusion. I thought his section on the household code was balanced and firmly complementarian.
There’s a lot of competition in the Ephesians commentary category. He’s much more succinct than Hoehner and up near the staus of O’Brien. The writing flows well and the content is top notch. This volume is clearly in the must-have category.
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.
January 21, 2025
The Zondervan Exegetical commentaries are arguably my favorite commentary series, particularly because they are thorough and they use the Greek font and don’t bother with transliteration nonsense. This was my second attempt to read a volume from the New Testament all the way through having read through the Revelation volume last Fall.
What I mostly appreciated about Arnold’s take is his knowledge of the Ephesian cultic practices. I know that Arnold is a specialist in this area and, wow! This focus added a lot to the Book of Ephesians and helped me see the book anew in a light I hadn’t considered before. The Book of Ephesians is loaded with references to the “powers” and “authorities” throughout and Arnold helpfully explains why this is so.
Having spent time going through the Greek text of Ephesians in a seminary class, this book was a helpful guide to understanding the book afresh. One of my top books of the year.
What I mostly appreciated about Arnold’s take is his knowledge of the Ephesian cultic practices. I know that Arnold is a specialist in this area and, wow! This focus added a lot to the Book of Ephesians and helped me see the book anew in a light I hadn’t considered before. The Book of Ephesians is loaded with references to the “powers” and “authorities” throughout and Arnold helpfully explains why this is so.
Having spent time going through the Greek text of Ephesians in a seminary class, this book was a helpful guide to understanding the book afresh. One of my top books of the year.
February 2, 2024
Placeholder for Ephesians, Audio Lectures by Clinton E. Arnold.
Arnold squeezed so much meaning out of Paul's short but dense and thematically and theologically rich letter to his Church in Ephesus.
Arnold squeezed so much meaning out of Paul's short but dense and thematically and theologically rich letter to his Church in Ephesus.
July 25, 2017
Enjoyable commentary. good study of the Greek and some good application.
April 28, 2018
quedé fascinado por este comentario y mucho más del libro de Efesios! Espero que los demás comentarios de esta serie sean así de buenos!
September 6, 2020
Excelente comentario. Recomendado completamente si se quiere estudiar la carta a los Efesios.
December 4, 2023
Very good commentary
August 24, 2012
Extremely helpful commentary!
April 8, 2017
A very solid commentary on Ephesians. Clear. Solid explanation of the text. Strong applications. Feel like he occasionally belabored points.
December 1, 2017
Excellent commentary with a focus on Paul's discussion of demonic forces.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews