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Pillar New Testament Commentary
The Letter to the Hebrews
In this carefully crafted commentary Peter O'Brien distinctively harvests the results of recent scholarship on the letter to the Hebrews, especially in relation to the genre of the document and the flow of its discourse. This volume is purposely neither unduly technical nor unhelpfully brief. Its careful exegesis and exposition combined with its theological richness and warm devotion will fruitfully serve pastors, teachers, and students everywhere.
596 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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About the author
Peter T. O'Brien
19 books11 followersO'Brien is senior research fellow in New Testament at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He is well-known for his major biblical commentaries, including The Letter to the Ephesians (Apollos), and several publications on the subject of mission.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 14, 2017
My favorite modern commentary on Hebrews. He covered all the necessary areas without getting too bogged down. As with most modern commentaries, there is not enough imperative. O'Brien is an excellent choice when studying this book of the Bible though I doubt anyone would agree with all his conclusions.
February 28, 2024
Great commentary! Out of print.
December 27, 2025
I always benefit from Peter T. O’Brien’s commentaries. I am so thankful that I was able to purchase them while they were still in print. Even though there were accusations and admissions regarding plagiarism due to poor research records, his commentaries are encouraging and edifying.
This Pillar commentary on Hebrews is no exception. It reads well as O’Brien clearly lays out various views and giving his own preference. Over the years I’ve often said that while I may disagree with O’Brien‘s final conclusion, his laying out of the evidence always give me clarity to come to my own conclusions and convictions.
I would suggest pastors and teachers who are going to teach through Hebrews to read this reflectively in advance of doing the deep dive into exegesis. It has the benefits of being readable with depth like Don Carson’s commentary on John’s gospel.
One of my top five on Hebrews!
Top five commentaries on the Book of Hebrews in terms of usefulness: Tom Schreiner, Doug Moo, David Peterson, O’Brien/Bruce, and Grant Osborne.
In terms of more robust commentaries that are frequently referenced by scholars and yield exegetical gold, I would include Lane, Cockerill, and Ellingworth. I did not do in-depth reading of these as much as reference them for study. Grindheim is another to consult and has been published as a replacement to O’Brien in the Pillar Commentary series. Of course, John Owen is the Puritan King of Hebrew!
This Pillar commentary on Hebrews is no exception. It reads well as O’Brien clearly lays out various views and giving his own preference. Over the years I’ve often said that while I may disagree with O’Brien‘s final conclusion, his laying out of the evidence always give me clarity to come to my own conclusions and convictions.
I would suggest pastors and teachers who are going to teach through Hebrews to read this reflectively in advance of doing the deep dive into exegesis. It has the benefits of being readable with depth like Don Carson’s commentary on John’s gospel.
One of my top five on Hebrews!
Top five commentaries on the Book of Hebrews in terms of usefulness: Tom Schreiner, Doug Moo, David Peterson, O’Brien/Bruce, and Grant Osborne.
In terms of more robust commentaries that are frequently referenced by scholars and yield exegetical gold, I would include Lane, Cockerill, and Ellingworth. I did not do in-depth reading of these as much as reference them for study. Grindheim is another to consult and has been published as a replacement to O’Brien in the Pillar Commentary series. Of course, John Owen is the Puritan King of Hebrew!
March 30, 2013
Used this for a Bible study on Hebrews and it, like other Pillar volumes, was very helpful.
March 14, 2016
Excellent stuff on Hebrews here. Almost always addresses the questions I bring to it, and nicely too. Not too technical for my background and taste, yet academic enough to really help.
February 18, 2019
A solid commentary installment. In this volume, O’Brien provided meaningful and academically rigorous reflections on Hebrews with a consistent and predictable prose. Sometimes opting for the less fantastic of the available interpretations of a given passage (see his treatment of Melchizedek), O’Brien’s contribution here will serve both the theologian and the pastor, if one can separate the two. Neither pedestrian nor rigid to excess, O’Brien walked the line well between formality and utility.
August 12, 2011
A fine addition to scholarship on Hebrews. O'Brien draws mostly on modern (20th and 21st) research to state his case for Hebrews. While this is great (especially his use of modern literary and rhetorical criticism), it would have been helpful to have some Patristic readings of Hebrews. I believe this is especially important considering how notoriously difficult (if not impossible) it is to place Hebrews in any sort of "original context". Coversations with how the early Church used the book would go along way aleviating that problem.
To O'Brien's benefit he largely avoids speculation and unnecessary historical reconstructions and limits most of his discussion to 1st century grammatical and lexical terms. As someone who doesn't really enjoy pouring over lexicons, this is incredibly helpful. Even more helpful is his treatment of the LXX that underlays so much of Hebrews. Of course, O'Brien's greatest strength is his greatest weakness. Perhaps more so than any New Testament letter (homily?), Hebrews is a thoroughly theological book. This assertation isn't meant to denegrate other New Testament theologies or place one over the other, but the absence of any certainty of context and the high Christology presented in Hebrews a stronger theological and especially Christological reading would be appreciated. This is obvious from the beginning as O'Brien seems to neglect the powerful assertation of the finality of God's self-revelation of God's own self through the son Jesus Christ.
Still, this is a worthwhile book and will end up holding a strong place in ongoing Hebrews research.
To O'Brien's benefit he largely avoids speculation and unnecessary historical reconstructions and limits most of his discussion to 1st century grammatical and lexical terms. As someone who doesn't really enjoy pouring over lexicons, this is incredibly helpful. Even more helpful is his treatment of the LXX that underlays so much of Hebrews. Of course, O'Brien's greatest strength is his greatest weakness. Perhaps more so than any New Testament letter (homily?), Hebrews is a thoroughly theological book. This assertation isn't meant to denegrate other New Testament theologies or place one over the other, but the absence of any certainty of context and the high Christology presented in Hebrews a stronger theological and especially Christological reading would be appreciated. This is obvious from the beginning as O'Brien seems to neglect the powerful assertation of the finality of God's self-revelation of God's own self through the son Jesus Christ.
Still, this is a worthwhile book and will end up holding a strong place in ongoing Hebrews research.
April 12, 2013
This is my favorite Hebrews commentary. Scholarly, thorough, clear. He does an excellent job of allowing the context to drive his interpretation, referencing other New Testament authors relatively rarely and relying instead on the author's own words and knowledge of the Septuagint. Highly recommended to anyone preparing to teach from the book of Hebrews.
April 9, 2010
O'Brien's commentaries are consistently worthwhile, and this one is no exception. Recommended.
February 4, 2013
This was the first in-depth, academic commentary that I have read. I learned a lot, though it was heavy reading. I have a much better understanding of Hebrews now, which is a blessing.
June 17, 2016
Great commentary. A bit technical, but provides a very comprehensive look at the book of Hebrews.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews