What do you think?
Rate this book
Word Biblical Commentary #2
Genesis 16-50
Pastors and scholars alike will herald the appearance of this second volume of Gordon Wenham’s analysis of Genesis as a landmark event in the critical study of the Pentateuch. Dr. Wenham devoted fourteen years of his considerable scholarship and exegetical skills to write this exceptional work.
This second volume in Wenham’s Genesis study is destined to be widely acclaimed like the first volume. Dr. Moshe Greenberg, Professor of Biblical Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, praised Genesis 1–15 as “one of the richest and most informative works on Genesis in English.” J. C. L. Gibson, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Edinburgh, called that volume “a very good commentary which combines meticulous exegesis with keen theological insight.”
Writing this second volume with both the scholar and pastor in mind, Dr. Wenham makes sure that his Comment and Explanation sections on each segment of the Genesis text can be read and appreciated by professionals without Hebrew language skills. At the same time he includes copious technical notes on Form/Structure/Setting that will challenge and instruct the most capable Hebrew experts.
Out of his extensive examination of Genesis 16–50, Dr. Wenham has produced a careful commentary that interacts with contemporary scholarship in a restrained, informed manner, clearly affirming from beginning to end his underlying conclusions:
that the patriarchal stories contained in Genesis are not pagan god-myths born in the Canaanite culture but, instead, are records that deal with real historical figures;
that the multi-century oral transmission of the history is accurate and believable;
that uncertainties about dating the patriarchal period in Genesis are not too great to keep scholars from placing these events in the centuries shortly after 2000 B.C.E.;
that the Genesis picture of patriarchal life matches what we know about the family names, tribal customs, social laws, and domestic arrangements of the second millennium B.C.E.
Gordon Wenham has produced a commentary destined to take a respected place in all critical studies of Genesis, challenging liberal and conservative readers alike to pay closer attention to what the Bible tells us. Serious students of Genesis will applaud Dr. Wenham’s fine commentary as a genuine aid for all who seek to unravel the mysteries of Scripture and to know the mind of God.
This second volume in Wenham’s Genesis study is destined to be widely acclaimed like the first volume. Dr. Moshe Greenberg, Professor of Biblical Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, praised Genesis 1–15 as “one of the richest and most informative works on Genesis in English.” J. C. L. Gibson, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Edinburgh, called that volume “a very good commentary which combines meticulous exegesis with keen theological insight.”
Writing this second volume with both the scholar and pastor in mind, Dr. Wenham makes sure that his Comment and Explanation sections on each segment of the Genesis text can be read and appreciated by professionals without Hebrew language skills. At the same time he includes copious technical notes on Form/Structure/Setting that will challenge and instruct the most capable Hebrew experts.
Out of his extensive examination of Genesis 16–50, Dr. Wenham has produced a careful commentary that interacts with contemporary scholarship in a restrained, informed manner, clearly affirming from beginning to end his underlying conclusions:
that the patriarchal stories contained in Genesis are not pagan god-myths born in the Canaanite culture but, instead, are records that deal with real historical figures;
that the multi-century oral transmission of the history is accurate and believable;
that uncertainties about dating the patriarchal period in Genesis are not too great to keep scholars from placing these events in the centuries shortly after 2000 B.C.E.;
that the Genesis picture of patriarchal life matches what we know about the family names, tribal customs, social laws, and domestic arrangements of the second millennium B.C.E.
Gordon Wenham has produced a commentary destined to take a respected place in all critical studies of Genesis, challenging liberal and conservative readers alike to pay closer attention to what the Bible tells us. Serious students of Genesis will applaud Dr. Wenham’s fine commentary as a genuine aid for all who seek to unravel the mysteries of Scripture and to know the mind of God.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2015
51 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Gordon J. Wenham
47 books26 followersGordon J. Wenham was a Reformed British Old Testament scholar and writer. He has authored several books about the Bible. Tremper Longman has called him "one of the finest evangelical commentators today."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 5, 2022
You'd be a fool NOT to consult Wenham.
Read
July 2, 2024“To us whose vision has been enriched and enlarged by the witness of the rest of the Bible, Joseph still says, “God will definitely visit you . . . and bring you to the land which he promised.”
November 21, 2023
Very in depth exegetical commentary. Great reference resource
June 16, 2022
Wenham is a careful exegete, and is useful in addressing liberal critiques of Scripture, as he shows in a steady, understated, disciplined approach how careful attention to the text often resolves those very objections.
Wenham is particularly useful for cultural analysis, and comparing the themes and events of Genesis to other ANE literature. THat said, at times he can give too much attention or weight to those commonalities, which can detract from the clarity of the text itself. He generally stays far away from application, but at times shines through with wonderful gems of observation.
Used in preparing to preach Genesis in 2021, 2022.
Wenham is particularly useful for cultural analysis, and comparing the themes and events of Genesis to other ANE literature. THat said, at times he can give too much attention or weight to those commonalities, which can detract from the clarity of the text itself. He generally stays far away from application, but at times shines through with wonderful gems of observation.
Used in preparing to preach Genesis in 2021, 2022.
May 10, 2024
Great depth and scholarship!
April 25, 2023
This was very good and very helpful. I’m thankful for it.
October 6, 2024
I don’t have a lot to say about this volume that I haven't already said about Genesis 1-15. I have more interest in the early chapters of Genesis than I have in the patriarchal narratives, so this volume didn’t hold my interest the way the first volume did. I have been researching ethnicity in early Israel, so I was interested in what he would say about the twelve tribes. From reading this commentary you would never know that there was any controversy about the origin of the twelve tribes. I assume the author accepts the Genesis narrative about the origin of the twelve tribes in the twelve sons of Jacob as historical. He never gives any indication otherwise or mention any commentator who disputes this.
I found the theological bunny trails into the N.T. annoying. Of course, it is the author's right to explore how Christians might understand the various passages in Genesis. But there seemed to be a sharp disconnect between the reporting of the rabbinic commentaries on Genesis and the handling of Christian interpretation. The rabbinic commentaries seemed relevant to the subject at hand, but the Christian interpretations were reported as though they were established fact, rather than somebody’s opinion. This seemed inappropriate in a scholarly commentary.
I found the theological bunny trails into the N.T. annoying. Of course, it is the author's right to explore how Christians might understand the various passages in Genesis. But there seemed to be a sharp disconnect between the reporting of the rabbinic commentaries on Genesis and the handling of Christian interpretation. The rabbinic commentaries seemed relevant to the subject at hand, but the Christian interpretations were reported as though they were established fact, rather than somebody’s opinion. This seemed inappropriate in a scholarly commentary.
May 12, 2020
I found many intriguing insights from Wenham again, especially in his examination of the lives of Jacob and Joseph. Lots of details and references to earlier parts of Genesis that I hadn't noticed before. The commentary is (as standard in the WBC series) broken into four parts for each passage--the text and textual notes, form/structure of the text, comment, and explanation. As I was not reading for an academic purpose, I found myself skimming the textual notes and form/structure (especially Wenham's interactions with source critical theories) and focusing in on his (excellent) comments and explanations.
January 27, 2019
Great careful and thorough, but not too wordy commentary. Some sections are too academic for my liking, but I greatly appreciate the insights into the Hebrew text.
Read
October 14, 2021The more I use Wenham the more I get from him. Having completed both volumes now this is a great academic commentary on Genesis.
December 16, 2021
More informative than elucidating, Wenham’s commentary was probably my best resource in my Genesis study
July 11, 2022
Wenham est bien plus à son aise dans ce second volume, on y retrouve le même talent que dans son commentaire sur le Lévitique.
Il remarque chaque détail, pose une foule de questions et est bien plus " dévotionel" dans ses explications. Vraiment un plaisir
Il remarque chaque détail, pose une foule de questions et est bien plus " dévotionel" dans ses explications. Vraiment un plaisir
September 24, 2023
Great. This was my favorite commentary on Genesis. I supplemented this with Keil & Delitzsch and Alter the most. Brueggemann, Speiser, and Kline were of minor assistance.
August 9, 2024
Wenham provides and excellent understanding of many issues within higher criticism without sacrificing the authenticity of scripture. He looks at textual critics while not getting distracted, thus he keeps the story and drama of genesis as the main point
February 20, 2018
The Word Bible Commentary (WBC), is an extreamly scholarly and many time critical Biblical commentary, yet it is one that can be hard to use, thankfully not all volumes are like that. This series is extremely useful in writing academic papers, in sermon preparation, and in Sunday school preparation.
A few years ago the word bible commentary switch Publishers again, and came under the ownership of Zondervan Publications. Under their leadership this series has seen a rejuvenation of sorts. While the format remains unchanged (providing a phenomenal bibliography, translation, notes on translation and setting, followed by comments and explanation), the binding of the book has changed as well as the addition of revised versions of previously released commentaries.
While the WBC is world renowned for its high academic pursuit of God’s Word, I was pleasantly surprised at its accessibility to the pastor and not just the academically-minded Bible scholar. In the book that I have the privilege of viewing is a re-issuing of the 2nd volume of this series containing Genesis 16-50, by Gordon J. Wenham which previously released under a previous publisher, but has a re-release under Zondervan’s leadership.
While reading an assortment of passages in the book of Genesis, I was saddened to see a lack of commentary about each verse with regard to application and contextualisation. Yet on the other hand comments about the Biblical Hebrew language as well as syntax of each verse are indispensable information that is sorely lacking in almost every modern commentary.
While knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew language is handy when utilizing this commentary, it is not a necessary requirement for some utilization. With that said having a deep knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew will greatly enhance a readers ability to use this commentary. I highly recommend this commentary to pastors and scholars due to its thorough academic approach combined with its accessibility to academia and the pastorate.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Academic Publishers in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
A few years ago the word bible commentary switch Publishers again, and came under the ownership of Zondervan Publications. Under their leadership this series has seen a rejuvenation of sorts. While the format remains unchanged (providing a phenomenal bibliography, translation, notes on translation and setting, followed by comments and explanation), the binding of the book has changed as well as the addition of revised versions of previously released commentaries.
While the WBC is world renowned for its high academic pursuit of God’s Word, I was pleasantly surprised at its accessibility to the pastor and not just the academically-minded Bible scholar. In the book that I have the privilege of viewing is a re-issuing of the 2nd volume of this series containing Genesis 16-50, by Gordon J. Wenham which previously released under a previous publisher, but has a re-release under Zondervan’s leadership.
While reading an assortment of passages in the book of Genesis, I was saddened to see a lack of commentary about each verse with regard to application and contextualisation. Yet on the other hand comments about the Biblical Hebrew language as well as syntax of each verse are indispensable information that is sorely lacking in almost every modern commentary.
While knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew language is handy when utilizing this commentary, it is not a necessary requirement for some utilization. With that said having a deep knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew will greatly enhance a readers ability to use this commentary. I highly recommend this commentary to pastors and scholars due to its thorough academic approach combined with its accessibility to academia and the pastorate.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Academic Publishers in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
December 31, 2018
After researching Genesis commentaries online, I picked one for a preparatory overview, Goldingay's Genesis for Everyone, and then selected the top four more academic ones, starting with the least-rated of the four and working up to the top. The least-rated was Waltke's, better rated was Mathews', then Hamilton's, with the highest rating going to Wenham's superb commentary.
I felt that each was valuable in its own way. Waltke's was a great follow-up to Goldingay, being concise, but without omissions (includes the modern theological tie-ins), yet was contained in one volume. Mathews', like Waltke's and Goldingay's, was easy to read. I felt like there was a jump in quality, however, when going to Hamilton's commentary. It's difficult to say which is the better commentary between Hamilton and Wenham. Wenham's, I think is weightier with far more, up-to-date, well-researched information, but harder to "shlog" through (especially given the Word series' format). (Also, I previously had read this commentary several years ago, in its first edition, so I may be prejudiced.) Overall, the one to have is Wenham's.
I felt that each was valuable in its own way. Waltke's was a great follow-up to Goldingay, being concise, but without omissions (includes the modern theological tie-ins), yet was contained in one volume. Mathews', like Waltke's and Goldingay's, was easy to read. I felt like there was a jump in quality, however, when going to Hamilton's commentary. It's difficult to say which is the better commentary between Hamilton and Wenham. Wenham's, I think is weightier with far more, up-to-date, well-researched information, but harder to "shlog" through (especially given the Word series' format). (Also, I previously had read this commentary several years ago, in its first edition, so I may be prejudiced.) Overall, the one to have is Wenham's.
November 17, 2013
An excellent commentary on Genesis. Wenham is up-to-date and covers the bases well. He translation and textual notes are extremely helpful as are his comments (following the WBC format). He covers text critical issues well while remaining conservative in his judgements. Preachers, especially, will find his "explanations" full of helpful material when it comes to theological application. Many people don't seem to like the WBC format, but I've never I find it usually organises the information well.
June 8, 2016
Simply amazing. I read this and his other volume on Genesis while doing exegetical work for school. In many cases, I felt that this commentary was sufficient aid to my translation and footnotes in and of itself. At the times I needed to consult other commentators, Wenham provided succinct summaries of opposing views so that I knew where to look for further research.
December 20, 2013
Excellent, helpful.
November 20, 2018
Excellent in every way.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews