1 & 2 Samuel

NIV Application Commentary, Old Testament #7

by Bill T. Arnold

The NIV Application Commentary helps you communicate and apply biblical text effectively in today's context.

To bring the ancient messages of the Bible into today's world, each passage is treated in three sections:



Original Meaning. Concise exegesis to help readers understand the original meaning of the biblical text in its historical, literary, and cultural context.

Bridging Contexts. A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, built by discerning what is timeless in the timely pages of the Bible.

Contemporary Significance. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the Bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved.
This unique, award-winning commentary is the ideal resource for today's preachers, teachers, and serious students of the Bible, giving them the tools, ideas, and insights they need to communicate God's Word with the same powerful impact it had when it was first written.

Genres: Reference, Theology, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies, Religion, Old Testament, Christian

681 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

Bill T. Arnold (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Paul S. Amos Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Encountering the Book of Genesis, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books, A Guide to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, and a commentary on 1 and 2 Samuel. He is also the coauthor (with Bryan E. Beyer) of Encountering the Old Testament.

Reviews

[Victoria Glaze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Offers in depth study of 1st and 2nd Samuel which clarifies some confusing, seemly contradictory stories in the Bible. Heavy emphasis on cross-reference scriptures, author's established themes, and draws attention to repeating words. Utilizes Hebrew translations to further clarify original author's intensions. I personally would have liked more ancient Israel cultural context, and less focus on repeating words.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume had a solid balance of bringing to awareness critical exegetical issues and structure combined with practical application themes to draw out in my sermons. Extremely helpful.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on most of 1 Sam 1 - 2 Sam 10. Helpful, but I found myself using it less and less as the study progressed. It has very helpful observations about the storyline, but seems a bit selective in what it chooses to focus on - probably to save space.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Used only for 1 Samuel. Hit and miss - definitely not the best in this series (of the ones I have used). As often happens, the application was prone to go off into a completely different direction than where I was headed. I still find the structure of this series (Original Meaning, Bridging Contexts, and Contemporary Meaning) to be very helpful.