Ezra and Nehemiah

Tyndale Old Testament Commentary #12

by Derek Kidner

"The chequered story of the Kings, a matter of nearly five centuries, had ended disastrously in 587 B.C. with the sack of Jerusalem, the fall of the monarchy and the removal to Babylonia of all that made Judah politically viable. It was a death to make way for a rebirth. So begins Derek Kidner in this introduction and commentary to the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which chart the Jews' return from exile to Jerusalem and the beginnings of a new start. As the drama unfolds, we see how international politics, nationalist pride, wise leadership, political intrigue and opportunism, internal dissension and compromise all shape events. But above all we see the hand of God at work. In this volume, formerly part of the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series, Kidner's clear prose and theological insight will help readers understand the complex literary and historical issues surrounding these two books and their chief characters.

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1979

About the author

Frank Derek Kidner (1913-2008) was a British Old Testament scholar, best known for writing commentaries.

Reviews

[Greg Mathis]

This volume must be reviewed in light of its size and the scope that such a brief treatment allows. However, given these limitations, the book is far more concerned with textual issues and biblical connections than a theological understanding of the events. As such, it is a helpful tool, but weak for gleaning historical-theological insights, and much less practical application.

[Alyson Wills]

I tried this as a new commentary series for my study of Ezra and Nehemiah. It was much heavier on the context/theology side and less on the practical side but combined with some other sources and prayer, it was helpful to my study of these books. I think I still prefer the Holman OT commentary series as it is a much better balance of context/theology with practical points.

[Deiniol Williams]

Useful for becoming familiar with historical details of significance. Not as many theological nudges as other Kidner commentaries.

[Jason Herrington]

Brief yet helpful look at Ezra-Nehemiah. Kidner gives some historical context to the events in these books, as well as some devotional thoughts. He also addresses some of the more critical questions surrounding the reliability & authorship of Ezra-Nehemiah.

[Sae-chan]

If I was asked who were the bigwigs of the bible, who came to mind were Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Ahab (ha!) and the likes. Never Ezra and Nehemiah came to mind. But now, after reading these two books in depth and the commentary, I just realized how big these two figures are.

On the other hand, I thought the difficult books of the bible were Jonah, Song of Songs, Romans, Revelations. Little that I know, that these two books almost got me out of my mind. Even with the commentary, I think I still got more questions than answers.

[Joe Stevens]

As with the best of the Tyndale Commentaries, if you can supply the interested but untrained mind, the author can supply enough teaching to help you walk away with a better understanding of the content, purpose and writer of the part of the Bible under consideration. This isn't a work for those who already have a deep knowledge nor for pastors looking for life applications.

The introduction is brief, but this is because Dr. Kidner chose to address the many controversies that swirl around Ezra and Nehemiah at the end of the commentary rather than the beginning. I think this was a good choice as it let me focus on the text and the great rebuilding projects of the Temple, the Wall and in a sense Judaism itself. The most important parts of the text were the focus with the various name lists of geologies and who was building what part of the wall were given attention only as needed. It was refreshing to have an instructor who knew how to pay attention to the cruxes and inspirational messages of the text.

The appendixes were quite interesting for someone how had little previous knowledge of the great debates that have raged over who, when, why and such the two books were written. Dr. Kidner did a nice job of presenting the various ideas, defending his positions and in the final analysis suggesting that if we lay waste to the text we don't really have much of a Bible left to study.

I prefer learning about why the statue of David is widely understood to be a masterpiece and Michelangelo a God-gifted artist rather than taking a chisel and hammer to the statue and examining the resultant rubble. The work is on critical but reverent display and that is my favorite way to study Scripture.

[Andrzej Stelmasiak]

fantastic. doesn't comment on every verse, but on every other page there's a sentence or paragraph that just opens everything. how many commentaries do that? Dean Ulrich's book on theology of E-N was my go-to, but Kidner was second favourite, out of 9 that I have consulted in my series on these biblical books. In fact, it's only Kidner and Ulrich that I have read cover to cover, didn't feel like that about others.

[Samuel G. Parkison]

Kinder had a remarkable skill at concision. He pack a profound punch in short sentences which made this read a delight. There’s almost no application spelled out, and he doesn’t help you out with any Christological fulfillment, so don’t expect any of that work.

[Zach]

Only read Ezra: This is a great commentary, but where it lacked was in either providing enough detail or enough Gospel application. It fell in the middle, and get me needing more.

[Josh]

As always, Kidner is excellent. Concise and insightful analysis of the text.

[Lisa Snead]

This book is a great companion if you’re studying Ezra and Nehemiah!

[Philip]

Vintage Kidner: compelling commentary beautifully written.

[Horace]

I used this commentary to supplement my personal devotions in Ezra/Nehemiah. I’m a fan of Kidner’s work and this one did not disappoint.

[Robert Murphy]

As always, Kidner knocks it out of the park. So much good stuff said in so few words. The technical parts seem to be interacting with the NIV, which they apparently took to heart. Newer revisions of the NIV seem to incorporate all his comments, as does the ESV. This book has been a great help to me in writing annotated translations, like everything Kidner does and the rest of the TOTC series. This is a splendid commentary and I would recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about Ezra/Nehemiah.

[Jonathan Caldwell]

I read through this commentary as I taught a short class on Ezra/Nehemiah. It is exactly what you would expect from Kidner and Tyndale. He is always thoughtful and helpful and the series is a no frills, down-to-business type commentary. For an in depth study, you would want to add something a little more scholarly. But for a short study, or something to read along with your regular bible reading, it is perfect!

[Timothy]

Relatively short but detailed enough.
It's clear and explained well without going into too much detail.
Especially useful for issues regarding textual copying issues.

Probably not the place you want to go if you're looking for applications as it focuses more on exposition of the text in it's time and context.

[Adam Chandler]

Like other commentaries in this series, a good academic overview of the biblical texts, although lacking in detail and possessing little discussion of the original languages, more the meaning of the passages overall.

[Marshall Walter]

Classic Kidner...not deep but a good summary of the book.