The Letter to the Hebrews

New Daily Study Bible

by William Barclay, Paul the Apostle

At first glance, the letter to the Hebrews can seem difficult to comprehend, but William Barclay believed "that no New Testament book gives us such a glorious picture of Jesus Christ in all the splendor of his manhood and in all the majesty of his deity." So, amplified by Barclay's keen and vibrant commentary, this ancient letter emerges from apparent obscurity to be a vital resource of encouragement for Christians today.

For almost fifty years and for millions of readers, the Daily Study Bible commentaries have been the ideal help for both devotional and serious Bible study. Now, with the release of the New Daily Study Bible, a new generation will appreciate the wisdom of William Barclay. With clarification of less familiar illustrations and inclusion of more contemporary language, the New Daily Study Bible will continue to help individuals and groups discover what the message of the New Testament really means for their lives.

Genres: Religion, New Testament, Reference, Theology, Christian, Spirituality, Christianity

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

WIlliam Barclay was a Scottish author, radio and television presenter, Church of Scotland minister, and Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism at the University of Glasgow. He wrote a popular set of Bible commentaries on the New Testament that sold 1.5 million copies.

Reviews

[Cale Manley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible content, especially in regard to historical background.

[Dottie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barclay is often -- TOO often -- like a tick and this particular book it seemed he was particularly annoying as much as enlightening or informative. Or maybe I'm just in a bad place for this one at the moment.

[Luz M Pereles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bueno

Nuestro amigo Barclay desmenuza con la historia y los sucesos las intenciones del autor de Hebreos para escribir este libro tan inspirador. Toca temas profundos de interés doctrinal. Una gran guía para comprender a Hebreos. Muy bueno, se los recomiendo.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Barclay was a renowned pastor and Scholar in the early until the late 20th century. You wrote more than 50 Works yet his best-known work is none other than the daily Study Bible. These works are famous for being easy to read to the Layman yet possess enough theological wait to be useful for more than mere devotional reading. Barclays daily Study Bible series covers every book of the Bible and gives great practical insight into difficult to understand biblical passages.
Due to its longevity the daily Bible study commentaries have started to show their age, yet in a landmark move by Westminster John Knox publishing this Commentary series has been redesigned and revamped under the title the new daily Study Bible so that a new generation will be able to study God’s word under the tutelage of the great Pastor and Theologian William Barclay. In this new daily Study Bible there are a few important additions such as introductions by John Drane.
One of the volumes of this new daily Study Bible is Barclay’s commentary on the letter to the Hebrews. I have read many of William Barclay commentaries on various books of scripture and this commentary is one of the most thorough and sometimes even scholarly treatments of the book of Hebrews. While this commentary is primarily used a devotional study, for which it fulfills its primary purpose, it also possesses enough scholarly wait to being used by a pastor in sermon preparation.
While the introduction section of this commentary leaves much to be desired, it is only 13 pages in length, the insights provided in this introductory section are worth its weight in gold. Furthermore some of the illustrations and practical comments Barclay scatters throughout his commentary are very helpful to the pastor who is preaching exegetical e through the book of Hebrews. Lastly this version Bose and in large print edition which is very helpful to those of us, including myself, who has very poor eyesight, it will not only be helpful to those who are in an older generation to be able to see the text but those of us who have been visually impaired since birth to be able to read this Splendid commentary without enhanced visual stimulant. I highly recommend this commentary to laymen who are looking for a devotional study and pastors who are looking to supplement their commentary study with practical illustrations and applications.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Westminster John Knox Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

The Letter to the Hebrews (NDSB)

© 2015 by William Barclay

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Publishing

Page Count: 262 Pages

ISBN: 9780664261016

[Glenn Hopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent commentary by William Barclay (published in 1955 and revised in 1977). I just leafed through the copy I read, and there is hardly four or five pages that go by without some passage I marked for its insights. Barclay focuses on the biblical book under discussion rather than on a preconceived conservative or liberal religious bias, and that is truly refreshing. He considers (pp. 8-9) the issue of authorship and whether the author was a woman. His comments about Rahab (11.30-31) show the thinking of an open-minded person. He points out the dangers of heresy hunting: “It is a great thing to keep the faith clean; but when the desire to do so makes us censorious, harsh and unsympathetic, brotherly love is destroyed, and we are left with a situation which may be worse than the one we tried to avoid” (p. 190). Again and again, Barclay seems to find the overlooked truth that underlies partisan ideology.

[Innes Chalmers · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Barclay seems to have fallen out of favour, due to his hope that his readers would think for themselves, instead of trusting to the simplifications of modern bible translators.

This book, like his others, provides his own translation and is rich in background information: the history, language and culture of the region and times when an unknown apostle wrote his letter. Barclay draws extensively on Jewish legend and extra-biblical stories to add colour and insight to his explanations of passages. If you delight in tales such as Gabriel being sent to box Moses's ears, or references to the Maccabean revolt, then you may be fascinated by this book.

Yet despite such interesting asides, the author's love for his Lord and saviour pours through every page, making it a rich devotional, best taken a passage or two at a time.

[Nathan Marone]

Decent commentary.

Barclay sometimes runs off on flights of fancy, quoting every philosopher or poet to bolster his (or the author of Hebrew's) point, but he does an overall good job of bringing in relevant contextual information about history, 1st century thinking, and Greek. This is my second commentary on Hebrews this year (1-2 more to go). It was okay, but I probably wouldn't refer back to it too often.

[Elly Hamby]

Took me four months to read through this commentary and I’m darn glad it did! In my most faithless weeks of the year (confession), I was conveniently sitting (crawling) in the thick of Hebrews 11 every morning, soaking up one verse at a time, and saturating myself in the stories and heroes of the faith. What a gift of grace from the Lord, our perfect Priest!

[Robert E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not great

This Barclay commentary had some outstanding moments, but it could have used some editing. While I usually appreciate Barclay’s references to history, literature and hymnody, I found the Hebrews commentary had too much of that.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the warning passages of chapters 3, 6, and 10, Barclay is honest in his exegesis. There is indeed a possibility of a true believer committing apostasy. "But we are persuaded of better things of you, and of things that accompany salvation."

[Laura Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading this as leader of a study group. A difficult letter is so well discussed by Barclays. I have learned so much real faith through his studies.

[John Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible devotional

I have continued to use this series as a devotional for several years and thoroughly enjoy as. I plan on experiencing the rest.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I would have begun reading Barclay years ago. I adore this study guide. First off, Barclay provides his own original translations of the scriptures with each section. He then includes a mixture of classical philosophy from the time during which the letters were being written to the early church with contextual notes and a vast understanding of the Torah and all the various Jewish folklore that would have been known during the time of the story to provide the most comprehensive study of Hebrews I've ever seen. I also love the literary references Barclay includes to accompany certain passages, in spite of their being completely secular. He finds so much meaning in the text. It was like reading Hebrews for the very first time. Everything seemed new. If you haven't read him, Barclay was an early 20th century theologian at Glasgow University in Scotland.

[Apryl Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I progress through Barclay's commentaries on the New Testament, my respect for his knowledge and wisdom continues to grow. Not only was he skilled in translating ancient Hebrew and Greek, his vast academic range applied to the social and historical period are the best possible way (time machine not withstanding) to bring his reader to a more complete understanding of original intent.

My American-Christianity always irked me, and now I can see that it was so shallow only due to lack to exposure to reality. Thank-you, Professor Barclay, for your service and devotion!

[Cws]

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