A Commentary on Exodus

by Duane A. Garrett

The true fountainhead of Old Testament theology, 'Exodus' illuminates the significance of the name Yahweh and introduces the title I AM. It tells of Israel's formative historical event, the exodus, as well as the making of the covenant at Sinai. It includes the first code of the Law in the Decalogue and Book of the Covenant. It details Israel's besetting sin in the idolatry of the golden calf episode, but it also describes Moses' intercession and the great revelation of God's mercy. In its display of the 'Tent of Meeting', it presents the theology of the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the central sanctuary. This book explores all of these objects and events with a view toward their significance both for the meaning of the Old Testament and for the message of the Christian Church.

Genres: Old Testament, Biblical Studies

741 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2012

About the author

Duane A. Garrett is John R. Sampey Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served on the faculty at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Bethel Seminary, Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary, Mid-America Baptist Seminary, and Korea Baptist Seminary. He has authored numerous books, including Song of Songs in the Word Biblical Commentary, A Modern Grammar for Classical Hebrew, Angels and the New Spirituality, Authority and Interpretation, and Hosea and Joel in the New American Commentary. He is the general editor of The Archaeology Study Bible (Zondervan).

Reviews

[Matt Pitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

While preaching through Exodus this became my ‘go to’ commentary (alongside Sailhamer’s The Pentateuch as Narrative). Garrett provides an English translation with occasional notes on the Hebrew, the commentary is not overlong, and each section ends with a “theological summary of key points.” While I didn’t read every word I hope I benefited from all I read (even when, as is always inevitable, I didn’t agree).

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must begin with a bit of a personal note. Many years ago when I was a young Christian I had used the author’s commentary on Hosea and Joel that was my first real exposure to an exegetical commentary. I was blown away. I was likewise blown away with Duane Garrett’s recent commentary on Exodus. Of course this time around I am much older and I felt I was able to benefit more from Garrett exegetical insights than when I was a young college student reading through Hosea and Joel. Garrett has done an excellent job with his Exodus commentary.
The Introduction was well over a hundred page. I appreciated Garrett’s point that many commentators on Exodus have neglected the important contribution of Egyptology and one sees Garrett’s tremendous effort in bringing up-to-date scholarship from Egyptology to bear concerning Introductory matters of the book of Exodus. In particular I thought his discussion of anything chronological stood out, especially with the dating of the events of Exodus. It is incredibly detailed: He considers the difficulties of Egyptian method of counting how many days are to be in a year, when various Pharaohs ruled and archaeological findings in the area of Canaan as he weighs the pros and cons of various arguments for the late or early dating of the book. I think it is worth getting the book for the Introduction alone. While he does not come to a fixed conclusion of when the events of Exodus takes place nevertheless his interaction of the arguments of the various views is a good summary of the various views.
I liked the structure of the book. Dividing the book of Exodus into seven parts it is further broken down into smaller periscope for a closer look. The author provides his own translation of the Hebrew text with footnotes explaining the grammatical side of things and reasoning for his translation. This is gold for those who are studying Exodus in the Hebrew. This is followed by a section on the structure of the passage then the commentary, the theological summary of key points and the excursus. I thought this format was especially helpful for preachers and teachers who are involved with studying Exodus from the Hebrew text.
The commentary is a treasure trove of exegetical insights. The author definitely lived up to his goal that the commentary would be able to analyze the Hebrew prose of Exodus clause by clause. The author does this and yet also didn’t lose the consideration of the intertextuality of Exodus with other parts of Scripture, both the Old and the New.
Readers will definitely benefit greatly from reading this book. There is a lot of good exegesis. Readers will also benefit from reading this book in that the author does a good job of pointing us to God. Many times I was moved to see how amazing the Book of Exodus really is as literature—then I’m further moved when I realized the amazing God behind the events and book of Exodus.
Excellent work. No one reading and studying Exodus can afford to neglect this commentary.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Kregel Publications without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exodus by Duane Garrett, the latest of the emerging Kregel Exegetical Commentary series, is a winner. As pastor-friendly as the earlier volumes, this commentary can stand without embarrassment beside the most scholarly of volumes.

The Introduction was a joy to read. He approaches the unfortunate waste of time in the study of source criticism and concludes it as having “contradictory conclusions and a general lack of clarity.” In further discussion of the documentary hypothesis, he speaks of some of the so-called varying sources and says, “That path is a dead end.” I love his approach!

He gives good background on Egypt as he feels that is one of the most glaring deficiencies of Bible students today. Finally, he approaches the hotly-debated subject of the date of the Exodus. I appreciate how he fairly represented all sides. He then ventured into the equally controversial discussion of the location of the Red Sea crossing and Mt. Sinai. I don’t actually agree with his conclusions, but what a wealth of information he marshals for us to decide for ourselves.

The commentary is helpful. It is always thought provoking. He seeks out natural explanations for the Plagues (though he believes in a supernatural God) that I feel does not do justice to how supernatural they seemed to Pharaoh himself. Nothing natural could have surprised him.

Check out the chart and Excurses on “The Hardness of Pharaoh’s Heart”. I have never read better.

All in all, this volume is a great commentary to secure.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[JonM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent commentary. This is not an ordinary commentary series, nor is Duane Garrett an ordinary biblical scholar. If you are studying Exodus, you need this book.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exodus is an Old Testament commentary, written by Duane Garrett and published by Kregel Academic. Commentaries on Exodus can be either highly critical or devotional in nature. I therefore was pleasantly surprised when I read Garrett’s work and found it to be on the conservative side while still engaging with high criticism scholarship. It has been a long time since a scholarly mostly conservative work has been published on the Book of Exodus and Garrett did not disappoint, although I expected a more lengthy work. Yet in the space he was given he used it wisely.

This commentary is the a newer edition of the emerging Kregel Exegetical Library Series, a series which is synonymous with through exegesis and spot on application, this volume not only continues this legacy, but truly propels it to new heights. This volume is one of the most articulate and practical commentaries on the one of the books of the Pentateuch which is usually bogged down by from criticism and or JPL theory. Yet while Garrett does answer these critical issues, something he does flawlessly by the way, he interacts with critical scholarship in a way most conservative commentators don’t. From this it is easy to see why Webb is a highly regarded scholar and superior exegete.

Exodus has two main sections the typical general introduction, and then followed by a insightful exegetical commentaries on the book of Ecodus. With regard to the general introduction it is the typical study into the introductory matters of the book and how they relate to the Bible as a whole. This is a serious scholarly work which dives into contextual as well as the as the different methodical approaches to study of this book Hawk takes great care in carefully showing the original context of passage while applying it directly to the modern day reader. He uses his own translation of the Hebrew text, which demonstrates his knowledge of the original language. I do wish though that there was more application to some of the more difficult passages.

While I disagree with Garrett on a few minor issues with regard to Old Testament date of writing, the arguments he makes are sound I just adhere to a earlier date of composition. I also disagreed on a number of other issues but that is do to Garrett’s focus on dispensationalism and his view of physical Israel.

Garrett is innovate in his interpretation and application while staying stalwart in his commitment to orthodoxy. In the vein of recommending, Exodus, to others I would recommend this commentary to pastors and scholars, yet I would highly recommend pastors, such as myself, to pair this scholarly commentary with one that is one that has more of a pastoral tone. There are many commentaries about the book of Exodus available at this moment but Exodus of the Kregel Exegetical Library series is a very scholarly works worthy of your time.

This book was provided to me free of charge from Kregel in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

Exodus: Kregel Exegetical Library

© 2013 by Duane Garrett

Publisher: Eerdmans

Page Count: 752 Pages

ISBN: 978-0825425516

[Craig Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Exodus is the true heart of the Old Testament.” (138) So says Duane Garrett in his recently published book A Commentary on Exodus: Kregel Exegetical Library (Kregel, 2014). Garrett explains further at the beginning of the book:

Exodus it the true beginning of the story of Israel. Genesis is essential to the story, but it is a prologue, describing the lives of individual patriarchs rather than the history of a people. With Exodus we begin the story of the national entity called Israel….Exodus is the beginning of everything that is distinctively Israelite, and it is the fountainhead of most of the literature of the Old Testament that follows. (15)

A Commentary on Exodus is part of the new exegetical commentary series, Kregel Exegetical Library, published by Kregel. This commentary series is mainly written for pastors to provide them with an exegetical foundation of the text along with theological guides. Each chapter is characterized by the following:

Covers a literary unit -The chapters cover literary units regardless of size.
Translation – The author provides an original and fresh translation with detailed footnotes explaining the basis of the translation along with other translation possibilities and textual variants.
Structure – Following the translation the author outlines the structure of the passage.
Commentary – Ample commentary is provided on the text along with footnotes where necessary.
Theological Summary – Concluding each section are are list of theological points and summaries to take away from the text.
Homoletical Helps – While most of the previous commentaries in this series had homoletical outlines at the end of each section Guarrett’s book does not.
Introduction

Garrett spends the first 130 pages of the book with introductory material. From the start he lays to rest any use for the documentary hypothesis theory by saying it “is of doubtful value” and “the theory is not based in any ancient Neat Eastern analogies but is from start to finish an analysis based in extrinsic and peculiar criteria.” (17)

Since Exodus opens it setting in Egypt, and constantly looks back to Israel’s exodus from it, Garrett is insistent that an understanding of Egypt is essential to an understanding of the book. He spends twenty pages discussing things like the land near the Nile, its chronology and history, rulers, and language. The discussion of the Nile becomes key when he later discusses the ten plagues, or “twelve miracles”, as he calls it, particularly when interpreting how literal we are to understand the turning of the Nile into “blood.” (283-85)

As might be expected, discussion of the Exodus is given the most space in the introduction. Garrett covers four views on dating. In addition to the early and late date, which most people are familiar with, he discusses a “very early date” of 1550 B.C. and a “very late date” of 1150 B.C. (93-96), but finds them to be highly problematic. Recognizing that respectable scholars champion both the early and late date position on the Exodus, Garret comes just short of siding with either. Garret is more concerned with the historicity of the Exodus itself, concluding that, “We have ample reason to believe that the biblical account is true, but we do no have sufficient information to specify the details of when it all happened and of what pharaohs were present.” (103)

Commentary

The chapters divide the book into seven sections with an appendix on the songs of Moses. Regarding the two midwives mentioned in 1:15-19 Garrett sees them as the only two that helped the Hebrews with deliveries. He argues against a group of midwives citing that the mentioning of the two and the overall context indicate that they are the only ones. I am not convinced by this. I see Shiphrah and Puah as the overseers of the midwives (though the context does not say so), and though Garrett disagrees, I think vs. 19d (“before the midwife gets to them” (authors trans.)) makes this clear.

One of my favorite sections of Exodus is the ten plagues. Garrett calls them the “twelve miracles” and includes the account of Moses’ snake eating Pharaoh’s magicians snakes and the crossing of the Red Sea and miracles before and after the “ten plagues” as most people understand them. While Garrett does not come out and state it clearly, he identifies the “twelve miracles” as such because they give credibility to what Moses tells Pharaoh.

The business that Moses and Aaron have with Pharaoh, that they are agents of God sent to demand that the Israelites be released to go out and worship YHWH, is already known (Exod. 5:1-4). What is yet to be established is Moses’s bona fides, that his claim to be God’s spokesman is valid. (274)

While Garrett does not make the connection himself, I think this shows another way in which Moses is a type of Christ. Though Jesus did make claims to be God in ways that would make sense to the Jews at the time, He never said the words, “I am God come in the flesh.” No, what He did was work miracles that testified to who He said He was. Anyone could claim to be the Son of God, but no one but Christ could do the things He did in God’s name. This is what Moses is doing. He not only claims to be from God but God works miracles through him to show Pharaoh that he is from God.

Garrett gives a lot of fascinating info regarding the explanation for the plagues. Of particular interest to readers will be his explanation for the Nile turning to blood. In short, Garrett argues, in a well-reasoned and convincing manner (though I am still on the fence with it), that the Nile did not turn into ‘literal’ blood but water that was blood-like in appearance and still had deadly and devastating effects on the people and animals. He explains

But had the whole river turned to literal blood, it would have been a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. The Nile in Egypt is almost 600 miles long. If it had all become literal blood under the Egyptian sun, the whole river would have become a thick, decaying sludge of biological waste. No potable water would have been available for the entire population for months or even years…..It is more likely that the waters looked like blood and were a token of the death and judgment on Egypt that was to come. (285)

Regarding the Ten Commandments, I think this is the weakest part of the book. Less than seventeen pages are given to explain what are the ten foundational commands for Israel’s life. Readers will have to look elsewhere for a more in-depth explanation for these.

Finally, Garrett’s discussion of the building of the tabernacle is very well done. His commentary is enlightening and his theological reflection is on point. Some readers will be surprised to read that, in God’s giving Moses the plans to the tabernacle, they are not complete. “Certain details are emphasized not because they are architecturally critical for the structure but because they are theologically important.” (547) “Many purely structural details are left out,” Garrett says, and “one may assume that many details are left out since the missing information could be filled in with common knowledge or common sense.” (547, 571)

Conclusion

Garrett’s commentary is a great addition to the available material on Exodus. His translation is well-reasoned, commentary is thorough, and theological reflections are solid. Garrett’s book will help readers of Exodus gain a better appreciation for this often ignored book. You will see why he calls it the “true heart of the Old Testament.”

You can purchase this book at Westminster, Amazon and Kregel’s web site.

I received this book for free from Kregel for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good commentary on the book of Exodus. It is quite long, being just over 700 pages, so is a large time investment but generally very solid and worth reading. Duane emphasises the historical context of the Exodus and the discussions on Egyptology, locations of various places within the narrative, and his noting of relevant parallels with 2nd millennium BC texts integrate nicely with his project for seeing the text from a conservative pre-critical perspective. In doing so he rejects more modern readings, and occasionally interacts with them but only on the obvious texts e.g. chapter 6. I understand why there is so little engagement given the already considerable length of the work but at least a more thorough section in the introduction would have been desirable, particularly justifying his own belief in, it seemed more or less complete Mosaic authorship rather than just a very brief attempt at deconstructing the documentary hypothesis.

The author's theological reflections at the end of each section show an admirable commitment to not simply seeing his task as a historian and textual critic but also as a theologian who believes that these texts communicate to us important truths about God. Most of the reflections were helpful though occasionally there was the theological platitude.

One of the weaker points is that Duane's emphasis on theology sometimes meant that at key points his reformed theology would seem to override his reading of Exodus. There were certain emphasises too, from the text, that weren't made, and others that were which seemed out of sync with Exodus but were made intelligible in light of the author's pre-existing theological commitments. This was frustrating but it wasn't a problem throughout, only at a few points.

On the other hand, Duane was generally very acute in his interaction with the text and his insights were invaluable.

On the whole it was definitely worth the time and effort to read.

[Bob Hayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duane Garrett’s Commentary on Exodus is organized in consistent manner which makes it easy to peruse and use as a reference. After the lengthy introduction (145 pages), each section of the text is treated individually, grouped into 7 parts. Garrett’s own translation of the Hebrew, separated with one line per Hebrew clause begins each section. Included are a host of pertinent linguistic and translational footnotes that often included detailed discussions of difficult terms. For sections of poetry, he provides the Hebrew underneath the English and includes a treatment of how and why that section should be understood to be poetic. The the commentary proper follows and is further divided from the text. Following the commentary secion, is a section labeled: “Theological Summary of Key Points.” This is the take-home part of the commentary where Garrett draws out the points that a preacher will be able to hone in on, in a message on this text. The commentary doesn’t address homiletical strategies, but the big picture that can be drawn from the text at hand. Occasionally an excursus follows this section, and allows for an extended discussion of a particularly thorny aspect of the text, such as how Moses’ birth story compares with that of Sargon’s, or how Paul’s discussion of Moses’ veil in 2 Cor. 3 fits in with a proper understanding of Exodus. Throughout the commentary one will find footnotes and tables, but no maps or diagrams or drawings are to be found.

I absolutely loved this commentary. The introduction should be required reading at any conservative evangelical study as it responds masterfully to the increasingly common tendency to treat the Exodus as pure myth. He also deals with the JEDP documentary hypothesis and lasting versions of that. This also covers many other questions and betrays a wealth of Egyptian background knowledge which adds color to any study of this important book. He gives detailed pros and cons for 4 major Biblical chronologies. While he may lean toward the late Exodus date, ultimately he concludes that there are supporting texts and archeological evidence for each major chronology view, and there are also archeological problems as well. He cautions against getting too hung up on defending any one chronological scheme since the text doesn’t refer to specific Pharaoh’s by name. “The minister or Bible teacher, therefore, should refrain from specifying that this or that exodus event took place in the reign of this or that pharaoh” (p. 101-102). In short, we haven’t been given enough information to make a definitive conclusion. But we do have confidence that there is ample evidence to bolster the belief that the Exodus story is historically factual.

Another discussion in the introduction centered on the route the Israelites took as they left Egypt and crossed the Yam Suph (traditionally translated “the Red Sea”). This also brings up the question of where on a map we can place the Biblical Mount Sinai. As one who has read several popular accounts which provide compelling reasons for disagreeing with the standard Exodus route that one finds in most study Bibles, I was delighted to find a detailed study into the Bible’s record and the archeological testimony to this route. Garrett finds it probable that Sinai was located in Northwest Arabia, across the Gulf of Aqaba, but the exact location of the crossing is likely lost forever. His detailed study is careful to avoid sensationalism, but doesn’t discount the insights of other scholars who may not hail from the scholarly guild of biblical studies. He largely agrees with the conclusions of Colin Humphreys (a physicist) with some reservations.

The translation and discussion of Hebrew terms is second to none. Garrett has a mastery of the language and the relevant literature and his translation deserves to be consulted. He also provides a helpful correction to the translation of 2 Cor. 3, a text that bears on the understanding of Exodus. His excursus on that topic is important and helpful.

Garrett finds several Hebrew poems placed strategically throughout Exodus, and in some cases this sheds new light on a passage. His treatment of Exodus 6:2-8 is an example. Rather than the text stating that previous generations did not know the name Yahweh, the text is a poetic affirmation to Moses that God will be with him. Garrett’s discussion of the Hebrew terms used in this passage are extremely helpful and here as in a few other places, my understanding of the meaning of the text has been adjusted for the better.

Almost all the puzzling questions that Exodus raises are covered. Garrett addresses the problem of Hebrew numbers briefly, and he grapples with the genealogy of Moses. He illuminates obscure customs (such as Zipporah’s circumcision of her son), and explains some of the ancient techniques referenced in the Tabernacle instructions.

Garrett is thoroughly evangelical in his treatment of Exodus, but he doesn’t shy away from following clues in the text where warranted. His explanation of the plagues allows for several of them to have natural causes (such as algae causing the Nile to look “red”), but guided in a supernatural way. Whereas I would have thought such an approach to belie a lack of faith, Garrett shows from the text and archeological history why this may very well be so. But he still holds to the miraculous character of the Exodus as a whole.

He covers many textual problems and doesn’t hesitate to show a Christian application or Christological takeaway from the text. As noted in his treatment of 2 Cor. 3 above, Garrett has a mind for how the later Scriptural authors interact with Exodus. This concern benefits pastors and teachers who necessarily approach the text from a canonical and wholistic framework. At times, however, I wish he would say more, or deal with additional questions, such as the NT book of Hebrews placing the incense altar in the holy of holies, or Acts mentioning Moses’ eloquence in seeming contrast to the Exodus account. But all in all, this text provides a thorough and up to date, treatment of the book of Exodus that is worthy of close study.

The book does suffer from a lack of charts, maps and diagrams, however. I guess a commentary cannot be expected to furnish these. But when studying Exodus, in particular, such amenities would prove useful. Still his discussion of the route of the Exodus and the design of the Tabernacle is able to be followed without the help of diagrams.

I highly recommend this commentary for pastors and teachers everywhere. It will prove to be a reliable guide and a catalyst for theologically rich, exegetically informed appreciation of the Biblical text.

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Kregel Academic. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

[Shane Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 reads: 05

Rating: 4 stars

Duane Garrett is an incredibly clear writer. His exegesis, interpretation, and theological implications are closely tied to and drawn from the text. This commentary dialogues well with Egyptology and other Mesopotamian texts and provides a translation of the entire book. Garrett is happy to push against cherished interpretations and offers what I thought were fresh, very reasonable, and historically sensitive takes on some disputed texts. Theological and pastoral reflections were scattered throughout each section. The commentary balances detail with the big picture and literary structure as a whole. Certainly worth your time.

[Read for the Pentateuch seminar with Dr Duane Garrett at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]

[Ross McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent commentary. Not profoundly academic in his exegesis, but his translation notes are top-notch. His unique contribution is the proposal of inset poems within Exodus narratives. See appendix for a collection of all identified inset poems.

[Reeds]

Yam Suph verses:
Exodus 23:31
Numbers 14:25, 21:4
Deuteronomy 1:40, 2:1
I Kings 9:26
Jeremiah 49:20-22

[Spencer Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Commentary on Exodus (Kregel Exegetical Library) by Duane A. Garrett

With an onslaught of movies coming out covering the first few books of the Bible, our culture is immersed in the stories of the early people of God. Yet, there is much that is not good and/or misleading about Hollywood’s portrayal of the Pentateuch. What we need is able scholars to make sense of the Pentateuch. In steps Duane A. Garrett, Professor of OT Interpretation at SBTS, to provide readers with a clear and commendable commentary on the book of Exodus. With careful handling of the Hebrew text and an eye toward the theological trajectory of Exodus, Garrett’s commentary is top-notch and not to be missed.

With a 130 page Introduction, Duane leads us through such issues as the date of the Exodus, the structure of the entire book and the history of Ancient Egyptian kings to give us a snapshot of the background of Exodus. Yet, Duane guides us through the historicity of the exodus as it depends upon the dating of this momentous event (97). At the end of his comments of dating, Duane writes, “In short, we have ample reason to believe that the biblical account is true, but we do not have sufficient information to specify the details of when it all happened and of what pharaohs were present” (103). Therefore, trying to tie a specific Pharaoh with the Exodus event is a futile activity

Duane carries out his comments on the life of Moses with patience and great wisdom. Concerning Moses’ idealism and activity in Exodus 2, he writes, “Second, Moses was an excitable, young idealist…On the other hand, his ideals were not tempered with moderation. He could only strike out against the Egyptian taskmaster, and end up himself being a murderer, rather than wait to find a better way to remedy the situation. That is, as a typical young idealist, he was impatient to set things right” (180). Yet, the idealism of Moses was tempered with bad memories of Egypt, for that is where he committed murder, staining not only his conscience but his life. Duane writes, “He had committed murder there, and no doubt, as he grew older and more reflective, he bitterly regretted it…The last place he would want to go was back to the scene of the worst moment of his life” (182). The timidity, the running away from what God was calling him to do was based upon the tragic event in Moses’ early life, killing the cruel Egyptian taskmaster.

Lastly, Duane does an excellent job at bringing together the main theological center points of the book of Exodus. Looking at ch.3-4 on pg. 232, Duane brings together 5 consecutive points about the previous passage that reflect Moses’ obedience to his father, God’s care for his firstborn son (Israel), and finally Christ’s example as the supreme example of the obedient son. This kind of careful analysis does not try to find Christ under every rock in the OT but sees patterns in the OT that provide us a way to see Christ and his fulfillment of these patterns and types.

Overall, this commentary was very good in its grasp of grammatical, theological, and narrative issues in Exodus. I recommend this commentary to anyone wanting to get a firm handle on the second book of the Bible.

Thanks to Kregel Academic for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

In general, commentary series are uneven in quality. A few stand-out volumes, maybe a couple disappointments but most volumes in any given series will be. . .okay. So far, the Kregel Exegetical Library has defied my expectations. This is the fourth volume I have had the privilege to review. (I’ve read the first two volumes of Allen Ross’s Psalms Commentary, and Robert Chisholm’s Judges & Ruth. Duane Garrett’s treatment of Exodus stands up to the quality of any of these excellent volumes. If this is a sign of what is to come, then Kregel’s Exegetical Library will becomes a go-to series for pastors and critically engaged confessional scholars.

Garrett’s previous publications include A Modern Grammar for Biblical Hebrew, several intermediate and critical commentaries and a monograph on the source and authorship of Genesis. He also co-edited the NIV Archeological Study Bible. In A Commentary on Exodus, Garrett brings knowledge of Egyptians history, geography and culture, helpful insights to bear on his interpretation. He provides a fresh and helpful translation which is sensitive to Hebrew poetics. After a translation (with notes) and commentary, Garrett has a ‘theological summary of key points ‘ for each passage. The level of detail here in translation and comments combined with Garrett’s theological insights makes this a useful commentary for the preaching pastor and student.

Garrett knows the importance of Exodus for biblical theology. Exodus is the theological center of the Old Testament. Not only does it have the exemplar episode of God’s deliverance in the Old Testament (the Exodus from Egypt), the book of the Covenant in Exodus 20-24 is central for understanding Deuteronomy, the history, prophets and writings of the Old Testament (138). Also, while Genesis tells the tale of individual patriarchs, Exodus tells the story of a people (137). Garrett does a great job of unfolding Exodus’s theological significance, especially in how it relates to the Wilderness wanderings of Israel.

Garrett’s introduction is highly technical and delves into Epyptian history and chronology, relevant geography, archaeology and language. He unfolds some of the issues in dating the Exodus and the location of the parting of Yam Sumph (the ‘Red Sea’ in many English translations). General readers will find this introduction detailed and perhaps too technical, but Garrett’s commentary itself is fairly accessible.

I used this commentary while preparing a sermon from Exodus. In preparation, I translated several chapters of Exodus myself before turning to Garrett’s translation and notes. I found his translation helpful and insightful. Garrett’s exegesis was also more detailed than most other commentaries I used. I found his conclusions judicious and now consider this my favorite Exodus commentary. There are only a couple of places where I felt like Garrett didn’t answer questions that arise from the text. I give this an enthusiastic five stars: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Notice of material connection, I received this book from Kregel Academic in exchange for my honest review.

[Chris Woznicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have worked my way through several of the Kregel Exegetical Library Commentaries in the past few months – this time I turn my attention to Duane Garrett’s commentary on Exodus. Garrett is a pretty well known scholar who teaches at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He specializes in OT interpretation and has written quite a bit on Hebrew grammar and historical background.

This commentary is aimed at pastors, though its not without its benefits for those who have a scholarly bent. He provides a verse by verse exegetical and theological study of this immensely significant book. As it is well known, Exodus serves as a major foundation for Old Testament (and New Testament) theology, perhaps it even serves a more significant role than even the call of Abraham or any other event in Genesis!

There are already several good commentaries on Exodus, so what makes this commentary stick out? First off, he spends a lot of time (though he calls it a short amount of time) giving the reader an introduction of Egyptian history, culture, language, and geography. Second he focues on the state of scholarly arguments regarding historical questions. For instance, the dating of exodus, the genealogy of Moses, the location of the Red Sea, and the Location of Sinai. Third, he pays extra attention to the poetry found in Exodus. Fourth, he writes in such a way as to make this commentary useful for pastors and Bible teachers. This is especially evident in how he breaks up the commentary (Translation, Structure, Commentary, Theological Summary of Key Points). Finally, he writes this commentary from the position that Exodus is Christian literature. This might be controversial in some circles, but its part of our Christian canon, so it’s appropriate to read it that way.

I really appreciated the structure of the commentary section. The highlight for me was the Theological Summary of Key Points. As someone who preaches, I naturally gravitated towards these sections.

However this commentary is not without its drawbacks. He spends nearly 130 pages on historical background. Garrett concedes that most critical scholars tend to dismiss such historical issues as meaningless for the interpretation of Exodus. Now I don’t want to go that far, however I am a firm believer in the belief that our commentary should try to stick to the canonical form of the text and not get bogged down on issues behind the text. We should focus in on what God is saying through the words he has revealed to us, and not hang on the shifting sands of historical scholarship.

Despite, what I believe is an undue emphasis on behind the text issues, as opposed to textual issues, I found this commentary to be useful in helping me understand this significant biblical book. This book just confirmed for me that the Kregel Exegetical Library is a commentary set that is really worth collecting.

(Note: I received this commentary from the publisher in exchange for an impartial review.)

[Doug Hibbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s take a look today at Duane A. Garrett’s A Commentary on Exodus, from the Kregel Exegetical Library. I have additional volumes in this series, including the Judges-Ruth volume and 2 out of 3 volumes on Psalms. I’ll be upfront: I’m a fan of this series.

Moving from generic ideas to specific: this is a solid, hardcover book. It cries out to be carefully read and marked up with 722 thick, no-bleed through type pages.

AND IT HAS FOOTNOTES!!! This is good, for one is not forced to flip around to find what that little number refers to!

On to the specific content: Garrett clearly holds the text of Exodus as representing actual events. That may bother some, but it holds no bother for me, because I accept that as well. For me, there’s no value in a mythological Exodus, so I wouldn’t bother reading 722 page books about it. Neither would I understand writing a book of that length about it.

Garrett’s introductory material deals with items like the date of the Exodus. I find his viewpoint on the date of the Exodus helpful, though he leaves the question open. I also like the reasoning and information shared about the location of the Red Sea crossing.

This volume also features Garrett’s own translation of Exodus. As this is an academic/technical commentary, I find myself accepting this and seeing it as helpful. (I’m still not a fan of self-translation as the main text for devotional/popular works.) I don’t see anything earth-shattering or odd in the translations, but the slight differences force me to read slower.

In all, this is a helpful addition to the reference shelf. I’d recommend it for the pastor, Biblical studies student, or in-depth teacher. It’s probably not for the casual reader.

Book provided by Kregel Academic and Ministry in exchange for the review.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently, my church is doing a series on Exodus, so when I was given a chance to review this commentary, I took up the offer eagerly. And I must say, I am not disappointed with this commentary.

Daune A. Garrett has written an excellent exegetical commentary on Exodus. In his introduction, Garrett not only goes through the usual issues of authorship and composition, he also highlights to the reader the importance of the geography of the land, and also a in-depth history of the Egyptians. While I found the introduction to be a bit too long, I must say that the introduction was comprehensive, and very accessible even to people who are new to the issues surrounding Exodus.

Two clear strengths can be found in this commentary. First Garrett always deals with the text honestly. Garrett always wrestle with the text iteslf, and at times, is even willing to take the step to disagree with conservative scholars.

An example can be found in Ex 4:24-26, a very difficult passage. Here Garrett sticks to the reading of the hebrew text and shows very clearly that Moses was not mentioned anyone within these verses, only a generic him is used. Having gone through the various views, Garrett comes out with what he thinks should be the most faithful understanding of this passage. I found his answers to be well-articulated and well-thought through.

Do note that as this is a technical commentary, knowledge of both greek and hebrew is required to be able to make full sure of this commentary. Overall, I found this commentary to be excellent and pastors or scholars should add to their collection. This commentaries offers many helpful observations to the readers and should be consulted often.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Derrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phenomenal. Dr. Garrett is an underrated scholar in my opinion. He leaves no issue in Exodus untouched, if its not in the commentary, its in the footnotes. He is honest and respectful with the text. His handling of the Hebrew language is masterful. I will be referencing him often!

[Jason Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review at https://eisdoxan.wordpress.com/2015/0...