Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary (Volume 15)

Tyndale Old Testament Commentary #15-16

by Tremper Longman III

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Old Testament, the libretto of the most vibrant worship imaginable. It informs our intellect, stimulates our imagination, arouses our emotions and stirs us to holy thoughts and actions. It is also a pivotal witness to, and anticipation of, Jesus Christ. Tremper Longman's commentary on Psalms is the mature fruit of scholarship and sensibilities developed over a career of exploring Old Testament poetry and wisdom. The commentary interprets each psalm in its Old Testament setting, summarizes its message and reflects on its significance from a New Testament perspective, providing a christological reading. The Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries have long been a trusted resource for Bible study. Written by some of the world's most distinguished evangelical scholars, these twenty-eight volumes offer clear, reliable and relevant explanations of every book in the Old Testament, aiming to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.

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

479 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 2014

About the author

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Before coming to Westmont, he taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for eighteen years. He has authored or coauthored numerous books, including An Introduction to the Old Testament, How to Read Proverbs, and commentaries on Daniel, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Jeremiah and Lamentations, and Song of Songs.

Reviews

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The venerable Tyndale commentary series is in the process of updating the OT volumes. Coming up to the Psalms volume, IVP had a dilemma. Derek Kidner’s volume in the series is one of the best succinct commentaries written on a book of the Bible ever. How do you retire such an author with his winning entry in your commentary set?

So what did IVP do? Some staffer came up with the masterstroke publishing idea for the quandary. Reprint the Kidner’s titles as “Classic Commentaries” (a quick search on IVP and you can find them as they are available now) and pull out one of the most prolific commentators on Wisdom Literature today, Tremper Longman, and let him do the new Tyndale volume. I may not always agree with Mr. Longman, but I have always been impressed by his prodigious output. Does he ever lay down his pen?

He gives us a near 500 page offering on the 150 Psalms. His introduction is short, but sufficiently overviews the issues involved in studying the Psalms. Then he gives a short paragraph on context to help orient us followed by commentary in chunks that make sense. He ends with a “meaning” section that helps us think about directions for application. He does a fine job.

I checked some on the Psalms in this volume against the new massive volumes by Allen Ross and the old Kidner volumes. I feel Longman well addresses, in a more compressed format as called for in this series, issues that Mr. Ross handles deeply and masterfully. Did he excel Mr. Kidner? Probably not, but the solution for me is to possess them both and use them often.

I have loved and used the entire Tyndale Commentarty for years. We need commentaries of this style to go along with our larger exegetical ones to help not lose sight of the forest in looking at the trees. This volume lives up to its high standards and I highly recommend it.

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.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like we’re placing a cherished athletic figure, replace a legendary volume in a scholarly Commentary series is no easy task. Needless to say Tremper Longman III had his work cut out for him to replace Derek Kinder’s pair of commentaries with a single volume on the Psalms for the spectacular Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series. Kinder’s commentary was the standard for introductory commentaries for the book of Pslams and Longman’s commentary replaces a legend with one of equal caliber.

Longman who has written countless other commentaries on other biblical books is a highly distinguished scholar and is no stranger to commentaries in the Old Testaments, and his academic credentials shine in this studious commentary. The Tyndale Old Testament commentary is a great introduction commentary for pastors and laymen alike and requires no knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew language. Yet this commentary is part of a growing trend of added girth in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series. Weighing in at just under 479 pages this commentary is almost the length of a mid-range commentary. (This one volume eclipses the 438 total pages in Kinder’s dual volumes.) Yet the accessibility of this commentary makes it a wonderful introduction to the book of Psalms. I own and have read many commentaries on the book of Psalms and this new commentary is one of the greatest additions to that lineage. Furthermore this commentary shows great potential in giving phenomenal application combined with superior exegesis.

Pslams, begins with the typical study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, yet while introductions are common Longman’s introduction is so through with his research and interaction with recent scholarship that it can hardly be understood as a basic introduction. In a day where these matters are either glossed over to get to the exegesis of the text or are so cumbersome that they become useless, Longman found a good balance in being thorough, communicating depth and attention to recent scholarship, without losing the message of the text.

With reference to the commentary sections on Psalms, Longman, expertly navigates the text showing the original context of passage while applying it directly to the modern day reader. He also uses a pastoral tone in many of his comments yet never sacrifices his scholastic approach. The outlines that he provides are also of great use for a pastor looking to preach though the Pslams.

In recommending, John, to others I would whole heartily recommend this commentary to students of scripture, with one caveat. By this I mean I recommend this work to Pastors, Bible Teachers, Bible College Students, and to a limited extent educated Laymen looking to teach a Sunday school class, there is enough scholarly weight to this work to understand a particular issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. There are many commentaries about the Gospel of John available at this moment but, Longman, of the TOTC series is a giant leap above the rest.

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

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strickly speaking, I haven't read every word in this commentary, but I have read most of it. I found it helpful and insightful many times in my study of this beloved book.

[Braley Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly insightful and brief commentary.