Genesis

The Story of God Bible Commentary

by Tremper Longman III, Scot McKnight (Editor)

A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story.

The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike.

Each volume employs three main, easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's



LISTEN to the Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story.

EXPLAIN the Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting.

LIVE the Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students.


--Genesis--

The book of Genesis is, as the name implies, a book of the beginning of the cosmos, the beginning of humanity, the beginning of Israel, a prequel to the main story of the Pentateuch. In narrative terms a beginning leads to a middle and to an end. The book, in other words, is ultimately not to be read isolated from the rest of the Pentateuch, the Old Testament, or finally the Christian canon as a whole.

Edited by Scot McKnight and Tremper Longman III, and written by a number of top-notch theologians, The Story of God Bible Commentary series will bring relevant, balanced, and clear-minded theological insight to any biblical education or ministry.

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

609 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 9, 2016

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

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genesis, by Temper Longman III and published by Zondervan a fantastic new and modern commentary on the book of Genesis. Genesis, is the one of the most recent volume of the new, Story of God Bible Commentary, for which Temper Longman III servers as the Old Testament editor of the series, a series which is fast growing and solidly helpful, this volume continues this legacy. Longman is one of the greatest living Old Testament exegetes and while he is no stranger to studious commentaries series this series, which is not aimed at the scholar is a unique addition to his repertoire, yet he does not disappoint.

Genesis, begins without a the typical in-depth study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, yet while introductions are common; this introduction is atypical of most commentaries. It is not that this work does dive into history and recent scholarship, which Longman does a phenomenal job of rather, he focuses on what the pastor and educated laymen would need to teach or preach the book of Genesis.

In reference to the commentary on the text of this historical book, Longman takes great care in carefully showing the original context of passage while sprinkling practical application to the reader throughout the textual commentary. A pastor will find that Longmans practical insights extremely helpful in giving application from the text to his congregants, while the laymen will find this commentaries easy to use formant and the non-technical format an easy read. It is truly the best of both worlds.

With regard of recommending, Genesis, 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 Seminary Students, there is enough depth to this text to understand a particularly issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. The caveat is to the lay person who is looking for a commentary to read as a devotional it is not be suitable for devotional reading. Also a basic knowledge of Hebrew is not needed for understanding, Genesis.

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

Genesis: The Story of God Bible Commentary

© 2016 by Temper Longman III

Publisher: Zondervan

Page Count: 593 Pages

ISBN: 978-0310496076

[Jeremy Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

In some ways it can be very hard to rate a commentary. Different people are looking for different things when they crack open a commentary. Some are wanting technical detail, others are wanting historical context and cultural comparison, while others are simply looking for practical takeaways to help with preaching or teaching on a passage. No commentary tries to really do all of these in one volume.

I mention this to point out that Tremper Longman III's commentary on Genesis is not going to be for everyone. It's focus is much more on a big picture, application kind of understanding. If you're looking for something that digs into the technical too much, you're going to be disappointed. He does deal with historical context and things like that more, but still probably not as much as some other commentaries.

I tended to like Longman's approach because he didn't try to force too much application out of passages, like some commentaries of this nature. He tries to focus on the story that Genesis is telling more so, but is able to pull some decent application out of the narrative as well. I also tended to like how Longman approached the stories in Genesis. That's not to say that I always agreed with him, but I did enjoy his tone and approach to the text regardless of that.

I did notice that there are some places that I wish he dealt a bit more with the problems behind a text, for example Genesis 49:13 that talks about Zebulun being on the coast. Both other commentaries I was using for Bible Study preparation brought up the fact that Zebulun's land wasn't on the coast and that makes this text challenging. Longman didn't really bring this up though. These kind of oversights didn't really happen often, but there were times that I wish he went a bit deeper while still prioritizing a focus on the story both big and small of Genesis.

Even with some issues like this, I did really enjoy the commentary overall. It was probably the favorite of the ones I used even though it did have some holes that were filled by the other commentaries. So if you're looking for a rather accessible commentary focused on application and understanding the story presented, I found this one to be a good read/resource. If you're looking for a more in depth commentary, this probably isn't for you.

[Airs · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful and in-depth commentary. I think it's greatest advantage is that it's suitable really for everyone - Good exegesis that is sermon-preparation-worthy for the pastor, yet written very clearly & succinctly that can be excellently understood even for lay Christians.

Each section is broken up into two major parts: 1) Explain the Story - the groundwork to understand the text, and 2) Live the Story - the wisdom to apply it to our lives now.

Can't recommend this enough to everyone.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some serious problems with this volume. If you read it closely, you will see what I mean. That being said, Longman III is amazing at summarizing key biblical theology themes in any given passage. Super valuable insights. Read with caution, but definitely a valuable resource.

[Jon Anderson]

Read for sermon prep on Genesis 1-5 during Epiphany, Lent, and Holy Week 2022. Excellent blend of interpretation and application. This new commentary series is becoming a go-to resource.

[John Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Story of God Bible Commentary is an exciting and practical commentary series that seeks to explain the biblical text in light of the grand story of the biblical narrative. The editors and contributors for this series are top-tier scholars with seasoned insight and experience into the world of biblical interpretation and proclamation—making this series an attractive addition to the minister’s library. Most recently, Genesis by Tremper Longman III, also the Old Testament general editor, adds a long awaited volume to this quickly growing series. Longman is certainly no stranger to the writing of sizable and useful commentaries on the Old Testament, and this volume is anything but an exception to that rule.

Longman begins with a brief introduction where he orients the reader towards the issues related to authorship and date, canonicity, genre, structure, historical background within the Ancient Near Eastern world, and the theological message of Genesis past and present. I found the introduction to be rather concise, but Longman is succinct in his treatment and does well for the given space and targeted audience. As the commentary proper opens the reader is guided passage-by-passage through three major sections: (1) LISTEN to the Story—includes the NIV translation with additional references to encourage the reader to hear the story within its broader biblical context, (2) EXPLAIN the Story—explores and illuminates each passage within its canonical and historical setting, and (3) LIVE the Story—reflects how each passage can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustration to aid teachers, preachers, and beyond.

One of the most rewarding and beneficial aspects of this commentary, especially given the target audience, is Longman’s near-encyclopedic understanding of the Ancient Near Eastern world. As Longman guides the reader through the Book of Genesis, it is not uncommon for him to quickly delve into various avenues of Ancient Near Eastern background and literature. Longman does an incredible service to the reader by making this information accessible and easy to digest. Still, while I found Longman to be helpful across the board within the different sections of the commentary, it is clear that his strengths are primarily designated to explanation rather than application. He does fairly well in both, but if consistency has anything to say about it, the former clearly outweighs the latter. Lastly, it should be said that Longman is not going to align with most conservative readers by way of his understanding and explanation of text—especially in the earlier chapters of Genesis. He is undoubtedly more sensitive to a figurative and critical reading of the book than a literal historical reading. Should this bring concern? Maybe, for some. But I wouldn’t allow such to deviate potential buyers from purchasing this commentary. If anything, it will do well to promote critical thinking and engagement with those who the reader disagrees, and we all know this world could use a little more of that!

The Story of God Bible Commentary: Genesis by Tremper Longman III is both practical and engaging. Longman has a keen ability to turn technical ideas into everyday concepts of understanding and application. Moreover, Longman is nothing short of a seasoned Old Testament scholar and he possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in the matters of the Ancient Near Eastern world. I can almost predict with absolute certainty that the reader will catch himself in dispute with Longman more than once, but such should not be a reason to forgo this volume, it should be a reason to engage therein. If you are looking for a practical and accessible commentary on the Book of Genesis that will keep you on your toes, this is a commentary that you cannot afford to overlook. It comes highly recommended!

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest 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.

[James Korsmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Longman is an astute commentator, well positioned to connect the academic study of the Bible with lived faith. And he is one of the general editors of this new Story of God Bible Commentary series, along with Scot McKnight. In this volume on Genesis, Longman follows the series pattern of breaking the text up into digestible segments (these vary in size from a few verses [12:10-18] or a few chapters [45-47] based on the content. For each section, the NIV text is reproduced in full, which is great to encourage readers to be directly in the text and not simply reading about it. This first segment, called "Listen to the Story," also includes some brief comments situating the text under discussion within the larger whole of the book. In this section Longman also comments on ancient Near Eastern parallels (in the early chapters, this can often be an extended discussion that provides some really fruitful parallels). Next is "Explain the Story," where typical commentary-style explanation of the text is undertaken in a section-by-section manner (as opposed to a verse-by-verse breakdown), with emphasis on understanding the flow and main ideas of the text while also weighing in on important interpretive matters. Finally, under "Living the Story," Longman looks at New Testament connections and also modern day application, including theological reflection.

Longman's commentary on Genesis will be off putting to some, as he puts more emphasis on the ancient Near Eastern setting than some will be comfortable with. He sees these early chapters of Genesis as literary creations, not literal reports. And he (helpfully, to my mind) asserts, "Audiences make the mistake of reading Genesis 1 and 2 in light of modern accounts of origins (most notably evolution) and not in light of these ancient Near Eastern texts. He also emphazes But that is also a strength of the commentary, as Longman is well established in that facet of academic study, and he is able to bring to light many new dimensions of the Biblical world and the literary and cultural environment into which these texts were written. He is adept at placing the text under discussion within the larger narrative of Genesis, illuminating overarching themes and repeated emphases. In his "Living the Story" section, he often brings meaningful and worthwhile reflection on New Testament connections that bring greater depth of understanding and fill out the full biblical meaning of these passages without obscuring the original meaning. And his theological reflections evidence many years of wrestling with these texts and the questions they pose, as he gives deep and practical theological insights on the meaning and message of the book.

I've found this book to be both informative and insightful. It doesn't replace more academic and analytical commentaries, nor is it meant to. Instead, it provides a deliberately applicable reading of Scripture that is particularly attuned to the story being told. I will consult it often, and I'm deeply appreciative of Dr. Longman's efforts.

Thanks to the publisher and the Amazon Vine program for the review copy of this book.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This does a good job of explaining how Genesis fits into the larger message of the Bible. However, I can only give it four stars due to the rather atrocious proofreading that was done.