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Job for Everyone
This volume in the Old Testament for Everyone series covers one of the most popular books of the Old Testament, a book known for its themes of suffering and doubt. Taking the form of a play, with different characters relating different themes, the book of Job tells the story of one man whose life fell apart, who went to the depths and questioned God, and whose life was eventually rebuilt. Goldingay's careful and compelling commentary explores the book of Job's enduring message and is perfect for daily devotion, Sunday school preparation, or brief visits with the Bible.
215 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2013
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About the author
John E. Goldingay
87 books67 followersJohn Goldingay is David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. An internationally respected Old Testament scholar, Goldingay is the author of many commentaries and books.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 11, 2013
A great introductory commentary to the book of Job.
As part of the For Everyone series, the commentary divides the text into sections, with each section featuring the author's translation of the Biblical text, some sort of opening illustration, and then an explanation of the text in its socio-historical context with relevant applications to our own time.
The author is able to bring his own experience as one watching the chronic suffering of his own wife to bear on the discussion and the commentary is richer for it. Of all the OT For Everyone commentaries I have read I find this to be Goldingay's best, providing excellent, clear, and appropriate comments and doing a fantastic job at pulling out exactly what Job and his associates are saying, why they are saying it, and what's at stake throughout. He stays true to the purpose of the For Everyone series and in so doing does not get lost in attempts to figure out whether certain parts were added later or re-organized in transmission, for instance, and keeps the focus of the comments on God's speech about how it relates to Job and not to biology, astronomy, etc. Even though the book of Job will always be mysterious and there will always be more than can be gained from it, Goldingay does well at helping the reader come to a basic understanding of what is going on, what's at stake, and why what the book of Job says and how remains quite important after all of these years.
Very highly recommended commentary for the book of Job.
**--book received as part of early review program
As part of the For Everyone series, the commentary divides the text into sections, with each section featuring the author's translation of the Biblical text, some sort of opening illustration, and then an explanation of the text in its socio-historical context with relevant applications to our own time.
The author is able to bring his own experience as one watching the chronic suffering of his own wife to bear on the discussion and the commentary is richer for it. Of all the OT For Everyone commentaries I have read I find this to be Goldingay's best, providing excellent, clear, and appropriate comments and doing a fantastic job at pulling out exactly what Job and his associates are saying, why they are saying it, and what's at stake throughout. He stays true to the purpose of the For Everyone series and in so doing does not get lost in attempts to figure out whether certain parts were added later or re-organized in transmission, for instance, and keeps the focus of the comments on God's speech about how it relates to Job and not to biology, astronomy, etc. Even though the book of Job will always be mysterious and there will always be more than can be gained from it, Goldingay does well at helping the reader come to a basic understanding of what is going on, what's at stake, and why what the book of Job says and how remains quite important after all of these years.
Very highly recommended commentary for the book of Job.
**--book received as part of early review program
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April 13, 2023A wonderful commentary through a book of the Bible that I have long been fascinated by. Goldingay is a good writer and offers a devotional approach to Job. I enjoyed the time I spent with this book.
October 22, 2013
This review, by Dr. Nicholson, has been provided courtesy of Desert Bible Institute (www.desertbibleinstitute.com).
I have looked at a couple of the books written by Goldingay in the For Everyone commentary series and this is easily one of the best ones. While the author does a good job making all of the books of the Bible understandable to the average person, this is one of the most insightful and least formulaic that he has written.
In Job for Everyone, John Goldingay regularly uses both personal experiences and familiar anecdotes to help his readers understand and see the significance of the topics that he explores. This installment is no different. What does seem different is that he doesn’t rely nearly so heavily on these experiences as he has in the past. Often these anecdotes made me think more of a Sunday morning sermon that a commentary. While Goldingay still maintains an easy, narrative voice, he delves far deeper into traditional analysis than he has prior to this book. This balance that he strikes makes this book engaging to readers of various levels.
My one qualm with reading commentaries for a review, verses a novel or non-fiction book, is that they are usually formulaic and repetitive in nature. It makes me harken back to seminary when we were required to read highly technical commentaries that were well over 1,000 pages long. Yikes, I still get shivers. The early versions of this commentary series had a bit of predictability to them, although nothing on par with the tediousness most commentaries. In this version however, I found myself sitting back and truly enjoying the feedback on each section. I felt more like I was attending a lecture with a relatable teacher rather than reading an encyclopedia cover-to-cover. When I recommend this commentary series, as a whole, it is for its understandability, relatability, and approachability. With this volume however, it is for all those things and a depth and quality of writing that made this both an enjoyable read and an applicable source for study.
Trent Nicholson, Ph.D., D.Min.
Desert Bible Institute, President
Dr. Nicholson reviews academic, Christian living, and fiction books for a variety of publishers in an array of formats. He is never paid for any of his reviews. He writes these strictly as a courtesy to his students at Desert Bible Institute and for any other readers that might find his insights valuable. For more reviews or information, visit Dr. Nicholson’s blog at drtnicholson.wordpress.com.
The book for this review was provided free of charge by Westminster John Knox Press through NetGalley.com. This book was provided without the expectation or requirement of a positive response. Thank you to both the publisher and NetGalley.com for the opportunity to both read your advanced copy and to provide this unpaid evaluation. All opinions in this review reflect the views of the author and not DBI, NetGalley.com, or the publisher.
I have looked at a couple of the books written by Goldingay in the For Everyone commentary series and this is easily one of the best ones. While the author does a good job making all of the books of the Bible understandable to the average person, this is one of the most insightful and least formulaic that he has written.
In Job for Everyone, John Goldingay regularly uses both personal experiences and familiar anecdotes to help his readers understand and see the significance of the topics that he explores. This installment is no different. What does seem different is that he doesn’t rely nearly so heavily on these experiences as he has in the past. Often these anecdotes made me think more of a Sunday morning sermon that a commentary. While Goldingay still maintains an easy, narrative voice, he delves far deeper into traditional analysis than he has prior to this book. This balance that he strikes makes this book engaging to readers of various levels.
My one qualm with reading commentaries for a review, verses a novel or non-fiction book, is that they are usually formulaic and repetitive in nature. It makes me harken back to seminary when we were required to read highly technical commentaries that were well over 1,000 pages long. Yikes, I still get shivers. The early versions of this commentary series had a bit of predictability to them, although nothing on par with the tediousness most commentaries. In this version however, I found myself sitting back and truly enjoying the feedback on each section. I felt more like I was attending a lecture with a relatable teacher rather than reading an encyclopedia cover-to-cover. When I recommend this commentary series, as a whole, it is for its understandability, relatability, and approachability. With this volume however, it is for all those things and a depth and quality of writing that made this both an enjoyable read and an applicable source for study.
Trent Nicholson, Ph.D., D.Min.
Desert Bible Institute, President
Dr. Nicholson reviews academic, Christian living, and fiction books for a variety of publishers in an array of formats. He is never paid for any of his reviews. He writes these strictly as a courtesy to his students at Desert Bible Institute and for any other readers that might find his insights valuable. For more reviews or information, visit Dr. Nicholson’s blog at drtnicholson.wordpress.com.
The book for this review was provided free of charge by Westminster John Knox Press through NetGalley.com. This book was provided without the expectation or requirement of a positive response. Thank you to both the publisher and NetGalley.com for the opportunity to both read your advanced copy and to provide this unpaid evaluation. All opinions in this review reflect the views of the author and not DBI, NetGalley.com, or the publisher.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews