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This series is designed for those who know biblical languages. It is written primarily for the pastor and Bible teacher, not for the scholar. That is, the aim is not to review and offer a critique of every possible interpretation that has ever been given to a passage, but to exegete each passage of Scripture succinctly in its grammatical and historical context. Each passage is interpreted in the light of its biblical setting, with a view to grammatical detail, literary context, flow of biblical argument, and historical setting. While the focus will not be on application, it is expected that the authors will offer suggestions as to the direction in which application can flow.
*This edition (ISBN 9780310243687) contains misprinted footnotes. Customers are advised to order the corrected printing (ISBN 9780310104032).
*This edition (ISBN 9780310243687) contains misprinted footnotes. Customers are advised to order the corrected printing (ISBN 9780310104032).
816 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 11, 2019
The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (ZECNT) continues its sustained excellence in this latest release on Romans by Frank Thielman. Thielman has already proven his commentary writing skills by writing a well-received work on that other deep Pauline Epistle of Ephesians. In addition, he’s written on Paul as well as New Testament theology. Writing a commentary on Romans would be, I would guess, one of the toughest assignments, but as you can see, he is up to the task. Besides the necessary credentials to predict a winning commentary, Thielman’s actual results live up to expectations.
The Introduction was not as full as in some such works, but what he did tackle met with superb results. The historical background came alive as he took us back to the Rome of Paul’s day. The way he transported us to those days was far more captivating than the normal sterile approach that we commonly meet. When he transitioned into Christianity in Rome it only got better as was the section where he brought Paul’s life into the equation. There’s a little on the text of Romans before we get an outline and bibliography.
I’m a fan of the unique approach to every passage. It’s far superior to others that have tried to make its own way like, say, WBC. You get literary context, main idea, diagrammed translation, structure, exegetical outline, all followed by a quality explanation of the text and concluded with theology in application. In my view, that covers all the right bases. Thielman uses that design to advantage here in one of the most important epistles of the New Testament.
The competition is fierce on Romans but mark this down as a winner all the way.
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.
The Introduction was not as full as in some such works, but what he did tackle met with superb results. The historical background came alive as he took us back to the Rome of Paul’s day. The way he transported us to those days was far more captivating than the normal sterile approach that we commonly meet. When he transitioned into Christianity in Rome it only got better as was the section where he brought Paul’s life into the equation. There’s a little on the text of Romans before we get an outline and bibliography.
I’m a fan of the unique approach to every passage. It’s far superior to others that have tried to make its own way like, say, WBC. You get literary context, main idea, diagrammed translation, structure, exegetical outline, all followed by a quality explanation of the text and concluded with theology in application. In my view, that covers all the right bases. Thielman uses that design to advantage here in one of the most important epistles of the New Testament.
The competition is fierce on Romans but mark this down as a winner all the way.
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.
April 22, 2022
Believe it or not, this is one of the shorter Romans commentaries out there. I didn't read every word, admittedly. But it's an enjoyable read for such an academic work. As the description states, this is more for Bible teachers and pastors, not scholars. Dr. Thielman provides thoughtful exegesis and exposition on even the most confusing or complicated or sticky passages in Romans. I think any pastor in any denominational context would find this work helpful as they preach/teach through Romans. But that's to be expected of someone who teaches at an ecumenical seminary. But I really think even a layperson not interested in the Greek exegesis could read the other sections of this commentary and find it helpful.
Dr Thielman is a national treasure, and I'm very grateful to have learned under him this year. I wish every student of theology could take his classes. Frank Thielman is a gem. Protect him at all costs.
Dr Thielman is a national treasure, and I'm very grateful to have learned under him this year. I wish every student of theology could take his classes. Frank Thielman is a gem. Protect him at all costs.
January 26, 2025
ZECNT has a phenomenal layout that every other commentary set should learn from. Thielman gives his version of a block diagram, the theme and summary of the section, an outline, then begins to explain the passage. With each section, he explains the main point of every verse right under the text (first English text, followed by the Greek). Then he goes phrase by phrase commenting on exegetical points, then at the end of each section gives theology and application summaries. Thielman often speaks with certainty where other commentators speak with uncertainty. His historical context research goes further than others (possibly because this is a newer published work than many other on Romans). Thielman's ZECNT on Romans is my 3rd favorite commentary on Romans, and should be in every pastor's library with the top 2 (Moo and Schreiner).
April 26, 2020
This is my second or third complete reading of one of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentaries of the New Testament and I have to say this may be my favorite commentary set of all time. I love the layout, I love the diagramed sentences, the outlines, the added in-depth articles. Everything about this series speak and reads the way my brain works, now I know I am weird but this book is solid and I highly recommend it.
November 23, 2022
My favorite commentary on Romans at this point.
April 17, 2019
The Gospel of Romans is one of the most studied books in all of Scripture. It therefore makes sense that there are a plethora of commentaries on this densely packed epistle. Yet due to the modern movement collectively known as the “New Perspective on Paul” (NPP), all commentaries now fall into three groups. Commentaries which were written before the NPP movement, commentaries written in defense of the NPP, and commentaries written in defense of the traditional view of Paul’s teaching on justification. Now due to space and this review not being a short treatise of the NPP, I will not go into detail, but to say that if you hold to the NPP or the traditional view, most likely you will desire a commentary which promotes your view, for it encompasses not only a person’s view on Pauline epistles but of the fundamentals of Christianity.
Frank Thielman’s commentary on the book of Romans for the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament produced by Zondervan Academic easily falls into the category of commentaries written in defense of the traditional position. This does not mean that Thielman ignores the NPP rather he examines it well, gives it’s strength and weaknesses before arguing in favor of the traditional position. Thielman not only writes from a traditional view of Paul, he asserts that Paul was the author and exegets Romans from a Reformed position. This makes sense since Thielman is an ordained minister of the Gospel in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). This is clearly seen and will be a benefit to the pastor with a Reformed view of scripture as well as for those looking for a work that argues this position.
As with all of the commentaries written in the ZECNT, this work is written in a manner which examines the Greek text yet, one does not need to have knowledge of Biblical Greek to use this work, rather it is just a benefit if they do. Furthermore since these commentaries are aimed at the Pastor, they are application packed, yet examines the scripture in detail to greatly aid in sermon preparation. Specifically with regard to this commentary, Thielman writes at a level that this work is helpful to the seminary student and scholar as well. That said most of the higher technical comments on the Greek text are kept in the footnotes.
This commentary is not without a few weaknesses, the most noticeably, while this commentary is a full commentary, I was expecting it to be a bit longer, not only because of the length of the epistle, but because of the theological impact that this book has on the rest of scripture. Thankfully even though this commentary is slightly shorter, than I would like, what is in the commentary is spectacular. That is why I would call this commentary full yet not robust, and would not be ranked as the best commentary on the book of Romans. All in all, I am a big fan of this commentary and it will be one of the first commentaries that I reach for in my preaching and teaching of the book of Romans.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Academic in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
Frank Thielman’s commentary on the book of Romans for the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament produced by Zondervan Academic easily falls into the category of commentaries written in defense of the traditional position. This does not mean that Thielman ignores the NPP rather he examines it well, gives it’s strength and weaknesses before arguing in favor of the traditional position. Thielman not only writes from a traditional view of Paul, he asserts that Paul was the author and exegets Romans from a Reformed position. This makes sense since Thielman is an ordained minister of the Gospel in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). This is clearly seen and will be a benefit to the pastor with a Reformed view of scripture as well as for those looking for a work that argues this position.
As with all of the commentaries written in the ZECNT, this work is written in a manner which examines the Greek text yet, one does not need to have knowledge of Biblical Greek to use this work, rather it is just a benefit if they do. Furthermore since these commentaries are aimed at the Pastor, they are application packed, yet examines the scripture in detail to greatly aid in sermon preparation. Specifically with regard to this commentary, Thielman writes at a level that this work is helpful to the seminary student and scholar as well. That said most of the higher technical comments on the Greek text are kept in the footnotes.
This commentary is not without a few weaknesses, the most noticeably, while this commentary is a full commentary, I was expecting it to be a bit longer, not only because of the length of the epistle, but because of the theological impact that this book has on the rest of scripture. Thankfully even though this commentary is slightly shorter, than I would like, what is in the commentary is spectacular. That is why I would call this commentary full yet not robust, and would not be ranked as the best commentary on the book of Romans. All in all, I am a big fan of this commentary and it will be one of the first commentaries that I reach for in my preaching and teaching of the book of Romans.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Academic in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
September 18, 2019
You can read my fuller review at Spoiled Milks (4/26/19).
Frank Thielman has written a brand new commentary on Romans which he hopes will simply “play the role of a footman, opening the door to Romans and then quickly stepping out of the way so that others might ‘enter’ the letter itself, sit at the feet of the apostle Paul, and in the apostle’s voice hear the voice of God” (14).
His Introduction is 23 pages long. He covers life in Rome in the mid-first century, Christianity in Rome during this time, the setting of Romans in Paul’s ministry, and Paul’s purpose in writing Romans. Thielman shows that life in Rome was generally very difficult. It was a “zero-sum game” where one man’s success “depleted the amount of luck available to everyone else, and so working to damage a neighbor’s success could aid one’s own survival” (25).
Commentary Set-Up
The Literary Context shows how, say, Romans 8:1–17 fits within the letter of Romans. A (hokey) Progress Bar with an outline is added at the end of this section. The Main Idea is a short and simple paragraph on the whole passage. The Translation and Graphical Layout is Thielman’s translation of the Greek text represented in a sentence phrasing diagram to show how each clause relates to the others.
The Structure explains Paul’s flow of thought. The Exegetical Outline gives a detailed outline for the chapter. In The Explanation of the Text, Thielman examines words, ideas, rhetoric, the social context, and/or biblical theology.
The highlight for many pastors and teachers will be the Theology in Application section. Here Thielman discusses what the theology of 8:1-17 means for the church today, giving insightful thoughts on how we are to live today. He writes that this section “describes the change that comes to the person God has freed from the sort of slavery to sin Paul depicted in 7:7-25” (393).
The commentary ends with a Theology of Romans, focusing around God and his character, how humanity relates to God, and how God sent Jesus christ to save the world.
Thielman has many In Depth sections where he takes a deeper look at a particular topic.
As biblical scholarship progresses, commentaries are needed. We can be thankful that there are scholars who can devote their lives to wrestling with the text and distilling it down to others. Thielman’s incisive thoughts on the main ideas, structures, and meanings of Paul’s long letter will benefit you as you seek to know Christ in Romans.
Frank Thielman has written a brand new commentary on Romans which he hopes will simply “play the role of a footman, opening the door to Romans and then quickly stepping out of the way so that others might ‘enter’ the letter itself, sit at the feet of the apostle Paul, and in the apostle’s voice hear the voice of God” (14).
His Introduction is 23 pages long. He covers life in Rome in the mid-first century, Christianity in Rome during this time, the setting of Romans in Paul’s ministry, and Paul’s purpose in writing Romans. Thielman shows that life in Rome was generally very difficult. It was a “zero-sum game” where one man’s success “depleted the amount of luck available to everyone else, and so working to damage a neighbor’s success could aid one’s own survival” (25).
Commentary Set-Up
The Literary Context shows how, say, Romans 8:1–17 fits within the letter of Romans. A (hokey) Progress Bar with an outline is added at the end of this section. The Main Idea is a short and simple paragraph on the whole passage. The Translation and Graphical Layout is Thielman’s translation of the Greek text represented in a sentence phrasing diagram to show how each clause relates to the others.
The Structure explains Paul’s flow of thought. The Exegetical Outline gives a detailed outline for the chapter. In The Explanation of the Text, Thielman examines words, ideas, rhetoric, the social context, and/or biblical theology.
The highlight for many pastors and teachers will be the Theology in Application section. Here Thielman discusses what the theology of 8:1-17 means for the church today, giving insightful thoughts on how we are to live today. He writes that this section “describes the change that comes to the person God has freed from the sort of slavery to sin Paul depicted in 7:7-25” (393).
The commentary ends with a Theology of Romans, focusing around God and his character, how humanity relates to God, and how God sent Jesus christ to save the world.
Thielman has many In Depth sections where he takes a deeper look at a particular topic.
As biblical scholarship progresses, commentaries are needed. We can be thankful that there are scholars who can devote their lives to wrestling with the text and distilling it down to others. Thielman’s incisive thoughts on the main ideas, structures, and meanings of Paul’s long letter will benefit you as you seek to know Christ in Romans.
May 7, 2024
An excellent commentary by Thielman. He goes word by word through the Greek and conducts a rigorous examination of the Greek text while wading through the interpretive controversies. While many of Thielman's conclusions end up at or near standard Reformed evangelical understanding, he occasionally arrives at unique conclusions. His introductory material and excursuses shine.
When reading Thielman's commentaries, I always love how he draws attention to the social dynamic implied by Paul's discourse. For a conservative commentator, his social awareness (especially to dynamics of inclusion and exclusion on the basis of class or race) is impressive. He is steeped in the history of evangelical resistance to Nazi Germany (beyond Bonhoeffer) and brings that to bear.
Compared to Moos' commentary, Moo spends more time (deftly) navigating the exegetical and theological options available through Romans. The NICNT format reads a bit more smoothly. The ZECNT is more verse-by-verse and clunky, but it makes it easier to drop in. Thielman is wary of allowing theological conclusion and tradition to guide his exegetical conclusions, but he still often ends up in the same place or near many other major evangelical Romans commentaries.
When reading Thielman's commentaries, I always love how he draws attention to the social dynamic implied by Paul's discourse. For a conservative commentator, his social awareness (especially to dynamics of inclusion and exclusion on the basis of class or race) is impressive. He is steeped in the history of evangelical resistance to Nazi Germany (beyond Bonhoeffer) and brings that to bear.
Compared to Moos' commentary, Moo spends more time (deftly) navigating the exegetical and theological options available through Romans. The NICNT format reads a bit more smoothly. The ZECNT is more verse-by-verse and clunky, but it makes it easier to drop in. Thielman is wary of allowing theological conclusion and tradition to guide his exegetical conclusions, but he still often ends up in the same place or near many other major evangelical Romans commentaries.
December 31, 2022
Solid! Not terribly accessible for every believer, but this is a great bridge toward key concepts that come out in the book of Romans. I will be referencing this again in the future as I grow in teaching and preaching.
May 11, 2020
One of the best commentaries on Romans I've read!
August 30, 2025
Its strongest offering is the organization of the chapters and ease of reading, but I'm also working through two other commentaries of Romans, and of the three it's the one I least reference.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews