Luke 1:1-9:50

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

by Darrell L. Bock

Pastors, academics, and laypersons serious about understanding Scripture will delight in this understandable, yet thorough, exegesis that provides excellent insights into the third Gospel.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Theology, Reference, New Testament, Christian, Religion, Christianity

1008 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1994

About the author

Darrell L. Bock is a New Testament scholar and research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, United States. Bock received his PhD from Scotland's University of Aberdeen.

Reviews

[Jon Pentecost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, careful exegesis of the first 9 chapters of Luke. Helpful in showing the focus on Jesus' identity as the Christ through this section of the gospel.

Helpful in pointing out OT allusions, and some first century Palestine cultural contexts.

The sections on historicity and sources of each pericope are tiresome and often silly. I understand the felt need to address questions of the reliability and historicity of events of Jesus' life, given the objections made in academic circles. But the need to address those questions seems to often distract from attending to the unity and building argument of Luke's gospel.

Used in preparing to preach Luke in 2019, 2020

[Matt Braymiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently teaching the gospel of Luke and consider Bock to be one of the most consistently useful sources I have at my disposal. Out of a list of more than fifteen commentaries, I have found these to be exceptionally useful:
1. Nolland, John - Word Biblical Commentary
2. Bock, Darrell - Baker Exegetical Commentary on the NT
3. Garland, David - Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the NT
4. Green, Joel B. - New International Commentary on the NT (new)
5. Edwards, James - Pillar NT Commentary
6. Bovon, Francois - Hermenia
7. Marshall, I Howard - New International Greek Testament Commentary

[Bennett Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good commentary on Luke. Bock pretty much does it all. Each section begins with a helpful summary/overview. Then he discusses debates surrounding 'sources and historicity,' and caps it off with another summary. Then comes the 'exegesis and exposition,' which often includes helpful discussions of parallel accounts in the other synoptics. Then he concludes with another summary. For pastors interested in preaching through Luke rather quickly (which is no easy feat), you will have to do a lot of reading. This commentary is 900+ pages, and it doesn't even make it into Luke 10. Also, the author is some sort of dispensationalist, but I am not. But those differences didn't come it to play very often, and he was even-handed when they did. Though I think it is unnecessarily long to the point of being unwieldy, I strongly recommend it for preachers/teachers, and I will definitely by buying vol. 2.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can only get one commentary on Luke, then this is the one to get. It is a massive tome that is close to 2000 pages. It is technical enough that I wouldn't recommend this one to the average church goer but it is still pastoral. I find most technical commentaries to be boring and exhausting which this one avoids. There is a reason it was considered the standard book for Luke. Despite being older I think it still lives up to its reputation.

[Bradley Somers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bock has built an excellent exegetical commentary on the Gospel of Luke. The layout and flow is easy to read. The critical analysis are succinct and helpful. The commentary is clear, pointed, captures the redemptive-historical and leads you ahead to Luke's second part-the book of Acts. This study tool is balanced well between the technical and the pastoral.

[Nicholas Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent first volume of a commentary on Luke. I appreciate Bock’s thorough approach to the text and the historical interpretations of it. The BECNT is one of my favorite commentary series and I can see how this one set the tone for the rest.

[Todd Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Commentary on Luke hands down that I've read.

[Charity U · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has certainly earned its designation as the best commentary on Luke. Extremely in-depth and helpful, I really have appreciated this resource!

[Michael Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best exegetical commentary on Luke, but spends too much time discussing and dealing with historico-critical issues.

[Nick Roark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

[Ben Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, six months later I've finally finished working my way through this tome of a book. The main reason for reading it (and now the second volume) is that is has been an excellent resource in leading our congregation on a year-long teaching series through Luke. Having written several commentaries on Luke, Bock knows this gospel thoroughly. He is always careful to evaluate various interpretations of the passages under discussion. And while it can get a bit tedious at times, it never loses sight of the heart of Luke's message.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Luke commentary is good for resolving technical details and understanding textual arguments. Bock responds to critical scholarship and provides multiple interpretations of texts before settling on his own. I found the book helpful for teaching, but less so than Joel Green in his excellent (and paradigm shifting) Luke commentary.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best commentaries I've used while preaching through Luke for two years. The commentary is lengthy and detailed, making it difficult to consult in full on each passage, but very helpful when detail is needed to help weigh various interpretive options. Bock is very good when it comes to presenting opposing and alternative options and weighing their pros and cons.

[David Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly theoretical in its approach verse by verse; very comprehensive and detailed. Leaves one wondering. I find the reader must know basic Greek for it's riddled with Greek words, where the come from I don't know. I cannot use a concordance because the key word must be English. So friend I find this two volume set helpful but, prior knowledge of Greek is a must; that's not helpful !!

[Peter Twele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Commentary on the first half of Luke.