1 & 2 Kings

New American Bible Commentary, Old Testament Set #8

by Paul R. House

THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is for the minister or Bible student who wants to understand and expound the Scriptures. Notable features include:* commentary based on THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION;* the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary;* sound scholarly methodology that reflects capable research in the original languages;* interpretation that emphasizes the theological unity of each book and of Scripture as a whole;* readable and applicable exposition.

Genres: Old Testament, Theology, Reference, Biblical Studies

432 pages, Hardcover

First published February 21, 1995

About the author

Paul R. House teaches at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama). An Old Testament scholar, he has taught previously at Taylor University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Wheaton College.

Reviews

[Victoria Glaze · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband eats 800-page commentaries like this for breakfast; meanwhile, I’m just trying to keep pace. I used this as my primary guide for a slow, deep dive into 1st and 2nd Kings—one chapter a day, followed by an hour of intense study. Even after a long hiatus for a group study on Psalms, I came back and finished it. It was long, it was dense, and it was a marathon, but I’m officially one step closer to my husband’s "pro" level. Proud of this finish!

[Timothy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very difficult to recommend a front to back reading of a commentary. However, it is a good thing to do. It's difficult to recommend because on the whole getting people to read I & II Kings is hard enough without recommending a 500 page book that expounds that same text. It's challenging, but worth the effort.

You learn something by reading a commentary in its entirety. You learn that the approach commentators take to interpretation has a consistent integrity that deserves consideration. It's not enough to know whether a commentator is conservative or liberal. It's much better to see the weight of evidence showing why they take the stance they take. It's valuable for understanding not only what the commentator says, but why they say it and whether or not you agree with their larger reasoning.

This book takes a conservative approach to the text but does not ignore competing ideas. He does not spend undue time debating controversy, but does clearly and concisely state his position and why it's the position he holds. That said, he comes across at times as combative and opinionated. He could use a little more debate to show that his thinking is not circular.

I like the commentary though and recommend it for pastors and students who would like to think clearly about a conservative approach to Kings. By treating controversy less thoroughly, House takes the opportunity instead to explore practical, applicational issues that can be very helpful for the modern reader and expositor. In fact, the historical, cannonical, and applicational sections of each chapter give an icing to a cake usually left unfrosted.

Since most pastors want to dip into a commentary for understanding a given passage, this is a good one to use. It's clear, accessible without being simplistic, and apologetically gives credence to the inspired text, the perspective of the author of Kings. Use it with confidence.

[Jared Saltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

House is--first a foremost--a theologian and what you get in this commentary is dictated by his personal expertise. House is an excellent theologian and the theology and narrative exegesis of the text of Kings in this volume is quite good. He's very conservative in both. His introduction is fantastic as a literary introduction to the book of Kings and it's worth grabbing the book just for that. What you won't find in House much at all is interactions with critical theories, history, or archaeology: Bright is his most cited historical source and... well... Bright is Bright. But many other commentaries (for example, Cogan and Tadmor) do that far better. For what House is attempting to do, he does it well, even if many passages--especially toward the end of the text--have barely any commentary whatsoever.

Nevertheless, if you're looking for a good "first look" at Kings and interested in a conservative, theological approach, House is a good place to start.

[Paul Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scripturally faithful.