1 & 2 Samuel

Apollos Old Testament Commentary Series

by David G. Firth, David Weston Baker (Editor), Gordon J. Wenham (Editor)

The Bible is both a divine and a human book. It is the inspired word of God for his people, whether in biblical times or for the church today. It is also a fully human book, written by different people in a variety of cultural settings. Knowledge of biblical language and society is essential if the meaning of the human writer is to be grasped fully. The Apollos Old Testament Commentary aims to take with equal seriousness the divine and human aspects of Scripture. It expounds the books of the Old Testament in a scholarly manner accessible to nonexperts, and shows the relevance of the Old Testament to modern readers. This commentary begins with an Introduction, which gives an overview of the issues of date, authorship, sources and so on, but which also outlines more fully than usual the theology of 1 and 2 Samuel, and provides pointers toward its interpretation and contemporary application. The annotated Translation of the Hebrew text by the author forms the basis for the subsequent commentary. The Form and Structure section examines the context of a passage, its use of rhetorical devices, and source and form-critical issues. The Comment section is a thorough, detailed exegesis of the historical and theological meaning of the passage. The Explanation --the goal of the commentary--offers a full exposition of the theological message within the framework of biblical theology, and a commitment to the inspiration and authority of the Old Testament. Written by an international team of scholars, the commentaries are intended primarily to serve the needs of those who preach from the Old Testament. They are equally suitable for use by scholars and all serious students of the Bible.

Genres: Old Testament, Reference, Scripture

614 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2009

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 & 2 Samuel is an Old Testament commentary, written by David G. Firth, published by IVP Academic. This commentary is a recent edition of the Apollos Old Testament Commentary Series with editors David W. Baker and Gordon J. Wenham, a series which is synonymous with excellent exegesis and superior application, this volume not only continues this legacy, but propels it to new heights. This volume is one of the most articulate and practical commentaries on two historical books of Holy Scripture which outside of a few passages gets unfortunately glossed over. Firth is a highly regarded scholar this is her first foray into this relatively new commentary series.

1 & 2 Samuel has two main sections the typical general introduction, and then followed by a insightful exegetical commentaries on the historical book of 1 & 2 Samuel. With regard to the general introduction it is the typical study into the introductory matters of the book and how they relate to the Bible as a whole. This is a serious scholarly work which dives into contextual as well as the as the different methodical approaches to study of this book Firth takes great care in carefully showing the original context of passage while applying it directly to the modern day reader. He also uses his own translation of the Hebrew text, which demonstrates his depth of knowledge of the text itself. I do wish though that there was more application to some of the more difficult passages

While I disagree with Firth on a number of issues with regard to Old Testament interpretation, I have a different approach to how he interrupts the David’s adultery with Bathsheba, committed in 1 & 2 Samuel, yet his scholarly work on this historical book is very well researched and written, and a very good read. In the vein of recommending, 1 & 2 Samuel, to others I would recommend this commentary to pastors and scholars, yet I would highly recommend pastors, such as myself, to pair this scholarly commentary with one that is one that has more of a pastoral tone. There are many commentaries about 1 & 2 Samuel available at this moment but 1 & 2 Samuel of the Apollos Old Testament Commentary series is a very scholarly works worthy of your time.

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

[Jonathan Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top notch commentary. Repetitive one some issues, like kingship. And he takes a strange view on David and Bathsheba: he argues that from the get go David is going after Uriah. That is why he takes Bathsheba in the first place. I disagree but that doesn't take much away from this quality resource.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firth reaches some unexpected conclusions. For instance, he suggests that David's sin with Bathsheba was really all about trying to get rid of Uriah.

[Matthew Bonzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful work. Probably should be the go-to commentary for pastors preaching Samuel.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This commentary on two of the more exciting books of the Bible is a real asset to pastors and Bible students. Firth is becoming quite the prolific commentator of late and tackles here another historical book of the Bible (since he rightfully argues the two are one book).

His Introduction is sufficient, and at 48 pages for a larger Bible book, it is quite succinct. While he writes well on genre and purpose, I couldn’t follow his thinking on authorship or sources–in fairness, it wasn’t radical. His explanation on narrative was insightful, but his discussion on central themes were spot on and the best the Introduction had to offer.

The commentary was by the far the best value in the book. He followed the standard Apollos setup with translation, notes on the text (just the right coverage for pastors), form and structure (with enough detail to explain its short discussion in the Introduction), comment (thought-provoking), and explanation (where he well ties it together).

I looked at several passages and enjoyed what he shared. He took extra care in the most famous passages (David and Goliath, for example). I had read criticism before I received this volume on his analysis of David with Bathsheba, and while I might fully agree with him there, he argued his point well. David did, as he said, not completely hide his sin from those he sent to get Bathsheba. He feels that David was more interested in getting Uriah out of the way to get the child than to hide his sin. I doubt that is true, but it does make you think!

This is a fine volume. As a point of comparison, this volume is fair superior to the well known Word Biblical Commentary volumes covering the same material. I highly recommend it.

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.