Harry A. Hoffner

Harry A. Hoffner is a modern scholar associated with the study of the ancient Near East, often read where background work strengthens responsible Bible interpretation.

He is remembered for detailed research that helps readers understand languages, texts, and historical settings that sit behind parts of the Old Testament world. Used well, this kind of scholarship can clear away anachronisms and sharpen our reading, especially when it keeps serving the biblical text rather than displacing it.

He remains valued where careful technical work supports faithful exposition. Pastors will benefit most when they draw on him selectively, using background detail to illuminate Scripture while keeping the focus on what the passage says and does.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

Harry A. Hoffner

Harry A. Hoffner is a modern scholar associated with the study of the ancient Near East, often read where background work strengthens responsible Bible interpretation.

He is remembered for detailed research that helps readers understand languages, texts, and historical settings that sit behind parts of the Old Testament world. Used well, this kind of scholarship can clear away anachronisms and sharpen our reading, especially when it keeps serving the biblical text rather than displacing it.

He remains valued where careful technical work supports faithful exposition. Pastors will benefit most when they draw on him selectively, using background detail to illuminate Scripture while keeping the focus on what the passage says and does.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

Harry A. Hoffner

Harry A. Hoffner

Harry A. Hoffner is a modern scholar associated with the study of the ancient Near East, often read where background work strengthens responsible Bible interpretation.

He is remembered for detailed research that helps readers understand languages, texts, and historical settings that sit behind parts of the Old Testament world. Used well, this kind of scholarship can clear away anachronisms and sharpen our reading, especially when it keeps serving the biblical text rather than displacing it.

He remains valued where careful technical work supports faithful exposition. Pastors will benefit most when they draw on him selectively, using background detail to illuminate Scripture while keeping the focus on what the passage says and does.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

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2 Samuel

Mid-levelPastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.1
Author: Harry A. Hoffner
Bible Book: 2 Samuel
Series: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary
Type: Expository
Publisher: Lexham Press
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Second Samuel holds together triumph and tragedy. The kingdom is established, the promises to David are set in place, and the hope of a lasting throne shines brightly. Yet the same book exposes the wreckage of sin, the cost of power, and the bitter consequences that ripple through a household and a nation. Harry A. Hoffner’s volume in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series aims to help us preach and teach this book with honesty and theological steadiness. We need both, because 2 Samuel refuses simplistic moral lessons.

This commentary helps us see the book’s main line. David is the Lord’s chosen king, yet he is also a sinner in need of mercy. The covenant promises are firm, yet the discipline of the Lord is real. The narrative is not trying to entertain. It is teaching Israel, and us, what life under the Lord’s kingship looks like, and why the ultimate hope cannot rest on even the best of human kings. That prepares the way for Christ, not through shallow parallels, but through the deep tension of promise and failure.

Hoffner is particularly useful when working through the middle of the book, the Bathsheba narrative, Nathan’s confrontation, and the long shadow that follows. These chapters can easily be mishandled, either softened to protect David, or preached in a way that becomes voyeuristic and harsh. The commentary encourages us to keep the author’s purpose in view. The text is exposing sin, vindicating the Lord’s justice, and magnifying the Lord’s mercy, while also showing the seriousness of covenant privilege.

Strengths

First, the commentary supports careful narrative preaching. It helps us observe pacing, speeches, and turning points. That is essential in 2 Samuel, where the structure itself carries meaning. For example, the covenant promise of chapter 7 is not just a theological highlight. It is placed to shape how we read everything that follows. Hoffner helps us treat that chapter as a lens, promise does not erase discipline, and discipline does not cancel promise.

Second, the treatment is pastorally realistic. We are helped to see the damage of sin without descending into cynicism. We are also helped to see the possibility of repentance without turning repentance into a technique. The emphasis is not, be like David. The emphasis is, fear the Lord, repent when confronted, and recognise that even the most gifted servant is not the Saviour.

Third, there is value for theological synthesis. The themes of kingship, covenant, and temple preparation are handled in a way that can strengthen biblical theology. This helps pastors connect the book to the wider storyline without skipping the hard work of exegesis.

Limitations

As with the companion volume, the size and detail mean this is not a last minute resource. Pastors will need to use it selectively, especially in weeks where the narrative is straightforward. There may also be places where you want more direct help in moving from explanation to proclamation. The series aims to equip you for that work, rather than doing it for you.

How We Would Use It

We would use this commentary at three points. First, in planning the series, to identify natural preaching units and to clarify the role of chapter 7 in the overall argument. Second, in the heavy pastoral chapters, to ensure we are handling the text with fidelity and with suitable restraint. Third, in the later chapters, where conflict and consequence can feel repetitive, to keep the narrative purpose clear so sermons do not become mere retelling.

For leadership training, 2 Samuel is a gift, and this commentary can help leaders face the text honestly. It teaches us that public ministry does not immunise the heart, and that the Lord’s kindness is never permission to sin. It also steadies us with the reminder that the Lord keeps His promises, even when His servants fail.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this as a substantial, steady mid level guide for preaching 2 Samuel. It will especially help pastors who want to handle the book’s darkest chapters with integrity, and to keep covenant promise and moral seriousness together.

1 Samuel

Mid-levelPastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.1
Author: Harry A. Hoffner
Bible Book: 1 Samuel
Series: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary
Type: Expository
Publisher: Lexham Press
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

First Samuel is a book of transitions, from judges to kingship, from scattered leadership to central authority, and from hope to painful lessons about the kind of king Israel truly needs. Harry A. Hoffner’s treatment in the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary aims to serve pastors and teachers who want to follow the book’s argument rather than treating it as a collection of famous stories. We meet Hannah’s prayer, the corruption of Eli’s sons, the rise and fall of Saul, and the steady shaping of David. Yet the real centre is the Lord Himself, the One who opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.

This commentary is most helpful when it keeps that centre visible. It encourages us to read narrative as theology in motion. The Lord is not a background character. He is judging, guiding, restraining, and revealing His purposes. Hoffner helps us notice the repeated contrasts, humble and proud, obedient and self preserving, fear of the Lord and fear of people. Those contrasts are not moralistic slogans. They are woven into the plot so that we feel the weight of what covenant faithfulness looks like in real life.

There is also a strong sense of the book’s pastoral realism. Leaders are flawed. People are fickle. The temptation to use religious language while disobeying is always near. Saul is a warning that can preach in any generation, especially in settings where leadership is prized and character is assumed. David is not presented as perfect, but as the Lord’s chosen king, shaped by suffering, waiting, and trust. The commentary helps us keep the narrative tension, which is where faithful preaching often lives.

Strengths

First, the scale of the work allows for careful attention to detail without losing the storyline. At over a thousand pages, this is not a light tool, yet the best sections show how close reading serves the big picture. That is ideal for series preaching. We can plan units with confidence and avoid the common trap of over preaching the dramatic moments while neglecting the quieter shaping chapters.

Second, the exposition tends to be clear about narrative purpose. We are helped to see why certain speeches, summaries, and repeated phrases are included. That matters because narrative preaching can drift into retelling without explaining meaning. Hoffner pushes us to ask what the author is emphasising, what response is being called for, and what kind of king the Lord is preparing His people to desire.

Third, there is pastoral usefulness in the way leadership themes are handled. The commentary provides material for training elders, for correcting shallow leadership models, and for helping congregations understand that outward success can hide inward compromise. It also helps us apply the book beyond leadership, because the heart issues are common to all believers, fear, impatience, self justification, and forgetfulness of the Lord.

Limitations

The size can be a drawback for busy pastors. You may not have time to consult this in full each week. It is a commentary that rewards early preparation and a planned series, rather than last minute rescue. At points, the amount of detail can also feel uneven, with some discussions expanding more than a preacher may need. This is where selective use becomes wise.

How We Would Use It

We would use this commentary primarily at the planning stage, mapping the book’s structure, identifying major turns, and clarifying interpretive decisions that shape the sermon series. Week to week, we would dip in for the key chapters, especially where narrative complexity and theological emphasis meet. It is also a strong resource for training men who are learning to handle Old Testament narrative with precision and restraint.

In preaching, we would use the commentary as a guardrail. It helps keep us from turning Samuel into a leadership seminar, and it helps us keep the Lord’s kingship and covenant purposes in the foreground. That is where Christian proclamation finds its true line of connection to Christ, the final King who is faithful where Saul was faithless and who is humble where human hearts are proud.

Closing Recommendation

We commend this as a substantial mid level resource for serious work in 1 Samuel. It is not quick, but it is capable of strengthening both understanding and proclamation when used with patience and a clear plan.