Summary
We find Altmann’s work on Leviticus in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series a steady guide for understanding what the text says and what it means. It keeps the main line of the book clear, while still slowing down over the points that often trip us up in preaching and teaching.
The best of this kind of commentary is its balance. We are given enough orientation to read Leviticus responsibly, then we are brought back to the passage itself, section by section, with an eye on the theological stakes and the shape of the argument.
Why Should I Own This Commentary?
We should own this volume when we need a clear mid level guide that is both teachable and usable. It supports our movement from careful exegesis toward proclamation, and it helps us avoid both thin readings and needless complexity.
We especially appreciate the way it highlights recurring themes and repeated words, helping us preach paragraphs rather than isolated phrases. It also tends to keep application tethered to the text, which is a gift when Leviticus is familiar and we are tempted toward shortcuts.
In practice, it sits well alongside a more technical commentary. We can do our heavier lifting elsewhere when needed, then return here for clarity, theological orientation, and a steady sense of what we should say to the church from Leviticus.
Closing Recommendation
We recommend this as a strong mid level commentary for preaching and teaching Leviticus. It will not answer every specialist question, but it consistently helps us handle the text with integrity and bring its truth to bear on the people entrusted to us.
As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.
Peter Altmann
Peter Altmann is an American Old Testament scholar of the contemporary era, writing within broadly evangelical academic work with particular interest in law, economics, and the life of God’s people.
Trained through rigorous research in Europe and the United States, he has helped readers approach Numbers and related books with fresh seriousness. Altmann shows how wilderness narrative and instruction shape a people who must learn trust, ordered worship, and communal responsibility under the Lord’s care. He is especially helpful at keeping theological meaning in view while still attending to the text’s concrete detail.
He is valued for careful scholarship that still serves preaching, because he keeps returning to what the passage is doing and why it matters for the church. Recommended titles include Numbers in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, his work on biblical law and economics, and his studies on food, sacrifice, and social life in the Old Testament.
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical