Baker Commentary On The Old Testament

Baker Commentary On The Old Testament is a modern evangelical commentary series designed to help readers stay close to the text while keeping theology and proclamation in view.

It is published by Baker Academic, and its volumes typically aim for a readable style that still takes the biblical languages and historical setting seriously.

The general editorship of Tremper Longman signals an intention to combine scholarly responsibility with church facing usefulness, and to keep the main line of the passage visible.

Across the series you will usually find careful structure, measured judgement on disputed questions, and a consistent effort to move from understanding toward teaching and preaching.

Publisher: Baker Academic

Series Editor: Tremper Longman

Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament

A pastor friendly evangelical series that keeps the argument clear and presses toward faithful proclamation.

Level: Mid-level Perspective: Broadly Evangelical Best for: Busy pastors, Pastors-in-training, General readers Priority: Strong recommendation Overall score: 8.4

Strengths

The strongest feature is sustained attention to the flow of the biblical argument. The better volumes help you see why each paragraph sits where it does and how the author is persuading the reader.

There is often a healthy balance of exegesis and theology. When the series is at its best, it gives enough detail to ground confidence, but it does not lose sight of the church’s need for clarity.

It commonly provides structured guidance that supports sermon preparation, especially in outlining, tracing themes, and handling key interpretive decisions without drama.

Limitations & Cautions

Depth can vary between contributors. Some volumes will feel richer in interaction with scholarship, while others will be more straightforward and selective.

Because the series aims to serve a broad evangelical readership, the theological accent is not always distinctly confessional. Reformed readers will sometimes want to test emphases and tighten formulations.

How to Use This Series

Use it early in preparation to get the passage’s shape and to identify the major interpretive decisions that will affect your sermon or study.

Then return to it later for help with difficult phrases, structural turns, and connections to the wider book. It works well alongside a more concise series for quick reference and a more technical work when a point must be nailed down.

Standout Volumes

The CSV does not specify volume level details for standout volumes. In a series of this kind, the strongest contributions are usually those that keep close to the text, explain the argument with patience, and offer a clear bridge to proclamation without forcing application.

Weaker or Less Helpful Volumes

The CSV does not specify volume level details for weaker volumes. Where a volume feels less effective, it is usually because the exposition becomes fragmented, the key interpretive decisions are left implicit, or application drifts from the author’s stated aims.

Series in Context

It generally offers more breadth than shorter series like Tyndale, with less technical weight than the most detailed critical series. It can sit well beside The Bible Speaks Today as a preaching companion, while pointing readers to deeper specialist works when needed.

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Lamentations

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
8.4
Author: Mark J. Boda
Bible Book: Lamentations
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Lamentations gives the church a vocabulary for grief that is neither faithless despair nor shallow optimism. This commentary treats the book as crafted poetry, designed to help the people of God name catastrophe, confess sin, and plead for mercy. The author guides the reader through the five poems with attention to form and to theological movement. He keeps the readers eyes on the reality of judgement, the horror of suffering, and the stubborn hope that emerges not from circumstances but from the character of the Lord.

The volume aims to serve pastors who must preach and teach in a world of loss. It treats lament as a faithful practice. The commentary helps you see how the poems move between raw description and prayer, between remembrance and petition, between silence and protest. It also shows how the book resists simplistic explanations. Sin is not denied, but suffering is not made tidy. The book gives language for lament that is honest and still God directed.

Strengths

The first strength is the integration of literary form and theology. Lamentations is structured and deliberate. This commentary makes that clear, and it shows how acrostic form, repetition, and imagery contribute to meaning. That matters for preaching, because it helps you respect the pace of the poems. The author also handles the famous centre passage with care, showing how hope functions within lament rather than cancelling it.

A second strength is pastoral sensitivity. The commentary is alert to how the book addresses trauma, communal collapse, and moral ruin. It avoids turning lament into a technique. Instead, it treats lament as prayerful speech before God. That is a gift to pastors walking with people through bereavement, sickness, injustice, and disappointment. The author gives guidance on the spiritual work of remembering, confessing, waiting, and pleading.

The commentary also helps preachers avoid two common errors. One is to preach only judgement, leaving the congregation crushed. The other is to preach only comfort, making the text feel sentimental. This volume keeps both present, and it shows how the book teaches the people of God to submit to the righteous judgement of the Lord while still crying for mercy and restoration.

Limitations

Because this is a mid level commentary, it may not satisfy readers seeking extensive technical discussion of every textual or historical issue. The author explains enough to ground the reading, but he does not aim to be exhaustive on all scholarly debates. If you need that level of detail, you will want a more specialised companion.

Also, while the commentary is pastorally attentive, it does not always provide highly specific sermon frameworks or illustrative angles. It gives strong interpretive guidance and theological direction, but the preacher must still do the work of shaping a sermon that communicates lament wisely to a particular congregation.

How We Would Use It

We would use this volume when preaching Lamentations or when teaching on lament in wider biblical theology. It would also be useful for pastoral study during seasons of congregational grief. The commentary provides a way to keep the text central while addressing lived pain without manipulation or platitudes.

We would also consult it when preparing prayers and liturgy shaped by Scripture, because Lamentations trains the church in honest confession and hopeful petition. It is especially helpful for pastors who want to recover lament as a faithful part of worship and discipleship.

Closing Recommendation

A pastorally wise and text attentive guide to one of the most needed books in Scripture. It will help you preach grief with truth, and hope with sobriety. A very worthwhile companion for ministry in a broken world.

Ecclesiastes

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsStrong recommendation
8.0
Author: Craig G. Bartholomew
Bible Book: Ecclesiastes
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Ecclesiastes demands patient listening. It speaks in riddles, repeats phrases, and presses hard questions about the limits of human wisdom. This commentary treats the book as Scripture that is meant to reshape our expectations, not simply to provide a set of answers. The author reads Ecclesiastes as a disciplined exploration of life under the sun, where honest observation exposes the vanity of self made meaning. The book is approached with literary sensitivity and theological seriousness, helping the reader track argument, tone shifts, and key motifs like breath, time, toil, enjoyment, and fear of God.

The commentary is weighty. It is not rushed, and it is not content with surface paraphrase. It aims to show how the text works, how each section contributes to the whole, and how the conclusion gathers the book without cancelling its realism. The author is especially helpful in insisting that Ecclesiastes is not cynicism. It is a sober kind of wisdom, grounded in the Creator creature distinction and in the recognition that human beings cannot control outcomes. That sets the stage for preaching that is both honest and hopeful, without trivialising the pain and frustration the book names.

Strengths

The strongest feature is the close attention to the shape of the argument. Ecclesiastes is often flattened into a handful of slogans. This volume resists that. It shows how recurring refrains develop, how experiments in wisdom are narrated, and how the teacher uses tension as a teaching tool. The effect is to make the book preachable in sequence, because you can see where you are in the teachers journey and what is being exposed or corrected in each unit.

Another strength is the engagement with interpretation. Ecclesiastes has a long history of divergent readings, and the commentary interacts with that landscape in a way that is both careful and constructive. Even when you disagree, you are forced to think, and you are given categories for why certain readings fail to account for the text. The author also integrates pastoral and ethical reflection without turning the commentary into a topical workbook. The point is to let the text set the agenda, then to show how it speaks into ambition, work, wealth, pleasure, injustice, and mortality.

There is also a strong emphasis on the fear of God as the proper frame for human life. Enjoyment is treated as a gift, not an entitlement. Limits are treated as mercy, not merely as loss. That is a helpful posture for preaching in a culture shaped by control, self construction, and endless options.

Limitations

The depth that makes this commentary valuable can also make it demanding. Busy pastors may find that it requires more time than some sermon weeks can spare. The discussion can be dense, and the flow sometimes assumes comfort with sustained argument. If you are looking for a quick homiletical companion, this is not that.

At points the book can feel more like an extended academic study than a pulpit side commentary. The pastoral payoffs are there, but you often need to do the final translation into sermon form. That may be a good thing for careful preaching, but it means the volume is best used when you can give it room to work.

How We Would Use It

We would use this as a deep well for a preaching series, especially in the planning stage. It helps you decide how to break the book into units, what themes to track, and how to keep the tone of Ecclesiastes intact. We would pair it with a more directly pastoral commentary for quick sermon shaping, while relying on this book to keep our interpretation honest, coherent, and theologically grounded.

We would also use it for training readers who want to grow in wisdom literature. It is an excellent guide for learning how to read difficult biblical books with patience and humility.

Closing Recommendation

A substantial and thoughtful commentary that rewards slow reading. Best for those who want to preach Ecclesiastes with depth, coherence, and theological integrity, and who are willing to do some hard thinking along the way.

Hosea – Micah

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
8.1
Author: John Goldingay
Bible Book: Hosea Joel Micah
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This volume gathers several prophetic voices and helps the reader hear each one distinctly while also noticing shared burdens. Hosea confronts covenant infidelity with the language of marriage, Joel summons the people to repentance and hope in the day of the Lord, and Amos exposes religious hypocrisy and social injustice with relentless clarity. The commentary aims to keep the reader close to the text, explaining imagery, tracing argument, and highlighting how prophetic proclamation is both judgement and mercy.

The author reads the prophets as preachers to real communities, not as detached predictors of distant events. That matters for the pulpit. The commentary helps you see how the prophets confront idolatry, complacency, and self trust, and how they call the people back to the Lord with both warnings and promises. The book is attentive to the literary shape of oracles and to the emotional force of prophetic speech, which can help sermons land with the weight and urgency the text intends.

Strengths

The strongest strength is the help it gives in reading prophetic language. Hosea and Amos in particular are filled with metaphors, wordplay, and abrupt shifts. The commentary explains those features in a way that supports preaching rather than distracting from it. It shows how imagery functions to shock, to grieve, and to awaken. That is valuable for pastors who want to preach prophets without turning them into either moral lectures or vague spiritual poetry.

Another strength is the theological realism. The prophets expose sin with sharpness, but they also reveal the heart of the Lord who will not abandon His covenant purposes. The commentary is good at holding together judgement and mercy, showing how divine compassion does not erase holiness, and how divine holiness does not erase compassion. That balance helps the preacher avoid flattening the prophets into either anger only or comfort only.

The book is also useful in drawing out how these prophets address worship and justice together. Amos especially refuses to separate liturgy from life. The commentary makes that plain, and it gives pastors a way to preach ethical seriousness without slipping into moralism. The focus remains on returning to the Lord, not on self improvement.

Limitations

Because the volume covers multiple books, there are places where the commentary must move quickly. Some passages will leave readers wanting a fuller treatment than a single volume can provide. If you are preaching a long series in one prophet, you may still want a dedicated commentary for that book.

There are also interpretive decisions that some readers will want to test alongside other works, especially in how certain prophetic texts are related to later biblical developments. The commentary is often insightful, but it does not always press into a full canonical synthesis in every unit. That is not necessarily a flaw, but it means that pastors must do some additional work to connect the prophets to the wider storyline in a way that is both faithful and clear.

How We Would Use It

We would use this as a primary mid level guide when preaching through Hosea, Joel, or Amos, especially for getting the flow of argument, clarifying imagery, and keeping the message grounded in the prophets immediate setting. We would supplement it with a more focused commentary when we need more depth on a difficult passage or a wider range of interpretive options.

We would also use it for teaching leaders how to read the prophets. The book helps readers hear the tone and aims of prophetic speech, and it can train a congregation to welcome correction as mercy from the Lord.

Closing Recommendation

A useful and text attentive companion for preaching three demanding prophets. It helps you handle imagery, urgency, and theological balance with care. Ideal for pastors who want solid guidance without wading through a purely technical tome.

Daniel

Mid-levelPastors-in-trainingUseful supplement
7.8
Author: Stephen L. Cook,
Bible Book: Daniel
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Daniel holds together court narrative and apocalyptic vision, showing how the people of God live faithfully under pressure while longing for the kingdom of God to break in with decisive power. This commentary walks through both halves of the book with attention to genre, historical setting, and theological message. It helps the reader see how stories of courage and wisdom in the courts of empire prepare the ground for visions that interpret history from the vantage point of heaven.

The author treats Daniel as literature that aims to form endurance. The narratives show the shape of faithful witness, and the visions teach the church how to see. Kingdoms rise and fall, beasts rage, and saints suffer, yet the Lord remains sovereign. The commentary seeks to clarify symbols, structure, and recurring images, while also keeping the pastoral purpose in view. That combination can help preachers avoid two dangers, shallow moralism on the one hand and speculative date setting on the other.

Strengths

A key strength is the careful treatment of genre. Many readers stumble when Daniel shifts from narrative to vision. This commentary helps you adjust reading habits accordingly. It explains how apocalyptic imagery functions, how it communicates hope under persecution, and why symbolism should not be forced into a one to one prediction map. That is helpful for pastors who want to preach Daniel with confidence and restraint.

The handling of the court tales is also strong. The author draws attention to patterns of prayer, integrity, wisdom, and courage, while keeping the Lord as the central actor who delivers and vindicates. The commentary highlights how faithful living is rooted in worship and prayer, not in mere stubbornness. It also helps readers see how the stories prepare the way for the visions by training the audience to expect conflict between the kingdoms of this world and the reign of God.

The commentary is good at showing the theological weight of key themes, such as exile identity, the limits of human power, the faithfulness of God to His people, and the promise of ultimate judgement and vindication. It gives the preacher categories for speaking about suffering, compromise, and hope in a way that is anchored in Scripture rather than in cultural commentary.

Limitations

Readers with a strongly confessional approach may find some interpretive instincts less aligned with their expectations, especially in how certain historical questions are handled. The commentary aims to be careful and scholarly, but preachers may wish to compare key decisions with other evangelical works before adopting them.

At times the discussion of symbols and historical background can become detailed enough that the pastoral thread is less visible on the surface. The payoffs are still present, but the preacher may need to work to translate the analysis into proclamation that comforts and exhorts a congregation.

How We Would Use It

We would use this volume as a conversation partner when planning a series in Daniel, especially for clarifying apocalyptic imagery and avoiding speculative interpretation. It would be useful alongside a more explicitly evangelical and pastoral commentary, allowing you to compare readings and to sharpen judgement on contested texts.

We would also use it for teaching settings where people have been influenced by sensational approaches to prophecy. The commentary can help reset expectations, showing that Daniel is primarily a book for faithful endurance and confident hope in the sovereignty of God.

Closing Recommendation

A careful and informative guide to a complex book, particularly helpful for understanding genre and symbolism. Best used alongside another pastorally driven volume, but valuable for those who want to handle Daniel with restraint, clarity, and seriousness.

Isaiah

Mid-levelPastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.3
Author: J. Gordon McConville
Bible Book: Isaiah
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Isaiah is vast in scope, moving from judgement to comfort, from historical crisis to cosmic hope, and from the failure of leaders to the promise of the Servant and the coming reign of the Lord. This commentary approaches the book with a concern to keep its theological message clear and its pastoral edge sharp. The author reads Isaiah as prophetic proclamation aimed at forming a faithful people, not as a puzzle to be solved for curiosity. That helps the preacher keep the centre of gravity where the text places it, on the holiness of God, the sin of His people, and the surprising mercy that restores and renews.

The volume pays attention to structure and to the movement of major themes. It helps the reader trace how judgement is never mere anger, but covenantal holiness confronting idolatry and injustice. It also shows how comfort is not sentiment, but the announcement that the Lord will act to redeem, to gather, and to establish His righteous rule. The commentary offers careful explanation of passages, and it consistently draws out theological implications, giving preachers a framework for proclaiming Isaiah with both seriousness and hope.

Strengths

The first strength is the theological coherence. Isaiah can feel like an ocean of images and oracles. This volume repeatedly gathers the strands, showing how the book presents the Lord as the Holy One of Israel who will not share His glory with idols. That theme provides unity across diverse sections. The author is also strong on the moral and pastoral force of the text. Isaiah confronts pride, false worship, injustice, and hollow religiosity. The commentary helps you see how those sins are connected, and how the prophet calls for repentance that is expressed in worship and in life.

A second strength is the way the commentary handles hope. It does not treat comfort sections as detached promises floating above judgement. Instead, it shows how consolation grows out of the Lords commitment to His own name and to His covenant purposes. That gives preaching a sturdy foundation. You are not left with vague optimism. You are given reasons for hope rooted in the character of God and in His pledged action to redeem.

The book also provides helpful guidance on preaching major texts, including those that are often misunderstood or handled in a rushed way. It encourages reading within the immediate context and within the broader flow of Isaiah, so that cherished passages are not isolated from their arguments. That protects the pulpit from proof texting and helps the congregation learn to read the Bible with maturity.

Limitations

Because the volume is large and ambitious, there are sections where the discussion can feel uneven. Some passages receive extensive theological reflection, while others are handled more briskly to keep the commentary moving. That is inevitable in a work of this scale, but it means you may not always get the same level of detail in every unit.

The commentary aims to serve the preacher more than the specialist, so some readers may wish for fuller interaction with technical debates or a wider range of scholarly positions. The author is not superficial, but he is selective. Those preparing academic work will likely need to consult more specialised resources alongside this volume.

How We Would Use It

We would use this commentary as a primary guide for planning and preaching a series in Isaiah. It offers a steady hand for navigating structure and theology, and it regularly provides the kind of interpretive clarity that helps sermons land with weight. We would supplement it with a more technical volume when needed, especially for details related to historical background, language, or interpretive disputes.

We would also use this book for pastoral study groups or training cohorts that want to learn how prophetic literature speaks to the church today. The emphasis on holiness, worship, and hope is valuable for shaping a congregation in reverent confidence.

Closing Recommendation

A large and theologically rich commentary that helps you preach Isaiah with seriousness and comfort, judgement and mercy, holiness and hope. A very useful companion for pastors and trainees who want a clear reading that respects the text and serves the pulpit.

Song Of Songs

Mid-levelPastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.0
Author: Richard S. Hess
Bible Book: Song Of Songs
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Song of Songs is often either avoided in preaching or handled with embarrassment and haste. This commentary treats the book as Scripture that honours embodied love within covenant fidelity, while also insisting that the Song belongs within the canon and therefore within the theological life of the church. The author reads the poetry with sensitivity to language, imagery, and ancient context, helping the reader follow the speakers, the movement of scenes, and the recurring motifs of desire, absence, delight, and commitment.

The commentary offers a measured approach to interpretation. It does not treat the Song as a simple code that must always be decoded into allegory, yet it also resists reducing it to a merely secular love poem placed in the Bible by accident. Instead, it argues that the Song celebrates marital love as a gift of the Creator, and that this celebration has theological significance because it sits within a canon that consistently portrays the Lord as faithful and covenantal. That balance is helpful for pastors who want to preach the book honestly, with reverence, and with pastoral care.

Strengths

The most obvious strength is the handling of the poetry itself. Song of Songs can be difficult because it is dense with imagery, and the text often moves quickly between metaphors. This volume helps the reader slow down, observe patterns, and take the language seriously. It frequently explains cultural background where it clarifies imagery, but it does not allow background to swallow the text. The focus remains on what the poem communicates, how it communicates it, and how those choices shape meaning.

Another strength is the pastoral realism. The Song includes longing and absence as well as delight, and this commentary helps the reader see that the book is not a fantasy detached from the complexities of love. That opens the door for preaching that can address both the goodness of intimacy and the pain of brokenness in a fallen world. The author is careful to avoid crude simplification. He does not turn every image into a technique, nor does he weaponise the text in a way that burdens tender consciences.

The commentary also helps the preacher keep the book within a wider biblical framework. It points out connections to creation, covenant language, and the goodness of the body. It encourages readers to see that Scripture can speak about desire without shame, and can celebrate love without idolatry. That is a needed corrective in many churches, where either silence or sentimentalism often takes over.

Limitations

The book is shorter than some volumes, and that means not every interpretive question receives extended treatment. Readers who want a very expansive technical discussion of text critical issues or a full survey of interpretive history may find it limited. The aim is more to guide reading than to exhaust debate.

While the canonical placement is addressed, those looking for sustained Christological development will need to do further work. The commentary provides a responsible foundation, but it does not always move from the Song to the gospel with explicit steps in every section. That restraint can be wise, but it also means that preachers must think carefully about how to preach Christ from the book without forcing the text.

How We Would Use It

We would use this commentary when planning a teaching series or a set of sermons on Song of Songs, particularly for guidance on structure and on how to handle imagery with care. It would also be valuable for pastors preparing counselling shaped teaching on marriage, desire, and purity, because it avoids both prudishness and sensationalism.

We would pair it with a more explicitly pastoral resource if we wanted sermon ready outlines, and we would plan ahead for how to communicate the text to a mixed congregation. This book would give us the exegetical and interpretive grounding to do that responsibly.

Closing Recommendation

A helpful, sober, and text attentive guide to a book many fear to handle. It will not do every homiletical step for you, but it gives a trustworthy reading that honours the poetry, protects the congregation, and helps you preach the goodness of covenant love.

Ezra – Nehemiah

Mid-levelBusy pastorsStrong recommendation
8.4
Author: Gary Edward Schnittjer
Bible Book: Ezra Nehemiah
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This volume takes two closely linked books and treats them as a single narrative arc, without flattening their distinct emphases. Ezra highlights the rebuilding of worship and identity around the Word of God, while Nehemiah presses the same covenant concerns into the ordinary work of rebuilding a city and reforming community life. The commentary keeps the reader moving through the text, showing how repeated patterns, lists, prayers, and public readings carry theological weight. The author is attentive to how exile and return reshape the people of God, and he helps the preacher hold together historical specificity with abiding relevance.

The writing style aims for clarity, and the discussion typically begins with careful explanation of the passage before drawing out themes that can be carried into preaching. There is a steady emphasis on the way Scripture forms a community, not merely individuals. That makes the book useful for pastors who are preparing sermons for congregations facing the pressures of compromise, fatigue, or disappointment. At the same time, the commentary does not treat Ezra and Nehemiah as a church manual. It keeps returning to the Lord who preserves a remnant, renews worship, and summons His people to repentance and perseverance.

Strengths

The best strength is the way the author handles structure. Ezra and Nehemiah can feel like a series of episodes stitched together with lists and administrative details. Here, those details are shown to be part of the story of restoration, and the commentary helps you see how covenant renewal depends on ordinary fidelity. The treatment of public reading, confession, and reform is especially strong, and it encourages preaching that is both doctrinal and concrete.

Another strength is the attention given to leadership and community dynamics. The book does not romanticise either leader. It shows how zeal, prayer, courage, and practical wisdom can coexist with sharp confrontation and imperfect outcomes. That balance gives the preacher categories for speaking honestly about ministry realities, without turning the text into a mere leadership talk. The commentary also highlights the role of opposition and discouragement, helping readers trace how spiritual conflict often emerges around worship, holiness, and the rebuilding of a distinct identity.

It is also helpful in connecting themes across Scripture without forcing the text. Return from exile is presented as real renewal and yet incomplete, leaving readers longing for a deeper restoration. That prepares the way for reading these books within the larger storyline of redemption, and it can be preached with confidence that the text itself presses toward hope beyond the immediate setting.

Limitations

Because the volume aims to serve preachers, some technical questions receive lighter treatment. Readers wanting sustained engagement with every debated historical issue, or extended interaction with a wide range of scholarship, may find the discussion selective. That is not a flaw so much as a trade off. It keeps the main lines clear, but it may leave advanced students needing a more specialised companion.

The pastoral application is present, but it sometimes comes through in broad strokes rather than in sharply worked examples. If you prefer a commentary that consistently offers tightly phrased sermon moves, illustrative angles, or homiletical outlines, you may need to supply more of that work yourself. The book gives you strong exegetical footing and theological direction, but it does not always step all the way into sermon crafting.

How We Would Use It

We would use this as a primary sermon preparation companion for Ezra and Nehemiah, especially when preaching through the narrative as a whole. It is well suited to help you locate each passage within the larger flow, then to identify the theological burdens the text carries. We would keep a more technical volume nearby for contested historical details or broader critical debates, but we would rely on this book to keep preaching shaped by the text rather than by side issues.

We would also use the commentary for small group leaders and ministry trainees who need help seeing why these books matter. The emphasis on communal formation, worship renewal, and perseverance under pressure is a good fit for discipling leaders who are learning to handle Scripture responsibly.

Closing Recommendation

A strong mid level commentary that helps Ezra and Nehemiah feel like living Scripture rather than an administrative appendix to the Old Testament. It is clear, text driven, and pastor friendly. If you are preaching these books, this belongs near the top of your working stack.

Job

AdvancedPastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.2
Author: Tremper Longman III
Bible Book: Job
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Job is a book that strips away easy answers. It begins with a righteous sufferer, moves into long and often painful debates, and ends with the Lord speaking in a way that both humbles and restores. Many Christians know Job as a story of patience, but that is too thin. Job is a theology of worship under pressure. It forces us to face the limits of human wisdom, the dangers of tidy moral calculus, and the reality that the Lord is not accountable to our assumptions. A commentary on Job must therefore do more than explain words. It must help the preacher keep the tone, the argument, and the pastoral aim clear.

This volume is designed to support serious engagement with the text. Job contains narrative, poetry, dialogue, and speeches that move in cycles. It also includes sections that can feel repetitive, especially when the friends keep returning to the same mistaken framework. A good commentary helps you see why the repetition matters. It is the way the book exposes the poverty of their categories and the loneliness of Job protest. It also helps you track where the arguments shift, where the friends become harsher, and where Job moves from bold complaint to a more chastened posture.

For preaching, Job is difficult because it speaks about suffering without giving a simple formula. It does not teach that suffering always comes from a particular sin. It does not teach that a small amount of faith will remove pain. Instead, it teaches that the Lord is wise and good even when His ways are hidden, and that worship can be faithful even when the heart is shattered. A careful commentary helps you preach that without coldness and without sentimentality.

Strengths

The first strength is assistance with the shape of the book. Job is long, and pastors can lose the thread if they treat it as a series of isolated speeches. A solid guide helps you plan a preaching series that respects the narrative frame, the cycles of debate, the speeches of the younger voice, and the final words of the Lord. That planning is essential if the congregation is to feel the force of the book rather than only the confusion.

A second strength is help in distinguishing what Job and the friends are saying, and what the book itself is teaching. This is a common problem in preaching Job. The friends speak many sentences that sound orthodox, yet the book exposes their misuse of truth. A careful commentary can help you avoid quoting the friends as if they were reliable teachers. It can also help you show the congregation how true doctrine can be applied cruelly when it is detached from compassion and from humility.

A third strength is pastoral usefulness for counselling theology. Job touches questions that arise again and again, why suffering, why the righteous, why now, why so long. The book does not answer every question, but it reorients the believer. It calls us to fear the Lord, to speak honestly to Him, and to recognise the limits of our own insight. A commentary that keeps those priorities clear can help pastors walk with sufferers more wisely.

Limitations

The main limitation is the inherent difficulty of Job. Even a good commentary cannot make every section easy to preach. Some parts will still feel dense, especially long stretches of poetic argument. Pastors will need to decide what level of detail to bring into the pulpit and what to summarise. Another limitation is that the most important pastoral work in Job is tone. A commentary can clarify meaning, but the preacher must still speak with tenderness, especially where the text presents raw grief and anger.

Also, Job invites careful connections to the wider canon, especially themes of innocent suffering, intercession, and the limits of human wisdom. A commentary can point to those connections, but many pastors will benefit from pairing it with a biblical theology lens when preparing a longer series.

How We Would Use It

Use this commentary to plan before you preach. Map the sections, decide where you will slow down, and decide where you will summarise. In weekly preparation, read the passage repeatedly, then use the commentary to confirm structure and clarify the main claim of each speech. When applying, keep the book message clear. Job corrects the instinct to explain suffering too quickly. It warns against the pride of assuming we can read providence like a chart. It teaches that faithful worship can include lament, and that the Lord is worthy of trust even when answers are withheld.

In pastoral care, Job can be a long book to read with someone, but its key themes can be brought in carefully. Use it to show that the Lord welcomes honest prayer, that friends can wound when they rush to judgement, and that the final comfort is not a neat explanation but the presence and majesty of the Lord.

Closing Recommendation

This is a strong option for those who want a serious companion for preaching and teaching Job. It is well suited to pastors in training and to preachers who want to handle the book with reverence, clarity, and pastoral care. Used well, it can help a church learn to suffer without cynicism and to worship without pretence.

Psalms Volume 3 (90-150)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsStrong recommendation
8.1
Author: John Goldingay
Bible Book: Psalms
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Psalms 90 to 150 brings the Psalter toward its final doxology, but it does not do so by pretending that pain has vanished. Book 4 begins with the sober realism of Psalm 90, where human frailty is set against the eternity of the Lord. From there, the Psalter builds confidence in the Lord reign, trains the people to trust when kings fail, and gathers praise that grows in intensity until the final Hallelujah chorus. A commentary on this section needs to help the reader follow that movement, from mortality and exile like sorrow toward confident worship that rests on the Lord steadfast rule.

This volume is suited to those who want more than devotional uplift. It supports careful exposition of individual psalms and it highlights how the final books of the Psalter work together. Psalms 90 to 106 repeatedly declares the Lord as King. Psalms 107 to 118 gathers thanksgiving and covenant confidence. Psalms 119 slows everything down into sustained delight in the word. The Songs of Ascents in Psalms 120 to 134 offer pilgrimage shaped worship. The final cluster, Psalms 146 to 150, summons everything that has breath to praise the Lord. A strong commentary helps preachers keep these units distinct while still showing the direction of travel.

For pastors, this section is unusually rich for shaping a church worship and endurance. Psalm 90 teaches humility and wisdom. Psalm 103 teaches doxology rooted in mercy. Psalm 110 anchors messianic hope. Psalm 119 trains the congregation in the sweetness of Scripture. The Songs of Ascents can shape corporate worship for gathered people. The closing psalms teach the church to praise with breadth and depth. A serious commentary can help you preach this material without cliché and without losing the psalm voice.

Strengths

The first strength is the help it offers with structure and sequence. The later books of Psalms can feel like a collection of favourites, but they also carry a theological progression. A careful guide helps you see why the Psalter ends the way it ends, with praise that is hard won. That is not merely information. It is pastoral wisdom. It teaches believers that worship is often forged through suffering and shaped by remembrance.

A second strength is usefulness for preaching major theological psalms. Psalm 90 demands a sense of human limits and the eternity of the Lord. Psalms 93 to 99 demands confidence in the Lord kingship. Psalm 110 demands careful Christ-centred preaching. Psalm 119 demands patience and a clear plan for handling repeated themes without monotony. A commentary with real depth can help you build sermons that feel faithful to the text and spiritually nourishing to the church.

A third strength is assistance with pastoral application. These psalms speak to anxiety, shame, temptation, spiritual fatigue, and joy. They give language for repentance and assurance, for fear and confidence. A good commentary will help you keep application tethered to the psalm logic, so that you are not simply adding inspirational thoughts at the end.

Limitations

The obvious limitation is size and density. At over eight hundred pages, this is not a quick reference tool. It is a long term companion. Also, the breadth of the section means that some parts will feel more immediately preachable than others. You will still need to choose wisely which details to bring into sermons and which to keep in the study.

Another limitation is that psalms like Psalm 110 and Psalm 119 invite broader canonical connections. A commentary can point toward those links, but many pastors will still want to pair this with a biblical theology resource to strengthen the bridge to the gospel and to the life of the church.

How We Would Use It

Use this volume in two ways. First, use it for series planning. Map major units, identify where the Lord kingship theme is most prominent, and decide how you will handle the Songs of Ascents and the final doxology. Second, use it for careful preparation of key texts, especially Psalm 90, Psalm 103, Psalm 110, Psalm 119, and Psalms 146 to 150. Begin with the psalm itself, track movement and emphasis, then use the commentary to clarify structure and difficult phrases. In application, keep the tone of the psalm. Psalm 90 should humble. Psalm 103 should lift worship. Psalm 110 should magnify the Messiah. Psalm 119 should cultivate love for Scripture. The final psalms should teach the church to praise with whole heartedness.

In pastoral care, return to these psalms when people need steadiness. Psalm 90 speaks to mortality and regret. Psalm 103 speaks to guilt and mercy. Psalm 121 speaks to fear and protection. Psalm 130 speaks to waiting for mercy. The commentary can help you use the right text in the right moment.

Closing Recommendation

This is a substantial resource for handling the final third of the Psalter with clarity and depth. It is best for those who want to preach Psalms as a shaped book, not only as isolated favourites. If you can give it time, it will strengthen your exposition and deepen the spiritual maturity of your application.

Psalms Volume 2 (42-89)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsStrong recommendation
8.1
Author: John Goldingay
Bible Book: Psalms
Series: Baker Commentary On The Old Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Baker Academic
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

Psalms 42 to 89 takes you into darker valleys and larger horizons. The prayers of Book 2 and the opening stretch of Book 3 are often shaped by exile like sorrow, disorientation, and the ache of unanswered questions. You hear longing for the presence of the Lord, memories of worship that now feel distant, and laments that refuse to pretend everything is fine. You also hear robust praise, global confidence in the Lord reign, and repeated reminders that salvation is not self-made. A commentary that gives careful attention here is a gift, because these psalms can be hard to preach well without either softening their pain or losing their hope.

This volume aims to guide readers through that complexity. It helps you attend to the literary shape of the poems and to the way the Psalter is arranged. Psalms 42 to 89 includes well known laments, royal psalms, and corporate prayers for deliverance. It also includes striking moments where the community seems to stand on the edge of despair, especially as the promises to David are questioned in Psalm 89. A serious commentary helps you see that the psalms are doing theology in prayer. They are not merely venting. They are wrestling with covenant promises under real pressure.

For pastors, these psalms are pastorally strategic. They provide language for believers who feel spiritually dry, betrayed, or forgotten. They also train a congregation not to confuse faith with emotional ease. A church that only knows bright worship songs will struggle when life turns dark. Psalms 42 to 89 teaches the church to pray honestly, to keep addressing the Lord, and to hold on to truth even when the heart is shaken.

Strengths

The first strength is the capacity to clarify complex laments. Some psalms in this range move quickly between complaint, memory, trust, and renewed complaint. A careful commentary helps you trace that movement without forcing a neat resolution. That is essential for preaching, because the sermon should reflect the psalm shape. Sometimes the text ends with praise. Sometimes it ends with darkness. In either case, the psalm is faithful speech to the Lord.

A second strength is help with the corporate dimension. Many of these psalms are not private diary entries. They are community prayers. They assume worship, public memory, and shared identity. A good guide will keep you from reducing everything to individual experience. It will also help you apply the psalms to a congregation that is learning to lament together, repent together, and hope together.

A third strength is the attention given to the royal and covenant themes. These psalms are not detached from the story of Israel. They are bound up with the kingship promises and with the reality of national crisis. Understanding those themes helps you preach with a clearer line toward fulfilment. The tension in Psalm 89 is especially important, because it pushes the reader to look for the faithful King who will finally secure the promises without collapse.

Limitations

The main limitation is similar to other large volumes, it requires time. If you are preaching weekly through Psalms, you may find that the depth is more than you can absorb in a single week. Planning ahead will help. Another limitation is that a detailed treatment can feel technical at points, especially when dealing with structure and editorial arrangement. That work is often worthwhile, but you will need to decide how much to bring into the pulpit and how much to keep in the study.

Also, because these psalms raise big questions about suffering and delayed deliverance, preachers will still need to do careful pastoral work in application. A commentary can clarify meaning, but shepherding the bruised heart requires patient listening and wise tone.

How We Would Use It

Use this volume when you are preaching the psalms of longing and distress, especially Psalms 42 to 43, 44, 73, 77, 80, 88, and 89. Start by identifying the psalm main plea and the reasons given for confidence or complaint. Then use the commentary to confirm the structure and clarify references that might be opaque to modern readers. In sermon application, do not rush past sorrow. Let the congregation learn to pray honestly while still addressing the Lord. Then connect the psalm hope to the wider storyline with care. The Psalter often holds a tension that the gospel resolves, not by denying suffering, but by showing the faithful sufferer King and the sure promise of final restoration.

For pastoral care, these psalms are often a better companion than many modern words. Use the commentary to help you select a psalm and to guide someone in praying it with understanding.

Closing Recommendation

This is a weighty resource for handling a demanding stretch of the Psalter. It will serve those who want to preach lament without sentimentality, to teach corporate prayer with realism, and to build a congregation that knows how to hope in the Lord when circumstances are bleak. If you can give it time, it will repay you with steadier exegesis and deeper pastoral application.