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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good , balanced and insightful, August 3, 2009
This review is from: Exodus: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching & Preaching) (Hardcover)
My review is not one of having read the entire book page for page, but more along the lines of having used it for certain passages I was working through and/or for background.
Fretheim does a really good job of placing the stories in literary context, with an overview to understanding the general sense of the passages. Given that there isn't that enough space to devote to an in depth analysis, this is probably the best approach one could hope for. He does occasionally highlight key words if needed , but the commentary is aimed at students comprehending the grand themes or underlying threads for the book of Exodus. Like an onion there certainly are layers upon layers to discover, but most readers can go back later to visit the depths after appreciating the grand vista's . The author's strength then is in this first approach.
I found the writing style to be clear and authentic; he gives praise and reference to outside sources when writing. Also the author was not afraid to admit that sometimes the passage is hard to understand. If there is a divergence of opinion, he gives a fair review and outline to the various positions. Good footnotes and the necessary references are included for research.
Overall one of the better commentaries out for the book of Exodus. Given that there isn't a lot of real choice out there for this important book, I would recommend it as a very wise buy.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Interpretation!, June 27, 2011
This review is from: Exodus: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching & Preaching) (Hardcover)
Good price for book, though the book was thorough, The author gives a unique perspective on the cosmic view of Creationism which he goes to through as to his own perspective of it, otherwise the book was good on the study of Exodus!
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8 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful, But Has Serious Flaws, September 15, 2009
This review is from: Exodus: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching & Preaching) (Hardcover)
I have used this commentary by Fretheim while preaching through Exodus. It is decent because it is short and to the point, and not exceedingly difficult to read or make sense of. I especially enjoyed the opening/introduction, as well as Fretheim's emphasis on creation parallels in the Exodus account. For example, in the plague section, he writes, "God uses creation to achieve redemption" (p. 138). Those types of comments are helpful; there are good parts of the commentary to be sure.
However, Fretheim has some troublesome theology which shows up in this commentary. He believes that God changes, grows, and learns right along with Moses. Fretheim: "God adjusts to new developments;" God's foreknowledge is less than absolute; "Future events may necessitate a change in the divine way into the future;" "God does not finally know;" "The God of Israel is revealed as one who is open to change" (pp. 65-77, 287). There are more examples, but reader beware: While the text of Exodus portrays a faithful, omnipotent, and omniscient God, Fretheim neuters him down to a dialogue partner with Moses and Aaron.
In summary, the commentary has been somewhat helpful to me, but for those who cannot stomach open theism - they will probably want to pass on the commentary and go for commentaries by Peter Enns or Brevard Childs instead.
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