Customer Reviews

Judges and Ruth (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)

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The following comments pertain to Victor Matthews' commentary on Judges and Ruth published as part of the New Cambridge Bible Commentary series. For those unfamiliar with the author Matthews is a well known American Old Testament scholar. His exegesis is from a mainstream modern perspective.

I particularly enjoyed the text's brevity. While there is demand for detailed technical commentaries, this short work is a nice change of pace. And, though it lacks the exhaustive technical notes that characterize contemporary biblical study it exemplifies first rate scholarship and solid analysis.

Strengths include:
* Good introductions that provide essential context;
* Concise, clear and readable prose well suited for the lay reader;
* Partially annotated bibliography (texts grouped into different subject headings) and recommendations for further specific reading;
* Use of New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) text. While opinions vary, I find the use of standard translations often preferable to the more idiosyncratic individual translations that are often characteristics of commentaries..

Overall, this is a nice short commentary. I recommend it for readers seeking a high quality and concise overview of Judges and Ruth. After this experience with the New Cambridge Bible Commentaries I am encouraged to look at other instalments in the series.