The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary
The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary

The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary

in Library of Biblical Interpretation

by John H. Sailhamer

5 Rank Score: 5.12 from 2 reviews, 0 featured collections, and 0 user libraries
Pages 544
Publisher Zondervan
Published 1995
ISBN-13 9780310574217
Most scholars studying the first five books of the Bible either attempt to dissect it into various pre-pentateuchal documents or, at the very least, analyze Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy as separate, self-contained documents. The Pentateuch As Narrative focuses on the narrative and literary continuity of the Pentateuch as a whole. It seeks to disclose how the original Jewish readers may have viewed this multivolume work of Moses. Its central thesis is that the Pentateuch was written from the perspective of one who had lived under the Law of the Covenant established at Mount Sinai and had seen its failure to produce genuine trust in the Lord God of Israel. In this context, the Pentateuch pointed the reader forward to the hope of the New Covenant, based on divine faithfulness. Throughout the commentary Dr. Sailhamer pays close attention to and interacts with a wide range of classical and contemporary literature on the Pentateuch, written by Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.

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Matt Quintana Matt Quintana September 7, 2021
This commentary is exceptionally useful for any study of the first five books of the Bible. John Sailhamer masterfully weaves a close exegesis of the Hebrew text with compositional analysis, biblical theology, and theological interpretation. The result is a first-rate work on the Pentateuch. The introduction, though long, lays out the methodological groundwork for this work, which is helpful for readers and offers a compelling way forward for reading and understanding the Torah. (As a bonus, his hermeneutical insights regarding, e.g., text vs. event are beneficial for constructing an overarching interpretive method for the Bible.) Though concise and quite accessible overall, there is significant depth to Sailhamer's work. I highly recommend it for anyone teaching or studying the Pentateuch.

P.S. One would also benefit from consulting Sailhamer's magnum opus The Meaning of the Pentateuch (IVP Academic, 2009). It is worth its weight in gold—which, given the book's size, is saying something!
Larry Strandberg Larry Strandberg April 18, 2016
great commentary