Psalms

Longman’s commentary on Psalms replaces Kidner’s, which was originally in the same series. It’s the fruit of mature scholarship and sensibilities developed over a career of exploring Old Testament poetry and wisdom. The commentary interprets each psalm in its Old Testament context, summarizes its message, and reflects on its christological significance for New Testament believers. [Full Review]

Longman has faithfully upheld the reputation of the TOTC on Psalms by updating Derek Kidner’s classic commentary. True to form, Longman distills expert analysis in a readable form. I recommend it as a resource for pastors and teachers, as a textbook for students, and even for devotional reading. [Full Review]

This is an affordable and full commentary on the whole Psalter. Longman manages to say a great deal in a somewhat small space. A strength of this commentary is Longman’s consistent move to New Testament’s use of the Psalm and Christological interpretation. I disagree with Longman’s view on the overall structure of the Psalter [Full Review]

Longman's commentary on the Psalms is a fantastic addition to the new editions of the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Longman's aim is to present the theological message of each Psalm by focusing on the literary forms of the Psalms. This focus is consistent throughout and very helpful. Longman insists that the reader understand the basic form of the Psalm and read the particulars in light of that form. Each Psalm is handled under three sections: 1) Context 2) Commentary and 3) Meaning. The Context section focuses primarily on identifying the literary form and its relevance for the Psalm's interpretation. It will also address the situation of the writer. Longman takes the superscriptions to be generally reliable. However, he argues that the Psalms are mostly written without specific reference to the authors' situations so as to be applicable to any audience. The Commentary section works stanza by stanza through the Psalm, showing the overall structure. Longman offers brief insights on lexical issues and unpacks important imagery. Because of the size restraints, he has to make choices here and cannot begin to answer every question one may have, but what he does do is quite helpful. The Meaning section summarizes the Psalm's use in worship and looks forward to its Christian use. Often, this section is very helpful as Longman makes insightful New Testament connections. I found this commentary very readable and even incorporated it into morning devotional reading while working through the Psalms. It will be a great help for pastors and lay people. Later in the commentary, it felt more and more condensed, as the author more regularly referred to comments on earlier Psalms. While the size constraints prevents this commentary from covering everything, it is an excellent introduction to the Psalms and will be a great aid for teaching and even personal worship. IVP provided me with a complementary copy with no expectation of a positive review.