II Kings

These commentaries are strong because of Cogan’s and Tadmor’s familiarity with Syrian/Mesopotamian/Egyptian historical contexts. Both authors are familiar with the relevant (mostly Akkadian) texts. These two commentaries are exegetically superb and relatively conservative for the Anchor series. [Full Review]

Cogan and Tadmor have expertise in Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern History. These commentaries are the standard reference works on both the Hebrew text of 1–2 Kings and the history that stands behind it. [Full Review]

Cogan and Tadmore together wrote the volume on 2 Kings; a decade later Cogan alone produced the volume on 1 Kings. Mathison both commends them and warns of their weakness: “These commentaries are written from a somewhat critical perspective and should be used with care, but the author’s knowledge of the ancient Near Eastern context makes these works very helpful for those interested in more technical commentaries.” [Full Review]

Cogan and Tadmor co-wrote the volume on 2 Kings in 1988. Years later, in 2001, the commentary on 1 Kings was published. The volume on 1 Kings was written by Cogan alone. These commentaries are written from a somewhat critical perspective and should be used with care, but the author's knowledge of the ancient Near Eastern context makes these works very helpful for those interested in more technical commentaries. [Full Review]

Essential discussion of the Assyrian context of Judah during the latter period of the Monarchy and especially the time of Hezekiah. [Full Review]