The Book of Deuteronomy

I have become a collector of commentaries ever since my seminary days in the 1990s. As such, I am only going to recommend the best overall commentary for each book of the Bible on this site. For Deuteronomy, for the preacher/teacher, I would give Craigie the nod. For the record, I am not the biggest fan of the NICOT series (I like Wenham on Leviticus, Fensham on Ezra/Nehemiah, Thompson on Jeremiah, O. Palmer Robertson on Nahum/Habakkuk/Zephaniah), but Craigie writes in a way that you can read him clearly while dealing with and yet not getting bogged down in critical or technical matters. Not a commentary that will offer as much in the way of application or illustration, but it engages the preacher/teacher with the content one needs in studying Deuteronomy. If the pastor only had one commentary on Deuteronomy, I would recommend Craigie (for a different voice, consider also Brueggemann, Abingdon OT Commentary)

As is usually the case, there is one commentary that most experts agree to be at the top of the class. For Deuteronomy pride of place belongs to Peter Craigie whom Tremper Longman describes as being “among the best of recent evangelical interpreters” and “an astute theologian and philologist.” Several commentators affirm that he is firmly evangelical in his perspective.

My preferred commentary on Deuteronomy. The NICOT series is commendable for being both scholarly and accessible. Craigie has done a fine job of producing a commentary which works is useful for a variety of users. He is aware of and sensitive to the ancient near eastern context without being bogged down in the minute details of comparative reading.

Craigie has written an excellent commentary on one of the most important books in the bible, the book of Deuteronomy. It is a very easy to read book and not restricted to the scholar. He sticks to the text and briefly covers some of the main issues and does not waste time in this commentary engaging in textual criticism but recommends which books to go to if you are looking for that sort of thing. The only thing that I would want more of in this book is more on the relationship between this book and the New Testament a bit like what Wenham has done with his commentary in this series on Leviticus.

Especially helpful on the role of the covenant in Deuteronomy.

There is such a wealth of commentaries on Deuteronomy that it is difficult to select the best. When everything is taken into consideration, however, Craigie's commentary in the NICOT series is probably still the best place to start. It is a competent and clear work written from an evangelical perspective. [Full Review]

Evangelical, clearly written study using Ugaritic and other ancient Near Eastern evidence. [Full Review]