Ezekiel

Allen’s two-volume WBC set is one of the most consistently useful technical commentaries on Ezekiel. Its particular strength is the way Allen mediates between approaches represented by Zimmerli and Greenberg: he takes textual criticism, form criticism and compositional development seriously without allowing hypothetical reconstruction to obscure the meaning of the book in its final form. The result is careful Hebrew exegesis, thoughtful literary analysis, judicious interaction with critical scholarship, and concise theological explanation. Allen is perhaps less revolutionary than Greenberg and less expansive theologically than Block, but his judgments are usually measured and his ability to bring several methods into productive conversation makes him an excellent dialogue partner even where one disagrees with him. For close exegetical work on the whole book, this remains one of the safest and most rewarding choices available.

Allen began this project after William Brownlee’s death cut short his contribution to the series. His contribution is less critical than Zimmerli’s writing, but he still spends ample time discussing the development of the text we have today. [Full Review]

Allen is where I go first, in spite of the format of WBC.

Apparently W.H. Brownlee began this two-volume set on Ezekiel but died before he could complete them. The work was taken over by Allen who has written a good, though technical, commentary. Tremper Longman assigns it 4 stars and says, “Allen is concerned with both the final form of the book as well as its composition.” Others show some caution but still regard it as a valuable reference work when taken in light of the volumes recommended above. [Full Review]

Apparently W.H. Brownlee began this two-volume set on Ezekiel but died before he could complete them. The work was taken over by Allen who has written a good, though technical, commentary. Tremper Longman assigns it 4 stars and says, “Allen is concerned with both the final form of the book as well as its composition.” Others show some caution but still regard it as a valuable reference work when taken in light of the volumes recommended above. [Full Review]

The first volume replaces the earlier initial volume by Brownlee. Helpful commentary with concern for Ancient Near Eastern background. Evangelical. [Full Review]