Esther

Tomasino's commentary on Esther is outstanding. Esther is one of those books where you need many resources because of its history of reception. I found myself opening as many Esther resources as I could get my hands on. Each one was like a hunt for a little fact or idea that was not in the others. Certainly I would find some idea here, another there. So I had to keep track of all these in various places and continuously visit these books to ensure I would not miss something. That was the common pattern until continually checking Tomasino's commentary and realizing it contained a comprehensive collection of ideas and interpretations. It is very well done and well researched. It has the references I need to historical works, the comments on archaeological ideas, various scholars ideas regarding a passage or phrase and his own evaluation of the evidence on questions. I find also that he is succinct as can be to adequately address the issue. He is not verbose on speculative ideas. So certainly you can track the references and read more on why others have proposed certain ideas. I find just the right amount of discussion on each idea, each verse and phrase, and my other sources don't have much to add. This certainly does not mean you should skip out on Jobes (for her masterful application) or Bush (for his excellent analysis of the Hebrew). Yet through all your research you should include this comprehensive volume. Highly recommended!

Esther is an intriguing book of the Bible – and Tomasino’s commentary made me want to preach it and study it with others – which is a good thing! The EEC is a slightly fiddly format to get to grips with, but if you stick with it then it can result in a solid, readable and usable commentary. The format perhaps works best on smaller books like Esther (I’ll be going through the Johannine letters later this year with an EEC, so we shall see!) – giving space for the author to stretch their legs and try to hear God’s voice in the text. I’d recommend this book, with the caveats that you’d probably want to pick up Debra Reid’s Tyndale Commentary (not mentioned in Tomasino’s) and Chloe T. Sun’s aforementioned Conspicious in His Absence. [Full Review]

Technical enough for scholars and useful for pastors. The commentary employs critical techniques, but maintains a respectful appreciation for the inspiration and authority of the text.