Stephen Hess

I would highly recommend this commentary on Ezekiel. Duguid gives a thorough exposition of the text, and his comments pertaining to contemporary significance and application are simply excellent. This volume would be particularly valuable for pastors in sermon preparation. I would go so far as to say that if you could only buy one commentary on Ezekiel, this should be it.

Like many commentaries in this series, Long's volume on Hebrews is far too short to do justice to the rich theology of the book. Not only is his exposition sparse, but his application comments for preaching and teaching (which is supposed to be the focus of this series) are usually nothing to get excited about. Long seems to be overly focused on the homiletic methods being employed by the author of Hebrews at the expense of theology and exegesis. There are far better commentaries that one could buy for the money.

This is a good commentary on 1/2 Samuel. Firth seems to be moderately evangelical in his approach. He leans toward seeing more unity in the book(s) than more liberal scholars who understand Samuel to be fragmented. He also does not hesitate to bring in New Testament texts when they are relevant, showing how Christ is the fulfillment of God's promises to David. Overall this is a helpful commentary that I have appreciated having on my shelf. One of the weaknesses of this commentary is that it is light on the contemporary significance and application, therefore it may not be as helpful for pastors as some other commentaries. Also, there are a few places where Firth opts for an overly complex reading of a text which I found quite unconvincing (e.g. the theory that David's adultery with Bathsheba was carried out because of a "rivalry" that David had with Uriah).

This is an excellent commentary on Mark, especially for pastors and laypeople. Edwards has spent much of his career studying Mark and this commentary represents the fruit of that labor. The idea of the "Markan Sandwich" originated with Edwards and the Sandwich is just one among many insights that he contributes in this volume. Yet he avoids going into too many technical details and instead focuses on the message and theology of Mark. This is a solid evangelical commentary that every pastor should have on his shelf.

Excellent commentary for both pastors and laypeople. Edwards focuses on the message and theology of Romans so pastors will find this volume incredibly helpful for sermon preparation. Yet the volume is also accessible enough for a layperson who is interested in studying Romans to benefit from it. Not all of the NIBCNT volumes are great but this one is well worth the price. If you liked Edwards' Mark commentary in the Pillar series, you will enjoy this one as well. His work should be on every pastor's shelf.