Best Commentary on Job?
Hi everyone, I'm beginning a study in Job, and FYI, it's one of my least favorite books in the Bible. But I want to do some deep study to see if I can like it a little better. 
I'm reading through the book right now, but what are your favorite external books/commentaries on Job?
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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I read through the entire welwyn commentary on this book cover to cover. It is not overly in depth, but I still felt like I understood the book better. It was a good read as well.
https://www.logos.com/product/16264/the-storm-breaks-job-simply-explained
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Tanner Thetford said:
I read through the entire welwyn commentary on this book cover to cover. It is not overly in depth, but I still felt like I understood the book better. It was a good read as well.
https://www.logos.com/product/16264/the-storm-breaks-job-simply-explained
Thanks! I do have this book in my library.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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Balentine's commentary in the Smyth & Helwys series (not available in Logos).
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According to bestcommentaries.com - Tyndale, Word Biblical and NICOT are the top rated in order.
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Frank Sauer said:
According to bestcommentaries.com - Tyndale, Word Biblical and NICOT are the top rated in order.
Thanks. I have Tyndale, but not the other two.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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I personally would put Word ahead of Tyndale, other favourites in my Logos library include:
Carol A. Newsom, “The Book of Job,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck, vol. 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994–2004).
J. Gerald Janzen, Job, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1985).
James A. Wharton, Job, eds. Patrick D. Miller and David L. Bartlett, Westminster Bible Companion. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999).
Tremper Longman III, Ed., Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Job. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012).
Patrick Henry Reardon, The Trial of Job: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Book of Job. (Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2005).
-Dan
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Dan Francis said:
I personally would put Word ahead of Tyndale, other favourites in my Logos library include:
Carol A. Newsom, “The Book of Job,” in New Interpreter’s Bible, ed. Leander E. Keck, vol. 4 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994–2004).
J. Gerald Janzen, Job, Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. (Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1985).
James A. Wharton, Job, eds. Patrick D. Miller and David L. Bartlett, Westminster Bible Companion. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999).
Tremper Longman III, Ed., Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Job. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012).
Patrick Henry Reardon, The Trial of Job: Orthodox Christian Reflections on the Book of Job. (Chesterton, IN: Ancient Faith Publishing, 2005).
-Dan
I've just purchased the Trial of Job, and I'll have the Westminster Bible Companion series later this month when I upgrade to Reformed Portfolio. I've got my eye on the Interpretation Series. That looks like a great set!
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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Cynthia Tucker said:
I've just purchased the Trial of Job, and I'll have the Westminster Bible Companion series later this month when I upgrade to Reformed Portfolio. I've got my eye on the Interpretation Series. That looks like a great set!
Interpretation is a good series but New Interpreter's Bible is much better.
-Dan
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The content in NIB is probably more accessible than INT (which can be densely theological at times). Janzen, by the way, is a process theologian. His approach to Job is thought-provoking, if nothing else. Still, I think Balentine is the best of recent commentators.
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I think I tend to put at a lower priority commentaries that don't dedicate a whole volume to a Bible book. I guess I feel the information won't be as in-depth. But based on the comments here and the reviews on the NIB page, I've put it on my list.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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Paul Strickert said:
Still, I think Balentine is the best of recent commentators.
Love his Leviticus in Interpretation. Is it Job (Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary) or Have You Considered My Servant Job?: Understanding the Biblical Archetype of Patience you are recommending?
-Dan
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The S&H commentary on Job (esp. with all the graphics and sidebars). The other volume is excellent also. I happen to be reading it right now. [:)]
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L2 lvl4 (...) WORDsearch, all the way through L10,
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Cynthia Tucker said:
Hi everyone, I'm beginning a study in Job, and FYI, it's one of my least favorite books in the Bible. But I want to do some deep study to see if I can like it a little better.
I'm reading through the book right now, but what are your favorite external books/commentaries on Job?I just finished up a study last year on Job. It's one of my favorite books!
I'd highly recommend Crying Out for Vindication: The Gospel According to Job
It's not technical, but it helps in connecting the book to the greater narrative of the Bible. I don't agree with every last thing in it (e.g. the author's interpretation of Elihu), but I think he is excellent and helps you see why Job is such an important book of the Bible.
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Cynthia Tucker said:
Hi everyone, I'm beginning a study in Job, and FYI, it's one of my least favorite books in the Bible. But I want to do some deep study to see if I can like it a little better.
Hopefully, by the time you are through, Cynthia, you will have a new appreciation for the way this amazing drama wrestles with the problems of how things can go so wrong in a world that God is running. It's an incredibly powerful book. I've just attended the funeral of a thirty-something mother of an 8 year old, a believer whom many people prayed for and yet she died. I'm sure you know situations like that too. "Oh how I wish I could talk to God about this stuff" seems incredibly relevant.
Cynthia Tucker said:I'm reading through the book right now, but what are your favorite external books/commentaries on Job?
David Clines' three-volume commentary on Job in the Word Biblical Commentary series is my favorite.
[Edit]Cynthia, the current issue of Themelios journal has an article with pastoral thoughts based on the book of Job. You can download it in Logos for free from http://themelios.thegospelcoalition.org/
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Cynthia Tucker said:
But I want to do some deep study to see if I can like it a little better.
If you haven't already, I would recommend carving out a bunch of time and sitting down and reading the Book of Job slowly in one uninterrupted sitting. I find this kind of preparation for in depth study very fruitful.
Cynthia Tucker said:I'm reading through the book right now, but what are your favorite external books/commentaries on Job?
The Morals on the Book of Job has been a classic commentary on Job for more than fourteen hundred years...
“The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara
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William Gabriel said:
I'd highly recommend Crying Out for Vindication: The Gospel According to Job
Thanks! I'll check this out.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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Allen Browne said:
I've just attended the funeral of a thirty-something mother of an 8 year old, a believer whom many people prayed for and yet she died. I'm sure you know situations like that too.
Yes, a well-known, talented young lady of 24 was just killed in a horrible car crash, along with four other young people, one of whom is the mother of a young boy, who is the only survivor and is currently in the hospital. My entire Facebook feed is filled with grief and questions, and even as a Bible teacher, I'm at a loss for words. If there's any book that goes into detail about suffering, it's Job. It's been a long time since I've read it, since I don't like it. And I've never actually studied it. I've avoided it long enough.
Oh, and I had already downloaded that journal, but didn't know it had anything about Job in it.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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SineNomine said:
If you haven't already, I would recommend carving out a bunch of time and sitting down and reading the Book of Job slowly in one uninterrupted sitting.
I really enjoy reading Bible books in one sitting, but I can't do it with Job.....too wordy! lol, but I'm doing it in 3 sittings! [:D]
I'll check out Morals.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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abondservant said:
Thanks!
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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Dan Francis said:Paul Strickert said:
Still, I think Balentine is the best of recent commentators.
Love his Leviticus in Interpretation. Is it Job (Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary) or Have You Considered My Servant Job?: Understanding the Biblical Archetype of Patience you are recommending?
-Dan
Both of these sound good. I wish they were in Logos.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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[quote]
I'd highly recommend Crying Out for Vindication: The Gospel According to Job
It's not technical, but it helps in connecting the book to the greater narrative of the Bible. I don't agree with every last thing in it (e.g. the author's interpretation of Elihu), but I think he is excellent and helps you see why Job is such an important book of the Bible.
I have read this book too, and agree with William that it is worth having. It is written from a Reformed, biblical theological (historical redemptive) perspective.
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Spurgeon wasn't able to get hold of James Durham's commentary, but said: "It is certain to be good, for Durham is always admirable."
But if we get enough community pricing bids in, we'll be able to get what Spurgeon couldn't!
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Cynthia Tucker said:
Hi everyone, I'm beginning a study in Job...what are your favorite external books/commentaries on Job?
Since no one has mentioned it, I found Mike Mason's The Gospel According to Job to be helpful. It can be read in small bites, as each page is laid out as a devotional reading. It's not laid out like other commentaries, but it sure made me think.
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Well I've only got 10 chapters to go before I'm finished reading Job. I still find it too wordy (I'm a get-to-the-point kinda gal), but it's not as bad as I feared. I'm actually struck by how often some of the terminology reminded me of Jesus (things like calling God his redeemer and his wish that there could be a mediator between him and God). I'd never noticed these things before. It also kind of reminds me of Ecclesiastes, another book I haven't read in a while. I guess I'm not too keen on the wisdom literature!
I'm looking forward to reading some of the commentaries on Job now, and thanks to all of you I've got a good place to start. Thanks for your help.[:D]
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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Jack Hairston said:Cynthia Tucker said:
Hi everyone, I'm beginning a study in Job...what are your favorite external books/commentaries on Job?
Since no one has mentioned it, I found Mike Mason's The Gospel According to Job to be helpful. It can be read in small bites, as each page is laid out as a devotional reading. It's not laid out like other commentaries, but it sure made me think.
Is this it Jack? It's on Vyrso.
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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I don't think it is available in Logos, but Ray Stedman's Let God be God is a series of sermons through Job, available for free on his website. As a matter of Bible study, don't underestimate the power of genre. Why is it that God chose to write Job as an extended, circular poem, instead of a letter on suffering (like 1 Peter)? I think part of the answer to people in crisis is found there.
Using Logos as a pastor, seminary professor, and Tyndale author
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When I took an exegesis class on Job, we were required to compare about 6 commentaries. It was a good experience for getting a feel for the wide variety of ways different people understand the book. It wasn't a favorite of the class, but I personally liked Habel's commentary from the OTL series. Clines from WBC was the "official" textbook. I also used Driver and Gray a lot (ICC). It's dated but helped with sorting out some of the difficult Hebrew textual issues. In the end, what's best for you will depend on the goal of your study. The goal in my class was mainly to work through Hebrew text. I'd use other commentaries if my goal was more theological than philological.
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It's not in Logos, nor a line-by-line commentary but this was fantastic. Totally changed my perspective.
"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected."- G.K. Chesterton
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My choices are WBC, NIVAC and Tyndale. For lighter treatment EBC and College Press NIV. FOB is practical too.
DAL
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Cynthia Tucker said:
Well I've only got 10 chapters to go before I'm finished reading Job. I still find it too wordy (I'm a get-to-the-point kinda gal), but it's not as bad as I feared.
I'm glad that your project of reading Job seems to be going well! It's important to remember that Job has a lot of points, like the Gospels, and not just a few (like Jonah).
Cynthia Tucker said:It also kind of reminds me of Ecclesiastes, another book I haven't read in a while. I guess I'm not too keen on the wisdom literature!
Maybe Ecclesiastes would be a good study for you post-Job. [:)]
“The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara
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SineNomine said:
I'm glad that your project of reading Job seems to be going well! It's important to remember that Job has a lot of points, like the Gospels, and not just a few (like Jonah).
Great advice! I think I'm going to read through it one more time before beginning the study.
SineNomine said:Maybe Ecclesiastes would be a good study for you post-Job
Unfortunately, you're probably right. [:P] I haven't given the Wisdom literature much attention. Sure, I'll read them (quickly) when I read through the Bible, otherwise, I've ignored them (except for Psalms). It's funny because I'm working on a project that has me in the Pentateuch, and I'd like to be totally focused on that. But it seems I've been given a detour!
Author of the Chronological Word Truth Life Bible Series
WordTruthLifeBible.com
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