Impressions on the Tyndale Commentary Series?

Hi David, these threads might help:

http://community.logos.com/forums/t/75204.aspx

http://community.logos.com/forums/t/9064.aspx

http://community.logos.com/forums/t/25182.aspx

I know that it is primarily A-mill in approach.

What are your impressions on the Tyndale commentary series?  I'm looking for something for basic Bible study and sermon preparation -- I'm not looking for a lot of information of a highly technical nature.  The set seems to be very affordable.  Any thoughts from those of you who have it?

The Tyndale series is great for what you want to use it for. All of Derek Kidner's volumes are very good, especially on the Psalms, and there are a good cross section of other authors represented in the series.

If you're looking for something that is not highly technical and does not involve heavy reading, The Tyndale commentary Series may be what you are looking for.  Note also that Greek and Hebrew has been transliterated.

The books are pretty concise.  If I remember correctly from my days working as a student the seminary library, each volume was a smaller-size paperback with a few hundred pages.

Thanks -- there's some very helpful info here.

I find many of the older OT works to be far briefer than I would like and although Psalms was lauded by one here I find it in general too brief to be of much help at all. The NT volumes were all revised/replaced int he 80s and 90s  and are a higher quality, but still I personally find them less useful than other series. I tend to think samples are a good way to look at things, so I am going to show you a sample of Psalm 30 and Mark Mark 4:35–41 (The psalm was purely random and the gospel was my devotional study from last night ).

Psalm 30. Mourning into dancing

The title makes this psalm ‘a Song at the dedication of the House’, which RSV takes to mean God’s House, but which RV margin interprets as David’s own (2 Sam. 5:11). Either of these is possible (cf. the dancing in verse 11 with 2 Sam. 6:9, 14, and see the comment on Ps. 5:7), and in either case David has at last emerged from his early trials into happier days. Yet without this title the psalm would have suggested simply recovery from sickness; and this lends some colour to the theory that certain phrases in the titles should be read as postscripts to the psalms they follow (see e.g. 29:1, 2, 9c; but less appropriately 3–9b). Cf. Introduction 6. c. 3, p. 53.

The structure of the psalm is simple, its two outbursts of praise flanking the confession in verses 6–10 of overconfidence and its dire results. David’s unaffected delight at being restored shines through every word, quite undimmed by time.

30:1–5. The rescue

The vividness of thou hast drawn me up is quite accurate: it is the word for pulling up a bucket from a well. That well was as deep as death (on Sheol, see on 6:5), and the threat had come from sickness (2b) rather than war. But in his plight David was spirited enough to be troubled most of all about leaving the enemy the last laugh (1b) – very much as Hezekiah, later, would be tantalized to see his hopes and enterprises apparently stillborn (2 Kgs 19:3.). Cf. the positive concern of Paul in Acts 20:24, and its fulfilment in 2 Timothy 4:7.

5. This comparison,95 marvellously expressed here, is carried even further in the New Testament, in the concept of sorrow producing joy (2 Cor. 4:17; John 16:20–22; but cf. also Ps. 26:6f.) and in the contrast between the momentary and the eternal (not merely the lifelong), and between troubles that ‘weigh little’ and a ‘weight of … glory which is out of all proportion to them’ (2 Cor. 4:17, JB). The word for tarry, in our verse, suggests by itself the overnight visitor; the line could be crudely translated ’At evening, weeping may arrive for the night …’.

30:6–10. The foolish boast

Easy circumstances and a careless outlook are seldom far apart when this Hebrew root is used for prosperity. Cf. e.g. the heedlessness in Jeremiah 22:21 and the fatal complacency in Proverbs 1:32. But the next verse in Proverbs shows the difference between the careless and the truly carefree.

7. The strong mountain is more accurately expressed in RV: ‘Thou … hadst made my mountain to stand strong.’ (The NEB’s emendation is quite unnecessary.) This striking metaphor for David’s    kingdom or his personal fortunes, as long as God sustained him, makes a telling contrast to the flower-like frailty (7b) of his own resources; and Psalm 104:29 applies 7b to all living things.

9, 10. Profit is a sharply commercial word here, and the argument is – for the moment – quite down-to-earth: ‘You will gain nothing, and lose a worshipper!’ The strength of this, allowing for its limited horizon, bounded by death (see on 6:5), is that it starts from God’s interests, asking the question, ‘What glory will God have from this?’ This is the right question, though the answer is not for us to give: cf. John 12:27f. Then, in verse 10, argument is dropped, and David is simply a man in need, with only grace to appeal to.

30:11, 12. The celebration

The exuberance of verses 1–5 returns, enhanced by the chastened recollections of 6–10. It is all quite uninhibited, in the buoyant spirit of the David who ‘danced before the Lord with all his might’. The same David, incidentally, could also show his intensity of joy by stillness: cf. 2 Samuel 6:14 with 7:18.

12. My soul is lit. ‘glory’ in the Hebrew text and in LXX; cf. 7:5 (Heb. 6); 16:9; 57:8 (Heb. 9); 108:1 (Heb. 2); in at least some of which places ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’ is evidently meant.96 So the praise, which has the effervescence of dancing, has also depth to it, and persistence. More persistence, perhaps, than David himself could guess when he included the word for ever.

Kidner, Derek. Psalms 1-72: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 15. IVP/Accordance electronic edition, version 1.4. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1973.

i. Jesus calms the storm (4:35–41)

With the series of parables closed, we enter a new section: here Jesus will be shown as Lord of nature. This is a new revelation in Mark, yet a very necessary one, if Jesus is God: for, both in the Law and in the Prophets, God is seen as Controller of the natural world and natural phenomena. The God who blew with an east wind and dried up the waters of the Red Sea before Israel his people (Exod. 14:21) is now about to make a path over the wind and waves of Gennesaret for the disciples, the new ‘people of God’. Already, Mark has shown Jesus as one who sees heaven opened, one upon whom the Spirit rests, who is responsive to the Spirit’s guidance, who enjoys angelic ministry, and who receives the testimony of demons to his divine nature. Jesus in Mark preaches and teaches with a new ring of authority: he heals the sick, expels demons and forgives sins. Now, only the one who had initially created the wind and sea in the first place would dare to rebuke them so (verse 39): their instant obedience shows his full deity as Creator as well as Redeemer. The wondering question of his disciples in verse 41 shows that they realized in part at least the implications of his action here. It is significant that no ‘nature miracles’ are recorded in Mark as having been performed by the apostles, although (as Anderson well points out) Mark would not have distinguished nature miracles sharply from healings and exorcisms, as we might do today. Apart from calming storms (here and 6:51), Mark records Jesus as multiplying loaves (6:41 and 8:6) and withering a fig tree (11:20): he therefore accepts completely the power of Jesus over the natural world, as Son of God.

36. Mark is the only gospel that tells us of the other boats being with Jesus here: the calming of the storm therefore becomes a miracle of mercy on a wider scale than the mere saving from drowning of a    boatload of frightened disciples. We may perhaps compare the closing words of Jonah, ‘and also much cattle’ (Jon. 4:11), with its undertone of the infinite mercy of God. Of course, the detail of the other boats may simply be a small irrelevant reminiscence included by the matter-of-fact Mark, which assures us of the historicity of the event.

37–39. The voyage across the lake had been undertaken at the express suggestion of Jesus, in unquestioning faith and obedience. This, for the disciples, made the coming of the storm all the harder to understand, and the relaxed attitude of Jesus quite inexplicable to them. There is more than a hint of reproach in their words, Teacher, do you not care if we perish? (38)21 Why had he allowed them to enter such a situation? Jonah’s storm, after all, had been a punishment for disobedience (Jon. 1:4), but they had been obedient: no wonder that they felt aggrieved at what had happened to them.

The Lord’s sleep did not only show his very natural weariness: it also showed his tranquil faith (verse 38). Faith and fear are mutual exclusives in the Bible: it was because of lack of faith that the disciples feared that they were about to drown (verse 40), and so it was for lack of faith that they were rebuked. No command is more often reiterated in the Bible than the simple ‘Do not fear’ (see Exod. 14:13; 20:20, etc.).

40–41. In spite of their lack of faith, Jesus calmed the storm with a word. But the disciples, inconsequentially, still feared;22 a friendly,    familiar, human Jesus they wanted, but not a supernatural Son of God. Their reaction at the mount of transfiguration (9:6), and even at the resurrection (16:8), was to be the same: compare Revelation 1:17.

Cole, R. Alan. Mark: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1. 2d, IVP/Accordance electronic edition, version 1.4. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1989.

Hope these samples will help you determine if this is a good fit for your needs.

-Dan

What are your impressions on the Tyndale commentary series?  I'm looking for something for basic Bible study and sermon preparation -- I'm not looking for a lot of information of a highly technical nature.  The set seems to be very affordable.  Any thoughts from those of you who have it?

Tyndale is good. You might also want to look at the first edition of the Expositor's Bible Commentary.

Expositor's Bible:

Tyndale:

Good all round, even commentary series. Short in length but deep in content. 

Very good value for money.

P A

I had considered the Expositor's Bible Commentary as well.  It is the same kind of commentary that I've had in mind, affordable and not overly technical.

I had considered the Expositor's Bible Commentary as well.  It is the same kind of commentary that I've had in mind, affordable and not overly technical.

It is very similar. Here are the same samples passages from it:

Psalm 30: Praise for God’s Faithfulness in a Time of Need

Praise constitutes the key motif. The first words (“I will exalt you”) and the last words (“I will give you thanks forever”) form an inclusion, in between which the psalmist describes past suffering and the wonderful restoration from his illness. The manner of description of his suffering and his exhortation to the “saints” (v.4) to praise the Lord suggest that the psalm is an individual psalm of thanksgiving. It has similarities with Hezekiah’s psalm of praise after his sickness (Isa 38:10-20).

However, the theme of restoration from sickness and the praise of God hardly fit the superscription: “For the dedication of the temple. Of David.” If the psalm is Davidic, it may have been composed at the dedication of his palace or of the building materials (cf. 1 Chronicles 22:2-19). This may be unlikely in view of the word “dedication,” connoting the completion of the temple (cf. 1 Kings 8:63). It is preferable to view the psalm as an individual thanksgiving psalm  associated with David, and to consider the superscription a later addition in which the psalm was nationalized as an expression of the suffering of the nation in exile and of the restoration from exile. The “temple” must be a reference to the second temple, dedicated in 515 B.C. The psalm became associated with the feast of Hanukkah, commemorating the dedication of the temple in 165 B.C. (J. Ridderbos, 1:251-53). According to the Talmud the Jews recited Psalm 30 during the Hanukkah Festival (b Sopherim  18b).

There is little agreement on the structure of the psalm. The parts follow closely on one another without clearly defined literary markers. For our purposes we shall set up an expository structure:

A. Praise for God’s Wonderful Acts (vv.1-3)

B. God’s Favor and Anger (vv.4-7)

A’. Praise for God’s Wonderful Acts (vv.8-12)

At the heart of the psalm is the contrast between God’s anger and his favor. Because of his favor, God acts on behalf of his own. They in turn have reason to praise him individually and as a community (v.4).

I. Praise (30:1)

1 The praise of God consists of a declaration of his exalted nature and thanksgiving for his free condescension for the purpose of exalting his children. The psalm is set within an inclusion of “praise.” It begins with a verbal phrase—“I will exalt you” (cf. Exod 15:2)—and ends on a verbal phrase—“I will give you thanks.” These two verbal phrases form the inclusion and occur elsewhere together in the same verse in 118:28 and Isaiah 25:1.

The psalmist experienced a terrible sickness that brought him to the edge of life. Instead of feeling abandoned by the Lord, he witnessed God’s goodness in answering his prayer and by healing him (v.2). He exalts God because he brought him up from near-death, listened to his prayer, and did not allow the wicked to rejoice. (See the appendix to Ps 88: Sheol-Grave-Death in the Psalms.)

First, the Lord spared the psalmist from death. The verbal phrase “you lifted me” is a metaphorical usage of a verb meaning “to draw up out of the water” (cf. Exod 2:16, 19). Like a bucket that was lowered down in a well and then raised to draw water up, so the Lord pulled the psalmist out of the grips of Sheol. Here the phrase means “you saved me.”

The choice of verbs may set up a contrast between the imagery of God as the Exalted One and his stooping down to draw his servant out of the pit. The particular circumstances of the trouble are not relevant, but the experience of deliverance was important to the psalmist. In God’s act of condescension to his need, the psalmist realized afresh God’s love for him. The enemies had no occasion to “gloat” (cf. 35:19, 24-27; 38:16), because the Lord turned the psalmist’s mourning into “joy” (v.11). The word “gloat” forms a contrast with “joy” in v.11. Though not obvious in the EVV, the words share the same root (s-m-h  “be happy”): “[You] did not let my enemies be joyous over me.... [you] clothed me with joy” (vv.1, 11).

II. God’s Wonderful Acts (30:2-3)

2-3 Second, the psalmist praises the Lord for answered prayer. We must observe here again how the psalmist expresses a close relationship between himself and his God even in the hour of need: “O LORD my God” (v.2). Unfortunately, this phraseology seems still distant to our Western ears. The psalmist calls God by his revealed name: “Yahweh my God,” as if to say, “Yahweh, you are my God, and I lay claim on your promises to care for me as your child.” In the intimacy of communion lies the secret of answered prayer.

Third, the Lord’s act of restoring or healing the psalmist (vv.1-2; cf. 51:12; 60:1; 80:3, 7, 19; 85:4; 107:20) ends the gloating of the enemies. So often the wicked rejoice in the adversity of the godly. To them it was proof that God sees neither good nor evil, that he does not reward righteousness, and, therefore, that he does not judge wickedness. The psalmist was concerned, not only with his own sin, but particularly with the good name of the Lord. Since the Lord has saved him out of the pits, he praises him as the Exalted One.

III. God’s Favor and Anger (30:4-7)

4-7 These verses are full of contrasts: anger and favor (v.5a), moment and lifetime (v.5a), weeping and rejoicing (v.5b), night and morning (v.5b), firm and dismayed (vv.6-7). They express the depth of God’s care and the benefits of dependence on the Lord in life.

The praise of God goes from individual praise to a communal celebration. The “saints” are all those who are loyal to the Lord, the members of the covenant community (v.4; see 4:3). They praise “his holy name” (zeker ). Though the word zeker  at times is found in conjunction with “name” (shem ), it is not synonymous (cf. Exod 3:15; Ps 135:13). It signifies the proclamation of God’s acts in the history of redemption associated with the name Yahweh (cf. 111:2-4; 122:4; 145; B.S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel  [London: SCM, 1962], p. 72; TWOT, 1:242).

The praise of “his holy name” arises for two complementary reasons: forgiveness and restoration. First, the Lord forgives.  The psalmist confesses within the assembly that he has sinned against the Lord by a haughty, independent spirit (v.6). When everything was going well with him, he “felt secure,” even to the point of self-confidence. The MT sets forth the contrast between the psalmist’s folly and the Lord’s goodness by a disjunctive waw at the beginning of this verse (wa’ani ): “But as for me, I said when I felt secure.” The security is due to prosperity. The Hebrew phrase shalwi  (“my ease,” “my prosperity”) usually denotes a state of well-being (cf. 122:7-9), resultant of God’s blessings (cf. Deut 8:7-10), but these blessings had led to self-confidence. The wicked pride themselves in their boastful words: “I will never be shaken” (cf. 10:6). Apparently the psalmist had come to the same point of practical atheism.

In his “anger” the Lord had afflicted the psalmist, who in his despair cast himself on the Lord. The psalmist had been foolish not to maintain his communion with God. The period of anguish was like “night” (v.5) to him, because of the intense experience of weeping. “Remain” (lit., “will spend the night”) is a poetic expression of how weeping personified may spend the night with him, only to be gone by morning (cf. NEB, “Tears may linger at nightfall”). The sorrow resulted both from the suffering and from repentance. The psalmist returned to the Lord his God (cf. v.2) and experienced his forgiveness. Even though the psalm does not contain the language of forgiveness, the resultant description of his restoration implies the assurance that the Lord forgave him.

Second, the Lord restores.  Great is his faithfulness (Lam 3:22-23). The restoration experience is like morning light (v.5). The light (“the morning”) is a metaphor for healing, restoration, and blessing. The effect of restoration changes weeping into joy. The psalmist knows that the change did not result from his own efforts, because he was totally incapable of changing his lot (vv.1-3). Rather, it is by the “favor” of the Lord that he was restored. The phrase “when you favored me” (v.7) is a translation of a nominal phrase “in your favor.” The word “favor” (rason  also found in v.5) signifies a renewal of love, forgiveness, restoration, and blessing (cf. 106:4; Isa 49:8; 60:10; 61:2). The Lord’s name is emphatic: “O LORD, in your favor.”

The psalmist also contrasts the judgment of God according to the extent of his expressions of love. His discipline is painful and may be likened to death, whereas his favor restores life (v.4). Dahood (Psalms  1:182-3) proposes an antithetical rendering of “death” (instead of “moment,” v.5) and “lifetime” (lit., “life”). This proposal results in a balanced parallelism:

anger — death

favor — life.

Compare these translations: “In his anger is disquiet, in his favor there is life” (NEB); “For in his anger is death, but in his favor is life” (Craigie, Psalms 1-50, p. 250). The Lord does not easily abandon his children who sin against him but renews them with his favor.

By God’s grace the psalmist feels himself more secure and likens his renewed dependence on the Lord to a “mountain” (v.7). Translations differ on “you made my mountain stand firm.” The Hebrew text is difficult. The NIV is a likely rendering. In his strength, he was weak; but in God’s healing, he regained strength like a mountain. In his dependence, he is strong. Such is the logic of faith.

IV. Praise for God’s Wonderful Acts (30:8-12)

8-10 How different is the psalmist’s relationship with his God from the time that he felt himself secure! He states emphatically that he looks toward the Lord (“To you,... to the LORD”). The imperfect of the Hebrew verbs may be better translated as a frequentative action: “I keep on calling,... I keep on crying for mercy” (cf. 28:1; 142:2; Joel 1:19).

The psalmist reflects again on the desperate situation in which he found himself (v.9; cf. vv.1-3; 6:5; 88:10-12; 115:17; Isa 38:18-19). He asked for mercy to be spared from “destruction.” In his despair he vowed to praise the Lord and to be faithful to him (v.10). If he had been overcome by his suffering and had died, the wicked would have had an occasion to gloat (v.1). But out of concern for God’s name, the psalmist had asked to praise the name of the Lord so that all men might know that he is faithful. This is an expression of true repentance: concern for God’s name. Based on the covenant promises of God, he calls on him for mercy and help. His help is from the Lord who has made a covenant with his people. There is no one else (54:4).

11-12 The Lord was faithful in changing circumstances. The psalmist returns to the dominant motif of this psalm: Yahweh the Vindicator. He is the Lord who effectually changed wailing into dancing, mourning into joy, and a deathly cry into a song of joy (v.11). Such is the goodness of God. Notice how Calvin observed this over four hundred years ago: “But however much God may terrify and humble his faithful servants, with manifold signs of his displeasure, he always besprinkles them with the sweetness of his favour to moderate and assuage their grief” (1:489).

Because of the mercy of the Lord, the psalmist vows to continue in the praise of God (v.12b). The NIV translates “glory” (kabod  see 7:5) as “heart.” The word occurs in parallelism with “soul” (7:5; NIV, “life”) and so frequently refers to the whole human being or existence. He will glorify the Lord! To this end he was redeemed, because he had argued, “Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?” To this end the Lord vindicates his servant in the presence of his enemies (cf. v.1; 23:5; 2 Thess 1:5-10). Alter senses the magnificence of the psalmist’s language: “It is through language that God must be approached, must be reminded that, since His greatness needs language in order to be made known to men, He cannot dispense with the living user of language for the consummation of that end” (p. 135).

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Ps 30:1 For a brief discussion of the technical words and phrases in the superscription, see the Introduction.

Ps 30:3  (4 MT) For the meaning of “grave” and “pit,” see 6:5; 28:1; see also the appendix to Psalm 88: Sheol-Grave-Death.

The NIV follows the Qere  reading in “from going down into the pit” instead of the Kethiv.  The MT reads rwøb yéd√rwøOym (miyorede-bor  lit., “from the ones going down into the pit”), and the Qere  suggests yd√rÎ¥ym (miyordi  “from my going down”). In view of the usage of this phrase in 28:1 and the unusual grammatical form of the Kethiv  it is preferable to accept the MT without emendation.

Ps 30:5  (6 MT) Craigie renders oÅg®r (rega‘  “moment”) by “death”: “For in his anger is death” (Psalms 1-50  pp. 250–51), based on Dahood (Psalms  1:182).

Ps 30:8  (9 MT) M. Dahood’s symmetric translation is of interest but is not convincing: “To you, Yahweh, I cry, / O El my Lord, I plead for mercy” (“Vocative waw  in Psalm 30:9,” Biblica  58 [1977]: 218).

Ps 30:8, 10  (9, 11 MT) These verses form an inclusion around the questions raised in v.9. The repetition of the root Nnj (h-n-n  “be merciful”) connects these two verses together with the emphasis on prayer for help.

Ps 30:9  (11 MT) y;må;d (dammi  “my blood”) may be emended to y;mO;d (dommi  “my weeping,” from d-m-m  [II]; cf. NIV mg.: “if I am silenced”). In favor of the marginal reading is the parallelism with the last part of the verse. See Craigie: “What profit is there in my weeping?” (Psalms 1-50,  p. 250).

Ps 30:12  (13 MT) Craigie again takes the meaning from the root d-m-m  (II, “weep”; cf. v.9): “so that my soul shall sing your praise and not weep” (Psalms 1-50, p. 250). The NIV has “not be silent.”

VanGemeren, Willem A. Psalms. Expositor’s Bible Commentary 5. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas.

E. Triumph Over Hostile Powers  (4:35-5:43)

1. Calming the storm  (4:35-41)

The calming of the storm on the Lake of Galilee is a classic example of a nature miracle. Miracles of this kind seem to present the greatest problem to contemporary man. The NT, however, makes clear that Jesus Christ is not only Lord over his church but also Lord of all creation. “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him” (Col 1:16). The Creator-Lord also controls what he has created. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col 1:17). It is completely inadequate to explain this miracle of the sovereign Lord by coincidence or to relegate it to myth or imagination. One’s conclusion about the historicity of this and similar stories in the Gospels will inevitably depend on one’s christology. If Jesus was, as he claimed to be, the strong Son of God, a miracle of this kind is not inconsistent with that claim. If, on the other hand, he was less than God, there is a serious problem.

35-36 Note the details in the story: the mention of the time of day (v.35), the reference to Jesus “just as he was” (v.36), the statement about the “other boats,” the position of Jesus in the boat (v.38), the mention of the cushion, the sharp rebuke made by the disciples, and their terror and bewilderment. Taken together these suggest the report of an eyewitness.

Jesus had been teaching the people from a boat pushed out from the shore a short distance (4:1). Evening had come; so Jesus decided to go over to the other side of the lake (v.35). Mark mentions no reason for this decision. Perhaps Jesus simply wanted to escape from the crowds for a little while and renew his strength. The disciples responded to Jesus’ request by taking Jesus “just as he was, in the boat” (v.36). This presumably means “without going to shore.” That is, Jesus wanted to go directly to the other side of the lake in the same boat he had been teaching the people from and without the delay his first going ashore might have caused.

The mention of “other boats with him” (v.36) seems to be a pointless detail and strongly suggests an eyewitness account. We are not told what happened to the other boats. Perhaps they were lost in the storm or driven back to the western shore of the lake.

37 The geographic location of the Sea of Galilee makes it particularly susceptible to sudden, violent storms. It is situated in a basin surrounded by mountains. Though at night and in the early morning the sea is usually calm, when storms come at those times, they are all the more treacherous. The storm is described as a “furious squall” (lailaps megale anemou ) that was driving the waves into the boat so that it was being swamped. Smith’s description of the Sea of Galilee’s susceptibility to storms is illuminating: “The atmosphere, for the most part, hangs still and heavy but the cold currents, as they pass from the west, are sucked down in vortices of air, or by the narrow gorges that break upon the lake. Then arise those sudden storms for which the region is notorious” (G.A. Smith, The Historical Geography of the Holy Land  [New York: Armstrong and Son, 1909], pp. 441-42).

38 Jesus, tired from a long day’s teaching, was in the stern of the boat, asleep on a “cushion” (proskephalaion ). Lagrange (p. 231) says that “in these boats, which will no doubt always have been the same, the place for any distinguished stranger is on the little seat placed at the stern, where a carpet or cushions are arranged.” The cushion (the definite article is used) was apparently the only one on board, and Jesus used it as a pillow for his head. This is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus is said to have slept; but he did, of course, get tired and need sleep like any other man. He must have been very tired to have slept through such a violent storm.

The disciples’ rebuke of Jesus—“Teacher, are we to drown for all you care?” (Mof)—indicates that they did not know who he really was. Such a rebuke of the Son of God was entirely inappropriate. Both Matthew and Luke eliminate the rebuke. “The rudeness of the Mk form, which is no doubt more original, is an eloquent pointer to the messianic veiledness—the Son of God subject to the rudeness of men” (Cranfield, Gospel of Mark, p. 174).

39-40 Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke to the waves. The result was that “the wind died down and it was completely calm” (v.39). The sovereign Lord spoke and his creation immediately responded. Mark alone records the words Jesus used.

Jesus also rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith (v.40). The preferred reading (oupo, “not yet”; NIV, “still”) indicates that Jesus had expected them by this time to have demonstrated more mature faith. “Faith” here means faith in God’s saving power as it is present and active in the person of Jesus. This is the first of several rebukes of the disciples by Jesus for their lack of understanding and faith (cf. 7:18; 8:17-18, 21, 32-33; 9:19).

41  “Were terrified” describes the feeling of awe that came over the disciples as the result of Jesus’ mighty act. There was something about him revealed to them on this occasion that they had not experienced before. Thus they raised the rhetorical question “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” The implied answer is “He is the strong Son of God.”

It is not difficult to imagine what effect this story had on the members of the persecuted Roman church Mark wrote his Gospel for. It assured them that the strong Son of God would go with them into the storm of opposition and trial.

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Mark 4:39 It has often been pointed out that the verbs e˙pitimaˆ=n (epitiman, “to rebuke”) and fimouvn (phimoun, “to muzzle”) are also found in the description of the exorcism of Clark 1:25. Lane (p. 177) sees in the use of these words evidence of “cosmic overtones” in Mark’s Gospel. The raging storm is an evil “force” threatening Jesus and his disciples. Jesus muzzled it by his sovereign word of authority.

Wessle, Walter W. Mark. Expositor’s Bible Commentary 8. Edited by Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas. 

The EBC would get a first nod from just about everyone. I jumped on the Tyndale as I already found them helpful from the print ones I have used in the past. At least from an expositional standpoint,Tyndale will give you the context and basics which you need to get across to listeners. How deep you go really depends on you and your willingness to dig in. At some point you will want more, but chances are the depth of your study may not make it into your sermon.

Tyndale Commentaries are one of the best bargains available.  The Best Commentaries site ranks seven or eight volumes in the set as either the best or second best commentary available on a particular book.  This is especially true in the Old Testament.

Yes they are somewhat brief by design.  It is silly to compare Tyndale to more comprehensive commentaries like NICOT/NT or even the EBC.  But you will find many of the same authors, and Tyndale is packed with helpful info.  And it is very reasonably price.

It is a jewel.

I may be mistaken, but after the excerpts I have seen of both, it appears the EBC would be more useful for sermon purposes than the Tyndale.  The Tyndale doesn't seem to be bad by any means, the EBC just seems to be a bit better.

Yes they are somewhat brief by design.  It is silly to compare Tyndale to more comprehensive commentaries like NICOT/NT or even the EBC.  But you will find many of the same authors, and Tyndale is packed with helpful info.  And it is very reasonably price.

To be honest I consider Tyndale NT and a few of the OT volumes superior to EBC. But i do know everyone is different.

-Dan

I may be mistaken, but after the excerpts I have seen of both, it appears the EBC would be more useful for sermon purposes than the Tyndale.  The Tyndale doesn't seem to be bad by any means, the EBC just seems to be a bit better.

You will certainly get varied opinions on this. I tend to use the EBC more than Tyndale. If I had to pick just one, I would pick EBC.

I may be mistaken, but after the excerpts I have seen of both, it appears the EBC would be more useful for sermon purposes than the Tyndale.  The Tyndale doesn't seem to be bad by any means, the EBC just seems to be a bit better.

Both are good sets.  I would imagine you would be happy with either.

I find the EBC to have one outstanding commentary in the set, and that is Matthew by D. A. Carson. It alone is worth the set.  The others are average, in my opinion.

I find Tyndale to have 7 or 8 excellent commentaries in the set, and the some of the others are above average.

But it is all a matter of opinion.  And as you see, opinions vary.

I highly recommend the information on bestcommentaries.com

Get EBC is cheaper, more content and though uneven as Tyndale and other commentaries (even the top notch ones WBC, NICOT/NT) you will get more for your money.  I love Carson's volume on Matthew and other volumes by various authors.  I also appreciate the introductory articles which were left out in the "new" edition of the EBC.  The volume with the introductory articles and Carson on Matthew are worth the whole set! (IMHO).

DAL

This is broader than your question, but I would recommend Tyndale, Word Biblical, and New American Commentary if you're looking for three somewhat different but essentially complete sets as a starter for your library.  NAC is included in Logos 5 Silver or higher base packages...which is how I'd recommend buying it, especially if you're a student, because it's cost prohibitive apart from the base package. 

Tyndale is great for quick reference/questions e.g. sermon prep, especially for a shorter devotional or sermon or survey type study.  Word Biblical goes more in depth.  I use it mainly for the language analysis sections vs. the interpretation sections, because it's not especially conservative.  But it is complete and it will give you a different perspective from Tyndale.  New American Commentary is conservative plus addresses some of the language concerns like WBC, but it's not nearly as concise as Tyndale, so will either give you more than you need on a particular section, or at other times answer the questions Tyndale leaves out because of length.

An alternate to Tyndale is the Expositor's Bible Commentary.  The old set is more dispensational vs. the newer EBC, so it's a good contrast to Tyndale, which is more of a covenant theology type series.  Still, I think the volumes in Tyndale are more consistently helpful.  EBC is too uneven in terms of length of commentary - Matthew by Carson is excellent as mentioned but few of the others are up to that standard in terms of detail, length, insights, etc.

An alternative to NAC would be the New International Commentary on OT/NT.  But, you're looking at $1300+ (depending on sales) to get that one series vs. Logos 5 Silver (including all of NAC) for $1000 (standard user) or as little as half that price for students.

NICOT/NT is probably the most in-depth of the recent conservative commentaries that are nearly complete.  So you get the language analysis of WBC/NAC plus a lot more detailed and helpful interpretation notes.  Other series are making progress like Pillar or Baker Exegetical but those are NT only.  Evangelical Exegetical is making progress but a far cry from covering all 66 books.  The main reason I've not bought NICOT/NT is the high price per volume.  I may reconsider down the road but currently I have access to them in print at a nearby seminary.  So that's another reason to hold off.

Correction: those are not NT-only. If I remember correctly by heart, the OT counterpart of Pillar is called Apollos-something:

Other series are making progress like Pillar or Baker Exegetical but those are NT only.

This thread has mostly been about old commentary sets. I would prefer Baker's NTC (HK). For the OT I don't know any complete or almost complete general sermon prep use set on this level to recommend.

Daniel Lee,

Thanks for the comprehensive reply.  I have Logos 5 Platinum, so I have the NIC.  It's my favorite commentary of all the ones that come in the base packages.  I also purchased the Preacher's Commentary series a few years ago, and benefit from them.  Besides those two sets, I really don't have much else that is that very helpful for sermon prep.  Tyndale and EBC are affordable, so that's the main reason I was looking at them.  I'd love to have the NICOT/NT set, but the price is steep.  If I get them, I'd have to save professional expense for nearly a year to make the purchase.  I've used hard copies of the Word Biblical Commentary, and was never very impressed.

David, You mean NAC?:

Thanks for the comprehensive reply.  I have Logos 5 Platinum, so I have the NIC.

Check out the $160 set I linked to (I edited my post to insert the link to avoid confusion), it should give some meat.

Yes, typo.  I meant the NAC.

I used Bakers in seminary -- I remember after seeing the cover.  They were pretty good, as I recall.  I'll try to find some samples online at another site.

I used Bakers in seminary -- I remember after seeing the cover.  They were pretty good, as I recall.  I'll try to find some samples online at another site.

Clarification - there is the older Baker's NT by Hendriksen that covers all the NT (last four or five volumes completed by Kistemaker) and then there is the new not yet complete Baker Exegetical Commentary series that will eventually cover all the NT, is much more in-depth, and also correspondingly more expensive.  Solid set but I ended up swapping them to a friend who would benefit more from them on papers etc.

Daniel Lee,

Thanks for the comprehensive reply.  I have Logos 5 Platinum, so I have the NIC.  It's my favorite commentary of all the ones that come in the base packages.  I also purchased the Preacher's Commentary series a few years ago, and benefit from them.  Besides those two sets, I really don't have much else that is that very helpful for sermon prep.  Tyndale and EBC are affordable, so that's the main reason I was looking at them.  I'd love to have the NICOT/NT set, but the price is steep.  If I get them, I'd have to save professional expense for nearly a year to make the purchase.  I've used hard copies of the Word Biblical Commentary, and was never very impressed.

You're welcome.  If you have NAC already, you could skip WBC.  You will find similar information, and though the occasionally critical approach (e.g. non-conservative) in the WBC is helpful for knowing other perspectives, it's also not essential from my perspective.  Further, the organization of WBC is a pain because of the pedantic arrangement of text, structure, interpretation, etc that repeats per every 15-20 verses covered.

In your case I'd go for Tyndale and EBC.  I think they're very good value for the money. I would buy a single volume of NIC as a trial run if you're going to preach through that particular book and see how well you like the series before sinking huge money into the set. 

And if you only think you'd use 5-6 volumes of a set like NIC, then just buy the volumes as needed at whatever they are, like $50/book, and call it good vs. paying the $1300+ for the whole series that you might not use.  My two cents having been there and bought more than I need and regretted it to some degree later.  Not NIC but other things like the theological journal library that I used briefly in seminary and then not really again.

Since you have Platinum, I'd look at making use of the UBS handbook series that you own.  They're not commentaries per se but useful in thinking through word meanings/translations/phrasing, textual variants, etc.  I think you might find them helpful alongside your commentary sets.

Another helpful book that is not a traditional commentary but well worth the money in my opinion is the Commentary on the OT use of the NT.

The previous two replies were by me logged in accidentally under my wife's account. 

I used Bakers in seminary -- I remember after seeing the cover.  They were pretty good, as I recall.  I'll try to find some samples online at another site.

Clarification - there is the older Baker's NT by Hendriksen that covers all the NT (last four or five volumes completed by Kistemaker) and then there is the new not yet complete Baker Exegetical Commentary series that will eventually cover all the NT, is much more in-depth, and also correspondingly more expensive.  Solid set but I ended up swapping them to a friend who would benefit more from them on papers etc.

I would put the BECNT series on par with NIC/Pillar - somewhat more in depth/text oriented (as in use of Greek terms) vs. NAC.  But if you have NAC there is a good bit of overlap.  I found NIC/Pillar/BECNT often saying the same things, so I now just have NAC/WBC/Tyndale, which are all slightly different.

The main reason I've not bought NICOT/NT is the high price per volume.  I may reconsider down the road but currently I have access to them in print at a nearby seminary.  So that's another reason to hold off.

NICOT/NT volumes have not been available individually. Some highly regarded titles are currently on sale through the March Madness deadline of 4/14. This would be a good time to pick up some of those.

If you are able to buy the complete set at some point in the future, dynamic pricing would apply.

https://www.logos.com/products/search?q=nicnt

The main reason I've not bought NICOT/NT is the high price per volume.  I may reconsider down the road but currently I have access to them in print at a nearby seminary.  So that's another reason to hold off.

NICOT/NT volumes have not been available individually. Some highly regarded titles are currently on sale through the March Madness deadline of 4/14. This would be a good time to pick up some of those.

If you are able to buy the complete set at some point in the future, dynamic pricing would apply.

They are now available individually. Not sure how long that has been the case. Also bundled, e.g. pastoral epistles etc, in smaller collections.

Good point on the March Madness discounts.