Laymans Bible Commentary

"Here's an accessible reference that aids personal Bible study or Sunday school preparation -- the Layman's Bible Commentary, reference for the everyday Christian, not the scholar! This 12-volume set covers all 66 Bible books -- from Genesis to Revelation -- providing section-by-section commentary on the flow and theme of each book, as well as historical and literary context for each. Major interpretations are presented for controversial passages and topics. Puzzling passages and Bible practices are explained, and charts and diagrams further aid your understanding. And 'Take It Home' segments provide a practical application for each passage"--Publisher's website

Do Bible commentaries seem huge and daunting? They don't have to be! The Layman's New Testament Bible Commentary is the perfect all-in-one resource for better understanding of Matthew through Revelation.

Combines introductory articles with paragraph-by-paragraph of commentary to produce a single up-to-date exposition of Scripture. Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Do Bible commentaries seem huge and daunting? They don't have to be! The Layman's Old Testament Bible Commentary is the perfect all-in-one resource for better understanding of Genesis through Malachi.

Here's an accessible reference that aids personal Bible study or Sunday school preparation: The Layman's Bible Commentary. Volume 12 covers Hebrews through Revelation, and gives you section-by-section commentary on the flow and theme of each book, as well as historical and literary context for each. Major interpretations are presented for controversial passages and topics. Puzzling passages and Bible practices are explained, and charts and diagrams further aid your understanding. "Take Home" segments provide a practical application for each passage.

"A masterpiece of contemporary Bible translation and commentary."—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of 1999 Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.

"Here's an accessible reference that aids personal Bible study or Sunday school preparation -- the Layman's Bible Commentary, reference for the everyday Christian, not the scholar! This 12-volume set covers all 66 Bible books -- from Genesis to Revelation -- providing section-by-section commentary on the flow and theme of each book, as well as historical and literary context for each. Major interpretations are presented for controversial passages and topics. Puzzling passages and Bible practices are explained, and charts and diagrams further aid your understanding. And 'Take It Home' segments provide a practical application for each passage"--Publisher's website

Too long restricted to children's storybooks and cinematic extravaganzas, the Torah -- comprising the first five books of the Bible -- is an underappreciated mother lode of divine instruction, vitally important for Christians and the church. Convinced that both those who take the Torah too literally and those who neglect it are guilty of a naïve simplicity, Johanna van Wijk-Bos presents guidelines to help ordinary Christians recover this treasure in their faith and practice. Having lived in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation, van Wijk-Bos recognizes that after the attempted annihilation of the Jews from Christian Europe, it cannot be business as usual for Christianity. In light of the Holocaust, Christians must commit themselves to the restoration of just relations between Christians and Jews. This commitment to address all that fractures human relations undergirds van Wijk-Bos's call for Christians to reengage the Torah. Making Wise the Simple points out how God's care for and engagement with the whole world in the Torah set the tone for the entire biblical story. The book pays special attention to how our treatment of strangers lies at the heart of the Torah's teaching. Without attempting a purely Jewish reading of the Torah, van Wijk-Bos reclaims the Torah as a vibrant word for the Christian community in covenant with God. Written in a personal style conversant with current scholarship but sprinkled with anecdotes, this book is for everyone who has a hunger and enthusiasm for what the biblical text may convey, the courage to ask disturbing questions of the text, and an openness to old words that may bring forth new things, perhaps even making one wise.

Here’s an accessible reference that aids personal Bible study or Sunday school preparation: The Layman's Bible Commentary. Volume 8 covers Matthew and Mark, and gives you section-by-section commentary on the flow and theme of each book, as well as historical and literary context for each. Major interpretations are presented for controversial passages and topics. Puzzling passages and Bible practices are explained, and charts and diagrams further aid your understanding. “Take Home” segments provide a practical application for each passage.