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1 & 2 Samuel
Excellence found in the slow lane
1 & 2 SAMUEL
By David G. Firth
IVP. 614 pages. £24.99
ISBN 978-0-84474-368-1
Sometimes you don't know how much you wanted something until you got it! That will be the reaction of every reader of this commentary.
Dr. Firth is hugely acquainted with the literature on the books of Samuel, and deploys his knowledge skilfully — and readably — and without being in thrall to the opinions of others.
Indeed, it is a delight to read a commentary that has broken loose from the hideously wooden literary criticism of the past which found conflicting accounts of the founding of the monarchy or of David's introduction to Saul. Rather, a sensible, informed understanding of the demands of narrative history leads, here, to a lucid presentation of the story, always mindful of the fundamental reality that, in the Bible, history is prophecy, a declaration of the Word of God. Consequently, while (as is general in commentaries on the historical books) the story is retold, nothing is ever left there: truth is pursued, revelation is clarified. The publisher's claim that this is a 'constructive contribution to Old Testament interpretation and biblical theology' is fully justified.
Apollos Commentaries have adopted a pattern of presentation: a new translation with annotations, a section called 'structure’, dealing with form and background, comment (explanatory exegesis), and explanation (interpretation and application). In Dr. Firth's hands, this makes for good, practical use, whether one is working through the books or needing help on a passage or verse, and his fluent style makes for easy reading. I would have preferred references to other authors to be given as footnotes rather than included in the text, but in such a treasure store this is a minor carp! If I found Dr. Firth's work slow going it was only because I needed to transfer so much of his material into my own notebooks!
Alec Motyer,
Anglican by birth, non-denominational by temperament, biblical by conviction, saved by grace
© Evangelicals Now - January 2010
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