‘Well informed and authentically African’

John Woods  |  Reviews
Date posted:  8 May 2026
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‘Well informed and authentically African’

AFRICA BIBLE COMMENTARY, SECOND EDITION: A One-Volume Commentary from Over 100 African Scholars
Editors: Yacouba Sanon, Elizabeth W. Mburu, Nathan Chiroma
Zondervan Academic. 2064 pages. £47
ISBN 978 0 310 102 182

This book, as big as a breeze block, is the much anticipated Second Edition of the well-received Africa Bible Commentary, that was first published in 2006.

The aim 20 years ago was to have a Biblical commentary written by Africans for Africans. It certainly was a great achievement to get that edition across the line. I have enjoyed consulting it over the years, especially the 68 special articles, scattered throughout, on themes that are pertinent in Africa. Sometimes reading a commentary written in a culture that is different from our own can help us see the Biblical text through fresh eyes.

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