1 and 2 Kings

 

This is a much longer commentary (though the text is very large print and there are many pictures). Brueggemann can be very insightful at times. He especially works hard to understand the social and political background of the text and then use those observations to make applications for the church and culture of our day. This is what makes this commentary valuable even where you may disagree. But disagree I often did. He can sometimes in my opinion, due in part to his cynicism, not see the intent of the author. Indeed, sometimes his cynicism seems to carry over to the author and Scripture itself. This results in an almost arrogant feel which comes through in this commentary as it does in many (not all) of his works. While definitely not recommended as a first commentary as sometimes I feel he misses the flow and intention of the texts, it is definitely a helpful commentary to reference. Even where you may disagree, his efforts at understanding the social and political implications and applications for the church today is worth the exercise in thinking. But it is probably not worth its rather high price to buy.

Mid-level commentary with helpful sidebars and accompanying CD-Rom. "Connections" section designed to stimulate theological reflection. [Full Review]