Genesis (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)

Better condition than stated. Very pleased with purchase.

The stated aim of the New Cambridge Bible Commentary series is, "to elucidate the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures for a wide range of intellectually curious individuals". Bill Arnold has more than met this objective with his fine commentary on Genesis. Theologically rigorous, but without being overly technical, this is a commentary that is meant to be read and savored, not merely used as a reference.I am very much looking forward to reading more volumes in the NCBC series and using them to enrich my personal study of Scripture. Highly recommended.

I bought this book for a class I was taking but I am glad I have it now. It is a wonderfully written commentary on the first book of the Bible. Arnold writes with clarity, care, depth,and a sensibility of interpretation that is refreshing. This book is packed with useful information on the topic of Genesis.

Good commentary.

[The following is a selection from a review on RBECS.org. For the full review, see [...]The expressed purpose of the New Cambridge Bible Commentary series is to "elucidate the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures for a wide range of intellectually curious individuals" in a way that is "accessible" and "jargon-free." As readers of this review will know, commentary series are typically aimed at a range of readers, and we might generally divide commentaries into devotional (aimed primarily at the reader with no specialist training, but hoping to be useful to pastors and teachers), expository (aimed primarily at someone with a degree of training - like pastors - but useful to lay readers; the best ones will be useful to specialists, as well) and exegetical categories (focusing on philology, diachronic analysis, comparative literature and historical-critical issues; contemporary application of the text is often absent or secondary). In the tradition of the Cambridge Bible Commentary, the NCBC series aims to be an example of that second category, the expository commentary. But not all expository commentaries are made equal, and not all volumes within a series are of equal value. The best ones bring out from the biblical text treasures old and new, effectively digesting and communicating recent developments in scholarship without being carried away by trendiness and combining this data with the strengths of the history of scholarship. Bill Arnold's Genesis does this and in such a way that it should be accessible to virtually any reader.[...]Bottom line: Genesis, by Bill Arnold, is an easy-to-read expository commentary that should be useful to a very wide range of readers, from layperson to specialist. It effectively digests and communicates recent developments in Genesis scholarship and in OT scholarship more generally, creating a commentary for which there is no precise contemporary analogue. It is more concise than Ken Matthews' two-volume NAC commentary (1996 and 2005). It is more thorough and a much higher quality reading of Genesis than that found in Turner's Readings volume (2009). Unlike Brueggemann's older IBC commentary (1982), the sections dealing with contemporary application are subordinated to a careful reading of the text (Brueggemann's commentary is valuable, but at times it seems to skip over the text entirely to get to application). The closest corollary would be Clare Amos' volume in the Epworth Commentaries series (2004), or perhaps John Walton's NIVAC commentary (2001), but I think it an improvement over both of these. Arnold's scholarship is thorough but careful, not given to idiosyncratic readings. This means that it is a safe bet for someone looking for a point of access into the labyrinthine world of Genesis scholarship, a good one-stop shop for a layperson looking for a quality commentary on Genesis for their home library, and a dependable conversation partner for the scholar.

Dr. Arnold's commentary on Genesis is an excellent resource for pastors, theological students, and lay theologians. His down-to-earth writing style makes this work easy to read while interacting with critical scholarship. This work is best read from beginning to end, but the key themes are repeated throughout the book sufficiently enough that it is also helpful as a resource for the individual narratives as well. One major focus of Arnold's commentary is the etiological aspects of the book of Genesis, an approach typically neglected among conservative scholars.Perhaps Arnold's most significant contribution in this work is his treatment of the dialogue between Abraham and God in the latter part of Genesis 18 concerning the impending judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. He sets the narrative within the ancient Near Eastern framework of economic bartering, offering a satisfying explanation that hinges on the sustained tension between justice and grace that forms a major theme of the entire book.I highly recommend this work for anyone who is already familiar with Genesis and wishes to deepen their understanding of the book both as a work of literature and as a religious document.