Psalms

series: Understanding the Bible Commentary Series

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Each volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series breaks down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. They present a careful section-by-section exposition of the biblical books with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. Notes at the close of each chapter provide additional textual and technical comments for those who want to dig deeper. A bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes are also included. Pastors, students, and Bible teachers will find in this series a commitment to accessibility without sacrificing serious scholarship.

The Psalms are beloved for their poetic beauty, poignant expression of human emotion and spiritual experience, and soaring depictions of God's glory. This commentary examines literary elements to help understand each psalm as a whole. Further, it highlights the psalms in their liturgical role as part of Israel's worship, with an eye toward enriching contemporary worship and prayer.

Endorsements

"Using the literary method, this commentary examines linguistic detail and patterning and situates the single Psalm within the larger landscape of the Psalter. Broyles writes as one who has lived the Psalms as a scholar and as a believer. This user-friendly commentary, with its distinct fresh angle of vision on community worship, is a good find."--Elmer Martens, Mennonite Brethern Biblical Seminary

"Craig Broyles's commentary on the Psalms represents his own deep knowledge of the Psalms and a sense of the things that matter for the reading and hearing of this great devotional and theological literature. While fully drawing upon the latest scholarly work on the Psalms, the commentary is clear and accessible, giving the interpreter/preacher sufficient grasp of what each psalm is about without overwhelming him or her with masses of detail and secondary references. His attention to the context of ancient Israel is matched by his sensitivity to the contemporary word of the Psalms to believers and to the church as a whole."--Patrick D. Miller, Princeton Theological Seminary

The Author

  1. Craig C. Broyles

    Craig C. Broyles

    Craig C. Broyles is professor of religious studies at Trinity Western University, Canada. He is author of The Conflict of Faith and Experience: A Form-Critical and Theological Study of Selected Lament Psalms and co-editor of Writing and Reading the Scroll...

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Reviews

"The New International Biblical Commentary, based on the NIV, and published by Hendrickson and Paternoster Press, offers a more traditional style of commentary, with introductions, explanations of the text section by section, and Additional Notes on specific verses. The editors stress that the Old Testament often seems a strange and foreign book to modern readers, and the purpose of the commentaries is to 'break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of these biblical texts may become transparent'. Thus the intention is to provide 'believing criticism', and it offers quite specifically a Christian interpretation, although some writers stress this more than others. . . . Craig C. Broyles, Psalms, . . . focuses on the original use of the psalms as liturgies, because this respects their original function and provides a reading that is 'the most remote from modern readers.' Israel's faith was 'sung' as prayer, not 'signed' as a statement of orthodoxy. And each psalm is accepted as unique, although the way they fit into different genres is recognized, and key themes are noted. Broyles admits that the psalms have their limitations. There is much here for the preacher."--The Expository Times