Books : Holman Concise Bible Commentary: Simple, Straightforward Commentary on Every Book of the Bible (Holman Reference)
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from: B&H Publishing Group
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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 220.7
EAN num: 9780805493375
ISBN number: 0805493379
Label: B&H Publishing Group
Manufacturer: B&H Publishing Group
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 681
Printing Date: 1998-09
Publishing house: B&H Publishing Group
Sale Popularity Level: 243557
Studio: B&H Publishing Group
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Rated by buyers 
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This commentary has just the right amount of information, in my opinion, for the average bible student. Not too little and not overload of information. It is not just a commentary of the books of the Bible, but of each chapter in each book. It is short and concise, like the Cliff notes I used in high school. This commentary does not take the place of reading the Bible, but it gives you a short summary of the chapter. It also gives you extra Scriptures to help your study go deeper than just the chapter you are reading. Very helpful, to me.
Rated by buyers 
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I've been wanting to find a Bible Commentary to supplement my readings as sometimes some passages are so difficult to understand, especially the Old Testament. This is a really neat book and it not only gives a short synopsis of the passages but explains the history behind each book. I didn't even realize before reading that some of the passages, eg. Chronicles and Samuels were so similar, just like the New Testament writings of the Apostles. Recommend for anyone who wants additional help in studying the Word.
Rated by buyers 
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Holman is one of the best conservative Christian brand names available today. Their translation of the Bible is an excellent compromise between being literal and being readable. The scholarship behind their translation is high-quality. My misgiving with Holman -- as with other, less well done conservative Christian enterprises -- is that they seek to hide the scholarship that goes into their efforts from the person in the pew. They are clearly well-informed about current archeology and the like (which separates them from the more egregious conservative efforts), but are careful not to roil the waters by letting too much of it out into the open.
A good case in point is the very very first page of the commentary on Genesis. The claim is carefully crafted that all traditional Jewish and Christian opinion assumes that Moses wrote the pentateuch. Now, almost no educated person believes this anymore. The so-called documentary hypothesis has been the consensus view of scholars almost since its very first formal presentation centuries ago.
Orthodox Jewry is committed to denying the hypothesis, but few others seriously question the view. The documentary hypothesis sees the Torah as a compilation of ancient sources, not the work of Moses alone. It does not attack the validity of scripture -- it just points out the textual basis for believing that there were multiple sources. Scripture itself does not claim that Moses wrote the very first five books -- this is a tradition that developed in Judaism over the years, and has become entrenched.
Given that nothing scriptural is at stake in questioning this docrtrine of Orthodox Judaism, it is odd that conservative Christianity has become so attached to it. But it has become dogma among conservatives that the very first five books were authored by Moses. The sad limitation of conservative Christianity is that opposition to contemporary scholarship has become an article of faith. The Holman commentary hews to that anti-intellectual bias.
It should also be mentioned that the Holman approach to Christianity is not ancient -- it traces its roots to nineteenth century American theology. The implication that what is presented is the faith as it has always been is false. If you seek faith with ancient roots, Eastern Orthodox comentaries would be better (The Orthodox Study Bible: New Testament and Psalms was released a few years ago and provides some excellent notes from their tradition). Also, the Philokalia serves as the Eastern Orthodiox equivalent of the Talmud to Judiasm. A wonderfully readable selection from that very dense and difficult work is available in English The Philokalia: The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts--selections Annotated & Explained (SkyLight Illuminations). But don't expect to recognize the faith that is expressed therein if you were brought up as an American Protestant. The faith that is called traditional in American Protestantism is a new creation by Christian standards. So the anti-modern bias of con evo Christianity is an odd beast, indeed. Nonetheless, the Holman commentary presents it about as well as anything available.
Rated by buyers -
Yes, simple and to the point but you get lots of infomation without being overloaded. I spent 3 hours in a bible bookstore comparing different bible commentarys and chose this one. From what I could see only one other really gave it a run for the money. At the end of each book of the bible there are questions for reflection and sources for further study. Has 56 feature articles, 40 charts, and 19 maps throughout the book. For my personal use it seemed to be the best for me. Great book that is simple and straightforward.
Rated by buyers -
A tool is known by its usefulness. Although it is "concise" in size, its usefulness remains high. I recommend it very much.
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