Thus far I am highly impressed by the Kregel Exegetical Library. I have reviewed Robert Chisholm’s commentary on Judges and Ruth and Allen Ross’s commentary on book one of the Psalms (Psalms 1-41). Both of those volumes combined exegetical depth with homiletic insight. These are commentaries which are sensitive to genre, literary style, and the historic setting of the text. They also are written by critically engaged confessional scholars and chock-full of insights. Now Allen Ross has returned with a second volume on the Psalms. A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89) examines books two and three of the Psalms.

Because this is volume two of a proposed three volume treatment on the Psalms (Volume three planned for November 2014), this volume does not include the extensive and helpful introduction to the Psalms. Instead Ross jumps right into commenting on the text. Like the previous volume, Ross begins his commentary on each chapter with a fresh translation, notes on textual variants, a discussion of the composition and context, and an exegetical analysis. Then he provides a verse by verse commentary on the text. and concludes with a brief section on the message and application of the text. This format allows Ross to dig deeply into the language, history and message of the Psalms while drawing out the implications for our life now.

This is a great follow up to Ross’s Volume One and makes me look eagerly ahead to the next installment. I recommend this book for scholars, students and pastors. Anyone who is interested in exploring in-depth the Psalms, will find Ross an insightful guide [Ross wrote my intro to Biblical Hebrew text, so I am grateful to the ways he has opened up the Hebrew Scriptures to me]. The strength of this commentary is in its attention to exegetical details. I give this commentary five stars: ★★★★★

Notice of material connection: I received this book from Kregel Academic for the purposes of my honest review. ( )

I was particularly excited about reviewing A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1 (1-41), part of the Kregel Exegetical Library. The Psalms are the book of the Bible I have spent the most time investigatin,g both academically and personally. I’ve studied the psalms to have them shape my prayer life and collect thoughtful commentaries, devotionals, studies and introductions to the Psalms. So Allen Ross’s commentary looked interesting to me and wanted to see what insights he gleaned from his years of study in the psalms.

But another reason that makes this book appeal to me is that it is written by Allen P. Ross. In seminary, his Introducing Biblical Hebrew was the text that laid the foundation of what I know of Hebrew grammar and syntax. So in a way I feel like Ross is one of the guys that really opened up the Hebrew scriptures for me in a fresh way and I wanted to see what he did here.

This commentary did not disappoint me. Ross represents some of the best critically engaged confessional scholarship today. Bringing his knoweldge of Hebrew to bear on the text, he translates, notates the text critical issues and makes judicious judgments on the text. Sensitive to elements of Hebrew poetics, psalm genres and life setting of the psalms he draws on a wide range of scholarship, presenting his commentary on the passage in the form of an expository outline on the text and offers brief comments on each psalm’s message and application.

But despite his obvious scholarship, what sets this book apart from other high level critical commentaries, is its readability. Ross is able to craft a commentary which is accessible to the laity and working pastor, but also one that is engaged in scholarly literature and discussion. If you’ve sat down and read commentaries cover to cover, you know that this can be a rare combination.

There are other things I liked. The commentary focuses on book 1 of the Psalms which is full of Psalms of David, royal psalms, personal laments, prayers for victory in battle and didactic hymns. Ross does a good job making this relevant to the modern Christian and his expository outlines give me a little bit of the flavor of how a passage might preach (as an occasional preacher, I like this). But before he comments on the individual psalms, he also has several introductory articles on the whole psalms which discuss the value of the psalms, their headings, the history of interpretation, the interpretation of biblical poetry, literary forms and functions, theology of the psalms and his method of exposition. A lot of this is drawn from other literature I have on my shelf, but Ross does such a good job of summarizing other commentators and representing their insights accessibly. This makes it ideal for a student of the psalms.

What Ross offers in terms of his exegetical work is a careful, attentive reading of the biblical text. I have other commentators on my shelf whose exegesis is more creative and engaging than Ross is. They challenge me to think about the text in new ways, but I disagree with them more. What I get from Ross is a more consistent and solid interpretation, often favoring a traditional understanding (i.e. he accepts the superscriptions as reliable unless a compelling reason dictates that he shouldn’t and reads carefully not suggestively). That isn’t to say that I agree with Ross on every point (or any other commentator for that matter), but I appreciate his style and attentiveness.

This is a helpful addition to the pastor’s or student’s library. I recommend this highly and look forward to the release of the next couple of volumes.

Thank you to Kregel Publications for providing me with a copy of this commentary in exchange for this review. ( )

It is odd, at least to me, to find a commentary that is both exegetical and Premillennial. Normally exegetical/linguistic commentaries are really good with their linguistics, and much of their basic exegesis, but are Amillennial, Covenantal and overly typological. And to my knowledge, most premillennial commentaries are not exegetical/linguistic commentaries but more of the devotional/light type, and like the Covenantal commentaries, are too typological in their views of certain texts. This commentary on the Psalms, by Allen Ross, is a very refreshing find in that it is both exegetical and Premillennial, and if anything, tries a little too hard not to be typological, focusing on examining the text for what it says.

Each examination of a Psalm starts out with the Psalm itself, and underneath the Psalm, one of my favorite features, LOTS of footnotes containing textual variants from other manuscripts, such as the Greek version, Symmachus, the Syriac, Targums and other sources. These footnotes discuss the differences between the Masoretic text and other manuscripts and sometimes explains why the author favors one rendering over another.

Next we are brought to examine the "composition and context" of the Psalm, and eventually we will end up at an outline of the Psalm, which happens to be another feature that I like. Following the outline, we come to "Commentary in Expository Form" which delves into the meaning of Psalm in more detail. This part deals with the verses in groupings with headings, such as "The Righteous must not be troubled by the pomp of this world because it cannot redeem and it cannot survive death(5-12)." This section also has many footnotes, and some rather long ones too, which delve further into discussion of various word meanings and other things about the verses in question. And finally, we end with a look at the "message and application" of the Psalm.

My only real qualms with Mr. Ross is that, as I mentioned before, he seems to be a little too careful about not coming to conclusions about whether a Psalm, or verse or two of a Psalm, is prophetic or not. For example, Psalm 45 vs. 6-7 reads:
"Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever; an upright scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of rejoicing over your companions…." Part of Ross' commentary on these verses is that, "In Israel the king was never considered divine. He might be called 'God' as in this psalm, but only because he his vice-regent in the theocracy…It was an easy step for the New Testament writers to apply this passage to Jesus the Messiah, who they were convinced was divine." That makes it sound like the writers of the New Testament simply looked for verses that they could apply to the Messiah, rather than using actual proof texts. When the New Testament writers look on a verse as a solid proof text, we should defer to them and assume it was/is such, rather than that they just looked for just looked for similarities to the Messiah in the Old Testament to use in their defense of the Messiahship of Jesus. That wouldn't be a solid biblical stance on the Apostles' part, they could have been answered very easily by the Jews that the text wasn't really speaking about the Messiah, and all that they could say in defense of their usage of the verse was that, though it was not speaking of the Messiah, it sounded a lot like the One they(the Apostles) claimed to be the Messiah so they applied it to Him. Now, this Psalm was quoted in the epistle to the Hebrews, defending and explaining the Messiahship of Christ, and His perfect salvation. But this commentary makes it sound as though the Jews were to be convinced by the Apostles application of the Psalm to Jesus, not by the Psalm as a prophetic text speaking of Jesus, the Divine Messiah Himself. I can't buy that.

But aside from things like what I just mentioned, the commentary is rather good, and really does give some good insights into the text. I am pleased with it.

Many thanks to Kregel Academic for sending me a free review copy of this book!(My review did not have to be favorable)
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Volume 2 of Allen Ross’s superb commentary on Psalms does not disappoint. It matches the excellence of his first volume, which I previously reviewed. Ross distills the insights of decades of research and study on the book of Psalms into a single tool that can truly be a one-stop-shop for the busy pastor. When the final volume of this commentary set is made available (later this year), students of the Word will have over 2700 pages of seasoned analysis and accessible information on all 150 Psalms.

Having provided a detailed introduction in his first volume, this book starts right up with Psalm 42, and continues through Psalm 89. Ross covers each psalm separately. He begins with his own translation of the text complete with footnotes pointing out meaningful textual variants. The psalm’s composition and context is then briefly sketched and an exegetical analysis (or outline) is provided. Then comes a detailed verse-by-verse commentary focusing on exposition, and all this is wrapped up with a brief recounting of the message and application of the psalm.

Ross aims to help modern preachers and teachers to truly exposit all of the psalms in their entirety (not just a line here and there). He blends contemporary insights with gems of yesterday as he analyzes the Psalms and provides a very useful tool for the modern preacher. Ross with help from the team at Kregel, has crafted his tool to be most user-friendly. The font is large, there are helpful charts and diagrams, and clear section headings which break up the massive book. He uses footnotes throughout for more technical discussions, but chooses not to provide Hebrew transliterations as a rule, preferring just English translations and the Hebrew words themselves.

Ross’s approach sticks to the text and emphasizes linguistic study. He does comment on the use of the Psalms in the New Testament and is not afraid to mine the typological and messianic riches so often found in Psalms. Biblical theology, and intratextual allusions and connections are not featured prominently in his work. But his volume is a wealth of information for the busy pastor or lay teacher, and his care with the text is commendable.

I will be looking for volume three of this important set. I’m sure it will make a valuable addition to your church or home library. Pastors and students alike will want to pick up this resource and with Ross’s help unpack the riches to be found in the Hebrew Psalter.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Kregel Academic. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review. ( )