This fall I’m preaching through Genesis. Two Jewish commentaries have been exceedingly helpful and illuminating as I prepare each week. In a short series of two brief posts, I highlight each. 1. The JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis I’m a sucker for beautifully constructed books, and this is one. Nahum M. Sarna’s Genesis has … Continue reading 2 Exceptional Jewish Commentaries on Genesis, Part 1: The JPS Torah Commentary
One of the best biblical commentaries is the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) Bible Commentary. Previously at Words on the Word I’ve reviewed JPS Jonah, Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus. Now Accordance Bible Software has announced the release of every JPS Bible Commentary volume that currently exists in print, including Michael Fishbane’s Song of Songs and Michael … Continue reading New JPS Commentary Volumes, Now in Accordance
This month’s free book of the month from Logos Bible Software is the brilliant Nahum Sarna’s JPS Torah Commentary. It’s worth much more than $0.00, but you can get it for that price here. I reviewed the commentary here. Logos is also offering the JPS Jonah Commentary (I covered it here) for $1.99–an excellent … Continue reading Free JPS Exodus Commentary via Logos
I’ve made no secret of my love of Jewish Publication Society’s works. The JPS Torah Commentaries have greatly enhanced my reading of the first five books of the Bible. I have particularly appreciated the seamless blend of critical scholarship and devotional posture that series offers. In 2013 JPS published a massive, three-volume set, Outside the … Continue reading Outside the Bible (JPS): 3,000+ Pages in Accordance
I think I am actually on pace to finish my Bible-in-a-Year reading plan in two years–but, as I’ve said before, as much as I value getting a good overview of all of Scripture in a short time, it’s so deep and rich (and sometimes surprising and/or befuddling) that I keep wanting to go slow. This … Continue reading Va-yikra’: A JPS Companion for Reading Leviticus
I’ve come to Nahum Sarna’s JPS Torah Commentary on Exodus with high expectations. His Genesis volume in that series is one of the best commentaries I’ve read (on any book of the Bible). So far, after spending long periods of my last Sabbath with the book, it’s lived up to expectations. While I work on … Continue reading The JPS Bible Commentary on Exodus: Sarna Does it Again
Nahum Sarna’s JPS Torah Commentary on Genesis is easily one of the best three commentaries I’ve read on any book of the Bible. I’d put it up there with R.T. France’s Mark commentary, a technical and detailed commentary of which I read every word–France is that good, and so is Sarna. So as I geared … Continue reading The JPS Bible Commentary on Jonah
This fall I’m preaching through Genesis. Two Jewish commentaries have been exceedingly helpful and illuminating as I prepare each week. Yesterday I praised Nahum M. Sarna’s Genesis (JPS Torah Commentary). Here I highlight another commentary I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading. 2. The Torah: A Modern Commentary Like the JPS Torah Commentary, the Modern Commentary includes the … Continue reading 2 Exceptional Jewish Commentaries on Genesis, Part 2: The Torah: A Modern Commentary
The reason I’m so far behind on my Bible in a Year reading plan is that I’ve been reading Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus via the JPS Torah Commentary volumes. No, I’m not reading the Hebrew alongside the English–it’s just that the introductions, essays, and verse-by-verse notes are so gripping and elucidating, that I am moving … Continue reading This is Why I’m Behind on my 2015 Bible-in-a-Year Reading Plan
Ever since reading Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit in my undergrad days, I’ve often considered the world through the lens of Hegel’s dialectic. Plus, I always thought (and still think, if my sermon yesterday is an indication) it sounded really cool to talk about the “Hegelian dialectic” at work in the world. Yes, a little pretentious, … Continue reading Debate: The Lifeblood of Judaism, a “Holy Act”
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