|
Editorial Review Product Description
The writes were chosen for their proven abilities as biblical scholars and their experience as teachers and or preachers. Each has an outstanding record of publication demonstrating a keen sense for biblical interpretation and expository writing. ... Read more Customer Reviews (3) 
Helpful, But Has Serious Flaws
I have used this commentary by Fretheim while preaching through Exodus.It is decent because it is short and to the point, and not exceedingly difficult to read or make sense of.I especially enjoyed the opening/introduction, as well as Fretheim's emphasis on creation parallels in the Exodus account.For example, in the plague section, he writes, "God uses creation to achieve redemption" (p. 138).Those types of comments are helpful; there are good parts of the commentary to be sure.
However, Fretheim has some troublesome theology which shows up in this commentary. He believes that God changes, grows, and learns right along with Moses.Fretheim: "God adjusts to new developments;" God's foreknowledge is less than absolute; "Future events may necessitate a change in the divine way into the future;" "God does not finally know;" "The God of Israel is revealed as one who is open to change" (pp. 65-77, 287).There are more examples, but reader beware: While the text of Exodus portrays a faithful, omnipotent, and omniscient God, Fretheim neuters him down to a dialogue partner with Moses and Aaron.
In summary, the commentary has been somewhat helpful to me, but for those who cannot stomach open theism - they will probably want to pass on the commentary and go for commentaries by Peter Enns or Brevard Childs instead.
Good , balanced and insightful
My review is not one of having read the entire book page for page, but more along the lines ofhaving used it for certain passages I was working through and/orfor background.
Fretheim does a really good job of placing the stories in literary context, with an overview to understanding the general sense of the passages. Given that thereisn't thatenough space todevote to an in depth analysis, this is probably the best approach one could hope for.He does occasionallyhighlight key words if needed , but the commentary is aimed atstudents comprehending the grand themes or underlying threads for the book ofExodus.Like an onion there certainly are layers upon layers to discover, but most readers can go back later to visit the depths after appreciating the grand vista's . The author's strength then is in this first approach.
I found the writing style to be clear and authentic;he gives praise and reference to outside sources when writing. Also the author was not afraid to admit that sometimes the passage is hard to understand. If there is a divergence of opinion, he gives a fair review and outline to the variouspositions. Good footnotes and the necessary references are included for research.
Overall one of the better commentaries out for the book of Exodus.Given that there isn't a lot of real choice out there for this important book, I would recommend it as a very wise buy.
Great Scholars sometimes are too great...
The book was a great read, but it was sometimes just REALLY dry and boring. There was little to no outside perspectives within the text, and I had trouble interacting with the text. However, Fretheim offered some great insights with the literary aspect of the texts which sometimes challenged me and other readers. If you are looking for a pretty good commentary that focuses on the literary elements of Exodus, this is a great start. Be wary that his scholarship sometimes overrides the enjoyment of reading the text.
... Read more
|
