Ross Allen (2)

I'm enthusiastic about the Kregel Exegetical Library. I have read several volumes from the series and have been impressed by its depth and its usefulness for expository preaching. The first volume I ever read, was Allen Ross's A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 1, which in addition to providing solid commentary and textual notes for book one of the Psalms, also provided a superb introduction to Psalm's literary genres and Hebrew poetics. In Volume 2, Ross explored books two and three of the show more Psalms. With A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 3, Ross completes his journey through the Psalter, this time exploring books four and five (Ps 90-150).

9780825426667I have been eagerly anticipating this volume. This last third of the Psalm's have some of my favorite Psalms. I love Moses' communal lament in Psalms 90, the assurance of divine protection in Psalms 91, the joyous praise of Psalm 100, the lengthy meditation on God's law in Psalm 119, and Psalms of Ascent, the comprehensiveness of God's plan in Psalm 139, and the way lament is swallowed up by praise in the concluding five psalms. These are Psalms I turn to, to cement my courage and commitment to God.

I came to trust Ross’s voice when his Introducing Biblical Hebrew gave me a basic understanding of Hebrew syntax. As with Allen's other Psalms volumes there are a number of Hebrew word studies here, and this volume provides an index of them (including those in Volume 1 & 2). Allen is conversant with the scholarly literature but this commentary is accessible to the working pastor. Ross isn't too technical but he is not light on detail either (at 1018 pages!). One-hundred-eighteen pages are devoted to a single psalm, Psalm 119, where Ross walks through each stanza in the Hebrew acrostic (by way of comparison, Leslie Allen's devotes about thirty pages to that Psalm in WBC, Psalms Vol. III). For each psalm, Ross provides a translation of the psalm with textual notes, a discussion of composition and context, an exegetical analysis, and a discussion of the Psalm's message and application.

The preface relays that Ross's approach to the Psalms was shaped by a class he took in seminary which was co-taught by Bruce Waltke and Haddon Robins. Waltke graded the exegesis, Robinson graded the exposition. Ross tells us that Waltke said he didn't think it was a good class, but the experience was transformational for Ross. He still strives to hold exegesis and exposition together in his interpretation of the Psalms (12). I appreciate the detail and passion that Ross brings to his task. This volume is a fitting conclusion to his Psalms commentary. I give this five stars.

Note: I received this from Kregel Academic in exchange for my honest review. show less

I was really looking forward to reviewing this book, even if it was part 2 of a 3-part work on the Psalms and part 1 isn't on my shelves. But Ross' work on Leviticus, Holiness to the Lord, is on them there shelves and is a book I rate highly. And, for some reason, over the years I seem to have acquired (legally, let me add) several commentaries on the Psalms, including books that cover only some of the psalms. Some of those are more technical, others more devotional. Would Ross join the show more swollen ranks?

Introductory material
There isn't any here - you'd need volume 1 for that. This book just gallops into the task of commenting on books II and III of the psalter (Psalms 42-72 and 73-89 respectively).

Format
Each Psalm is treated to: the author's translation and translation notes; comments concerning Composition and Context; an Exegetical analysis (an outline of the Psalm); a Commentary in Expository Form (yep, that's what it's called) and, finally, a brief Message and Application section.

This format is not only well-suited to someone using the commentary in their sermon preparation but also allows it to be used less technically - you could simply read the exposition and message/application sections. Very helpful; and very similar to the format of the Word Biblical Commentary series. Mostly a useful format, although the Message & Application sections are rather lacking and often add very little.

Layout
OK, so a book's layout isn't top of the priority list, but nor is it inconsequential if you're planning on spending time with it. It can either help or hinder you in getting the most out of what is being said. The layout here is excellent - well-defined sections; a font size that borders on large without making you feel it's a concession to your age; and beautifully clear print, which really helps with the Hebrew quotations. First class, Kregel.

Sample Psalms
I decided to sample Ross' treatment of a variety of Psalms (obviously limited to Psalms 42-89 in this volume) and wanted to see how he handled a variety of topics: lament; penitence; Israel and the nations; the coming Messiah, the problem of evil, among others. So I chose to read his handling of Psalms 42,43; 44; 45; 51; 63; 67; 69; 72; 73 & 88.

Questions
In reading his comments on those psalms there were some questions I wanted to keep in mind as I read: does it suggest lines of application for preachers? Does it stimulate thinking? Is it pastorally sensitive? Is it appropriately Christ-focussed? Does it have a sensible use of Biblical Theology? Does it properly account for the psalms as congregational, not merely personal? (I know, expecting all that from one commentary is rather demanding)

Assessment
It's thorough - lots of comments about grammar and syntax and word usage. And yet it feels like it lacks some substance, both theologically and pastorally. The Message and Application sections are, in many ways, too short to be of much use but it was there that I'd hoped to find some deeper engagement, some more substantial reflection, but it just didn't appear, at least not in the psalms I sampled. And at times it felt oddly detached - not cold towards the material and yet not really engaged with it either. Distanced, almost.

It also largely lacked what I was hoping for in terms of Christological reflection - not entirely, but what was there seemed rather pedestrian. And the biblical theological questions just weren't handled in any depth - for example, in Psalms 42,43 the longing to be in the temple is equated with being in church, which is clearly part of the picture but not the whole by any means. Comments about the importance of being part of the body of Christ would have been helpful at that point, as well as reflections on the nature of worship under the new covenant.

It'll give you a lot of information about the psalms under consideration on and will provoke some lines of thought but there's a lot it won't give you too - observations aplenty but too little synthesis. Will it become part of my most-used commentaries on the psalms? I doubt it. It's not that it's a bad commentary - far from it. But I found it lacking in too many of the areas that I feel necessary for it to become a regular companion. It just didn't add enough into the mix. Sorry, Mr Ross.

(My copy of the book was kindly provided for review purposes by Alban Books, who did not ask for a positive review in return) show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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) show less