Derek Kidner (1913–2008)

This commentary is dated, being as old as I am. The higher critical issues it deals with are those of the post-war historical critical consensus, when Von Rad's commentary was the newest rage. And yet, it is still a level-headed guide to many of the matters that bedevil readers about the book of beginnings. Kidner deals with issues of origins, literary form, long life spans and many other currently-contentious issues in a way that seems daring for 1967. Or perhaps many of these issues hadn't show more yet become as contentious?

Kidner is evangelical, and is conservative when it comes to Wellhausen’s J-E-D-P synthesis still current in his day. Yet he is no reactionary, in no way advocating Mosaic authorship. His exegesis of Genesis 1–11 is sensitive to literary form and the ancient world view. It does not advocate a creationist stance, and accomodates an alternative viewpoint. This commentary is worth reading just for the treatement it gives to Genesis 1–3.

His treatment of Genesis 12–50 is necessarily briefer, but still of the same quality. Kidner supports a historical reading of the text, taking into account the text's purpose and nature. While the commentary is exegetical in nature, it makes allusions to the New Testament where appropriate, and even tucks in asides to the Christian today.

Kidner is my favourite Old Testament commentator, and his work formed the early foundation of the Tyndale series. Even after 40+ years, this wise commentary is still a worthy guide to the book of Genesis. show less

Tyndale series is a good, if uneven, mid-level, conservative commentary series. Kidner's Psalms commentaries are good. Doesn't untangle thorny text critical issues and he generally takes the conservative stance, but a lot of what he says here has been helpful and has opened up the psalms for me as much as some of my more technical commentaries.

The chequered story of the Kings, a matter of nearly five centuries, had ended disastrously in 587 BC with the sack of Jerusalem, the fall of the monarchy and the removal to Babylonia of all that made Judah politically viable. It was a death to make way for a rebirth.' So begins Derek Kidner's commentary on the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which chart the Jews' return from exile to Jerusalem and the beginnings of that rebirth. As the drama unfolds, above all and through all we see the good show more hand of God at work. show less

A reasonably short and readable, yet informative, commentary on Genesis. I haven't finished it yet, but am enjoying it greatly so far. This series in general seems to be pretty good; I've also read Wenham's commentary on Numbers in this series and liked it very much.