Commentary

I just read this in the Libronix Newsgroups and wanted to pass it on...

“Get a FREE commentary! For a limited time, the Matthew, Mark volume of the Cornerstone Biblical Commentary is available as a free download with coupon code CORNERSTONE. Place your order now, and spread the word! NOTE: If you are not currently a Libronix user, you will need to download the free Libronix engine first and create a Libronix Customer ID before downloading this title.
--Matthew, Mark Cornerstone Biblical Commentary

I like free, it's my favorite price. So I went through the simple steps and snagged a copy for my reading pleasure. After looking at it for only a brief spell I offer the following likewise brief review:

observations along the way.

Reading this large of a block of scripture every day created a problem for me. I note that I became focused on conquering the territory rather than surveying it as I went. I had to continually struggle against that bent.

I suffer the same shortcoming when I drive on vacation. I could drive past the most beautiful vista's and never notice because my eyes were pinned to the road and my heart was already at my destination. So it was in some measure as I read through the Bible this month. I found myself so focused on conquering the territory that I undoubtedly missed a number of blessings.

On the other hand I gained a panoramic overview of the Bible which can't be had otherwise. So I don't feel any guilt at reading past the details instead I feel blessed for having experienced the grandeur of God's word at a distance. So I didn't miss all the blessings I just received a different set. In fact most slower readers are virtually guaranteed to miss the forest because they're so focused on the trees, or in most cases the bark.

The ESV as a Reader's Bible

The ESV is incredibly readable. The speed with which I read didn't permit me to compare it either to the original languages or to the NASB which has been my main bible translation for a number of years now. However I can say that the ESV rarely felt difficult to read in large chunks. To that effect at minimum it is a good translation for reading. This is an important point for me.

I've long been a fan of the Critical Issues Commentaries by Bob DeWaay. I may not always agree with what he says but he certainly inspires critical thinking. Whyndell Grizzard contacted Bob and secured permission to convert the already existing commentaries into Libronix PBB format. He has been dutifully converting them and as of this post has completed the first forty sixty issues.
Way to go Whyndell!
As more come in I'll update this post with them.
Update: Whyndell supplied the third set today, issues 41-60!

Dr. George H. Morrison New Testament commentary, plus Genesis and Psalms.

God bless!
JoeK

I was reading yet another commentary on Revelation recently (Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four Views : A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, Tenn.: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997). The author made what I thought was a very astute observation on the state of so many commentary sets today: they're all repeating each other.

"I went to great expense purchasing commentaries, only to find that many of them virtually duplicated almost all of the material of many others and only occasionally presented a distinctive element"

Think about it: How many times have you reached for commentary "A" then "B" and found virtually the same material?