Psalms: Psalms 1-41 [Hardcover]

Thank you Dr. Goldingay for a truly helpful commentary on the Psalms. This commentary is aimed at pastors and seminary students, (Scholars will not be disappointed either). Goldingay provides a careful and fresh translation of each Psalm, a 65 page introduction and Christological interpretation to the Psalms. Each psalm is given an introduction, and notes of translation. Dr. Goldingay follows up with verse by verse comment and finally, a closing on the theological implecations. He interacts with scholarship of all eras, favorites such as Jerome and Luther, and includes many of our day as well ( Klaus Baltzer, Linda M. Maloney, Eugene H. Peterson and Walter Brueggemann; etc.) Currently, I have 6 commentaries on the Psalms, including Davidson, Terrien, Craigie and Mays, yet this surges to the top because of its ability to "stick" in my mind. Dr. Goldingay's pen is clear, reverant, concise and insightful.

Volume 1 of John Goldingay's trilogy on the Psalter is a tour de force, combining detailed exegesis with theological reflection. It begins with a fairly lengthy, but informative introduction that addresses authorship, formation of the Psalter, and the various types of Psalms. His exegesis of Psalms 1-41 is currently the most thorough available. The verse-by-verse exegesis transliterates the original Hebrew grammar, making the commentary very user-friendly for those lacking knowledge of the original language. While this commentary is an altogether solid effort, Christians desiring to better understand the use of the Psalter in the NT will find Goldingay's work immensely helpful. Pastors who love the Psalter, but don't quite know how to preach from it have a treasure trove of fine theological exegesis in Goldingay's work that guides the reader from the original OT context of each Psalm, into its NT usage whenever a particular Psalm is quoted there from the Septuagint (LXX) and finally into contemporary theological application. It will most definitely prove to be an illuminating read for anyone interested in studying, understanding and expounding the Psalter. Moving from text to sermon should be relatively easy for anyone using this commentary. Goldingay writes with the precision of a master exegete and the penetrating insight of a theologically-minded pastor. He displays his mastery of OT theology throughout and also interacts with sources as diverse as John Calvin and Eugene Peterson, solidifying the viability of his theological applications and their contemporary relevance (Perhaps Goldingay should write a homiletics textbook at some point. I'm certain that it would exponentially surpass most of the instructional books on preaching the Old Testament that are currently available!). Even laypersons desiring to study the Psalter more deeply will profit greatly from Goldingay's work. The NIVAC and WBC volumes on the Psalter are very good, but they do not combine exegesis with theological reflection and contemporary application as thoroughly, solidly and seamlessly as Goldingay does here. The section on Psalm 23 is reason enough to buy this commentary! The rest of the commentary is equally outstanding and will hopefully change the way those who read it view the Psalter itself, worship, prayer, and God himself for the better. This volume and its 2 forthcoming installments should prove to be the standard 'critical-Evangelical' Psalms commentaries for years to come. This first volume on the Psalms has certainly set a high standard for this particular specialized series; I expect nothing less from the other two installments.

The forthcoming (single?) volume on the Psalms for NICOT will most likely not be able to hold a candle to Goldingay's trilogy. Hopefully, these volumes will compel the NICOT editors to publish three equally thorough commentaries on the Psalter instead of a mere single volume. Highly recommended!!!!

(Note: this review is based on all three volumes of Goldingay's commentary on the Psalms.)

Goldingay's three volume commentary on the psalms is a scholarly resource when it comes to studying the psalter. In these commentaries, he discusses the textual, syntactical, and structural details of each psalm, as well as the (probable) historical context. There is a short glossary at the end of each volume which is helpful if the reader needs a brief definition of key terms in the psalms. Goldingay has utilized many different medieval, reformation, and modern commentaries on the psalms which helps make this set useful in some regards. Those are the strong points.

I do, however, have two major critiques of this commentary set that have to do with Goldingay's interpretive methodology.

First, Goldingay does not read the psalms from a NT point of view. In other words, these commentaries are not redemptive-historical or biblical-theological in any sense of the term. In fact, in the introduction (to vol. 1) he explicitly states that he does not "make the NT the filter or lens" through which he reads the psalms. He says reading the psalms through the lens of the NT silences the psalms' theology and spirituality. Of course, some may agree with Goldingay's methodology here; I simply want to point it out in case the reader is looking for a commentary that deals with how the NT ties into the psalms. This commentary series does not do that at all; in fact, the scripture indexes at the end of each volume only have a few references to NT passages.

The second major critique I have of this commentary set ties in with the previous one: Goldingay does not read the psalms as messianic, eschatological, or forward looking. For example, commenting on psalm 8 he writes that the psalm "does not refer to the Messiah." In his notes on psalm 22, Goldingay says "it is not a prophecy. The Messiah is not the primary referent of this text. The NT `wrenches it out of its setting.'" For psalm 110 he suggests linking the psalm to Jesus is to "ignore its meaning." In other words, Goldingay does not approach the psalter like the apostles did.

For these two reasons, I believe this commentary series is not helpful. Goldingay's "un-messianic" methodology also shows up in his application sections. He basically moralizes the psalms away by applying them to our setting without mentioning the NT, Jesus, the cross, or the resurrection. Time and again as I was reading his comments on many different psalms I was utterly frustrated by bare textual notes and odd gospel-less application. Every application just felt flat to me. If you believe the psalms are messianic, eschatological, and if you believe the apostles interpreted the psalms correctly (with Jesus at the center), you will most likely be quite disappointed with this series. In summary, I don't recommend this commentary set because it has very little to do with Jesus.

By the way, if you are looking for a better discussion of the psalms that do center on Jesus, check out Richard Belcher's "The Messiah and the Psalms," Geerhardus Vos' article "The Eschatology of the Psalter," Tremper Longman's "How to Read the Psalms," Mark Futato's "Interpreting the Psalms," the "NT Commentary on the OT" edited by Don Carson and Greg Beale, and of course Calvin and Luther's sermons and commentaries on the psalms (just to mention a few).