1 Peter

Purpose: The purpose of this commentary, as is the purpose of all in the Tyndale set is to provide a medium length commentary aimed at the lay reader or pastor. It should not be too technical for the lay person or too brief to prove useful to the pastor. Discussion on matters of grammar and original language and interaction with other scholars should be limited. Wayne Grudem did a good job of meeting these goals. His commentary is a little on the scholarly side for the Tyndale series but certainly is readable for the average church attendee. Things I liked: 1. In a relatively short space Grudem lays out an excellent introduction to the letter. In particular, he clearly and thoroughly lays out the case for Petrine authorship and a date prior to heavy persecution. I found his arguments against the letter being pseudopigraphic quite persuasive. 2. Grudem interprets the text in a very clear headed fashion. Consistently I found myself in agreement with what he said. He wades through the text and always seems to pick the common sense interpretation of the passage. Unlike some commentators, you will never find yourself asking, "where did that come from?" He sticks to the text and rarely reads too much into it. His reasoning behind his interpretations is explained when necessary and he also notes when he disagrees with notable scholarship. Also, much like his Systematic Theology, he displays his ability to pack a lot into a small space. He says much more in 239 pages than some commentators would in twice that length. 3. His appendix on 1 Peter 3:19, 20 is a masterpiece. It may be Grudem at his best. He spends 37 pages on those two verses thoroughly defending his interpretation on a highly controversial passage. Whether you come to agree with him or not, his argument is so evenhanded and well presented that it is worth buying the commentary for the appendix alone. One note though, the appendix is quite technical and some knowledge of the original language is necessary to fully benefit from it. There is a shortened, less technical version in the commentary proper. Criticisms: 1. Eerdmans is a terrible publisher. As is typical with their books, the typeset is low quality. While it is always readable, in spots it is a little distracting. However, given the low price of the commentary you cannot complain too much. Overall I give the commentary five stars because it does an excellent job of fulfilling its purpose. A pastor or well studied layperson probably should get an additional commentary like Schreiner or Michaels.

This book presents a good evaluation of I Peter. However, it could probably be updated.

wayne grudem's 1st peter commentary is power-packed. he fits a lot more into his tyndale commentary than most in the series. great scholarship, exposition, and price with little academic jargon make this book a good buy.

This is a very good exegesis of 1 Peter. It provides in-depth analysis of the major issues in the text, and it doesn't get bogged down in scholarly discussions. Grudem's appendix on the spirits in prison is worth the price of the book