Genesis: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching

This is a fabulous commentary -- one of the very best I've ever used. Brueggemann is careful to do the "critical-historical" work, but he also brings a narrative sense -- and a preacher's sense -- to the interpretation of the text. His goal is to enable today's church to access the book of Genesis for its proclamation and ministry. (I'm amazed and disappointed that Doulos couldn't do that! Some people really are blinded by philosophy!) Would that all biblical commentaries were as well-done, as relevant, as powerful as this! High recommended.

This is one of the best commentaries I have ever read and by far the best I have read on Genesis. Like all the commentaries in the series, this is a preaching commentary and I find his handing of the creation narrative as a proclamation of sovereignty to be excellent. I wish I had found this commentary much earlier in my journey.

I used this book as a key reference when preparing a sermon on the life of Abraham. Brueggmann provides plenty of fascinating insight and details that can help make the biblical story come to life, touching the heart as well as the mind.

I am a lay Sunday school teacher of adult classes, and I was searching for a commentary that was balanced yet understandable. This book met my needs and helped me convey some of the difficult passages to a diverse audience. One of the best elements of the book is the structural overview of each major section of Genesis and the increasingly more focused analysis thereafter. All in all this was a great guide on my spiritual journey.

If you are searching for a commentary on the book of Genesis to help in private study, or for preparation of teaching, then you have probably been frustrated by the blizzard of books on the subject which are either too lightweight, too evangelical, or too technical. Dr. Brueggemann's learned book delivers where the others fail. His prose is lively with penetrating insights into the text of Genesis that make you sit up, and say "Oh yeah! I never thought of that before!" The author is internationally recognized as one of the leading authorities on the Old Testament, so you don't have to worry about buying a book with bad scholorship. And thankfully, the good professor keeps the lay audience in mind and does not indulge the academic penchant of catalogueing each verse as being composed by one of the "JEPD" schools. In summary, this is a very good book (although the section on Joseph is a little weak on insight) for the person who is seeking a readable, enjoyable, and illuminating commentary designed to help the layperson apply the book of Genesis to their own lives, and to prepare lessons in that regard.