{"id":1210,"date":"2010-11-30T22:45:22","date_gmt":"2010-12-01T04:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/2010\/11\/30\/of-making-many-commentaries\/"},"modified":"2010-12-15T22:31:54","modified_gmt":"2010-12-15T22:31:54","slug":"of-making-many-commentaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/2010\/11\/30\/of-making-many-commentaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Making Many Commentaries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I may have mentioned here before that one of my college professors once said that there are two kinds of people: those who read commentaries and those who write commentaries.&#160; I don&#8217;t remember what my response was, but I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if in my pride I thought that I would be one of the writers.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m over that.<\/p>\n<p>One (but not the only) reason concerns the number of commentaries already written.&#160; To take but one example, here is a list of commentaries I own on Isaiah.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Oswalt, 2 vols (NICOT) <\/li>\n<li>Smith, 2 vols (NAC) <\/li>\n<li>Watts, 2 vols (WBC) <\/li>\n<li>Motyer (Tyndale) <\/li>\n<li>Grogan (EBC) <\/li>\n<li>Oswalt (NIVAC) <\/li>\n<li>Wildberger, 3 vols, 1-39 <\/li>\n<li>Young, 3 vols <\/li>\n<li>McKinion, 1-39 (ACCS) <\/li>\n<li>Elliot, 40-66 (ACCS) <\/li>\n<li>Buksbazen <\/li>\n<li>Webb (Message) <\/li>\n<li>Delitzsch <\/li>\n<li>Beyer (Encountering) <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That doesn&#8217;t count all of the other sources I have on Isaiah: study Bible notes, survey books, one-volume commentaries.<\/p>\n<p>And it doesn&#8217;t count all of the many commentaries on Isaiah that I don&#8217;t own.&#160; To mention just a few: Williamson, Goldingay, Westermann, Sweeney, Childs, Blenkinsopp, Seitz.&#160; You can see a fuller list <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/category\/isaiah\/\">here<\/a>.&#160; (And as an aside, I &#8216;ll note that the rankings there agree remarkably with my own impressions: I would agree with the top 5, in the order given, though Webb for a different readership.)<\/p>\n<p>But even this is not sufficient deterrent to prevent me from writing a commentary (assuming there were no other reasons).&#160; But this is: A list of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/forthcoming.aspx\">forthcoming<\/a> commentaries on Isaiah.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/chris-franke\/\">Chris Franke<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/berit-olam-bo\/\"><abbr>BO<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/gregory-j-polan\/\">Gregory J. Polan<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/berit-olam-bo\/\"><abbr>BO<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/john-f-a-sawyer\/\">John F.A. Sawyer<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/blackwell-bible-commentaries-bbc\/\"><abbr>BBC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/j-j-m--roberts\/\">J.J.M. Roberts<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/hermeneia-herm\/\"><abbr>HERM<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/h-g-m-williamson\/\">H.G.M. Williamson<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/international-critical-commentary-icc\/\"><abbr>ICC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/john-a-emerton\/\">John A. Emerton<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/international-critical-commentary-icc\/\"><abbr>ICC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/patricia-k-tull\/\">Patricia K. Tull<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/smyth-and-helwys-sh\/\"><abbr>SH<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/hendrik-leene\/\">Hendrik Leene<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/historical-commentary-on-the-old-testament-hcot\/\"><abbr>HCOT<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/willem-a-m-beuken\/\">Willem A.M. Beuken<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/historical-commentary-on-the-old-testament-hcot\/\"><abbr>HCOT<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/david-baer\/\">David Baer<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/new-cambridge-bible-commentary-ncbc\/\"><abbr>NCBC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/j-ross-wagner\/\">J. Ross Wagner<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/septuagint-commentary-lxx\/\"><abbr>LXX<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/ephrem-the-syrian\/\">Ephrem the Syrian<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/ancient-christian-texts-act\/\"><abbr>ACT<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/eusebius-of-caesarea\/\">Eusebius of Caesarea<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/ancient-christian-texts-act\/\"><abbr>ACT<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/paul-r-house\/\">Paul R. House<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/mentor-old-testament-mot\/\"><abbr>MOT<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/dwight-swanson\/\">Dwight Swanson<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/new-beacon-bible-commentary-nbbc\/\"><abbr>NBBC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/steven-a-mckinion\/\">Steven A. McKinion<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/reformation-commentary-on-scripture-rcs\/\"><abbr>RCS<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/david-mckenna\/\">David McKenna<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/the-preacher-s-commentary-tpc\/\"><abbr>TPC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/andrew-bartelt\/\">Andrew Bartelt<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/paul-r-raabe\/\">Paul R. Raabe<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/eerdmans-critical-commentary-ecc\/\"><abbr>ECC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/shalom-m-paul\/\">Shalom M. Paul<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/eerdmans-critical-commentary-ecc\/\"><abbr>ECC<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/richard-schultz\/\">Richard Schultz<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/apollos-old-testament-aot\/\"><abbr>AOT<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/roy-f-melugin\/\">Roy F. Melugin<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/forms-of-the-old-testament-literature-fotl\/\"><abbr>FOTL<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/william-stacy-johnson\/\">William Stacy Johnson<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/belief-theological-commentary-on-the-bible-belief\/\"><abbr>Belief<\/abbr><\/a> <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/carol-dempsey\/\">Carol Dempsey<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/berit-olam-bo\/\"><abbr>BO<\/abbr><\/a> ~2008 <\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/author\/todd-s-beall\/\">Todd S. Beall<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bestcommentaries.com\/series\/evangelical-exegetical-commentary-eec\/\"><abbr>EEC<\/abbr><\/a> ~2016 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What percentage, do you suppose, of any given commentary will say something that hasn&#8217;t already been said at least ten times?&#160; I don&#8217;t believe that there&#8217;s not anything new to say, but I can&#8217;t say I&#8217;m real optimistic that much of this work will be a real contribution.<\/p>\n<p>I think I &#8216;ll spend more time playing with my kids.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body (Eccl 12:12).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I may have mentioned here before that one of my college professors once said that there are two kinds of people: those who read commentaries and those who write commentaries.&#160; I don&#8217;t remember what my response was, but I wouldn&#8217;t be surprised if in my pride I thought that I would be one of the\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/2010\/11\/30\/of-making-many-commentaries\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-isaiah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1210\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddbolen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}