The Word Bible Commentary (WBC), is an extreamly scholarly and many time critical Biblical commentary, yet it is one that I have I had always desired to own. I was introduced to them in my second year of Seminary and found them extremely useful in writing academic papers, in sermon preparation, and in Sunday school preparation. As this commetnary series grows in my collection so does my respect for the series as a whole.

A few years ago the word bible commentary switch Publishers again, and came under the ownership of Zondervan Publications. Under their leadership this series has seen a rejuvenation of sorts. While the format remains unchanged (providing a phenomenal bibliography, translation, notes on translation and setting, followed by comments and explanation), the binding of the book has changed as well as the addition of revised versions of previously released commentaries.

While the WBC is world renowned for its high academic pursuit of Gods Word, I was pleasantly surprised at its accessibility to the pastor and not just the academically-minded Bible scholar. In the book that I have the privilege of viewing is a re-issuing of the 1st volume of this series containing Genesis 1-15, by Gordon J. Wenham which previously released under a previous publisher, but has a re-release under Zondervans leadership.

While reading an assortment of passages in the book of Genesis, I was saddened to see a lack of commentary about each verse with regard to application and contextualisation. Yet on the other hand comments about the Biblical Hebrew language as well as syntax of each verse are indispensable information that is sorely lacking in almost every modern commentary.

While knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew language is handy when utilizing this commentary, it is not a necessary requirement for some utilization. With that said having a deep knowledge of the Biblical Hebrew will greatly enhance a readers ability to use this commentary. I highly recommend this commentary to pastors and scholars due to its thorough academic approach combined with its accessibility to academia and the pastorate.

This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Academic Publishers in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.