Psalms, Volume 2: Psalms 42–89. By John Goldingay. Baker Commentary on the Old
Testament Wisdom and Psalms. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007, 744 pp., $49.99.
Those familiar with the field of OT study will no
doubt recognize the familiar name of John Goldingay, professor of OT at Fuller
Seminary and author of numerous commentaries and other books on OT topics such
as hermeneutical methods and biblical theology.
This commentary is the second volume of a three-volume
work by Goldingay on the Psalms; volume 1 (Psalms 1–41) appeared in 2006 and
volume 3 (Psalms 90–150) in 2008. These are contributions to the series edited
by Tremper Longman entitled Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and
Psalms, joining volumes by Richard Hess on Song of Songs (2005); Longman on
Proverbs (2006); the just-released work by Craig Bartholomew on Ecclesiastes
(2009); and the final projected volume on Job by Longman, which is forthcoming.
There is no shortage of commentaries on the book of
Psalms, both in antiquity down through today, and while certain OT books may
have suffered relative neglect for decades, Psalms has never been among those. It
is therefore reasonable to wonder why yet another is needed, and what possible
gap in coverage Goldingay’s volumes could fill.
The targeted audience of this particular series by
Baker is clergy and seminary students. Further, according to Longman, the series
editor, the primary focus is on the message of the book, “and the commentators
have labored to expose God’s message for his people in the book they discuss”
(p. 8). The editor then lays out the format to be followed in the commentary
(p. 9). First, there is an introduction, which takes up matters of title,
authorship, date, language, style, text, ancient Near Eastern background,
genre, canonicity, theological message, and connection to the NT. Second, the
author provides an original translation with explanatory notes. Third, a
section-by-section commentary follows through the text, addressing both the
structure of the passage and engaging interpretive issues. This interpretation
section highlights the text’s meaning in its original historical setting. The
fourth and final section presents concluding theological implications. Here the
author seeks to connect the message of each passage both with the rest of the
canon (OT and NT) as well as its continuing relevance for contemporary life.
The success of this volume should only be measured,
then, against these stated goals, so I will address these one at a time. First,
while this second volume (Psalms 42– 89) does have a very brief “Author’s
Preface” (pp. 11–12), it does not provide the introduction. There is an
approximately 55-page introduction in the first volume, and presumably the
issues promised by the series editor for this section appear there, but that
simply means a reader wishing that information as it relates to Psalms 42–89
will have to acquire the first volume in addition to this one.
The second element of the commentary is the
translation, and here Goldingay shines. He blends together quite successfully
both formal and functional aspects of the text, preserving the poetic
aesthetics while retaining and highlighting original language
word nuances. His footnotes reveal his solid grasp of
the Hebrew text, text critical acumen, and interaction with the relevant
lexicons and secondary literature both past and present. Scholars will
appreciate his contribution here, with the only possible weakness that, given
his skill, he is certainly capable of providing more. Granting the target
audience, however, he cannot be faulted.
In the third section, Goldingay normally provides
approximately one full page of discussion in which he explains the structure of
the passage and places it against its historical background, to the degree that
this can be surmised on a chapter-by-chapter basis through the Psalms. This is
followed by the section-by-section interpretive commentary of the passage at
hand. His mature reasoning and fresh insight are worthy of the highest
compliments. In my judgment, it is precisely this kind of commentary that is
most needed by those ministers whose libraries are necessarily limited but who
desire to engage the text in a serious and thoughtful manner. Goldingay
explains the development of thought, and exemplifies the best of scholarship in
doing so.
The concluding section on the theological implications
of each psalm is also normally about one page in length. On the whole,
Goldingay offers good ideas for preaching points and timeless truths on each of
the psalms. His own reflection will stimulate pastors who seek to relate the
word of God to the world of today. However, Goldingay is less successful in
relating each psalm to its canonical context. In the preface, he acknowledges
that the cutting edge of Psalms research revolves around the structure of
Psalms as a whole, and “the way sequences of psalms belong together and expound
a theological view of their own” (p. 11). But he follows that sentence by
stating, “I am not enamored of this study. . . . I remain of the view that the
main focus of psalm study needs to be the individual psalm” (p. 11). He does
not defend his choice, nor does he point to any potential problems he sees in
reading them as a unity. Consequently, his focus is “on the psalms as we have
them” (p. 11), and he seemingly disregards the fact that what it is that we
have is, in fact, a book of psalms, and that we do not have psalms individually
circulating independent of their context.
Curiously, Goldingay implicitly then betrays his own
stated position at the very outset of his commentary by choosing to treat
Psalms 42–43 as a single literary piece (a custom followed by most). Following
this notable exception, from this point on he defaults to his preferred
disregard of context for the rest of the volume.
Overall, this is a fine commentary in most respects,
well designed and executed for its intended, pastoral ministry audience. But it
is disappointing that a scholar of Goldingay’s caliber elected not to engage
“the cutting edge.”
Ray Lubeck
Multnomah University, Portland, OR
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