Duane A. Garrett, KREGEL
EXEGETICAL LIBRARY: A COMMENTARY ON EXODUS, Grand Rapids , MI
.
Duane A. Garrett is a Professor
of Old Testament and Biblical Theology, a former Pastor and missionary. He is
well versed in the Old Testament and has produced a worthwhile commentary on
Exodus. It fills a gap in the lack of recent commentaries on Exodus. It will be
a welcome addition to your library. It is reader friendly, yet scholarly in its
approach. I would classify it as a practical scholarly work for pastor and
student.
He opens with an Introduction
that is extended more than many other commentaries (130 pages). In this, he
deals with the major issues that scholars normally deal with, but in a much
more approachable way. He is not afraid to criticize scholarly efforts that do
little good for the overall understanding of Exodus, such as source criticism
which he argues has doubtful value. On the Hebrew text, he points out it is a
remarkably clean straightforward text. He places high value on accurate
translation, and provides his own translation of the text. He points out that
some understanding of the history of Egypt , the land, setting for the Exodus
is essential. He therefore, gives extensive time and space to help the reader
understand the importance of Egypt
to both the ancient world and its influence upon the text (where Egyptian words
have made it into the text).
Key to understanding the history
of the Exodus is the date of the event. There has been much debate on the
subject. This is a major portion of the introduction (48 pages). In covering
the date and its major views, which he breaks down in the late date, the early
date, the very early date, and the very late date. In examining the date, he
makes clear in spite of recent developments and movement to make this a factual
event; he declares “The exodus of Israel from Egypt Jericho ,
Hyksos, the price for slaves, etc). He warns about trying to come up with a
year based strictly on computations of years because of the uncertainly based
on being unsure of interpretations that we understand them correctly (see his
comments on page 91). After discussing the two main views, he turns to wants
the reader to understand that based on Biblical evidence and archaeological
evidence it is possible to argue on a very early date (1550 BC) or the very
late date (1150 BC). He does not give either date much consideration, pointing
out they have serious problems. He then moves on to deal with the reality of
the Exodus, and issues of locations. He
points out that the student needs to be careful of being too definitive. He
states: “I do no think it is wise or
right to suppose that we can correct what seems to be a deficiency in the Bible
and fix a date for the exodus, describe fully the historical setting, or name
the pharaoh of the exodus. At the same time, I see nothing that causes me to
distrust the biblical account” (p. 103).
Next, the introduction gives an
outlined structure of the book of Exodus. He deals with the message of the book
in terms of theology, pointing out that in some respects it is foundational for
the theology of the Old Testament. It provides the foundation of their identity
as the people of God. He sees the narrative in three major movement: the
exodus, the journey to Sinai and the giving of the Law (Sinai covenant), and
the sin of idolatry and its aftermath, including the building of the Tent of
Meeting. He ends his introduction focusing on the God of Israel—YHWH and the
man of God leading the exodus—Moses. He briefly show Egypt
as a symbol of worldly power, and Israel as the people of God.
Overall, it is one of the finest introductions I have read, and worth getting
the book alone.
In his commentary, Garrett breaks
the text into 7 sections. They are:
- Part 1: Until Moses, 1:1-2:10. This acts as the prologue to the book of Exodus. It also confronts us with a major theological motif of the people of God facing persecution in this world.
- Part 2: An Unlikely Savior, 2:11-7:7. This follows the life of Moses from his youth, call, and coming face to face with Pharaoh.
- Part 3: The Twelve Miracles of the Exodus, 7:8-15:21. This includes the “ten” plagues along with the commissions of Moses and Aaron, and the hardening of the heart of Pharaoh and the crossing of the red sea. He has twelve miracles in chart form on page 271.
- Part 4: The Journey to God, 15:22-19:25. This is an
account of the journey from the red sea to
- Part 5: The Sinai Covenant, 20:1-24:11. He maintains this is the governing document concerning the relationship between God and his people.
- Part 6: The Worship of God, 24:12-31:18. It centers
upon the Tent of Meeting, “the
shrine that is at the center of
- Part 7: Sin and Restoration 32:1-40:38. It deals with the Golden calf and its aftermath. It also shows the importance of Moses’ intervention.
Each division opens with the
author’s translation, assigning the technicalities to the footnotes. The
structure of the passage under consideration, followed by commentary and
theological points. Many include an Excursus about points in the passage, for
example the first part has one on the Sargon Story and the Story of Moses. The
commentary has an appendix on the Songs of Exodus. He suggests the book
contains a number of previously unrecognized songs or poems in the text.
This commentary will be very
helpful to anyone who makes use of it. It will be a delightful addition to your
library, a stark contrast to the more critical works of recent years. It is
faithful to the text, evangelical in approach, and its content are both understandable
and interesting. Garrett has done a
great service in this stimulating work. It will make a real contribution to you
and your library.
(I
received a copy of this book free of charge from the publisher Kregal Academic
in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to give a positive review.)
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