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Luke is the fifth release in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series---the only commentary series with a graphical display, theology in application section and identification of the main idea for each section. Luke sought to assure believers about the truth of the gospel (1:4) and to advance their understanding of God's ways in the world as revealed in Christ's ministry, death, and resurrection. Luke wrote as a historian, theologian, and pastor, and Garland's commentary strives to follow suit in assisting those who will preach and teach the text and those who seek to understand it better. The commentary presents a translation through a diagram that helps visualize the flow of thought, provides a summary of the central message of the passages, reveals how they function within the gospel, and offers an exegetical outline and verse-by-verse commentary that takes notice of Jewish and Greco-Roman background evidence that sheds light on the text. Christians interpret the Bible to make sense of their lived experience, and the commentary highlights theological emphases of each passage and applies them to the everyday struggles of faith and practice.
1040 pages, Hardcover
First published December 4, 2011
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About the author
David E. Garland
77 books12 followersDavid Ellsworth Garland (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate dean for academic affairs and William M. Hinson Professor of Christian Scriptures at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University. He is the author of numerous books, including award-winning commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Mark.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 7, 2017
With every new title in this Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series that I delve into, I find my appreciation growing. This series is well conceived and this entry by seasoned-commentator David Garland adds to the laurels of the series. In addition to commentaries on a few New Testament epistles, Mr. Garland has already produced a volume on Mark in the NIVAC series. He is equally at ease in either the Gospels or the epistles.
In his Introduction to Luke, Mr. Garland discusses the authorship of Luke and Acts. In accepting Luke as the author, he strives to dig a little deeper into who Luke actually is. He keeps his discussion of Luke’s sources mercifully brief and jumps on into the genre of Luke and Acts. He sees Luke as both an historian and apologist. The next section is called “date, provenance, and the readers of Luke-Acts”. Unlike some other commentaries I’ve read, he discusses those three issues together rather than separately. There’s even in that section some great information that some others might put in the category of structure. He makes some nice, valid points about Luke’s purpose in writing this gospel. The only disappointment in the Introduction is that his section on structure is only an outline.
I found the commentary proper of even more value. That’s not to say I didn’t disagree with him on some points. For example, the meaning of the word “inn” in the birth of Christ is much more conducive to the traditional meaning that Mr. Garland seems to believe. Most other commentators would not agree with him on that one either. Still, the commentary is of extraordinary value. Every passage I surveyed offered the kind of things I’m looking for in a commentary.
Mr. Garland appears comfortable with the ZECNT format. In each passage, he discussed the literary context, stated the main idea, offered his own translation, explain the structure and literary form, and gave an exegetical outline before launching into a detailed explanation of the text. That is followed by a theology in application section that helps preachers bridge the gap between exegetical information and the sermon.
Having reviewed the volumes on Mark and John, and now reviewing this volume on Luke, I’m amazed at the quality this series has given us on these three Gospels. This volume is ideal for pastors. Think of it as being helpful like the NAC series with a little more depth. I warmly recommend it.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
In his Introduction to Luke, Mr. Garland discusses the authorship of Luke and Acts. In accepting Luke as the author, he strives to dig a little deeper into who Luke actually is. He keeps his discussion of Luke’s sources mercifully brief and jumps on into the genre of Luke and Acts. He sees Luke as both an historian and apologist. The next section is called “date, provenance, and the readers of Luke-Acts”. Unlike some other commentaries I’ve read, he discusses those three issues together rather than separately. There’s even in that section some great information that some others might put in the category of structure. He makes some nice, valid points about Luke’s purpose in writing this gospel. The only disappointment in the Introduction is that his section on structure is only an outline.
I found the commentary proper of even more value. That’s not to say I didn’t disagree with him on some points. For example, the meaning of the word “inn” in the birth of Christ is much more conducive to the traditional meaning that Mr. Garland seems to believe. Most other commentators would not agree with him on that one either. Still, the commentary is of extraordinary value. Every passage I surveyed offered the kind of things I’m looking for in a commentary.
Mr. Garland appears comfortable with the ZECNT format. In each passage, he discussed the literary context, stated the main idea, offered his own translation, explain the structure and literary form, and gave an exegetical outline before launching into a detailed explanation of the text. That is followed by a theology in application section that helps preachers bridge the gap between exegetical information and the sermon.
Having reviewed the volumes on Mark and John, and now reviewing this volume on Luke, I’m amazed at the quality this series has given us on these three Gospels. This volume is ideal for pastors. Think of it as being helpful like the NAC series with a little more depth. I warmly recommend it.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
June 4, 2020
I read the entirety of this commentary over the course of roughly two years as I preached through the Gospel of Luke. Commentaries generally don't make for enjoyable reading, but they're important sources of information.
I appreciate the ZECNT series because of the way each passage is outlined and also because the Greek text appears next to each verse. My Greek is quite rusty now, but it helps me to at least look at the Greek.
As for Garland's commentary, I don't think it's great theologically. He often downplays penal substititionary atonement and eschatological judgment. That is not to say he denies these doctrines. Rather, even when the texts quite obviously discuss them, he tends to mute their meanings. One glaring example is Jesus' apprehension when he is about to drink the "cup" of God's wrath. Garland hardly mentions the OT background of the cup of wrath.
He does highlight Luke's emphasis on the poor and on women. No doubt these are important.
It's important for me to at least be aware of different readings of biblical passages, so I appreciate having read this commentary. I also read Darrell Bock's two-volume commentary on Baker, which is more detailed. If I had time to read another commentary, perhaps I would read Edwards's commentary on Luke, which is part of the Pillar New Testament Commentary series.
I appreciate the ZECNT series because of the way each passage is outlined and also because the Greek text appears next to each verse. My Greek is quite rusty now, but it helps me to at least look at the Greek.
As for Garland's commentary, I don't think it's great theologically. He often downplays penal substititionary atonement and eschatological judgment. That is not to say he denies these doctrines. Rather, even when the texts quite obviously discuss them, he tends to mute their meanings. One glaring example is Jesus' apprehension when he is about to drink the "cup" of God's wrath. Garland hardly mentions the OT background of the cup of wrath.
He does highlight Luke's emphasis on the poor and on women. No doubt these are important.
It's important for me to at least be aware of different readings of biblical passages, so I appreciate having read this commentary. I also read Darrell Bock's two-volume commentary on Baker, which is more detailed. If I had time to read another commentary, perhaps I would read Edwards's commentary on Luke, which is part of the Pillar New Testament Commentary series.
March 3, 2012
What's white, rectangular, and the bane of every pastors existence?
The dreaded blank page.
Yep, I've been there: Sunday is approaching and you just gotta get that sermon together. Some have the luxury of having teaching as their primary duty. For most pastors, however, after many other priorities and responsibilities, there's a small satchel of time left over to research, prepare, and write that sermon to help give shape to their congregation's walk with God.
That's why I love Zondervan's newer commentary series, The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. It was a series crafted in response to their inquiries of pastors and teachers regarding what they need and desire in a commentary. And in response they have incorporated seven key sections in each pericope explanation: the literary context; main idea; a very helpful, unique translation scheme that's graphically displayed; a description of the passage structure; an exegetical outline; and the all important explanation of the text. This commentary scheme nicely solves our "blank page" conundrum by helping pastors create exegetically informed sermons, while doing so quickly.
While we in the west are blessed with an over abundance of commentary resources, I'm thankful for this newly launched series designed with the pastor and church teacher in mind. And while the ZECNT might not stand in the stead of more robust academic treatments, like Eerdman's NICNT or NIGTC, Word Biblical Commentary series, or Anchor Bible Commentary series, it's a decent offering along side these pillars of the commentary community. This is my first introduction to the ZECNT, and I'm glad I could review David Garland's Luke for Zondervan as my first entree into it, as I already have the more academic oriented offerings from Marshall and Green. (BTW, I received this commentary from someone I know from Zondervan, the employer of my wife.)
So what say I of this Luke commentary and how does it match up with, say, my existing commentaries?
This commentary begins with a helpful, though rather short, introduction. By comparison, Green’s is 10 pages longer. Likewise, this commentary has a paltry 6 page bibliography, compared with Green’s whooping 67 pages! What little introduction is present, though, does include a nice outline of authorship; sources, including a discussion on women eyewitnesses; an in-depth discussion on genre; and the usual date, audience, and purpose. Absent is any discussion on major theological themes, though, which I found a curiosity. The introduction does, however, contain a nice-size structural outline of Luke’s gospel that out-sized other commentaries I’ve seen. This will be of great benefit to pastors seeking a good outline of the book for sermon calendar preparation.
Now to the meat of the commentary itself. As I do with all commentary reviews, I’ve chosen a pericope to illustrate how this particular commentary handles scripture. We’re going to go with Lk 9:37-50. The explanation section is only less than 3 pages and provides a birds-eye interpretive view, without dealing with ancillary issues.
As I mentioned above, each pericope begins with the literary context, main idea, and exegetical outline. These were very helpful in getting the main gist of the pericope and providing a solid starting foundation for not only understanding the passage, but filling up that blank page in order to preach the passage. I also found very helpful a detailed outline of the translation, which brought me back to my Greek exegetical days a few years ago with Gary Meadors who created such translation outlines and expected us to do so, as well. Additionally, each passage helpfully includes the original Greek at each section in the “Explanation of the Text” part. I believe this may be a unique feature to commentaries; I’ve not seen this before.
In this section, we have the following outline: 1) Jesus’ exorcism of a demon; 2) The disciples’ dispute over who is the greatest; and 3) The exorcist stranger. Garland doesn’t provide a remarkable interpretation or exegesis of the passage, but there are a few highlights to note: in v40-41 he notes that “the only erosion of the disciples’ power over demons is that it is somehow connected to their failure to understand Jesus’ prediction of his coming passion.” And according to Garland, this prediction, rather than the crowds amazement and Jesus’ power, is the climax: “The crowd’s amazement would seem to be the climax to this exorcism, but it connected to Jesus’ restatement of his passion as a genitive absolute.” He then helpfully quotes the Greek and continues saying, “The climax surprisingly becomes Jesus’ restatement of his coming betrayal into the hands of men.” While he notes that it may seem odd for Luke to omit some of Mark’s context where Jesus leaves and travels with his disciples, Garland says, “it serves Luke’s theological purpose. Divine majesty will not meet with constant applause from humans but will encounter rejection. Many will fail to see that God works an even mightier deed on the cross with Jesus’ death and resurrection.” That’s a solid, helpful explanation. (403-404)
He continues with an explanation of the disciples’ argument over who is the greatest, where Jesus places a child in their midst to make a corrective, opposing point. Of this maneuver Garland says, “As an object lesson, Jesus sets a child in their midst. Jesus had no romanticized notions about the qualities of children and was not setting up the child as a model for them to imitate. Children had no power, no status, and no rights, and they were regarded as insignificant and disposable, as witnessed by the exposure of children in the Greco-Roman world.” He goes on to say, “a child is the perfect illustration of those who are the most responsive of God’s grace. Those who swagger in their vainglory and wish to be crowned the greatest resist grace. Moessner captures Jesus’ meaning well, ‘There is no point at being at Jesus’ side unless one is humble enough to be at a child's side.’” Now that preaches! (404)
This pericope ends with an interesting event where the disciples happen upon someone outside their little club perform an exorcism in Jesus' name, apparently successfully doing what Jesus himself did and what the disciples failed to do. And they tell him to stop! In treating this passage, Garland helpfully recalls an incident between Joshua and Moses: “John’s boast is reminiscent of Joshua’s plea to Moses when unauthorized prophets arose, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’ (Num 11:28) Moses responded, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!’ (11:29)” This is a helpful parallel that I think illumines the passage in ways I had not seen before. Unfortunately, Garland doesn’t do much with the phrase “in your name” as I have seen elsewhere. Others have noted that this phrase relates to the connection between what Jesus was doing and what this seeming outsider was doing, actually making the unknown exorcist more of an insider than the disciples realize (and perhaps more than they themselves in light of their own inability and faith). Instead, Garland speaks of the disciples need for “all of the friends that they can get” for their mission down the road, which I found to be an odd, hasty interpretation. (405)
One of the best additions to each pericope section is a “Theology in Application” section at the end of the explanation of the text. This is indeed a unique feature of exegetical commentaries, as it provides a helpful reflection on the theological contribution the passage makes along side the passage’s description itself. A nice example is his application of the final part of the pericope, the exorcist stranger. He helpfully writes:
These are good, helpful words that help apply the passage theologically, not to mention will help pastors illumine it homiletically for their congregations
In the end, while I think this is a nice commentary, it’s just OK, for my needs anyway. I do think it will be helpful for pastors as it offers a “just give it to me straight” approach while leaving out innovative readings and spectacular explanations. While I'm not necessarily into innovation or spectacular readings of the Text, I am interested in more robust, in-depth treatments with cutting-edge flavor, which is why this won't be the first commentary I turn to. Garland's treatment just didn’t seem to have the level of cutting-edge scholarship I’ve come to expect from commentaries, especially new ones, which shows up in the skimpy bibliography.
Now that's not to say this won't be a valuable resource for pastors and even students of the text. What it does, it does well, mainly a moderate, give-it-to-me-straight interpretation and reading of the text, helpful tools—like extensive translation and exegetical outlines, main idea, and context—to aid the interpreter, and the very helpful, unique theological application feature. I think this commentary, and I'm presuming others from the series, will help countless pastors "fill the page" as they march toward Sunday morning sermon time, which is why I would give this a 4 out of 5—the commentary fulfills its purpose and provides nice features, even though it's not spectacular or overly cutting-edge.
The dreaded blank page.
Yep, I've been there: Sunday is approaching and you just gotta get that sermon together. Some have the luxury of having teaching as their primary duty. For most pastors, however, after many other priorities and responsibilities, there's a small satchel of time left over to research, prepare, and write that sermon to help give shape to their congregation's walk with God.
That's why I love Zondervan's newer commentary series, The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. It was a series crafted in response to their inquiries of pastors and teachers regarding what they need and desire in a commentary. And in response they have incorporated seven key sections in each pericope explanation: the literary context; main idea; a very helpful, unique translation scheme that's graphically displayed; a description of the passage structure; an exegetical outline; and the all important explanation of the text. This commentary scheme nicely solves our "blank page" conundrum by helping pastors create exegetically informed sermons, while doing so quickly.
While we in the west are blessed with an over abundance of commentary resources, I'm thankful for this newly launched series designed with the pastor and church teacher in mind. And while the ZECNT might not stand in the stead of more robust academic treatments, like Eerdman's NICNT or NIGTC, Word Biblical Commentary series, or Anchor Bible Commentary series, it's a decent offering along side these pillars of the commentary community. This is my first introduction to the ZECNT, and I'm glad I could review David Garland's Luke for Zondervan as my first entree into it, as I already have the more academic oriented offerings from Marshall and Green. (BTW, I received this commentary from someone I know from Zondervan, the employer of my wife.)
So what say I of this Luke commentary and how does it match up with, say, my existing commentaries?
This commentary begins with a helpful, though rather short, introduction. By comparison, Green’s is 10 pages longer. Likewise, this commentary has a paltry 6 page bibliography, compared with Green’s whooping 67 pages! What little introduction is present, though, does include a nice outline of authorship; sources, including a discussion on women eyewitnesses; an in-depth discussion on genre; and the usual date, audience, and purpose. Absent is any discussion on major theological themes, though, which I found a curiosity. The introduction does, however, contain a nice-size structural outline of Luke’s gospel that out-sized other commentaries I’ve seen. This will be of great benefit to pastors seeking a good outline of the book for sermon calendar preparation.
Now to the meat of the commentary itself. As I do with all commentary reviews, I’ve chosen a pericope to illustrate how this particular commentary handles scripture. We’re going to go with Lk 9:37-50. The explanation section is only less than 3 pages and provides a birds-eye interpretive view, without dealing with ancillary issues.
As I mentioned above, each pericope begins with the literary context, main idea, and exegetical outline. These were very helpful in getting the main gist of the pericope and providing a solid starting foundation for not only understanding the passage, but filling up that blank page in order to preach the passage. I also found very helpful a detailed outline of the translation, which brought me back to my Greek exegetical days a few years ago with Gary Meadors who created such translation outlines and expected us to do so, as well. Additionally, each passage helpfully includes the original Greek at each section in the “Explanation of the Text” part. I believe this may be a unique feature to commentaries; I’ve not seen this before.
In this section, we have the following outline: 1) Jesus’ exorcism of a demon; 2) The disciples’ dispute over who is the greatest; and 3) The exorcist stranger. Garland doesn’t provide a remarkable interpretation or exegesis of the passage, but there are a few highlights to note: in v40-41 he notes that “the only erosion of the disciples’ power over demons is that it is somehow connected to their failure to understand Jesus’ prediction of his coming passion.” And according to Garland, this prediction, rather than the crowds amazement and Jesus’ power, is the climax: “The crowd’s amazement would seem to be the climax to this exorcism, but it connected to Jesus’ restatement of his passion as a genitive absolute.” He then helpfully quotes the Greek and continues saying, “The climax surprisingly becomes Jesus’ restatement of his coming betrayal into the hands of men.” While he notes that it may seem odd for Luke to omit some of Mark’s context where Jesus leaves and travels with his disciples, Garland says, “it serves Luke’s theological purpose. Divine majesty will not meet with constant applause from humans but will encounter rejection. Many will fail to see that God works an even mightier deed on the cross with Jesus’ death and resurrection.” That’s a solid, helpful explanation. (403-404)
He continues with an explanation of the disciples’ argument over who is the greatest, where Jesus places a child in their midst to make a corrective, opposing point. Of this maneuver Garland says, “As an object lesson, Jesus sets a child in their midst. Jesus had no romanticized notions about the qualities of children and was not setting up the child as a model for them to imitate. Children had no power, no status, and no rights, and they were regarded as insignificant and disposable, as witnessed by the exposure of children in the Greco-Roman world.” He goes on to say, “a child is the perfect illustration of those who are the most responsive of God’s grace. Those who swagger in their vainglory and wish to be crowned the greatest resist grace. Moessner captures Jesus’ meaning well, ‘There is no point at being at Jesus’ side unless one is humble enough to be at a child's side.’” Now that preaches! (404)
This pericope ends with an interesting event where the disciples happen upon someone outside their little club perform an exorcism in Jesus' name, apparently successfully doing what Jesus himself did and what the disciples failed to do. And they tell him to stop! In treating this passage, Garland helpfully recalls an incident between Joshua and Moses: “John’s boast is reminiscent of Joshua’s plea to Moses when unauthorized prophets arose, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’ (Num 11:28) Moses responded, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!’ (11:29)” This is a helpful parallel that I think illumines the passage in ways I had not seen before. Unfortunately, Garland doesn’t do much with the phrase “in your name” as I have seen elsewhere. Others have noted that this phrase relates to the connection between what Jesus was doing and what this seeming outsider was doing, actually making the unknown exorcist more of an insider than the disciples realize (and perhaps more than they themselves in light of their own inability and faith). Instead, Garland speaks of the disciples need for “all of the friends that they can get” for their mission down the road, which I found to be an odd, hasty interpretation. (405)
One of the best additions to each pericope section is a “Theology in Application” section at the end of the explanation of the text. This is indeed a unique feature of exegetical commentaries, as it provides a helpful reflection on the theological contribution the passage makes along side the passage’s description itself. A nice example is his application of the final part of the pericope, the exorcist stranger. He helpfully writes:
The danger is that Christians may want to define others who are not part of their particular group as ‘the Others.’ The criterion of accepting their work is that they are doing good in Jesus’ name. It does not mean that those who simply are indifferent to Christians and do not openly oppose them are to be counted as belonging to Christ. Jesus refers to those who belong to him but do not necessarily belong to a disciple’s particular tribe. As Christianity continues to spread across cultures around the world, Christians are learning to be tolerant of different ways of thinking and doing things. There is to be no rivalry or envy in God’s work since all labor for the same King, sharing in his power to accomplish his will. (406)
These are good, helpful words that help apply the passage theologically, not to mention will help pastors illumine it homiletically for their congregations
In the end, while I think this is a nice commentary, it’s just OK, for my needs anyway. I do think it will be helpful for pastors as it offers a “just give it to me straight” approach while leaving out innovative readings and spectacular explanations. While I'm not necessarily into innovation or spectacular readings of the Text, I am interested in more robust, in-depth treatments with cutting-edge flavor, which is why this won't be the first commentary I turn to. Garland's treatment just didn’t seem to have the level of cutting-edge scholarship I’ve come to expect from commentaries, especially new ones, which shows up in the skimpy bibliography.
Now that's not to say this won't be a valuable resource for pastors and even students of the text. What it does, it does well, mainly a moderate, give-it-to-me-straight interpretation and reading of the text, helpful tools—like extensive translation and exegetical outlines, main idea, and context—to aid the interpreter, and the very helpful, unique theological application feature. I think this commentary, and I'm presuming others from the series, will help countless pastors "fill the page" as they march toward Sunday morning sermon time, which is why I would give this a 4 out of 5—the commentary fulfills its purpose and provides nice features, even though it's not spectacular or overly cutting-edge.
July 7, 2012
Garland's commentary on Luke is more than 1,000 pages, but this should not be a surprise, since Luke is the longest Gospel. Like the rest of the ZECNT series, it is "designed for the pastor and Bible teacher." Garland assumes a basic knowledge of Greek, but Greek is not required to understand his commentary. For each passage the commentary gives the broader literary context, the main idea (great for preachers!), an original translation of the Greek and its graphical layout, the structure, an outline, explanation, and "theology in application" section.
The graphical layout of each passage is a unique contribution that Garland's Luke makes to Luke studies. Even though a narrative book like Luke is easier to follow than some of Paul's detailed arguments, seeing main clauses in bold with subordinate clauses indented under them (plus how they relate back to the main clause) gives the reader a quick, visual grasp of the entire passage at hand. Garland does this well, too.
Luke has the full Greek text of Luke, verse by verse, and full English translation by Garland (passage by passage in the graphical layout, then again verse by verse next to the Greek). A value for me in using reference works is not having to pull five more reference works off the shelf to use the first reference work! This is about as portable as exegesis of Luke gets. Garland's English translation is a bit wooden at times--just about every kai in the opening narrative of 1:5-25 receives the translation "and," which it shouldn't always.
Garland's intro is short, but covers what it needs to. He attributes authorship to Luke and holds to Luke-Acts unity, as many scholars do. ("[Luke] is writing not simply about the life of Jesus but what Jesus inaugurated that continued in the deeds of his followers (Acts 1:1-8)" (27).) He understands Luke-Acts as fitting into the genre of "Hellenistic historiography." He treats Luke's potential sources, date of writing, readers, location, purpose, and structural outline. There is an additional "theology of Luke" section at the back of the commentary that complements the introduction. It doesn't cover all the theological themes in Luke (healing/exorcism, for example, is absent), but it doesn't claim to, either.
Where Garland really shines in this commentary is in his treatment of the Greek words and phrases that comprise the Luke text. He attends to the lexical meaning of given words, how they function in context, and their use in other parts of Scripture. This is helpful especially for parts of Luke where the Greek vocabulary is more obscure or difficult.
Teachers and preachers especially will appreciate the "Theology in Application" section that concludes each passage. To the pastor wondering how to preach on something like Luke's prologue, Garland writes: "The purpose of the gospel is not to give information but certainty that will change lives. Erudition about Jesus is not the same as insight into Jesus. The history of Jesus is not to be divorced from the proclamation about Jesus, as if the two were somehow incompatible" (58).
This comes after a detailed exegesis of the first four verses. As someone with preaching experience, I can say this combination of thorough attention to the Greek text with contemporary application is pure gold.
Inevitably no commentary can say everything about every word in the text, but there are parts of Luke that I thought deserved more attention. For example, in Luke 8:31 the demons known as Legion beg Jesus not to cast them into the Abyss. Garland just offers, "The Abyss is the place of punishment for evil spirits" (358). Although he infers that this verse shows the "eschatological dimension" to exorcisms, nothing more is given about the word "abyss." For a word that appears just once in the Gospels yet multiple times in the Old Testament and Apocrypha, more background on this term would have been useful to the reader. This could, of course, merely reflect a space limitation in the commentary.
On the other hand, Garland's commentary on the Good Samaritan parable ("merciful" as Garland has it) leaves out just about nothing. To provide needed historical context to the passage, Garland draws on what Josephus said about priests, what Sirach said about helping those in need, and includes an excursus on the "adversarial history" of Jews and Samaritans. Garland compellingly concludes from the parable: "The original Jewish audience must enter the ditch and accept a Samaritan as a savior, helper, and healer. They must experience being touched by this unclean enemy who treats a wounded man as a compatriot" (446).
Garland seeks to prove right the series claim that "all who strive to understand and teach the New Testament will find these books beneficial," and he succeeds in this. Preachers or students of Luke will want to supplement
Garland's work with other works on Luke (Bock's two volume set remains the standard), but the graphical layout of each passage and the theology in application sections alone are enough to warrant careful consideration of this volume.
(I am grateful to Zondervan for the free review copy of this commentary, which was offered to me in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is from abramkj.wordpress.com)
The graphical layout of each passage is a unique contribution that Garland's Luke makes to Luke studies. Even though a narrative book like Luke is easier to follow than some of Paul's detailed arguments, seeing main clauses in bold with subordinate clauses indented under them (plus how they relate back to the main clause) gives the reader a quick, visual grasp of the entire passage at hand. Garland does this well, too.
Luke has the full Greek text of Luke, verse by verse, and full English translation by Garland (passage by passage in the graphical layout, then again verse by verse next to the Greek). A value for me in using reference works is not having to pull five more reference works off the shelf to use the first reference work! This is about as portable as exegesis of Luke gets. Garland's English translation is a bit wooden at times--just about every kai in the opening narrative of 1:5-25 receives the translation "and," which it shouldn't always.
Garland's intro is short, but covers what it needs to. He attributes authorship to Luke and holds to Luke-Acts unity, as many scholars do. ("[Luke] is writing not simply about the life of Jesus but what Jesus inaugurated that continued in the deeds of his followers (Acts 1:1-8)" (27).) He understands Luke-Acts as fitting into the genre of "Hellenistic historiography." He treats Luke's potential sources, date of writing, readers, location, purpose, and structural outline. There is an additional "theology of Luke" section at the back of the commentary that complements the introduction. It doesn't cover all the theological themes in Luke (healing/exorcism, for example, is absent), but it doesn't claim to, either.
Where Garland really shines in this commentary is in his treatment of the Greek words and phrases that comprise the Luke text. He attends to the lexical meaning of given words, how they function in context, and their use in other parts of Scripture. This is helpful especially for parts of Luke where the Greek vocabulary is more obscure or difficult.
Teachers and preachers especially will appreciate the "Theology in Application" section that concludes each passage. To the pastor wondering how to preach on something like Luke's prologue, Garland writes: "The purpose of the gospel is not to give information but certainty that will change lives. Erudition about Jesus is not the same as insight into Jesus. The history of Jesus is not to be divorced from the proclamation about Jesus, as if the two were somehow incompatible" (58).
This comes after a detailed exegesis of the first four verses. As someone with preaching experience, I can say this combination of thorough attention to the Greek text with contemporary application is pure gold.
Inevitably no commentary can say everything about every word in the text, but there are parts of Luke that I thought deserved more attention. For example, in Luke 8:31 the demons known as Legion beg Jesus not to cast them into the Abyss. Garland just offers, "The Abyss is the place of punishment for evil spirits" (358). Although he infers that this verse shows the "eschatological dimension" to exorcisms, nothing more is given about the word "abyss." For a word that appears just once in the Gospels yet multiple times in the Old Testament and Apocrypha, more background on this term would have been useful to the reader. This could, of course, merely reflect a space limitation in the commentary.
On the other hand, Garland's commentary on the Good Samaritan parable ("merciful" as Garland has it) leaves out just about nothing. To provide needed historical context to the passage, Garland draws on what Josephus said about priests, what Sirach said about helping those in need, and includes an excursus on the "adversarial history" of Jews and Samaritans. Garland compellingly concludes from the parable: "The original Jewish audience must enter the ditch and accept a Samaritan as a savior, helper, and healer. They must experience being touched by this unclean enemy who treats a wounded man as a compatriot" (446).
Garland seeks to prove right the series claim that "all who strive to understand and teach the New Testament will find these books beneficial," and he succeeds in this. Preachers or students of Luke will want to supplement
Garland's work with other works on Luke (Bock's two volume set remains the standard), but the graphical layout of each passage and the theology in application sections alone are enough to warrant careful consideration of this volume.
(I am grateful to Zondervan for the free review copy of this commentary, which was offered to me in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is from abramkj.wordpress.com)
April 21, 2018
There are many different types of commentaries, some are more scholarly, some are more devotional in nature. In the end while some are on either extreme, most fall somewhere in the middle, as is the case with Zondervan Exegetical Commetnary on the New Testament series published by Zondervan. One of the newer commentaries in this series is David E. Garland, and it is a master piece. This is common place for a commentary series which is known for excellence in scholarship yet practical in application. This commentary is a mid-level commentary, weighing in at over 1000 pages, Garland’s attention to detail of the original meaning makes this commentary a worthwhile read for both the pastor and the laymen, with a slight bent to the laymen.
A pastor will find that Garland’s practical insights extremely helpful in giving application from the text to his congregants, while the laymen will find this commentaries easy to use format and the non-technical format an easy read. It is truly the best of both worlds.
When looking specifically a this commentary Garland spends about 20 pages on introductory matters. When investigating maters specifically with the text of scripture, Garland takes an interesting approach. When exegeting on Luke he deals mostly with the imagery that the apostle whom Jesus loved wrote in. Yet he does not fall into the trap of many commentators in allegorizing the imagery.
In the end I would recommend this commentary as in introduction to pastors and Sunday school teachers, that help tremendously with the laymen a pastor will want another commentary to pair with this wonderfully practical commentary on scripture.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
A pastor will find that Garland’s practical insights extremely helpful in giving application from the text to his congregants, while the laymen will find this commentaries easy to use format and the non-technical format an easy read. It is truly the best of both worlds.
When looking specifically a this commentary Garland spends about 20 pages on introductory matters. When investigating maters specifically with the text of scripture, Garland takes an interesting approach. When exegeting on Luke he deals mostly with the imagery that the apostle whom Jesus loved wrote in. Yet he does not fall into the trap of many commentators in allegorizing the imagery.
In the end I would recommend this commentary as in introduction to pastors and Sunday school teachers, that help tremendously with the laymen a pastor will want another commentary to pair with this wonderfully practical commentary on scripture.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
June 21, 2018
I continue to love the formatting of this series. Because of the clearly labelled sections, in weeks when time was short or I had already looked over 3 or 4 other commentaries I was able to efficiently find what I needed, whether it was context, big idea, structure, comment on a specific verse, or application. Versatile and flexible. The 'Theology in Application' section consistently avoided superficial or predictable applications, and often made me think more carefully about my own efforts to contextualise each passage.
May 15, 2025
A top notch commentary from David Garland. He offers very much for the preacher!
He always takes the passages on repentance very seriously, not pulling punches where Jesus is clear.
There were times when he was a bit strong in his supercessionism. I think a degree of supercessionisim is warranted, but his anti-Temple interpretations seemed to miss other theological points. I don't think I would want the opposite of what he offered, but maybe just reigned it in a little bit.
Very helpful for preaching.
He always takes the passages on repentance very seriously, not pulling punches where Jesus is clear.
There were times when he was a bit strong in his supercessionism. I think a degree of supercessionisim is warranted, but his anti-Temple interpretations seemed to miss other theological points. I don't think I would want the opposite of what he offered, but maybe just reigned it in a little bit.
Very helpful for preaching.
April 12, 2024
This is probably my favorite commentary series because it is the most consistently helpful. I appreciate the technical layout of each pericope, especially the outlines. This is a great entry in the series and I will probably continue buying them.
August 2, 2019
Really loving this series!
May 28, 2022
Thorough, thoughtful and well communicated.
July 11, 2025
Excellent commentary on Luke, one of the best, with something for the scholar, student, and layperson.
March 26, 2016
I started this commentary back in November as a supplement to my devotions. I didn't expect to go through the whole thing because of its size, but once I started I couldn't stop. I have been so encouraged, convicted, and surprised by the Jesus I have encountered in Luke. There were times when Jesus' words were a balm to my anxieties, and times when his teaching (especially on the poor and marginalized) was like a knife to my conscience.
I would recommend this commentary wholeheartedly to anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of the Gospel of Luke as well as find their lives be transformed by its testimony.
I would recommend this commentary wholeheartedly to anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge of the Gospel of Luke as well as find their lives be transformed by its testimony.
August 15, 2014
I simply love the new Zondervan series. It's a tremendous resource in how it outlines the text, dialogues with the original language, provides Chiastic structures, exegetes the text, and then provides some concluding essays of sort on the biblical-theological themes present in the text. Highly recommend this set. Garland does a tremendous job within this format.
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