A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
by Fred G. Zaspel
Ronald Youngblood (1931-2014) was a long-time professor at Bethel Seminary in St.Paul and then in San Diego. He was also one of the original translators of the New International Version.
This little book on Isaiah was first published in 1984, but I read through it only recently. I have become a great fan of brief survey-type commentaries, which is just what this book is intended to be. It will not suffice for in-depth study, of course, but it is just what it purports to be—an “introductory commentary.” Many specific passages are barely scanned, but the comments guide the reader through this marvelous prophecy quickly and briefly, tracing the progression of thought throughout. As such it fills a useful niche. If you want a brief run-through of Isaiah, this is a great place to start.
I have not read his related title, Themes from Isaiah: A Bible Commentary for Laymen, but I suspect it will be helpful on this level also. Alfred Martin’s survey commentary is another older yet briefer introductory commentary on Isaiah. Herbert Wolf’s Interpreting Isaiah is yet another helpful survey commentary, perhaps a bit more substantive than Youngblood and certainly more than Martin’s little book.
For more in-depth study of Isaiah, you can scarcely do better than Alec Motyer. His TOTC commentary is superb, and his The Prophecy of Isaiah provides more thorough exposition.
Other titles of this genre by Youngblood:
- The Book of Genesis: An Introductory Commentary
- Genesis 1-11: How It All Began (A Bible Commentary for Laymen)
- Exodus
- The Heart of the Old Testament: A Survey of Key Theological Themes
Buy the books
THE BOOK OF ISAIAH: AN INTRODUCTORY COMMENTARY, by Ronald F. Youngblood