A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
by Fred G. Zaspel
Today we highlight the works of another of my favorite authors, one who has had significant influence in my own studies—Bruce K. Waltke. Waltke is a giant of Old Testament scholarship, and I would guess that most of our readers will already be familiar with his name. Every time he writes, it’s something I want to read.
Waltke has from the beginning of his career kept a close eye on biblical words and their meanings. This area of expertise is highlighted in his Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, a widely recognized authoritative text, and his earlier work (with Gleason Archer and R. Laird Harris), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, a must have resource for the study of the Old Testament.
Waltke mentioned to me that he considers his An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach (for Kindle here), his most important work. Again, it’s a work you want handy if you’re studying any portion of the Old Testament.
No student of Proverbs will ever want to be without Waltke’s landmark two-volume commentary on Proverbs (vol.1 hardback or Kindle; vol.2 hardback or Kindle). His decades of study of this wisdom book shows itself on every page. It’s available now in a condensed, one-volume edition (paperback here; for Kindle here), which is handy to have, I suppose, but I would never be without the two-volume work. A lesser known of Waltke’s work on Proverbs is his Proverbs and Politics: The Biblical Foundation for Righteous Governing, a unique and much-needed study.
In his Genesis: A Commentary (for Kindle here) Waltke provides important help in following the text along the author’s own flow of thought—the help along these lines alone is worth the price of the book.
My favorite, of course, is his How to Read and Understand the Psalms (and for Kindle here), co-authored with yours truly. The learning gleaned here has been indispensable to my own understanding and preaching of this most loved Old Testament book. Waltke’s previous three works on the Psalms feature his careful and thorough exegesis, as well as helpful historical observations by co-author James Houston: The Psalms as Christian Lament (for Kindle here), The Psalms as Christian Praise (for Kindle here), and The Psalms as Christian Worship (for Kindle here). Waltke has also contributed a chapter to the excellent resource, The Psalms: Language for All Seasons of the Soul (for Kindle here). A few years ago when I edited the Concise Commentary series for The Gospel Coalition, I was so happy to enlist Waltke to write the Concise Commentary on the Psalms, which you can find in its five installments here. It is brief, but it is pure gold.
He has two commentaries on Micah. His TOTC volume provides the quickest help, and his A Commentary on Micah (for Kindle here) is invaluable for more in-depth study. When studying through Micah myself, I read both—there was overlap, of course, but I was happy to have both.
His Knowing the Will of God provides sane, seasoned wisdom on this perennial question of interest.
His The Dance Between God and Humanity (for Kindle here) features a collection of Waltke’s shorter writings—filled with gems of wisdom and exegetical insight.
Waltke has contributed chapters to Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments, The Kingdom of God (for Kindle here), and has written the Forewords to God’s Praise & God’s Presence (for Kindle here), Index to Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, and Old Testament Textual Criticism: A Practical Introduction.
The Way of Wisdom (for Kindle here) is a festschrift published in Waltke’s honor.
Read Waltke and enjoy learning the Old Testament!