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A review by rayellis
Genesis by Derek Kidner
4.0
A great one-volume commentary on Genesis. Although, in common with many other commentaries the weighting is more towards the Primeval History (Genesis 1-11 takes up 1/3 of the commentary) rather than the Patriarchs ("The Chosen Family") (Genesis 12-50 takes up only 1/2 of the commentary).
The whole thing is readable and insightful. What I did find interesting, for a commentary written in the 1960s, was a sustained critique of the Graf & Wellhausen JEDP documentary theory. I had assumed that it was pretty much accepted as fact at that time - And even Kidner acknowledges at one point that "the prestige of the theory tends to protect it from criticism".
The whole thing is readable and insightful. What I did find interesting, for a commentary written in the 1960s, was a sustained critique of the Graf & Wellhausen JEDP documentary theory. I had assumed that it was pretty much accepted as fact at that time - And even Kidner acknowledges at one point that "the prestige of the theory tends to protect it from criticism".