In 1977 an editorial board met to consider that possibility of a new set of commentaries stemming from scholars from evangelical backgrounds. Almost 35 years later and the Word Biblical Commentary continues on strong and is nearing its completion, even as earlier volumes are updated and revised. This long-awaited conclusion to Dr. David Clines’ study of Job is a great addition to the shelves of biblical scholars both amateur and professional.

This conclusion to the three volume series is more bibliography than anything, which is either a turnoff or a bonus, depending on your perspective. While the book weighs in at a hefty 500 pages and covers only four chapters of the biblical text, more than half those pages are dedicated to bibliographies and indices of the three-volume set. Virtually every known resource on the book of Job is included, to the point it is almost overwhelming. This resource is invaluable for the scholar searching for more than one point of view or reference, and while I think the bibliographies could have been made clearer, space ultimately prevented the publishers from being able to do this.

As regards the commentary proper, this volume is devoted entirely to the response of Yahweh from the tempest to Job, Job’s responses to God, and the book’s epilogue. It handles Yahweh’s explanation of his purposes in creation and an unexpected answer to the problem of pain and suffering. Each portion of text is broken into three sections that run like this:

1. Bibliography of Section
2. Author Translation of Section
3. In-depth technical notations on linguistics, followed by discussion of form/structure/setting
4. Verse-by-verse commentary
5. Concluding explanation

The author translation of the section is unique, as it does not force any commentator to be tied to any one particular bible translation while also not deriving commentary straight from biblical languages. This provides a nice bridge between fully technical commentaries that deal heavily in Greek and Hebrew and nontechnical commentaries that deal strictly in an English translation. The bibliography and linguistics section comprises the “Academics Only” section of the commentary. Here be technical discussions of Hebrew and other various issues as it relates to the specific passage.

The verse-by-verse commentary again serves as a bridge between fully technical and layperson accessible. This section of the book is one most generally thinks of as a commentary—expositional exegesis on the text at hand.  Clines’ verse-by-verse thoughts, which conclude with a couple page summary of what’s been said is masterful. I don’t know that I agree with all his conclusions (as he seems to imply as Yahweh’s dealings with Job are unjust [p. 1242]), but his exegesis have already caused me to mull over some of the more intricate matters of translation (such as the identities of Behemoth and Leviathan). One point that Clines makes well is that Job’s response to Yahweh is not all sunny and cheery and Job does not receive a great answer to the problem of injustice and evil. Instead, countered with the sovereignty of God, Job can do nothing but withdraw his argument.

To conclude, Job 38-42 is an excellent commentary I’m sure I’ll be returning to often as reference. If you can get past the obfuscation and complexity of the bibliographic information, there is a wealth of resources there waiting to be mined. The exegesis offers a clear perspective accessible to advanced layperson and scholar alike. It’s a solid addition to the Word Biblical Commentary, a great conclusion to Clines’ three volumes of Job, and a perfect way to complete the Old Testament part of the commentary set.

Note: I received this book as a part of the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze program. All opinions expressed are my own. Full disclosure here.