The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary)

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Classroom Text
Review: I have used this commentary on Philippians for several years now in my classes. The students enjoy its balance between scholarship and devotion. It contains a wealth of insights into and applications of the text. It also shows an awareness of those discourse features of New Testament Greek that can make a real difference in interpretation. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: First-rate exegetical commentary
Review: There is no other scholarly commentary on Philippians which even comes close to this one! Granted, this work is for the more advanced student, and if one is unfamiliar with Greek, one might want to consider looking elsewhere. (Remember, this is part of the New International Greek Testament Commentary series). But for the well-educated layperson, pastor or scholar, a more complete and accurate resource simply does not exist. O'Brien deals judiciously with the Greek text, always weighing the pros and cons of alternate readings. His bibliographies in each major section are invaluable (if one has access to a decent theological libray) and unsurpassed. Particularly pleasing is the author's magisterial treatment of the text of 2:5-11. In much less space, O'Brien has actually surpassed Ralph Martin's work ("Carmen Christi") on this passage! The author not only deals expertly with the grammar and meaning of the text, but also with its structure. Although O'Brien is rather conservative in identifying chiastic structure, his rationale for doing so is always based upon sound grammatical reasoning. I found this refreshing.

The truly surprising thing about this commentary, from the perspective of a pastor, is that the author's handling of the text lends itself easily to the homiletical task. If a diligent pastor or teacher will work through this commentary while teaching/preaching on Philippians, his/her messages will be more insightful, richer and more sharply applied. In short, O'Brien's commentary is light-years ahead of its competition, even the excellent volume by Gerald Hawthorne in the Word series. For the seminarian looking for a fine example on how to use the Greek in doing exegesis for teaching and preaching, O'Brien provides a tremendously practical and inspiring model. Any serious Bible student looking for a scholarly work on Philippian will find this book a bargain and a treasure.

Rating:
Summary: First-rate exegetical commentary
Review: This is an outstanding commentary. It is obviously intended for pastors and students who know their Greek well. The commentary is very challenging and extremely exhausting, but it richly rewards those persistent enough to read it with many exegetical and theological insights.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource
Review: You will find O'Brien's to be one of the very best commentaries on Philippians, but you will get more out of it if you are familiar with New Testament Greek. The author writes from a theologically conservative viewpoint, but is always prepared to evaluate other views, while also clearly articulating his own.

The long section on Philippians 2:5-11 has been painstakingly researched. It is thorough and magnificent.

If you read commentaries to help you to understand the text, so that you can better serve Jesus Christ, you will really appreciate this one, as well as the author's commentaries on Colossians and Ephesians.

Highly recommended.