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★★★★★ 4
A Thorough Commentary that Needs Less Neutrality
Format: Kindle
Dr. Yarbrough has addressed the meaning of the Pastoral Epistles with the excellence we have have come to expect from him. However, sometimes he seems reluctant to take a stand on some controversial issues (other than on Pauline authorship and matters of basic Christian orthodoxy, to both of which he is correctly firmly committed). When several possibilities of meaning are possible, for example, it would be helpful to know which hypothesis he favors, and why. While occasionally he does state a definitive opinion, more often he does not, perhaps in a laudable but somewhat overdone effort to avoid controversy with fellow theologians. However, when one reads a 1000+ page commentary written at a scholarly level, one expects the author to give his or her expert opinion on such matters—indeed, it is a major reason that one purchases and studies a commentary. To conclude on a more positive note, Dr. Yarbrough’s observations on Greek word usage, including numerous Old Testament passages from the Septuagint, the Apostolic Fathers and apocryphal works, were very helpful in aiding the reader in understanding fine shades of meaning. His pastoral observations and deductions based on the text are simply excellent. His discussions of the strengths and weaknesses commonly encountered in Christian leaders in Western countries versus those observed in leaders from other nations were fascinating and edifying, not to mention occasionally convicting (in a good way)—even for readers who aren’t pastors, like me.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2025
