The NIV Application Commentary Series is unique. Most commentaries help us make the journey from our world back to the world of the Bible. They enable us to cross the barriers of time, culture, language, and geography that separate us from the biblical world. Once they have explained the original meaning of a book or passage, these commentaries give us little or no help in exploring its contemporary significance. The information they offer is valuable, but the job is only half done.
Recently, a few commentaries have included some contemporary application as one of their goals. Yet that application is often sketchy or moralistic, and some volumes sound more like printed sermons than commentaries. The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context. Each passage is treated by John H. Walton in three sections:
Original Meaning: All of the elements of traditional exegesis — in concise form — are discussed here. These include the historical, literary, and cultural context of the passage. The authors discuss matters related to grammar and syntax and the meaning of biblical words. They also seek to explore the main ideas of the passage and how the biblical author develops those ideas. After reading this section, you will understand the problems, questions, and concerns of the original audience and how the biblical author addressed those issues. This understanding is foundational to any legitimate application of the text today.
Bridging Contexts: A bridge between the world of the Bible and the world of today, between theoriginal context and the contemporary context, by focusing on both the timely and timeless aspects of the text.
Contemporary Significance: allows the biblical message to speak with as much power today as it did when it was first written.
In the NIV Application Commentary Job both the original NIV text of each chapter is presented to read as well as the treasure found in the sections described above. As a preface the whole book is explored. Author, date, theme, characters, plot, etc.
The title character of the book of Job is caught in the ultimate “dark and stormy night” of a life gone tragically wrong. We should not mistakenly think that this book is just about Job, however; it is about all of us. Regardless of where anyone’s experiences fit on the spectrum of pain and suffering, we are all prone to ask the same questions. These questions direct us to the central subject of the book, God himself, for he is the one to whom we direct our confused questions and perplexed musings.
The Commentary is perfect for theology students, preachers and devouted Christians willing to dig deeper and unearth the treasures underneath a superficial reading of the Scriptures. ( )

Bible, O.T. Commentary