A Commentary on the Psalms. Volume 1 (1-41) and Volume 2 (42-89).

Klein, Ralph W.

A Commentary on the Psalms. Volume 1 (1-41) and Volume 2 (42-89). By Allen B. Ross. (Kregel Academic, $44.99 each volume). In these volumes Ross uses some of the resources of historical criticism and provides a helpful but fairly conservative exegesis. I wish he were more venturesome in translation ("Kiss the son, lest he be angry" sticks with a corrupt text in 2:12; "in the valley of the shadow of death" 23:4 should be "in a very dark valley." Death is not the only dark valley we face). He sticks too often to Davidic authorship. What does it mean for "David" to return to the house of the Lord when the temple was not built until Solomon's time? Is it really true that there is no reason to doubt that Psalm 51 was written after the Bathsheba affair? I think he misses the importance of the setting in the divine council for the meaning of Psalm 82. By the way, he always spells the word incorrectly as "divine counsel." Ross has read widely and provides many fine comments from other commentaries and journal articles.