Foreword
The Layman s Bible Book Commentary in twenty-four volumes was
planned as a practical exposition of the whole Bible for lay readers
and students. It is based on the conviction that the Bible speaks to
every generation of believers but needs occasional reinterpretation
in the light of changing language and modern experience. Following
the guidance of God s Spirit， the believer finds in it the authoritative
word for faith and life.
To meet the needs of lay readers， the Commentary is written in
a popular style， and each Bible book is clearly outlined to reveal its
major emphases. Although the writers are competent scholars and
reverent interpreters， they have avoided critical problems and the
use of original languages except where they were essential for explain-
ing the text. They recognize the variety of literary forms in the Bible，
but they have not followed documentary trails or become preoccupied
with literary concerns. Their primary purpose was to show what each
Bible book meant for its time and what it says to our own generation.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible is the basic text of the
Commentary， but writers were free to use other translations to clarify
an occasional passage or sharpen its effect. To provide as much inter-
pretation as possible in such concise books， the Bible text was not
printed along with the comment.
Of the twenty-four volumes of the Commentary， fourteen deal with
Old Testament books and ten with those in the New Testament. The
volumes range in pages from 140 to 168. Four major books in the
Old Testament and five in the New are treated in one volume each.
Others appear in various combinations. Although the allotted space
varies， each Bible book is treated as a whole to reveal its basic message
with some passages getting special attention. Whatever plan of Bible
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