One of the latest contributions to the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary (EBTC) is the Gospel of Matthew by Charles Quarles. I believe this is the first one released on one of the Gospels, and it is definitely worth investing in for any student of the Word!
Easily one of the most valuable parts of this commentary is the introductory material before the commentary proper. There is an introduction that walks through the important issues such as authorship, date, language, purpose, and structure of the Gospel of Matthew with a detailed outline. There is also a massive portion on the biblical and theological themes found in the book. This is what sets this specific commentary apart from all others in my opinion. It discusses various Christological titles found in Matthew, such as Son of Man and Messiah. It also touches on topics such as the Kingdom of Heaven, the New Covenant, and the New Creation.
The rest of the commentary focuses on walking through each passage in detail. I have found the layout to be very helpful, with three main sections of focus for each passage. The first is the relation of each passage to the surrounding context, which shows how a set of verses is related to the letter as a whole, and even the Bible as a whole. Second is the structure of the passage which gives a solid verse by verse exegesis and exposition. Lastly is the “Bridge” section, where the gap is bridged between the first century world and our world, giving insights into how to apply each passage to our lives.
There are so many commentaries to choose from when studying a book of the Bible, but I am now considering the EBTC as one of my go-to resources for study. It has already been extremely helpful in gaining a better grasp of Matthew’s Gospel and how it fits into the Bible as a whole. The layout is well-organized and easy to follow, even if you are picking up in the middle of a book. And if you are simply interested in the theological themes of the book, you can easily peruse the biblical and theological section at the beginning without having to wade through the main exposition of the passage.
The study of God’s Word is endless and I just love what Lexham Press is doing with these commentaries. The set is highly accessible for everyone who wants to dig deeper into the Bible. Check this out along with all of the other releases as well as the ones to come!
Read & Repeat
read & repeat 
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