Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther

Title: Cornerstone Biblical Commentary Ezra-Nehemiah-Esther, Featuring the text of the New Living Translation
Author: Gary Smith and General Editor, Philip Comfort
Publisher: Tyndale
Publishing Date: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4141-2207-0
Pages: 287


I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale publishers to post my honest review. This is my first commentary and I loved it. Each section starts with an introduction to give the pertinent details of the author, audience, time period, literary style, and major themes. I like that the book does this as it gets you in the right frame of mind to begin your study. The reader can see why this book was written and who the audience is to get a better understanding of why it was written the way it was and what it meant to the people of at the time of the writing and how that affects us all today.

I had never used the New Living Translation version before and I did like it. As the commentary goes verse by verse with an explanation, this translation worked well with that as it is a version that seems easier to use than the King James version that I am used to. While the text is easier to understand on its own, it just gave better understanding to me with this version and the commentary notes on the verses.

I highly recommend this book. It is a great study tool for anyone just looking for better understanding of these books of the Bible, yet it is also a great tool for those looked for deeper study of these texts.