To be able to work twice through the Psalms in preparing commentaries has been a special privilege for me. I thank Christian Focus Publications for the invitation to enlarge my earlier commentary (published in 1998). I have expanded the exegesis, and in doing so I have maintained my method as a commentator that I have explained in the forewordto Isaiah: A Covenant to be Kept for the Sake of the Church (Fearn: Christian Focus Publications, 2005). My aim has been to explain the Hebrew text without entering into debate with others. Footnotes have been added to expand on some matters requiring further detail, or to direct the reader’s attention to sources of grammatical or lexicographical information. While I have referred to Hebrew quite often, I hope I have done it in a way that still makes it easy for those without a knowledge of the language to feel at home in using this commentary.It has been encouraging to hear from those who have used my earlier volume and to know that it has served the purpose for which it was written. In the years since its publication I have read widely on the Psalms, and I thank those who have contributed to my thinking, even though there is no express acknowledgement of them in the text.
Once more I have to thank my wife Mairi, who has either read the manuscript, or listened to me reading it, as we worked through the Psalter in our evening devotions. She has partnered me in the work of the Gospel and her help and encouragement continues to be integral to my writing ministry.
Allan Harman has had a life-time interest in exposition of the biblical text, and also in the history of interpretation. He is Research Professor of Old Testament at the Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. He has lectured and preached in many countries, and continues to serve as the senior editor of the Reformed Theological Review, Australia's oldest theological journal.
Praise for Psalms Vol. 1 & 2: A Mentor Commentary:
"This commentary will be a worthy resource for the pastor and student in the study as well as the layman seeking personal edification."-Michael Lefebvre ~ Pastor, Christ Church Reformed Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana
"The focus is on the original meaning of the psalms with clear explanations of the message of each psalm through an analsysis of structure, key words, and the flow of the psalm. And yet, the meaning of the psalms for God's people today is also emphasized by showing important connections to the New Testament. The reader will discover the rich treasures in the Psalms through the use of this commentary."-Richard P. Belcher, Jr. ~ Professor of Old Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, North Carolina
"Allan Harman's commentary is the fruit of a lifetime's study of the Psalter and provides a well-informed, reliable guide to the vast literature on the subject. The extensive introduction is itself worth its weight in gold while the Scripture text is opened up in a clear, careful and devout way."-Philip H. Eveson ~ former principal of London Theological Seminary and lecturer in Old Testament exegesis, theology and preaching
Learn more about these and other volumes in the Mentor Commentary Series at ChristianFocus.com.