Built for Preachers and Teachers
Kerux Commentaries enable pastors and teachers to understand and effectively present the message of a biblical text. Kerux opens up each text of the Bible by explaining the message of the text to the original audience, unpacking the timeless truth of the passage, and finally providing communication insights for conveying that truth to a contemporary audience.
Each volume is written by a biblical scholar and a working pastor or homiletics scholar in partnership. Inclusion of a preaching author means that the commentary is centered on the biblical insights that are useful to a pastor as well as effective communication strategies and illustrations for each passage. Readers will discern the benefits of this throughout, as a resource designed and written with the real needs of regular proclamation always in sight.
Special digital edition features! Exclusive to the digital edition, enjoy an additional layer of technical commentary alongside the exegetical and homiletical commentary. Engage deeper with the biblical languages, passage structure, historical backgrounds, and other commentators. These additional notes provide you with everything you need for a deeper understanding of each passage - perfect for preparing a sermon, study, or lecture.
Kerux strengthens a speaker's clear and focused presentation of a text, as the included biblical insights are crafted to support the main argument of the passage, without too much extraneous information. It enhances the pastor's ability to deliver a sermon that is biblical, cohesive, and dynamic by keeping the length of commentary manageable, while also offering effective, creative strategies for delivering the message of the text.
The Kerux Commentaries series takes its name from the Greek word kerux, a messenger or herald who announced the proclamations of a ruler or magistrate. It’s the same word that Paul uses in 1 Timothy 2:7—“For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. . . .” Those who proclaim and teach the text of Scripture need to be equipped not only to explain Scripture, but also to connect the hearers with the big idea of a specific passage and its application to life.
The Kerux Method:
- Explain the essential message for the original listeners or readers
- Unpack the timeless truth of that message
- State that truth in a contemporary way
- Provide communication insights for conveying the biblical concept
- An introduction and outline for every Bible book
- Individual preaching sections and ideas for every Bible book
- Extended treatments of difficult topics in the digital editions
- Individual preaching sections and ideas for every Bible book
- Helpful discussions of the original context of each preaching passage
- The main concept of the text for its first hearers and readers
- The theological focus of each passage
- A contemporary big idea for every preaching unit
- Communication pointers for each primary idea
Each commentary features:
Gary V. Smith is professor of Christian Studies at Union University. Prior to Union, Dr. Smith taught Old Testament and Hebrew, and served as Interim Academic Dean at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has completed academic research in Jerusalem, Israel and in Cambridge, England. Dr. Smith and his wife Susan live in Jackson, Tennessee. They have two children and five grandchildren.
Timothy D. Sprankle is senior pastor at Leesburg Grace Brethren Church in Northern Indiana. He has taught Bible in academic and church settings since 1995 and pastored for ten years. Sprankle is also a conference speaker and coauthor of God’s Big Picture.
