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Dr. Robert Bergen Co-Authors Book

Thursday, December 17, 2009
by Beth Sowers

Hannibal, MO – Dr. Robert D. Bergen is a man that wears many hats. He is professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Hannibal-LaGrange College, recipient of numerous awards including HLG’s Parkway Distinguished Professor award, a husband and father, and as if that’s not enough, a published author.

Bergen and Stephen J. Andrews, director of the Morton-Seats Institute of Archeology and Anthropology and professor of Old Testament, Hebrew, and Archaeology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, co-authored the Holman Old Testament Commentary: Volume Six, 1 & 2 Samuel, released by B&H Publishing Group in 2009. This completes the entire 32 book series which covers both Old and New Testament Bible books.

More than 400,000 books in the series have been sold to date. Referred to as an “everyman’s commentary,” the series offers detailed interpretation of the text when time allows, but also includes succinct summaries that address each main theme or lesson when time is short.

Books in the series feature a main idea – a brief, but accurate overview of the purpose, meaning and importance of the book under discussion, along with quick quotes from noted writers and theologians that help put the discussion in context, as well as provide citations for those preparing their own sermon or class presentations. Illustrations, historical facts, grammatical notations, discussion points, teaching plans and more allow users to customize this series for their teaching, studying and preaching use.

General Editor and creator of the series Max Anders explains, “This resource is designed for local church Bible teaching, as well as individual study. Our hope is that it will lead God’s people truly to be people of the book, living out what God calls us to be.”

“The writing project was an interesting one,” said Dr. Bergen. “It stretched me by making me get out of my literary comfort zone. Even though I had written notes on the 24 chapters of 2 Samuel before, I had never written them specifically for Sunday School teachers,” continued Bergen. “This project required me to come up with original illustrations/anecdotes that could be used by teachers/preachers, teaching/sermon outlines, questions for reflection, and prayers to accompany the textual analysis.”

Available for individual purchase or in library sets, the New Testament series is comprised of 12 volumes and the Old Testament contains 20 volumes.

“The commentary was written by authors who hold to inerrancy of Scripture and who are trustworthy Bible interpreters,” said Steve Bond, senior editorial director for Holman Bibles and Bible Reference at B&H. “I feel very confident in placing these commentaries in the hands of laypeople and pastors.”

“We at HLG are justifiably proud of the significant accomplishment of Dr. Bob Bergen as co-author of the Holman Old Testament Commentary on I and II Samuel,” said Dr. Woodrow Burt, HLG President.  “Dr. Bergen has been a vital member of the HLG faculty for over 20 years and continues to inspire both students and faculty with his scholarship, insight and leadership.  He is a rare find, and we are blessed to have him at Hannibal-LaGrange College.”

“No matter how many times you study a particular passage of the Bible, there is always something fresh, new, and relevant that can be gleaned from it,” said Bergen. “Commentaries can be of real help in understanding the meaning of a Biblical text – I still use them to help me, even though I’ve been teaching the Bible at HLG more than 20 years.”

Bergen received his Ph.D. and Master’s of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX, and his bachelor’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX. Not only has he been involved in writing, but he has served as editor and translator as well.  His name is linked to such works as Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics and the Holman Christian Standard Bible (1 Samuel, Exodus). He and his wife, Martha, have been teaching at HLG for more than 20 years. They have a son, Wesley, and currently reside in Hannibal.

For more information on the Holman Old Testament Commentary, or to purchase the book, check out B&H Publishing Group’s website at: http://bhpublishinggroup.com/productDetail.asp?isbn=0805494669.