On Writing a Commentary

Carey Moore notes the following on writing commentaries.

Just as 'it takes a village to raise a child', so it also takes a village to produce a biblical commentary, including such 'villagers' as past and present scholars; the 'who' (including one's own gender), 'what', 'when', 'where' and 'why' of the commentator; the collaborative efforts of the editor(s); and the marketing savvy of the publisher. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so a biblical commentary is only as strong as its weakest 'villager.'

Carey Moore, "'It Takes a Village' to Produce a Commentary: A Case in Point," in The Book of Esther in Modern Research, ed. Sidnie White Crawford and Leonard J. Greenspoon (London: T&T Clark, 2003), 3.