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Conspectus, Volume 39 April 2025 -106-
https://doi.org/10.54725/conspectus.2025.1.8
Book Review: Genesis
Phillips, Richard D. 2023. Genesis. 2 vols. Reformed Expository
Commentary. Philipsburg: P&R Publishing. xvi, 669 pp.; ix, 867 pp. ISBN:
978-1-62995-782-1. Approx. 1224.58 ZAR (68.13 USD). Hardcover.
ere is always the need for a fresh exposition and application of
Scripture for the Church at large. e Reformed Expository Commentary
(REC) series addresses this need by oering an integrated treatment of
entire passages of Scripture, rather than focusing on a word-by-word or
verse-by-verse exegetical approach.
Rooted in a commitment to the Westminster Confession of Faith
(and its Catechisms), the REC is unapologetically doctrinal, following
a redemptive-historical approach. at is, its contributors emphasize
the overarching unity of Scripture and its central message of salvation
in Christ. ey are committed to a Christ-centered reading of the
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, seeing its people, events, and institutions
as foreshadowing Christ and his gospel while also providing tangible
examples for eectively living by faith. Finally, the series is deeply
practical, applying Scripture to both the public and private spheres of
contemporary life (pp. xi–xii).
Richard D. Phillips is the senior minister of Second Presbyterian
Church of Greenville, South Carolina. He serves as a council member of
the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the chairman of the Philadelphia
Conference on Reformed eology, and as a council member of e
Gospel Coalition. Phillips is also the co-editor of the Reformed Expository
Commentary series. is two-volume commentary on Genesis stands as
a prime example of the Reformed Expository Commentary approach and
showcases Phillips’s exceptional skill as an expositor.
Phillips divides the commentary into two volumes and seven main
parts. Volume one covers Genesis 12:1–19:38: 1) e Creator and His
Cosmos (1:1–2:25), 2) e Fall of Man (3:1–5:32), 3) Noah’s Flood (6:1–
11:32), and 4) e Abrahamic Covenant. Volume two covers Genesis 20–
50: 5) God’s Covenant with Isaac and Jacob (25:12– 37:1), 6) e Trials
and Triumph of Joseph (37:2–45:28), and 7) Israel in Egypt (46:1–50:26).
e bibliography (pp. 603–616) and subject (pp. 645-687) and
Scripture (pp. 617-643) indices cover both volumes. Certain key Hebrew
words, such as adam, (man), adamah (land), bereshit (beginning), and
berith (covenant), also appear in the index. However, not every Hebrew
word mentioned in the commentary appears in the index, potentially
frustrating readers interested in these details.
It is worth noting that the length of text covered in each chapter
varies. For instance, Phillips dedicates four chapters exclusively to Genesis
1:1, with a fth chapter focusing on Genesis 1:1–2, yet only a single
chapter is devoted to Genesis 1:5. In total, the commentary includes an
impressive 121 chapters. Each chapter averages about ten pages and
generally follows a consistent, well-structured pattern—Hook, Book,
Look, and Took. Said otherwise, Phillips often begins by capturing the
attention of his audience (Hook) through an anecdote, a vivid historical
snapshot, or personal experience(s). It should be noted that, prior to
entering the ministry, Phillips commanded tank units as an ocer in the
U. S. Army and later served as an assistant professor of leadership at the
U. S. Military Academy at West Point. Occasionally, the author begins
by leveraging a startling statistic. For example, Phillips relates that the
divorce rate in America has doubled in the last fty years and that in
Burlet, Book Review: Genesis -107-
1970, 89% of babies were born to married couples, but today this number
has dropped to under 60%. Phillips further elucidates:
Behind these statistics is the assumption that the God-designed
bonds of marriage are opposed to happiness in life, together with
the view that the best way to succeed in marriage is to try out the
arrangement in advance…. e union between Adam and Eve
described in Genesis 2 is treated with great importance in the rest of
the Bible. No less a One than Jesus himself pointed to this passage as
the denitive statement about marriage (see Matt. 19:3– 6). Genesis
2 thus invites us to ask, ‘What kind of relationship is marriage?’ It
answers that marriage is a committed relationship, an intimate
relationship, and a Christ-directed relationship. We nd support for
all three of these assertions throughout the Bible, but they are [all]
rooted in the account of Genesis 2:22–25. (pp. 197–98)
Following this, Phillips moves seamlessly into the biblical text (Book),
grounding his message in Scripture before broadening the lens to consider
wider theological connections and canonical themes (Look). Finally, he
lands with clear, practical application, ensuring that the takeaway (Took)
is not merely conceptual but actionable. By way of example, Phillips
relates:
e great shame of the ood narrative in Genesis 7 is not that it
tempts us into seeing God as a petulant killer. e shame is that so
few people respond with an awareness that this same God, glorious
in his perfect, holy character, will judge our sin. e same God who
caused Noah in his ark to oat above the waters will also save us by
his grace, but only as we respond to his Word in faith. Noah’s Flood
shows God’s certain wrath on all sin. Noah’s salvation testies that
God can and will save you out of every deadly danger, chief of which
is your sin, if you will come to Jesus Christ, appeal to his cross, and
enter into his salvation through faith in the good news. (p. 387)
Phillips often draws on contemporary cultural issues in his illustrations,
addressing topics such as abortion, creation care, the LGBTQ+
community, and social injustice (including references to Martin Luther
King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail). He also engages with signicant world
events, like the sinking of the Titanic, the Apollo and Voyager missions,
and the attacks on the World Trade Center.
Phillips also demonstrates an acute ability to eectively engage with
pop culture, from Reality TV to Hollywood blockbusters (e.g., Interstellar,
Rocky, e Wizard of Oz). He also displays an enviable awareness of the
classics like Paradise Lost and e Grapes of Wrath.
To conclude, Richard D. Phillips’s two-volume commentary on
Genesis in the Reformed Expository Commentary series platforms a
pastor/scholar who not only seeks to master the text but be mastered
by it. It is a rich blend of exposition, theology, and application, making
it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to deeply engage Genesis in a
thoughtful yet accessible way. Its primary audience will likely consist of
pastors, preachers, and Christian ministry leaders, including those leading
Bible study groups. Additionally, students from Bible colleges, seminaries,
and Christian universities might also nd it benecial.
Conspectus, Volume 39 April 2025 -108-
Dustin G. Burlet1
Millar College of the Bible (Winnipeg, MB)
dustinburlet@gmail.com
1. Dr. Dustin Burlet holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament from McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton,
ON) and teaches theology and biblical studies at Millar College of the Bible (Winnipeg, MB). He
has published articles in a variety of journals such as Didakitos, Theodidakitos, Canadian American
Theological Review, Torch Trinity Journal, The Messenger, and Canon & Culture. His current research
explores hyperbole and rhetoric (persuasion) in dialogue with Noah’s Flood in Genesis.
