France focuses on Matthews text as it stands, rather than the prehistory of the material or any synoptic differences, concerned with what Matthew meant to convey about Jesus. He offers an extremely thorough exegesis of each section as part of a carefully planned literary whole, supplemented by verse-by-verse comment. (Biblical Studies) nIt is a special pleasure to introduce R T (Dick) Frances commentary to the pastoral and scholarly community, who should find it a truly exceptional - and helpful - volume. So says Gordon Fee in his preface to this work. Frances masterful commentary on Matthew focuses on exegesis of Matthews text as it stands rather than on the prehistory of the material or details of Synoptic comparison. It is concerned throughout with what Matthew himself meant to convey about Jesus and how he set about doing so within the cultural and historical context of first-century Palestine. Amid the wide array of Matthew commentaries available today, Frances world-class stature, his clear focus on Matthew and Jesus, his careful methodology, and his user-friendly style promise to make this volume an enduring standard for years to come.