The IVP dictionaries are one of the finest gifts to the church of this generation. Whenever a new one comes out, I like to spend the evening dipping into it here and there. The newest one is edited by Tremper Longman and Peter Enns, and it is called Dictionary of the OT: Wisdom, Poetry, Writings. Here’s why I think pastors and students need these dictionaries:

First, they access gobs and gobs of information, distill it and put it into a reasonably short article.
Second, the bibliographies are astounding.
Third, while these dictionaries are theologically alert, they are not bound to the traditional conservative viewpoint. In other words, you might be in for some surprises.
Now here’s my claim: these dictionaries represent the finest in evangelical scholarship and reveal a growing interaction with all dimensions of the scholarly world. Yes, it is true: I was a co-editor of the first one and we are soon to begin the process of revising that volume, but I still contend these dictionaries are playing a hand in the growing shifts in evangelicalism.