Understanding the Bible Commentary

The Minor Prophets are those dozen Old Testament books that, in the time of Jesus, were usually written on one scroll since they were all fairly brief. The late Elizabeth Achtemeier prepared the New International Biblical Commentary on the first six: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah. This second volume deals with the final six books. John Goldingay writes on Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai; Pamela Scalise takes on the longest, Zechariah, and the last, Malachi. Like the authors of other volumes in the NIBC, Goldingay and Scalise utilize what is referred to as "believing criticism" when examining the biblical texts. Based on fidelity to critical analysis and sensitivity to the faith of both ancient and contemporary readers, this balanced approach enriches both the academy and the church. Following the series guidelines, the authors clearly explain the texts with additional notes regarding interpretation and "practical" reflection. For example, Goldingay issues a reminder that when the prophets spoke against the arrogance and sins of Assyria and Babylon, the Israelites needed to hear the word of God as a caution against their own pride and wickedness. He goes on to suggest that modern readers must remember, as well, that the same attitudes and actions that led to the downfall of these ancient Middle East empires can fall upon any and all who follow their example. The New International Biblical Commentary offers the best of contemporary scholarship in a format that both general readers and serious students can use with profit. Based on the widely used New International Version translation, the NIBC presents careful section-by-section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual, linguistic, cultural, and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes.

The New International Biblical Commentary (NIBC) offers the best of contemporary scholarship in a format that both general readers and serious students can use with profit. Based on the widely used NIV translation, the NIBC presents careful section-by-section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah are included in this volume.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps any reader navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the easily understandable truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

Ezra-Nehemiah is the Old Testament equivalent of the Acts of the Apostles--it is a book of new beginnings. Just as Acts narrates the early history of the church through the work of the apostles, Ezra-Nehemiah narrates the re-establishment of the people of God after the exile through the work of Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Allen explores Ezra-Nehemiah as a single literary text made up of three parts telling the story of three missions and the opposition they meet with. Wise and insightful, Leslie Allen has written a commentary that illuminates these texts and their intended message.Esther is a story about a young girl who becomes queen. Laniak's thoughtful commentary examines this narrative as a story with many levels of meaning. Esther is about the minority Jewish community in the dependent state of Diaspora, navigating a precarious existence in two worlds, and it is about the triumph of right over wrong, of God's people over their enemies.

The New International Biblical Commentary offers the best of contemporary scholarship in a format that both general readers and serious students can use with profit.Based on the widely used New International Version translation, the NIBC presents careful section-by-section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The New International Biblical Commentary (NIBC) offers the best of contemporary scholarship in a format useful both for general readers and serious students.Based on the widely used New International Version translation, the NIBC presents careful section-by-section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes.

Craig Broyles examines the Psalms as a diverse collection of poems whose main roots are in Jerusalem's worship services. Both in the past and in the present, they provide dynamic liturgies though which the worshipper encounters God--often with vigorous dialogue--and finds meaning for life. Broyles makes the best of contemporary scholarship on the Psalms accessible to both general readers and serious students.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The New International Bible Commentary offers the best of contemporary scholarship in a format that both general readers and serious students can use with profit. Based on the widely used New International Version translation, the NIBC presents careful section-by-section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes.

The authors of this commentary take a canonical-historical approach to the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, three books that are diverse, yet share the common historical context of the tribal settlement of Canaan. They examine Joshua, Judges, and Ruth as narratives with dynamic theological messages about the dynamic relationship between God's people and the powerful God who gives land and provides deliverers for the people.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

Louis Jonker's section-by-section commentary on 1-2 Chronicles is the newest volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. This user-friendly commentary series helps readers navigate the sometimes difficult terrain of the Bible. These volumes offer solid research in an accessible way, breaking down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become clear to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. In this commentary, Jonker reads 1-2 Chronicles as literature which negotiates a new socio-religious identity in a period of political transition.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

Ezekiel is a transitional character writing in times of dramatic change. A priest without a temple, called to the prophetic office; an exile without a country, writing to his fellow exiles; a public figure for a while without a voice, Ezekiel composes a magnum opus that touched the hearts and minds of his generation and a work that continues to speak of the power and love of God more than two thousand years later. Steven Tuell has captured the breadth and depth of the man and his profound recognition of the power and grace of God for a disenfranchised community. He has provided clear understanding of a complex book of the Bible that many in the past have found confusing and murky. He clarifies the theological underpinnings of the text and brings the brilliance of this book into the light. His explanation of the visionary closing chapters of the book that center on a new nation and a new center of worship is cogent and clear. The New International Biblical Commentary offers the best of contemporary scholarship in a format that both general readers and serious students can use with profit. Based on the widely used New International Version translation, the NIBC presents careful section-by-section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

William Nelson's section-by-section commentary on Daniel is the newest volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. This user-friendly commentary series helps any reader navigate the sometimes difficult terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become clear to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the easily understandable truth found in this commentary series.

Martin Luther called Romans the clearest gospel of all. But centuries of interpretive tradition and dogma have muddied the waters. Edwards's careful exposition pays attention to literary detail and historical context to clarify the Epistle's significance for its original readers and for the church today. The NIBC format (section-by-section exposition of the NIV, all Greek transliterated, and separate textual and technical notes) make this commentary ideal for laypeople and pastors.

The book of Isaiah depicts for its readers what happens when Isaiah volunteers to become Yahweh's gofer, when he acts and speaks on Yahweh's behalf with Yahweh's authority. In this careful and insightful commentary on Isaiah, Goldingay unfolds the voices and messages of those prophetic actions and experiences. While doing this he points out that three attributes of Yahweh come into distinctive focus in Isaiah: Yahweh's majesty and authority, Yahweh's passion in anger and compassion, and Yahweh's insight and capacity to formulate a plan and put it into effect. Goldingay also examines the way Isaiah thinks about the people of God and the relationship between the vision of who they could be, the reality of who they were, the calamity of that contrast, and ultimately the promise Yahweh offers to them.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

Identifying three streams of concern in the books of Samuel (politics, people, and preaching), Mary Evans demonstrates how each of these manifests itself in the underlying and unifying theme of power-and powerlessness. She then uses this concept of power as a fascinating matrix for interpreting the events God ordains and the characters God uses in biblical history. Evans defends her case for the unity of the books that we divide into 1 and 2 Samuel with a sensitivity to the composition of the text and the intentionality of the various "writers" who had a hand in bringing the different accounts together. The discussion interacts with the parallel material in Chronicles and Kings and recognizes the importance of the themes of covenant and law, especially from the Deuteronomic perspective. The commentary, with its additional notes, also includes a good breadth of references to scholarly debate and discussion on various issues. Evans brings the often theologically difficult text of Samuel and the complex characters of Samuel, Saul, David, and others into sharp focus for the contemporary reader while offering fresh insights and perspectives on the ancient text.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

Provan treats 1 and 2 Kings as a unified whole nestled within its canonical context. Kings constantly presupposes knowledge of the remainder of the story of Israel and invites reflection upon itself in the light of the prophetic writings and of the New Testament. It is examined here as narrative literature with historiographical intent, designed to teach its readers about God and the Ways of God. Provan does a masterful job of drawing the reader's attention to themes that are repeated in Kings, such as the theme of God's promise and how it is fulfilled among God's people. He has succeeded in making Kings a more readily accessible book.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps any reader navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the easily understandable truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps any reader navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the easily understandable truth found in this commentary series.

Section by section exposition with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated. A separate section of notes at the close of each chapter provides additional textual and technical comments. Each commentary also includes a selected bibliography as well as Scripture and subject indexes. This set is for serious and general readers alike. Wright is principal of All Nations Christian College in England. His PhD is from Cambridge University.

The Understanding the Bible Commentary Series helps readers navigate the strange and sometimes intimidating literary terrain of the Bible. These accessible volumes break down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers. The contributors tackle the task of interpretation using the full range of critical methodologies and practices, yet they do so as people of faith who hold the text in the highest regard. Pastors, teachers, and lay people alike will cherish the truth found in this commentary series.