David and Goliath- the call of Samuel- the witch of Endor- David and Bathsheba -- such biblical stories are well known. But the books of 1 and 2 Samuel- where they are recorded- are among the most difficult books in the Bible. The Hebrew text is widely considered corrupt and sometimes even unintelligible. The social and religious customs are strange and seem to diverge from the tradition of Mos…
This thorough commentary mines recent research to give the Book of Ruth's literary- grammatical- and theological dimensions a rigorous treatment. Hubbard pays particular attention to the skillful literary devices and unique theological perspective of Ruth- using them to propose a new date and purpose for the book. By affirming the story's outcome as a divine providence- Hubbard says- the writer…
Eminently readable- exegetically thorough- and written in an emotionally warm style that flows from his keen sensitivity to the text- Barry Webb's commentary on Judges is just what is needed to properly engage a dynamic- narrative work like the book of Judges. It discusses not only unique features of the stories themselves but also such issues as the violent nature of Judges- how women are port…
Woudstra's work on the Book of Joshua is a contribution to The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Like its companion series on the New Testament- this commentary devotes considerable care to achieving a balance between technical information and homiletic-devotional interpretation.
J.A. Thompson's commentary on Jeremiah is one of the most thorough commentaries available for this important book. Init- he discusses issues such as Jeremiahs role as a prophet of Israel- issues with exegesis of the book- the historical setting- the life of Jeremiah- and of course- the book itself. With over 600 pages of commentary- Thompson gives the reader a complete picture of Jeremiah-makin…
Oswalt's study on the first 39 chapters of the Book of Isaiah is part of The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Like its companion series on the New Testament- this commentary devotes considerable care to achieving a balance between technical information and homiletic-devotional interpretation.
“In the Old Testament we read God’s word as it was spoken to his people Israel. Today- thousands of years later- we hear in these thirty-nine books his inspired and authoritative message for us.”These twin convictions- shared by all of the contributors to The New International Commentary on the Old Testament- define the goal of this ambitious series of commentaries. For those many modern …
This work completes Daniel Block's two-volume commentary on the book of Ezekiel. The result of twelve years of studying this difficult section of Scripture- this volume- like the one on chapters 1-24- provides an excellent discussion of the background of Ezekiel and offers a verse-by-verse exposition that makes clear the message of this obscure and often misunderstood prophet. Block also shows …
To most modern readers the book of Ezekiel is a mystery. Few can handle Ezekiel's relentless denunciations- his unconventional antics- his repetitive style- and his bewildering array of topics. This excellent commentary by Daniel I. Block makes sense of this obscure and often misunderstood prophet and demonstrates the relevance of Ezekiel's message for the church today.
Ecclesiastes is one of the most fascinating -- and hauntingly familiar -- books of the Old Testament. The sentiments of the main speaker of the book- a person given the name Qohelet- sound incredibly modern. Expressing the uncertainty and anxieties of our own age- he is driven by the question- "Where can we find meaning in the world?" But while Qohelet's question resonates with readers today- h…