With fresh insight and scholarly depth, I and II Chronicles: A Commentary reclaims these often-overlooked texts as far more than a retelling of Israel’s past. They are vital witnesses to the theological and communal imagination of a people rebuilding identity in the shadow of empire.In this critical and illuminating volume of the Old Testament Library, internationally respected scholar Louis C. Jonker reveals Chronicles as a dynamic text that reinterprets sacred traditions to help the postexilic...
Unraveling creation, covenant, and family in a foundational biblical narrative.
In this thought-provoking addition to the Old Testament Library, David L. Petersen offers a fresh reading of the book of Genesis, understanding it to address the creation of the universe, the beginnings of human culture, and the origins of Israel, all of which are anchored in the central motif of family. Petersen traces the intricate lives and relationships of the ancestral families—from the story of Adam and Eve to ...
One of the Twelve Minor Prophetic books, the book of Micah contains the famous quote "what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). However, many of us do not know the circumstances that led the prophet to these famous words. This serious commentary by Daniel Smith- Christopher analyzes the historical, social, and literary context of the book of Micah. Smith-Christopher presents a challenging perspective o...
In this new addition to the Old Testament Library series, Graeme Auld writes, "This book is about David." The author demonstrates how all the other personalities in First and Second Samuel--including Samuel, for whom the books were named--are present so that we may see and know David better.These fascinating stories detail the lives of David, his predecessors, and their families. Auld explains that though we read these books from beginning to end, we need to understand that they wer...
In this new addition to the Old Testament Library series, Graeme Auld writes, ""This book is about David."" The author demonstrates how all the other personalities in First and Second Samuel--including Samuel, for whom the books were named--are present so that we may see and know David better.These fascinating stories detail the lives of David, his predecessors, and their families. Auld explains that though we read these books from beginning to end, we need to understand that they we...
This original commentary foregrounds at every turn the poetic genius of the Song of Songs, one of the most elusive texts of the Hebrew Bible. J. Cheryl Exum locates that genius in the way the Song not only tells but shows its readers that love is strong as death, thereby immortalizing love, as well as in the way the poet explores the nature of love by a mature sensitivity to how being in love is different for the woman and the man. Many long-standing conundrums in the interpretation ...
This book of Jeremiah offers a remarkable range of literature, including prose, poetry, homilies, oracles, and proverbs. This commentary understands the book as a work of religious literature, to be examined in its final form and yet with careful attention to the historical contexts of writing and development through which the present text took shape. Jeremiah proclaimed a message of coming judgment, because of the people's unfaithful worship, and yet also emphasized the call to kno...
This much-needed commentary provides an authoritative guide to a better understanding of the often-neglected book of Micah. It gives insight into the individual sayings of Micah, to the way they were understood and used as they were gathered into the growing collection, and to their role in the final form of the document. ""I am convinced,"" says Dr. Mays, that Micah ""is not just a collection of prophetic sayings, but is the outcome of a history of prophetic proclamations and is it...
This volume, a part of the Old Testament Library series, explores the book of Deuteronomy.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
This volume brings to life the ministry and message of one of the most neglected of the major Old Testament prophets, and illuminates one of the most fascinating chapters on the history of Israel. Besides giving a verse-by-verse commentary of the Book of Ezekiel, Walher Eichrodt fully discusses its origin and composition and all the knotty problems of the prophet's own activity.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testamen...
This commentary on Deuteronomy, now available in a new casebound edition, meets and exceeds the high standards of the Old Testament Library series. It provides one of the most sophisticated explanations of the compositional process that produced Deuteronomy, presenting that process as a combination of large-scale redactional activity and "micro- redaction." The commentary is also attentive to the historical background of Deuteronomy's origins in the reigns of Manasseh and Josiah. The...
The Old Testament Library provides an authoritative treatment of every major and important aspect of the Old Testament. This commentary on Lamentations offers a fresh translation, discussing questions of historical background and literary architecture before providing a theologically sensitive exposition of the text.
In this accessible volume, Adele Berlin explicates the five poems of Lamentations and builds a convincing case for Lamentations' immense power to address violence and grief.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
This republication of a classic work contains a new introduction by Walter Brueggemann that places Gerhard von Rad's work within the context of German theology, Old Testament theology, and the history of interpretation of the Old Testament. In Old Testament Theology, von Rad applies the most advanced results of form criticism to develop a new understanding of the Bible. His original approach is now available once again in English.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authorit...
This republication of a classic work contains a new introduction by Walter Brueggemann that places Gerhard von Rad's work within the context of German theology, Old Testament theology, and the history of interpretation of the Old Testament. In Old Testament Theology, von Rad applies the most advanced results of form criticism to develop a new understanding of the Bible. His original approach is now available once again in English.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authorit...
In this important addition to the Old Testament Library, now available in a new casebound edition, renowned scholar Brevard Childs writes on the Old Testament's most important theological book. He furnishes a fresh translation from the Hebrew and discusses questions of text, philology, historical background, and literary architecture, and then proceeds with a critically informed, theological interpretation of the text.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatm...
Through translation, technical notes, and insightful commentary, Richard Clifford sheds new understanding on Proverbs. By focusing on the rhetoric of Proverbs, Clifford demonstrates how the book fosters a lifelong search for wisdom, and enables readers to see how the instructions and sayings are concerned with contemporary issues.
In this volume, Jeremias suggests that the book of Amos was produced through various stages over time. While he does write from a critical perspective, his creativity offers a sensitivity to literary issues within the text that is often missing from critical work.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
Jewish wisdom flourished under Hellenism in the books of Ben Sira and the wisdom of Solomon, as well as in a recently discovered sapiential text from Qumran. In this book, now available as a casebound, internationally known author John Collins presents a compelling description and analysis of these three texts and their continuing wisdom traditions.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries ...
The book of Joshua has many textual problems—primarily differences between the Hebrew and Greek texts. Much of the inconsistency stems from the varied forms of storytelling in the book, including the war narratives, folktales, sermons, and city lists. In this commentary, now available in a new casebound edition, Richard D. Nelson addresses Joshua's textual issues while offering historical, literary, and theological insights.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authorit...
Richard D. Nelson addresses the textual problems critical to a full understanding of Joshua and offers historical, literary, and theological insights in this balanced commentary.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
Kirsten Nielsen's comments on the book of Ruth paint a rich and subtle portrait of its characters, carefully tracing the many connections between this story and other biblical passages, such as the stories of Judah and Tamar. This volume is a powerful addition to this critically acclaimed Old Testament Library series.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contribu...
Kirsten Nielsen's commentary on the book of Ruth, now available in a new casebound edition, paints a rich and subtle portrait of its characters, carefully tracing the many connections between this story and other biblical passages, such as the stories of Judah and Tamar. This volume is a powerful addition to this critically acclaimed Old Testament Library series.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through ...
The book of Esther has been preserved in ancient texts that diverge greatly from each other; as a result, Jews and Protestants usually read a version which is shorter than that of most Catholic or Orthodox Bibles. Jon Levenson capably guides readers through both versions, demonstrating their coherence and their differences.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The c...
This volume in the Old Testament Library series focuses on the book of Leviticus.The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.
