New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT)

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The book of Lamentations is one of the most vivid representations of grief and trauma in the Hebrew Bible. Written in the wake of the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire, it is comprised of five poems of twenty-two stanzas each, in a manner of tight formal unity unparalleled by any other work in the Scriptures. In this volume, widely respected Old Testament scholar John Goldingay analyzes these and other aspects of Lamentations while keeping a constant eye on the book's meaning and use as Christian Scripture. After a thorough introduction that explores matters of background, composition, and theology, Goldingay provides an original translation of the book from the Masoretic text along with verse-by-verse commentary.

In this commentary on the book of Amos, Daniel Carroll combines a detailed reading of the Hebrew text with attention to its historical background and current relevance. What makes this volume unique is its special attention to Amos's literary features and what they reveal about the book's theology and composition. Instead of reconstructing a hypothetical redactional history, this commentary offers a close reading of the canonical form against the backdrop of the eighth century BCE.

In this commentary, Thomas Renz reads Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah as three carefully crafted writings of enduring relevance, each of which makes a vital contribution to the biblical canon. Discussing the historical settings, Renz takes up both long-standing issues, such as the relationship of Zephaniah to Josiah's reforms, and the socioeconomic conditions of the time suggested by recent archaeological research. The place of these writings within the Book of the Twelve is given fresh consideration, including the question of what one should make of the alleged redaction history of Nahum and Habakkuk.  The author's careful translation of the text comes with detailed textual notes, illuminating some of the Bible's most outstanding poetry (Nahum) and one of the biblical chapters that is among the most difficult to translate (Habakkuk 3). The thorough verse-by-verse commentary is followed by stimulating theological reflection, opening up avenues for teaching and preaching from these prophetic writings. No matter their previous familiarity with these and other Minor Prophets, scholars, pastors, and lay readers alike will find needed guidance in working through these difficult but important books of the Bible.

Do not urge me to abandon you, to turn back from following after you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people are my people, and your God is my God. In this pivotal verse, Ruth's self-sacrificial declaration of loyalty to her mother-in-law Naomi forms the relationship at the heart of the book of Ruth. Peter H. W. Lau's new translation and commentary explores the human and divine love at the center of the narrative as well as the book's relevance to Christian theology. In the latest entry in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, Lau upholds the series' standard of quality. The Book of Ruth includes detailed notes on the translation and pays careful attention to the original Hebrew and the book's historical context, all the while remaining focused on Ruth's relevance to Christian readers today. An indispensable resource for pastors, scholars, students, and all readers of Scripture, Lau's commentary is the perfect companion to one of the most beloved books of the Old Testament.

Here J. Andrew Dearman considers the historical context of the prophetic figure of Hosea, his roots in the prophetic activity and covenant traditions of ancient Israel, and the poetic and metaphorical aspects of the prophecy. This historical and theological commentary is a welcome addition to the NICOT series.

So begins this commentary on the book of Deuteronomy, which Bill Arnold treats as the heart of the Torah and the fulcrum of the Old Testament-crystallizing the themes of the first four books of the Bible and establishing the theological foundation of the books that follow. After a thorough introduction that explores these and other matters, Arnold provides an original translation of the first eleven chapters of Deuteronomy along with verse-by-verse commentary (with the translation and commentary of the remaining chapters following in a second volume). As with the other entries in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, Arnold remains rooted in the book's historical context while focusing on its meaning and use as Christian Scripture today. Ideal for pastors, students, scholars, and interested laypersons, this commentary is an authoritative yet accessible companion to the book of Deuteronomy.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah represent a significant turning point in biblical history. They tell the story not only of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem but also of the resurrection of God's people from the death of exile. Hannah Harrington thus begins her commentary with an evocative description of these books as "the story of a new Israel forged out of the old" and "the text of a people clinging to their genealogical past and attempting to preserve their heritage while walking forward into uncharted territory." Throughout this commentary, Harrington combines analytical research on the language and culture behind the books of Ezra and Nehemiah with challenging thoughts for the Christian church today, bringing to bear a unique perspective on these books not as the end of Old Testament history but as early documents of the Second Temple period. Accordingly, Harrington incorporates a wealth of information from other Jewish literature of the time to freshly illuminate many of the topics and issues at hand while focusing on the interpretation and use of these books for Christian life today.

The book of Numbers tells a story with two main characters-God and Israel. The way the story is told sounds odd and often harsh to readers today. The main point of the book is nevertheless of immense importance for God's people in any age: exact obedience to God is crucial. This comprehensive and erudite commentary presents a thorough explication of this significant Hebrew text. Timothy Ashley's introduction discusses such questions as structure, authorship, and theological themes, and it features an extended bibliography of major works on the book of Numbers. Then, dividing the text of Numbers into five major sections, Ashley elucidates the theological themes of obedience and disobedience, which run throughout. His detailed verse-by-verse comments primarily explain the Hebrew text of Numbers as it stands rather than speculate on how the book came to be in its present form. This second edition includes revisions that reflect Ashley's decades of experience with the book of Numbers, as well as updates to the footnotes and bibliography, which add many important works published in the last thirty years. With these new features, Ashley's commentary solidifies its place as the church's most faithful and definitive reference on the book of Numbers.

Where is the line between God's mercy and judgment? In the latest volume of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, James D. Nogalski offers a new translation of and commentary on several of the Minor Prophets-the books of Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah-that grapple with this theme in radically different ways. This volume includes a robust introduction for each book, delineating its textual transmission, historical context, literary form, and major themes. The introduction also discusses the role of each book within the collection of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets. The commentaries proper explain the texts verse by verse, illuminating each book's structure and canonical significance, yet always with an eye toward pastoral application. Academically rigorous and accessibly written, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah is an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and pastors.

Of the Major Prophets, Jeremiah is perhaps the least straightforward. It is variously comprised of stories about the prophet Jeremiah, exchanges between Jeremiah and Yahweh, and messages directly from Yahweh-meaning a consciousness of form is essential to the understanding of its content. At times it is written in poetry, resembling Isaiah, while at other times it is written in prose, more similar to Ezekiel. And it is without doubt the darkest and most threatening of the Major Prophets, inviting comparisons to Amos and Hosea. John Goldingay, a widely respected biblical scholar who has written extensively on the entire Old Testament, navigates these complexities in the same spirit as other volumes of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series-rooted in Jeremiah's historical context but with an eye always trained on its meaning and use as Christian Scripture. After a thorough introduction that explores matters of background, composition, and theology, Goldingay provides an original translation and verse-by-verse commentary of all fifty-two chapters, making this an authoritative and indispensable reference for scholars and pastors as they engage with Jeremiah from a contemporary Christian standpoint.

A trustworthy guide-newly updated and expanded-to the book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes is one of the most perplexing and haunting books of the Old Testament. The main speaker in the book, a figure known as Qohelet, ponders a question that people are still asking today: "Where can we find meaning in the world?" But while the question itself is familiar, devout readers of Scripture may find Qohelet's answer startling. "Meaningless," says Qohelet, "everything is meaningless." For readers seeking to understand how this deeply pessimistic perspective fits into the rest of biblical revelation, Tremper Longman III's commentary on Ecclesiastes is a trustworthy guide. In this updated edition, Longman maintains his canonical-Christocentric approach to interpreting Ecclesiastes but expands his discussion of secondary literature by engaging with recent scholarship from a wide range of authors-Stuart Weeks, John Goldingay, Arthur Keefer, Knut Heim, George Athas, and many others. Longman first provides an extensive introduction to Ecclesiastes, exploring such background matters as authorship, language, genre, structure, literary style, and the book's theological message. He argues that the author of Ecclesiastes is not Solomon, as has been traditionally thought, but a writer who adopts a Solomonic persona. In the verse-by-verse commentary that follows, Longman helps clarify the confusing, sometimes contradictory message of Ecclesiastes by showing that the book should be divided into three sections-a prologue (1:1–11), Qohelet's autobiographical speech (1:12–12:7), and an epilogue (12:8–14)-and that the frame narrative provided by prologue and epilogue is the key to understanding the message of the book as a whole. This carefully researched commentary is an essential resource for pastors, seminary students, and thoughtful readers of Scripture.