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Over twenty-five years in the making, this much-anticipated commentary promises to be the standard study of Proverbs for years to come. Written by eminent Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke, this two-volume commentary is unquestionably the most comprehensive work on Proverbs available.

Grounded in the literary criticism that has so strengthened biblical interpretation, Waltke’s commentary on Proverbs demonstrates the profound, ongoing relevance of this Old Testament book for Christian faith and life. A thorough introduction addresses such issues as text and versions, structure, authorship, and theology. The detailed commentary itself explains and elucidates Proverbs as “theological literature.” Waltke’s highly readable style—evident even in his original translation of the Hebrew text—makes his scholarly work accessible to teachers, pastors, Bible students, and general readers alike.

For the modern mind, the book’s cultural setting seems far removed from the twenty-first century. Proverbs puts a high priority on tradition and age, while the modern mind prizes change and youth. For Christians, Proverbs seems irrelevant. For the translator, Proverbs defies translations.

In the second part of his two-volume commentary, Waltke confronts these exegetical and interpretive challenges head on. This historico-grammatical commentary on Proverbs uncovers the profound philosophical and theological insights of this ancient book. Waltke helps readers understand the poetics used in its composition, and challenges modern prejudices toward the book.

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The first of John N. Oswalt’s two-part study of the book of Isaiah for the NICOT series, this commentary on chapters 1–39 combines theological acumen, literary sensitivity, philological expertise, and historical knowledge to present a faithful and accurate reading of one of the Old Testament’s most important books.

In the introduction to this work, Oswalt considers Isaiah’s background, unity of composition, date and authorship, canonicity, Hebrew text, theology, and problems of interpretation, and he offers a select bibliography for further research. Oswalt also provides substantial discussions of several issues crucial to the book of Isaiah. He notes, for example, that scholars often divide Isaiah into three divisions, with chapters 1–39 addressing Isaiah’s contemporaries in the eighth century b.c., chapters 40–55 presupposing the exile of the sixth century, and chapters 56–66 presupposing the eventual return from exile. While taking this scholarship into account Oswalt defends the unity of the prophetic book and argues convincingly that the whole book can be attributed to the Isaiah of the eighth century.

The commentary proper, based on Oswalt’s own translation of the Hebrew text, provides pastors, scholars, and students with a lucid interpretation of the book of Isaiah in its ancient context as well as an exposition of its message for today.

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The second of John N. Oswalt’s two-part study of the book of Isaiah for the NICOT series, this commentary provides exegetical and theological exposition on the latter twenty-seven chapters of Isaiah for scholars, pastors, and students who seek to know the perennial meaning of the text in contemporary terms.

Though Oswalt’s main introduction to Isaiah is found in his commentary on chapters 1–39, this second volume opens with an important discussion of scholarly debate over the unity/diversity of Isaiah. In this work Oswalt makes stronger his case for reading the entire book of Isaiah as written by a single author—a position not common in other recent commentaries. Oswalt’s work stands alone, then, as an attempt to take seriously Israel’s historical situation at the time chapters 40–66 were composed while also seeking to understand how these chapters function as a part of Isaiah’s total vision written in the late 700s or early 600s b.c.

Assuming the single authorship of Isaiah, the verse-by-verse commentary aims to interpret chapters 40–66 in light of the book as a whole. While not neglecting issues of historical criticism or form criticism, the commentary focuses mainly on the theological meaning of the text as indicated especially by the literary structure. Building on his earlier argument that the central theme of Isaiah is servanthood, Oswalt keeps readers focused on the character of Israel’s sovereign Redeemer God, on the blind servant Israel, and on the ultimate work of the Suffering Servant in whom the world can find its Savior.

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The Old Testament prophets played a crucial role in the history of Israel. Although there were many prophets who brought the message of God to his people, we have records of only a few. Of these, our knowledge of Jeremiah is probably the most complete. In this commentary, J.A. Thompson examines the book of Jeremiah with its message urging the people of Israel to be true to their covenant Lord and to live in conformity with his covenant requirements.

Thompson begins his study by looking at the role of the prophets in Israel, and Jeremiah’s place among them. He then discusses the historical setting of Jeremiah’s message. From this background, Thompson moves to an examination of the book of Jeremiah itself, focusing on its structure and composition before considering some important issues for exegesis—the date of Jeremiah’s call, the significance of the symbolic actions he used, and the relationship between Jeremiah and Hosea. Lastly, Thompson examines the text and poetic forms of Jeremiah.

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To many modern readers the prophecies of Ezekiel are a mystery. This commentary by Daniel Block—Part I of his two-volume study of the whole book of Ezekiel—seeks to answer the questions that contemporary readers bring to the text by examining the language, the message, and the methods of this obscure and often misunderstood Hebrew prophet. The result of twelve years of study, this volume provides an excellent discussion of the background of Ezekiel and offers a verse-by-verse exposition of each literary/prophetic unit in Ezekiel 1–24 that not only makes clear the prophet’s message to his original readers but also shows that Ezekiel’s ancient wisdom and vision are still very much needed by the church in the twenty-first century.

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To many modern readers the prophecies of Ezekiel are a mystery. This commentary by Daniel Block—which completes his two-volume study of the whole book of Ezekiel—seeks to answer the questions that contemporary readers bring to the text by examining the language, the message, and the methods of this obscure and often misunderstood Hebrew prophet. The result of twelve years of study, 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 of each literary/prophetic unit in Ezekiel 25–48 that not only makes clear the prophet’s message to his original readers but also shows that Ezekiel’s ancient wisdom and vision are still very much needed by the church in the twenty-first century.

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