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This collection includes the two volumes of Daniel Block’s study of Ezekiel from The New International Commentary on the Old Testament

Volume 1

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.

Volume 2

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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This collection includes the two volumes of John N. Oswalt’s study of Isaiah from The New International Commentary on the Old Testament

Volume 1

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.

Volume 2

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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Leviticus used to be the first book that Jewish children studied in the synagogue. In the modern church it tends to be the last part of the Bible that anyone looks at seriously. Because Leviticus is largely concerned with subjects that seem incomprehensible and irrelevant today—rituals for sacrifice and regulations concerning uncleanness—it appears to have nothing to say to twenty-first-century Christians.

In this excellent commentary on Leviticus, Gordon Wenham takes with equal seriousness both the plain original meaning of the text and its abiding theological value. To aid in reconstructing the original meaning of the text, Wenham draws from studies of Old Testament ritual and sacrifice that compare and contrast biblical customs with the practices of other Near Eastern cultures. He also closely examines the work of social anthropologists and expertly utilizes the methods of literary criticism to bring out the biblical author’s special interests.

In pursuit of his second aim, to illumine the enduring theological value of Leviticus, Wenham discusses at the end of each section how the Old Testament passages relate to the New Testament and to contemporary Christianity. In doing so, he not only shows how pervasive Levitical ideas are in the New Testament but also highlights in very practical ways the enduring claim of God’s call to holiness on the lives of Christians today.

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