Digital Logos Edition
This commentary focuses on the books of Hosea through Malachi, focusing on their contents in light of the Minor Prophets as a whole. Over the last thirty years, biblical scholars have explored the implications of an ancient Jewish and Christian tradition that referred to the Minor Prophets as “the Twelve.” Scholarly work on the Book of the Twelve in the last quarter century has focused on developing models of how these texts came to be recorded on a single scroll and on identifying points of unity within the single collection. Nogalski’s comprehensive and accessible commentary offers an overview of ancient traditions concerning the Book of the Twelve. He also explains this scholarly perspective and presents findings and their implications for modern readers.
Please note: these volumes will appear as a single resource in your digital library.
“In Jonah, God is a God of universal power and incomprehensible compassion. YHWH is not just the God of Judah or Israel; YHWH has power over the empire of Assyria, over the creatures of the sea, and over the forces of nature. This portrayal of YHWH’s power is taken for granted in much Old Testament literature, but Jonah draws out the implications for the reader in grand terms. God is not limited by geographic boundaries, natural law, or human caprice. God does what God chooses in this book.” (Page 452)
“Moses was a fugitive and a murderer whom God used to lead the people of Israel out of slavery. David was an adulterer and a murderer whom God used to establish a kingdom. Peter denied knowledge of Jesus and denied Gentiles had access to God, but God used Peter to expand the mission of the church to the Gentiles.” (Page 443)
“Jonah has himself benefited from YHWH’s compassion, but he burns with indignation at the idea of God showing that same compassion to those whom Jonah holds in contempt.” (Page 447)
“Legal material also uses ‘prostitution’ as a powerful symbol to refer to idolatry (Exod 34:15–16; Lev 17:7; 20:5–6; Num 15:39; 25:1; Deut 31:16).” (Page 38)
“Nowhere else, however, does a biblical figure request that God take his life because he is embarrassed by YHWH’s compassion.” (Page 446)