The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament | NICOT)

by Leslie C. Allen

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 1976

Overview

The eloquent and uncompromising calls for social righteousness by some of the Minor Prophets are familiar to many, yet the writings themselves are probably the least studied and least known texts of the Old Testament. Those who are familiar with these books are also aware of the historical and literary problems that plague their study. Drawing on insights from various perspectives—theological, historical, and literary—Leslie Allen’s commentary on Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah carefully and imaginatively reconstructs the stage on which the message of these four books was conveyed to their Hebrew hearers and shows what relevance, in turn, they hold for contemporary Christians.

For each of the books there is a substantial introduction in which the full range of scholarly opinion is presented and assessed, a select bibliography, the author’s own translation of the text—a significant contribution to biblical studies in itself—and an extensive commentary. The commentary on Micah is foundational for these four books in that it treats at greater length some of the same forms and motifs that appear in Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah. The introductory material for Joel includes discussions of canonicity and textual criticism that apply to the entire volume.

Key Features

• Verse-by-verse commentary
• In-depth discussion of textual and critical matters
• Introduction to the authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology of each book

Contents

Top Highlights

“It is even more a repetition of Jonah’s experience. Jonah had been the object of divine anger, symbolized in the fury of the storm (1:15). He too had been under sentence of death and conscious of his guilt (1:12). He had been saved from drowning at the last moment by a signal act of grace shown by his sovereign God. Divine inactivity is here the counterpart to the divine activity in rescuing Jonah at 2:1. The parallelism of the narrative creates a logical presupposition that Jonah would hail with joy this new demonstration of divine goodness. The saved sinner is surely glad to see others saved—or does he sometimes resent sharing his privileges?” (Page 227)

“A Jonah lurks in every Christian heart, whimpering his insidious message of smug prejudice, empty traditionalism, and exclusive solidarity. He that has ears to hear, let him hear and allow the saving love of God which has been outpoured in his own heart to remold his thinking and social orientation.” (Page 235)

“The first step toward categorizing it is to define it as a prophetic narrative.” (Page 175)

“Probably the book is best assigned to the fifth or fourth century B.C.” (Page 188)

“The theme that dominates the book of Joel and binds it together is the Day of Yahweh.” (Page 36)

Endorsements

An excellent commentary that provides all the aids to understanding the biblical text for which the reader might wish. The author’s treatment of the problems—literary, historical, and theological—is well informed, fair, and judicious. He demonstrates wide knowledge and fine scholarly judgment.

—Journal of Biblical Literature

Among the excellent major commentaries . . . evangelicals will look first to Leslie C. Allen’s Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah.

—Christianity Today

Allen should be commended highly for his neat and concise organization of the complex information on these four books of the Minor Prophets.

—Choice

Allen’s work is very good, and his commentary should be read by all serious students of these prophets.

—Restoration Weekly

Product Details

• Title: The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah
• Author: Leslie C. Allen
• Series: New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT)
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 1976
• Pages: 427

About Leslie C. Allen

Leslie Allen joined the School of Theology in 1983 as professor of Old Testament and served in that capacity until 2004. He is now senior professor of Old Testament. Commentaries Allen has written include Jeremiah in the Old Testament Library, Psalms and Ezekiel in the Word Biblical Commentary, and Chronicles in The New Interpreter’s Bible. Additionally he has been published in various books and scholarly journals including the Harvard Theological Review and the Journal of Theological Studies. In addition to mentoring PhD students, Allen teaches courses on the Hebrew Prophets, Writings, Psalms, and Lamentations. He is involved in associations in both the U.K. and the U.S. including the Society for Old Testament Study, Tyndale Fellowship, the Institute for Biblical Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. He was also the recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities Travel to Collections Grant in 1988.