The latter half of the sixth century BCE found the Jewish community fragmented and under great strife after having been conquered by the Babylonian armies. As a response to a growing despair over life in servitude and exile, Isaiah 40-66 was written. Paul Hanson examines the writings of Second and Third Isaiah. What he discovers is a poetic argument for a loving and attentive God and the rightful place of God's creatures in the unfolding of history.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

Paul D. Hanson is the Florence Corliss Lamont Research Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School where he has been teaching the Old Testament since 1971. His books include Isaiah 40-66 in the esteemed Interpretation series and The People Called: The Growth of Community in the Bible.