In the latest volume of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, James D. Nogalski offers a new translation of and commentary on several of the Minor Prophets—the books of Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah—that grapple with this theme in radically different ways.
This volume includes a robust introduction for each book, delineating its textual transmission, historical context, literary form, and major themes. The introduction also discusses the role of each book within the collection of the Twelve (Minor) Prophets. The commentaries properly explain the texts verse by verse, illuminating each book’s structure and canonical significance, yet always with an eye toward pastoral application.
Academically rigorous and accessibly written, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah is an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and pastors.
Reviews
“If anyone has a contemporary word from the prophets, it is accomplished scholar and prolific author James Nogalski. An authority on the biblical prophetic texts, Nogalski puts his expertise on display in an extensive commentary that will contribute to the scholarly discourse and the practical preaching of Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah for generations to come. Nogalski’s attention to significant historical, grammatical, and stylistic details of these texts facilitates understanding how the enduring messages of the prophets of old continue to apply to contemporary readers. Scholars and preachers alike will greatly benefit from this superb resource that Nogalski has produced which brings Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah to life for modern students of the Bible.” — Dominick Hernández, Biola University
“This commentary has several strengths. The one that stands out for me is the attention paid to the ways that each of the three works interacts with and is shaped by its companions in the Book of the Twelve.” — J. Andrew Dearman, Fuller Theological Seminary
“James Nogalski has established himself as a foremost scholar of the so-called Minor Prophets, and it is thus welcome that he has completed this detailed commentary on Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah. Over the years he has immersed himself in scholarly study of the Twelve Prophets, and this is a fine detailed commentary with great attention to the language of the books as well as the scholarly theories. But he doesn't lead his readers into a scholarly maze from which they will never emerge. He helps the reader understand the Scriptures.” — John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary
James D. Nogalski is director of graduate studies and professor of Hebrew Bible and Old Testament at Baylor University. He is best known for his work on the prophets, especially the Book of the Twelve.