The chequered story of the Kings, lasting nearly five centuries, ended disastrously in 587 BC with the sack of Jerusalem, the fall of the monarchy, and the removal to Babylonia of all that made Judah politically viable. It was a death to make way for a rebirth.

This study of the closely related books of Ezra and Nehemiah charts the Jews' return from exile to Jerusalem and the beginnings of that rebirth. As the drama unfolds, above all and through all, we see the good hand of God at work.

The Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting and purpose. Following a structural analysis, the commentary takes the book section by section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. In the new Old Testament volumes, the commentary on each section of the text is structured under three headings: 'Content', 'Comment' and 'Meaning'. The goal is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain.

Geert W. Lorein is professor of Old Testament studies at Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, Belgium. He is the author of The Antichrist Theme in the Intertestamental Period and a contributor to Presence, Power and Promise.