A guide for students and pastors to aptly interpret and communicate the messages of the prophetic books

Preaching from a prophetic text can be daunting because it can be difficult to place these prophecies in their proper historical setting. The prophets used different literary genres and they often wrote using metaphorical poetry that is unfamiliar to the modern reader. Interpreting the Prophetic Books offers an organized method of approaching a prophecy and preparing a persuasive, biblically based sermon that will draw modern application from the theological principle embedded in the prophetic text.

About the series: The Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis offer students basic skills for exegeting and proclaiming the different genres of the Old Testament. Because there is a no one-size-fits-all approach to interpreting Scripture, this series features six volumes covering the major genres in the Old Testament: narrative, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, and apocalyptic. Each volume is built around the same six-chapter structure: 1. The Nature of the Genres, 2. Viewing the Whole, 3. Preparing for Interpretation, 4. Interpreting the Text, 5. Proclaiming the Text, and 6. Putting it all Together.

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Gary V. Smith is professor of Christian Studies at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Dr. Smith’s areas of expertise include the Old Testament Prophets, especial Amos and Isaiah, plus the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature.