This volume from the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series utilizes recent advances in the application of text linguistics and rhetorical analysis to biblical interpretation, making it accessible to a general audience. The author advises us in the introduction that Jonah was selected as the subject of an early volume for the series "due to its relatively brief narrative in the style of classical Hebrew, a genre in which many of the greatest advances and the most assured results of text linguistic analysis have been achieved."
Designed for the pastor and Bible teacher, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament brings together commentary features rarely gathered together in one volume. With careful discourse analysis and interpretation of the Hebrew text, the authors trace the flow of argument in each Old Testament book, showing that how a biblical author says something is just as important as what they say.
Each volume offers a set of distinctive features, including:
- the main idea of the passage
- its literary context
- the author’s original translation and exegetical outline with Hebrew layout
- its structure and literary form
- an explanation of the text
- its canonical and practical significance
The diagram of each passage enables readers to grasp quickly and accurately the main idea of the text, its development, and supporting ideas; and allows them to understand how the commentator arrived at this depiction and interpretation of the passage. The commentary places a special emphasis on identifying and discussing the main thrust of each passage and showing how it contributes to the development of the whole composition. Readers will find help in drawing out the meaning of the Hebrew for interpretation.
While primarily designed for those with a basic knowledge of biblical Hebrew, all who strive to understand the Old Testament and better convey its meaning will find these books beneficial. Each unit concludes with a discussion of the canonical and practical significance of the passage, synthesizing its theology and message for readers today. There are many exegetical commentaries, but none accomplish what this series has achieved.
