The Historical Writings: Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Edition

308 Pages·2016·2.57 MB·English

by  Gale A. Yee

THE HISTORICAL WRITINGS S C
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EXAMINING . . . NEY
› ANCIENT TEXTS › INTERPRETIVE TRADITIONS › CONTEMPORARY QUESTIONS
The FORTRESS COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE: OLD TESTAMENT AND APOCRYPHA sets each book of the Old Testa-
ment and Apocrypha in its historical and cultural context, discusses the themes in each book that have proven
most important for the Christian interpretive tradition, and introduces the most pressing questions facing the re-
sponsible use of the Bible today. The result is a commentary created by renowned biblical scholars that is compre-
hensive and useful for gaining insights on the texts for preaching, teaching, and research. Contains, introductions,
notes, and comprehensive bibliographies for each book.
Praise for FORTRESS COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE: THE OLD TESTAMENT AND APOCRYPHA T
“The Fortress Commentary on the Bible provides an excellent resource for beginning students and Bible study H
groups. It includes many fine contributions by experienced and reliable scholars, and the bibliographies are a E
treasure trove.”
H
JOHN J. COLLINS
Yale Divinity School I
S
“The Fortress Commentary on the Bible provides a rich smorgasbord of literary, historical, and theological insight, T
served with rich global and diverse voices and perspectives. By addressing texts in their ancient contexts and inter-
O
pretive traditions, and situating interpretation in contemporary milieus, the contributors invite readers to become
responsible interpreters themselves. This work is a must read for those with an appetite of curiosity and desire for a R
new recipe for reading. It is exquisite and profound, yet quite accessible.”
I
CHERYL A. KIRK-DUGGAN C
Shaw University Divinity School
A
“Unlike many commentaries, this one is more interested in stimulating a critical encounter with the biblical text than L
in providing a set of answers about what it once may have meant. It offers to be particularly useful to intelligent

modern readers of the Bible, who respect its role as a formative text in the development of the Christian tradition, W
but who also approach the text sensitive to its potential dysfunction. The commentary not only invites but insists on
a thoughtful response to the text. It promises to be a welcome tool for pastors and teachers seeking to encourage R
a thoughtful but critical engagement with the Bible.”
I
HAROLD W. ATTRIDGE
T
Yale Divinity School
I
N
THE VOLUME EDITORS
GALE A. YEE, Episcopal Divinity School
G
HUGH R. PAGE JR., Notre Dame University
MATTHEW J. M. COOMBER, St. Ambrose University S
RELIGION / BIBLE / REFERENCE
The Historical Writings

The Historical Writings
FORTRESS COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE
STUDY EDITION
Gale A. Yee
Hugh R. Page Jr.
Matthew J. M. Coomber
Editors
Fortress Press
Minneapolis
THE HISTORICAL WRITINGS
Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Edition
Copyright © 2016 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles and reviews, no part of this book
may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Visit http://www.augsburgfortress.org/
copyrights/contact.asp
or write to Permissions, Augsburg Fortress, Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of
Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Excerpted from the Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014); Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page Jr., and Matthew J. M. Coomber, volume editors.
Fortress Press Publication Staff:
Neil Elliott and Scott Tunseth, Project Editors
Marissa Wold, Production Manager
Laurie Ingram, Cover Design.
Copyeditor: Jeffrey A. Reimer
Typesetter: PerfecType, Nashville, TN
Proofreader: David Cottingham
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available
ISBN: 978-1-5064-1581-9
eISBN: 978-1-5064-1582-6
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z329, 48-1984. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
CONTENTS
Publisher’s Note about Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Editions vii
Abbreviations ix
Series Introduction 1
Reading the Old Testament in Ancient and Contemporary Contexts
Matthew J. M. Coomber 5
Th e People of God and the Peoples of the Earth
Hugh R. Page Jr. 31
Reading the Christian Old Testament in the Contemporary World
Daniel L. Smith-Christopher 43
Th emes and Perspectives in the Historical Writings Norman K. Gottwald 277
Joshua Pekka M. A. Pitkänen 301
Judges Victor H. Matthews 329
Ruth Gale A. Yee 351
1, 2 Samuel Hugh S. Pyper 361
1, 2 Kings Gale A. Yee 401
1, 2 Chronicles Alejandro F. Botta 439
Ezra-Nehemiah Katherine E. Southwood 467
Esther Judy Fentress-Williams 487
v

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
About the Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Editions
In 2014 Fortress Press released the two-volume Fortress Commentary on the Bible. See the Series
Introduction (pp. 1–3) for a look inside the creation and design of the Old Testament/Apocrypha
and New Testament volumes. While each comprehensive commentary volume can easily be used in
classroom settings, we also recognized that dividing the larger commentaries into smaller volumes
featuring key sections of Scripture may be especially helpful for use in corresponding biblical stud-
ies courses. To help facilitate such classroom use, we have broken the two-volume commentary into
eight study editions.
Ple ase note that in this study edition the page numbers match the page numbers of the larger
Fortress Commentary on the Bible volume in which it fi rst appeared. We have intentionally retained
the same page numbering to facilitate use of the study editions and larger volumes side by side.
Th e Historical Writings was fi rst published in Fortress Commentary on the Bible: Th e Old Testa-
ment and Apocrypha.
vii

ABBREVIATIONS
General
AT Alpha Text (of the Greek text of Esther)
BOI Book of Isaiah
Chr Chronicler
DH Deuteronomistic History
DI Deutero-Isaiah
Dtr Deuteronomist
Gk. Greek
H Holiness Code
Heb. Hebrew
JPS Jewish Publication Society
LXX Th e Septuagint
LXX B Vaticanus Text of the Septuagint
MP Mode of production
MT Masoretic Text
NIV New International Version
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
OAN Oracles against Nations (in Jeremiah)
P. papyrus/papyri
P Priestly source
PE Pastoral Epistles
RSV Revised Standard Version
TI Trito-Isaiah
Books of the Bible (NT, OT, Apocrypha)
Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Gen. Genesis
Exod. Exodus
Lev. Leviticus
Num. Numbers
Deut. Deuteronomy
ix