Table Of ContentContributors to The Minor
Prophets
General Editor, Jonah, Zechariah • John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College),
Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School, Wheaton, Illinois
Hosea • J. Glen Taylor (PhD, Yale University), Associate Professor of Old Testament, Wycliffe
College and the School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Joel and Zephaniah • Mark W. Chavalas (PhD, University of California at Los Angeles),
Professor of History, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, Wisconsin
Amos • Philip S. Johnston (PhD, Cambridge University), Senior Tutor, Huges Hall, Cambridge
University, United Kingdom
Obadiah and Nahum • Alan R. Millard (MPhil, Oxford University; FSA), Emeritus
Rankin Professor of Hebrew and Ancient Semitic Languages, University of Liverpool, England
Micah • Daniel M. Master (PhD, Harvard University), Associate Professor of Archaeology,
Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
Habakkuk • Victor H. Matthews (PhD, Brandeis University), Professor of Religious Studies,
Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri
Haggai and Zechariah • Kenneth G. Hoglund (PhD, Duke University), Professor,
Department of Religion, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Malachi • Andrew E. Hill (PhD, University of Michigan), Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton
College and Graduate School, Wheaton, Illinois
Zondervan Illustrated Bible
Backgrounds Commentary
The Minor Prophets
John H. Walton
GENERAL EDITOR
ZONDERVAN
The Minor Prophets
Hosea—Copyright © 2009 by J. Glen Taylor
Joel—Copyright © 2009 by Mark W. Chavalas
Amos—Copyright © 2009 by Philip S. Johnston
Obadiah—Copyright © 2009 by Alan R. Millard
Jonah—Copyright © 2009 by John H. Walton
Micah—Copyright © 2009 by Daniel M. Master
Nahum—Copyright © 2009 by Alan R. Millard
Habakkuk—Copyright © 2009 by Victor H. Matthews
Zephaniah—Copyright © 2009 by Mark W. Chavalas
Haggai—Copyright © 2009 by Kenneth G. Hoglund
Zechariah—Copyright © 2009 by Kenneth G. Hoglund and John H. Walton
Malachi—Copyright © 2009 by Andrew E. Hill
Previously published in The Minor Prophets, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
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The minor prophets, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs.
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Edited by John H. Walton.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-310-25577-2 (hardcover, printed)
1. Bible. O.T. Minor Prophets—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Bible. O.T.—Criticism,
interpretation, etc. 3. Hebrew poetry, Biblical—History and criticism. 4. Wisdom literature—
Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Walton, John H., 1952-
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Table of Contents
How to Use This eBook
Acknowledgments
Methodology: An Introductory Essay
General Bibliography
Abbreviations
Hosea
J. Glen Taylor
Hosea’s Wife and Children (1:1–2:23)
Hosea’s Reconciliation with His Wife (3:1–5)
The Charge against Israel (4:1–19)
Judgment against Israel (5:1–15)
Israel Unrepentant (6:1–7:16)
Punishment for Israel (8:1–10:15)
God’s Love for Israel (11:1–11)
Israel’s Sin and God’s Anger (11:12–13:16)
Repentance to Bring Blessing (14:1–9)
Joel
Mark W. Chavalas
Invasion of Locusts and a Call to Repentance (1:1–20)
An Army of Locusts and God’s Call to His People (2:1–27)
The Day of the Lord (2:28–32)
The Nations Judged (3:1–16)
Blessings for God’s People (3:17–21)
Amos
Philip S. Johnston
Introduction (1:1–2)
Judgment on Israel’s Neighbors (1:3–2:5)
Judgment on Israel (2:6–6:14)
Visions and Confrontation (7:1–9:10)
Restoration (9:11–15)
Obadiah
Alan R. Millard
Heading and Setting (1)
Pride and Punishment (2–7)
“So Shall It Be Done to You” (8–16)
Judah’s Restoration (17–21)
Jonah
John H. Walton
Jonah’s Commission and Flight (1:1–17)
Jonah’s Prayer (2:1–10)
Jonah in Nineveh (3:1–10)
Jonah’s Lesson (4:1–11)
Micah
Daniel M. Master
Superscription (1:1)
The Certain Destruction of Israel (1:2–3:12)
A Picture of a Coming Day (4:1–5:15)
An Unjust World in Light of a Hopeful Future (6:1–7:20)
Nahum
Alan R. Millard
Heading (1:1)
God’s Just Anger (1:2–6)
God’s Faithfulness to the Faithful (1:7)
God’s Punishment for His Opponents (1:8–11)
Punishment for Judah Ends as Punishment for Her Foe Begins (1:12–13)
Nineveh’s Doom and Judah’s Restoration Decreed (1:14–15)
Nineveh Told of Her Fate and Judah of Her Restoration (2:1–2)
The Fall of Nineveh Foreseen (2:3–13)
More about the Fall of Nineveh (3:1–4)
Nineveh’s Fate Will Be Worse Than She inflicted on Others (3:5–19)
Habakkuk
Victor H. Matthews
Habakkuk’s First Complaint and the Lord’s Answer (1:1–11)
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint and the Lord’s Answer (1:12–17)
The Lord’s Answer (2:2–20)
Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1–19)
Zephaniah
Mark W. Chavalas
Warning of Coming Judgment (1:1–2:3)
Judgment Against the Nations (2:4–15)
The Future of Jerusalem (3:1–20)
Haggai
Kenneth G. Hoglund
Haggai’s First Oracle (1:1–1:12)
Haggai’s Second Oracle (1:13–15)
Haggai’s Third Oracle (2:1–9)
Haggai’s Fourth Oracle (2:10–23)
Zechariah
Kenneth G. Hoglund and John H. Walton
Opening Oracle (1:1–6)
Zechariah’s First Vision (1:7–17)
Zechariah’s Second Vision (1:18–21)
Zechariah’s Third Vision (2:1–13)
Zechariah’s Fourth Vision (3:1–10)
Zechariah’s Fifth Vision (4:1–14)
Zechariah’s Sixth Vision (5:1–4)
Zechariah’s Seventh Vision (5:5–11)
Zechariah’s Eighth Vision (6:1–8)
A Crown for Joshua (6:9–15)
Justice and Mercy, Not Fasting (7:1–14)
The Lord Promises to Bless Jerusalem (8:1–23)
Judgment on Israel’s Enemies (9:1–8)
The Coming of Zion’s King (9:9–13)
The Lord Will Appear (9:14–17)
The Lord Will Care for Judah (10:1–11:3)
Two Shepherds (11:4–17)
Jerusalem’s Enemies and Mourning for the One They Pierced (12:1–14)
Cleansing from Sin (13:1–9)
The Lord Comes and Reigns (14:1–21)
Malachi
Andrew E. Hill
Malachi’s Thesis Disputation: Yahweh’s Covenant Love for Israel (1:1–5)
Malachi’s Second Disputation: Faithless Priests Rebuked (1:6–2:9)
Malachi’s Third Disputation: Faithless People Rebuked (2:10–16)
Malachi’s Fourth Disputation: Judgment and Purification (2:17–3:5)
Malachi’s Fifth Disputation: Call to Repentance (3:6–12)
Malachi’s Sixth Disputation: Judgment and Vindication (3:13–4:3)
Appendixes: Appeal to Ideal Figures Moses and Elijah (4:4–6)
Picture Index
The New International Version Appendix
