Exploring the Old Testament: A Guide to the Prophets

311 Pages·1.597 MB·English

by  James Gordon McConville

EXPLORING
THE OLD
TESTAMENT
Vo l u m e 4
The Prophets
Gordon McConville studied Modern Languages at Cambridge
and Theology at Edinburgh and Belfast. He is Professor of Old
Testament Theology in the University of Gloucestershire, having
previously taught the Old Testament in Bristol and Oxford. He
has written a number of books on Deuteronomy and the Proph-
ets, and most recently on Old Testament political theology.

InterVarsity Press
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©2002 by Gordon McConville
Published in the United States of America by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, with permission from the Society
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Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright
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ISBN 978-0-8308-9824-4 (digital)
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z
C o n t e n t s
THE PROPHETS
The dates of kings and prophets viii Rhetorical Intention 68
Key to panels ix Jeremiah in the Canon 70
Introduction xi Further Reading 72
Abbreviations xxxi
List of maps xxxii 3 Lamentations 75
Date and Destination 75
Critical Interpretation of Lamentations 75
1 Isaiah 1
Structure and Outline 76
Date and Destination 1
Structure 76
Critical Interpretation of Isaiah 3
Outline 76
Identifying Isaiah of Jerusalem 3
The message of Isaiah of Jerusalem 4 Theological Themes 78
The composition of Isaiah 1—39 7 Covenant curse and confession of sin 78
Isaiah 1—39 and 40—66 10 Lamentation and bitter suffering 79
Reading Isaiah as a unity 11 ‘The steadfast love of the LORD’ 79
Waiting for God 79
Structure and Outline 12
A comforter 80
Structure 12
Outline 12 Rhetorical Intention 80
Lamentations in the Canon 81
Theological Themes 32
The story behind the book 32 Further Reading 81
Zion, city of God 34
King and Messiah 35 4 Ezekiel 83
The Servant and the nations 36 Date and Destination 83
Trust in God 37 Place 83
Time 83
Rhetorical Intention 38
To whom is he speaking? 84
Isaiah in the Canon 40
Critical Interpretation of Ezekiel 85
Further Reading 42
Structure and Outline 86
Structure 86
2 Jeremiah 45 Outline 87
Date and Destination 45 Theological Themes 98
Sovereignty of God and human responsibility 98
Critical Interpretation of Jeremiah 47
Prophecy as poetry? 47 The presence of God 99
‘Deuteronomistic’ sermons? 48 Sin, judgement, purification 100
Salvation: a radically new beginning; Zion
A deuteronomistic edition? 48
Is Jeremiah from Jeremiah? 49 and Eden 101
Political/formal and spiritual religion: Ezekiel
Structure and Outline 51
as prophet and priest 102
Structure 51
Outline 52 Rhetorical Intention 103
Ezekiel in the Canon 105
Theological Themes 63
Sin as falseness 63 Further Reading 106
Judgement and salvation 64
The New Covenant 65 5 Daniel 109
The individual 67 Date and Destination 109
The Messiah 68 Critical Interpretation of Daniel 111
v
Genre 112 Structure 166
Unity 113 Outline 166
Structure and Outline 113 Theological Themes 172
Structure 113 Justice and righteousness, and the ‘good’ of
Outline 115 God’s people 172
Theological Themes 125 Justice and creation 173
The kingdom of God 125 The universal God and the election of Israel 173
Divine and human rule 126 Rhetorical Intention 174
Messiah 127 Rhetorical devices 174
God’s faithfulness, human faithfulness 127 Rhetorical levels 175
Rhetorical Intention 128 Amos in the Canon 176
Daniel in the Canon 130 Further Reading 177
Further Reading 131
9 Obadiah 179
Date and Destination 179
The Book of the Twelve 133
Subject matter 179
Further Reading 134
Vocabulary and ideas 179
6 Hosea 135 Critical Interpretation of Obadiah 180
Date and Destination 135 Structure and Outline 180
Religion in Hosea’s time 137 Structure 180
Critical Interpretation of Hosea 137 Outline 180
Structure and Outline 139 Theological Themes 181
Structure 139 Rhetorical Intention 182
Outline 139 Obadiah in the Canon 182
Theological Themes 144 Further Reading 183
‘No other gods’ 144
Faithfulness and steadfast love 144 10 Jonah 185
Judgement and love: God’s dilemma 146 Date and Destination 185
Rhetorical Intention 147 Dating and genre 185
Hosea in the Canon 149 Critical Interpretation of Jonah 186
Further Reading 150 Structure and Outline 187
Structure 187
7 Joel 153 Outline 187
Date and Destination 153
Theological Themes 189
Critical Interpretation of Joel 154 Working out the sovereignty of God 189
Structure and Outline 155 Worship and thanksgiving 189
Structure 155 Retribution? 190
Outline 155 God’s forgiveness extended to all? 190
Theological Themes 157 Can God ‘repent’? 190
All-powerful God 157 God’ and ‘Yahweh’ 191
The ‘Day of the LORD’ 158 Rhetorical Intention 192
Repentance 158 Jonah in the Canon 192
Nature and history 158
Further Reading 194
The spirit 158
Rhetorical Intention 159 11 Micah 195
Joel in the Canon 160 Date and Destination 195
Further Reading 161 Critical Interpretation of Micah 195
Structure and Outline 197
8 Amos 163 Structure 197
Date and Destination 163 Outline 197
Critical Interpretation of Amos 165 Theological Themes 201
Structure and Outline 166 Judgement and salvation 201
vi
Exodus and covenant traditions 201 Critical Interpretation of Haggai 230
Prophetic ethics 202 Structure and Outline 231
The nations 202 Structure 232
Rhetorical Intention 202 Outline 232
Micah in the Canon 203 Theological Themes 234
Further Reading 204 The temple 234
Future hope 235
12 Nahum 205 Rhetorical Intention 236
Date and Destination 205 Haggai in the Canon 236
Critical Interpretation of Nahum 206 Further Reading 237
Structure and Outline 206
Structure 206 16 Zechariah 239
Outline 206 Date and Destination 239
Theological Themes 207 Zechariah 1—8 239
Zechariah 9—14 241
Rhetorical Intention 208
Critical Interpretation of Zechariah 243
Nahum in the Canon 208
Zechariah 1—8 243
Further Reading 209
Zechariah 1—8 and 9—14 244
Structure and Outline 244
13 Habakkuk 211
Structure 244
Date and Destination 211
Outline 245
Critical Interpretation of Habakkuk 212
Theological Themes 251
Structure and Outline 213
Between salvation and salvation 251
Structure 213
Messiah 253
Outline 213
Rhetorical Intention 253
Theological Themes 215
How can a just God tolerate evil? 215 Zechariah in the Canon 254
The righteous shall live by (whose?) faithfulness 216 Further Reading 256
Rhetorical Intention 217
17 Malachi 259
Habakkuk in the Canon 217
Date and Destination 259
Further Reading 217
Critical Interpretation of Malachi 260
Structure and Outline 260
14 Zephaniah 219
Structure 260
Date and Destination 219
Outline 260
Critical Interpretation of Zephaniah 220
Zephaniah a ‘drama’? 221 Theological Themes 265
Zephaniah a ‘cult prophet’? 222 Covenant with Yahweh 265
Particular covenants 266
Structure and Outline 222
Form and spirit in worship 266
Structure 222
Eschatology 266
Outline 222
Rhetorical Intention 267
Theological Themes 224
God’s election of Israel, and his kingship Malachi in the Canon 268
in the world 224 Further Reading 269
More on election: A ‘remnant’ 225
Religion and ethics 225 Index 271
The day of the LORD: Judgement and salvation 226
Praise forExploring the Old Testament:
Rhetorical Intention 226
A Guide to the Prophets 273
Zephaniah in the Canon 227
Further Reading 227 About the Author 274
Other Books in this Series 275
15 Haggai 229
More Titles from InterVarsity Press 276
Date and Destination 229
Academic Textbook Selector 277
vii
THE DATES OF KINGS AND PROPHETS
The dates of the kings of Israel and Judah are account is taken of co-regencies, although
disputed. One view of the chronology is given these may be needed to solve some problems
in IBDI, pp. 268–77, in which the authors (for example, see Bright, p. 271, n. 8, on the
follow the concept of co-regencies proposed by twenty years given to Pekah in 2 Kgs 15:27).
E. R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew
Kings (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965). Not For different versions of the chronology of the
all scholars are convinced by this solution, and Kings of Judah from Uzziah to Hezekiah see
commentators on the prophetic books often F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Micah
accept that dates can only be approximate. (AB; New York: Doubleday, 2000), p. xviii.
The dates adopted in the present volume
follow J. Bright, A History of Israel(London: In the table below the prophets are aligned
SCM, 1972, second edition) which is largely only approximately with the kings, for ready
based in turn on W. F. Albright in BASOR100 reference. The table should be used with
(1945), pp. 20–22. In the table below, no reference to the discussions of the Date and
Destination of the individual prophets. (Jonah
BEFORE THE EXILE
and Daniel are put in brackets for reasons
Kings of Israel Kings of Judah Prophets that will become clear in the chapters on those
Jeroboam II786–746 Uzziah 783–742 Amos books.)
(Jonah)
Zechariah 746–745
EXILE AND AFTER:
Shallum 745 Hosea
KINGS OF BABYLON AND PERSIA
Menahem 745–738 Jotham 742–735 (see also table at Daniel: Date and Destination)
Pekahiah 738–737
Kings of Babylon and Persia Prophets
Pekah 737–732 Ahaz 735–715 Isaiah,
605–562 Reign of Nebuchadn(r)ezzar (Daniel)
Micah
562–560 Reign of Amel-marduk
Hoshea 732–722
(Evil-Merodach)
Hezekiah 715–687
560–556 Reign of Neriglissar
Manasseh 687–642
556–539 Reign of Nabonidus Second Isaiah
Amon 642–640
549–539 Belshazzar co-regent
Josiah 640–609 Habakkuk,
539 Babylon captured by Cyrus
Nahum
the Persian
Zephaniah
539–530 Reign of Cyrus after capture of
Jehoahaz 609 Jeremiah
Babylon
Jehoiakim 609–597 Obadiah
530–522 Reign of Cambyses
Jehoiachin 597
522–486 Reign of Darius I Hystaspes Haggai,
Zedekiah 597–587 Ezekiel Zechariah,
Joel? Malachi
viii