This is what an exhaustive commentary looks like. This commentary on the Minor Prophet of Zechariah is almost as large as the one on Psalms in this same New International Commentary series. I am not suggesting it is exhausting though. A judicious use of footnotes has made for a volume at once effective for scholarly pastors and academia. I can’t imagine the hours Boda must have put in here.

You would expect the Introduction to be massive in a volume so large, yet it is a manageable 45 pages. That means the bulk of the book is actual commentary on the text.

The Introduction contains a textual history as well as a competent historical background. A section called “Compositional History” overlapped with structure and was worthwhile. I couldn’t personally agree with some of his other conclusions on how the composition came together, but he still trusts the text. His section on the message of Zechariah was good as far as it went.

Again, it’s the actual commentary that will make this volume important for the next 50 years. It seems most every angle is discussed and it is almost encyclopedic. Still, as most will read it one text at a time, the depth will be appreciated. For that reason, I must give a strong recommendation.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.