There are several nice volumes on the Minor Prophets available these days, but this one stands out. Its subtitle “A Theological Introduction” spells it out exactly. Think of it like this. You are receiving a nice introduction to each of these prophets as might be found in a major commentary on any one of them, but with the exceptional emphasis on theological matters over the minutia that sometimes engulfs said commentaries. In other words, here are introductions that get at what you really want to find.

The first two chapters set the stage. I found chapter 1 as a fascinating recap of how the scholarly world approaches studying the writings of the Prophets. Some of it is helpful while some of it might be something of overanalyzed conclusions. For example, sometimes scholars keep finding new genres to break things down into that in no way could have been on the original writers minds. They rehearse among themselves until they are thoroughly convinced, but some of us are a tad bit skeptical. Still, the authors here present this information in a succinct fashion that is really helpful. The overall layout and the charts only make it better better.

From there, every prophet gets a chapter that overviews the big picture and finds theological themes. I found this rich throughout. Obviously, structure is thoughtfully observed. In several cases, the prophet gets a second chapter plumbing some key theme. Some of those are more apropos than others, but all are worthwhile. Each chapter ends with a brief listing of recommended further reading.

I like this book to the point that I will never do a deep study of any individual Minor Prophet in the future unless I consult this book. It is a good one.

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.