WORD

BIBLICAL

COMMENTARY

VOLUME 32

Micah-Malachi

RALPH L. SMITH

General Editors

Bruce M. Metzger

David A. Hubbard†

Glenn W. Barker†

Old Testament Editor

John D. W. Watts

New Testament Editor

Ralph P. Martin

WORD BOOKS, PUBLISHER • DALLAS, TEXAS

Word Biblical Commentary:

Micah-Malachi

Copyright © 1984 by Word, Incorporated

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Main entry under title:

Word biblical commentary.

Includes bibliographies.

I. Bible—Commentaries—Collected works.

BS491.2.W67 220.7’7 81-71768

ISBN 0-8499-231-2 (v. 32) AACR2

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations in the body of the commentary are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946 (renewed 1973), 1956, and © 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and are used by permission. Those marked niv are from the New International Version of the Bible, copyright © 1973 by New York Bible Society International. The author’s own translation of the text appears in italic type under the heading “Translation.”

To my wife

Dorothy

Proverbs 31:29

Table of Contents

Author’s Preface

Editorial Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

Bibliography

Micah

Introduction

Superscription (1:1)

Yahweh Is Coming (1:2–7)

The Prophet’S Lament (1:8–16)

Woe To The Wealthy Wicked (2:1–5)

Micah And The Land-Grabbers (2:6–11)

A Remnant To Be Restored (2:12–13)

Guilty Rulers (3:1–4)

Peace Prophets And Micah (3:5–8)

Corrupted Leaders And Zion’S Fall (3:9–12)

Zion’S Future Exaltation (4:1–5)

Restoration Of A Remnant And The Reign Of Yahweh (4:6–8)

From Distress To Deliverance (4:9–10)

From Siege To Victory (4:11–13)

From Helpless Judge To Ideal King (4:14–5:3 [5:1–4])

Peace By The Overthrow Of Assyria (5:4–5 [5:5–61)

The Remnant Among The Peoples (5:6–8 [5:7–9])

Purge Of The Military And False Religions (5:9–14 [ENG. 5:10–15])

God’S Lawsuit (6:1–8)

More Charges And The Sentence (6:9–16)

Lament Over A Decadent Society (7:1–6)

A Prophetic Liturgy (7:7–20)

Nahum

Introduction

Superscription (1:1)

A Psalm In Praise For Yahweh (1:2–8)

Yahweh A Jealous God (1:2–3a)

Yahweh—The God Of Creation (1:3B–5)

Yahweh—God Of Love And Judgment (1:6–8)

Prophetic Responses Disputation Speech And Judgment Oracle Against Assyria (1:9–11)

Salvation Oracle For Judah (1:12–13)

Judgment Oracle Against The King Of Assyria (1:14)

Salvation Oracle For Judah (2:1, 3 [Eng. 1:15; 2:2])

Mocking Judgment In The Battle For Nineveh (2:2, 4–11 [Eng 2:1, 3–10])

A Taunt-Song Against Nineveh (2:12–14 [Eng. 2:11–13])

A Judgment Oracle Against Nineveh (3:1–7)

The Analogy Of Thebes (3:8–13)

Satirical Warnings For Nineveh (3:14–17)

Rejoicing Over Ultimate Defeat (3:18–19)

Habakkuk

Introduction

Superscription (1:1)

Habakkuk’S First Complaint (1:2–4)

Yahweh’S Response To Habakkuk’S Complaint (1:5–11)

Habakkuk’S Second Complaint (1:12–17)

Yahweh’S ...