Loading…

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 16: Ezra, Nehemiah is unavailable, but you can change that!

Based on years of intensive study and research, this commentary provides competent guidance to the complexities of Ezra and Nehemiah. The author gives special attention to the perplexing problems associated with their form, structure, and literary history. Supporting the view that much of this material is from the fifth century BC, just as it claims to be, he concludes that “there is good reason...

of the popular militia and his words to them were, as has been seen in Comment above, couched in such a way that the people would be filled with confidence: “our God will fight for us” was known from past experience to be no empty saying. By thus imposing a familiar interpretative framework on his people’s sense of confusion, Nehemiah succeeded in using their very fear itself as a ground for renewed faith. And here we should further note that, as has been seen several times already in Nehemiah’s
Page 230