Verhoef's study on the Books of Haggai and Malachi is part of The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, a series which devotes considerable care to achieving a balance between technical information and homiletic-devotional interpretation. The commentary itself is based on the author's own translation of the Hebrew text.

Three neglected but important prophets receive a fresh and penetrating analysis in this introduction and commentary. For each prophet's work, Joyce Baldwin first considers the general issues of author, text and message, then offers a passage-by-passage commentary. "Considerable attention has been given in the book to background material, and proper consideration is accorded to the views of those from whom the author differs," writes reviewer R. K. Harrison. "In expounding the text, Baldwin produces evidence of balanced scholarship and a high degree of spiritual insight."

As in other volumes of the Cambridge Bible Commentary, there are introductions to the books dealt with, followed by the text of the New English Bible divided into sections. Each section of the text is followed by the commentary upon it. The preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah gave a new impetus to the life of the 'remnant' of the Jewish people returned from the Babylonian exile. Haggai stresses the importance of the relationship to God of the community as a whole, while Zechariah is seen as a prophet of hope, promising Yahweh's salvation to his people. Dr Mason considers Malachi, dating perhaps from a little later than the other two, a fitting conclusion to the group of prophetic books, in that it reminds its readers of the role of the prophets in preparing the people for God's coming, that they might enjoy salvation rather than suffer punitive judgement.

The Old Testament is not just a collection of disparate stories, each with its own meaning and moral lessons. Rather, it's one cohesive story, tied together by the good news about Israel's coming Messiah, promised from the beginning. Covering each book in the Old Testament, this volume invites readers to teach the Bible from a Reformed, covenantal, and redemptive-historical perspective. Featuring contributions from twelve respected evangelical scholars, this gospel-centered introduction to the Old Testament will help anyone who teaches or studies Scripture to better see the initial outworking of God's plan to redeem the world through Jesus Christ.

In this all-new Tyndale Old Testament Commentary, we meet the three prophets who were sent to reform the Israelite community after exile. Andrew Hill shows how their oracles remain timely for the church today.

THE NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY is for the minister or Bible student who wants to understand and expound the Scriptures. Notable features include:* commentary based on THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION;* the NIV text printed in the body of the commentary;* sound scholarly methodology that reflects capable research in the original languages;* interpretation that emphasizes the theological unity of each book and of Scripture as a whole;* readable and applicable exposition.

The last three books of the Old Testament, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, have not always received the attention they deserve from the church. This is in some ways surprising, since the Gospel writers quote Zechariah 9-14 more often than any other biblical source in explaining Christ's sufferings and death. The application sections show how the person and work of Christ are anticipated in these prophets. One reason for the tendency to neglect these three books lies in the fact that they address a community who were living in a day of small things, with little glory and no great triumphs to show off to a watching world. In a day like ours, which puts such a premium on charismatic leaders whose ministries exude glory and success, they may be viewed as something of an embarrassment. But if, like the apostle Paul, we are content to be broken vessels without glory in ourselves so that the glory of Christ crucified may be all the more plainly displayed, then we shall find much blessing in these books. In them, we shall read of the comfort and challenge that come from the presence of the living God in our midst, even when his glory is not on public display. In them, we shall also read of the anticipation of the day when the glory of God would come to earth in the person of Christ and bring about the long-promised salvation of his people.