This unique commentary allows the interpretation of Isaiah 1-39 to be guided by the final form of the book. It focuses on the theological aspect of the book of Isaiah, giving special attention to the role of literary context. Christopher Seitz explores structural and organizational concerns as clues to the editorial intention of the final form of the material, which he argues is both intelligible and an intended result of the efforts of those who gave shape to the present form of the book. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching is a distinctive resource for those who interpret the Bible in the church. Planned and written specifically for teaching and preaching needs, this critically acclaimed biblical commentary is a major contribution to scholarship and ministry.

"Isaiah Chapters 7 and 8, deal with the oracles, or prophetic messages that were attributed to Isaiah during the Syro-Ephramite crisis. These chapters present structural, literary, and philological problems. The many scholars, who have attempted to interpret the meaning of the oracles, their bearer, and their historical setting, have offered widely diverse solutions involving both higher and lower criticism. In this paper, following an independent critical literary analysis of the two chapters, together with an evaluation of the scholarship, the writer reached the following conclusions: 1) The oracles found in chapters 7 and 8 covered a period from the onset of the siege, through the rejection of God's word, to the description of the destruction of Judah by Assyria. 2) While both chapters share a common event, the focus of each of them is different. Chapter 7 focuses on Ahaz, the king of Judah. Chapter 8 focuses on the people of Judah. The interaction between Ahaz and the people of Judah is obvious both in the dilemma that they faced during the crisis and in the mutual destiny they suffered in its aftermath. 3) The underlying theme (the theopolotical perspective), is underscored by the use of the chiastic form shared by Isaiah 7:3-9 and all of Chapter 8. The repetition of the key phrase, wlo' yagum (7:7 and 8:10), supports this. And, 4) The catchword "Immanuel" (7:14, 8:8, and 8:10) unifies both chapters and serves to evaluate the crimes and punishments of both Ahaz and the people as being essentially the same."

1 Samuel is Volume VII of The Forms of the Old Testament Literature, a series that aims to present a form-critical analysis of every book and each unit in the Hebrew Bible. Fundamentally exegetical, the FOTL volumes examine the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question. They also study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, attempt to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and expose the exegetical process so as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation of the Old Testament texts. Antony Campbell's valuable form-critical analysis of 1 Samuel highlights both the literary development of the text itself and its meanings for its audience. A skilled student of the Hebrew scriptures and their ancient context, Campbell shows modern readers the process of editing and reworking that shaped 1 Samuel's final form. As Campbell's study reveals, the tensions and contradictions that exist in the present text reflect a massive change in the way of life of ancient Israel. Samuel, the first prophet, here emerges to preside over the rise of Saul, Israel's first king, to be the agent of Saul's rejection, and to anoint David as Israel's next king and the first established head of a royal dynasty. The book of 1 Samuel captures the work of God within this interplay of sociopolitical forces, and Campbell fruitfully explores the text both as a repository of traditions of great significance for Israel and as a paradigm of Israel's use of narrative for theological expression.

Bernhard Anderson has written a commentary that gives new perspective and clarity to the prophetic tradition and demonstrates the timely nature of the prophets' messages for today. 'The Eighth Century Prophets' treats the four Old Testament figures as a 'prophetic quartet' that produced a powerful and startling consensus about Israel's relationship to God and the world. The core of the prophetic message is shown to be both religious and political as Anderson describes and explains the great themes of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah: divine judgment, the present and the future, justice and mercy, the covenant, walking humbly with God, and waiting for God. Included is a bibliography and time chart of Eighth Century Israel.