WESTMINSTER COMMENTARIES EDITED BY WALTER LooK D.D. L"-I)y MARGARET PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY Iii THE U!iIVERSITY 011' OXFORD THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS MICAH OBADIAH JOEL AND JONAH THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS MICAH OBADIAH JOEL AND JONAH WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY G. W. WADE D.D. 8ENIOB TUTOR OF ST DAVID'S COLLEGE, LAXPETBJI, CANON OF BT ASil>H METHUEN & CO. LTD. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON First published in 1925 l'BINT.11D IN GREAT BRITAIN DULCISSIMAE DILECTISSIMAE PREFATORY NOTE BY THE GENER.AL EDITOR HE primary object of these Commentaries is to be exe­ T getical, to interpret the meaning of each book of the Bible in the light of modern knowledge to English readers. The Editors: will not deal, except subordinately, with questions of textual criticism or philology ; but taking the English text in the Revised Version as their basis, they will aim at com­ bining a hearty acceptance of critical principles with loyalty to the Catholic Faith. The series will be less elementary than the Cambridge Bible for Schools, less critical than the International Critical Com­ mentary, less didactic than the Expositor's Bible ; and it is hoped that it may be of use both to theological students and to the clergy, as well as to the growing number of educated laymen and laywomen who wish to read the Bible intelligently and reverently. Each commentary will therefore have (i) An Introduction stating the bearing of modern criticism and research upon the historical character of the book, and drawing out the contribution which the book, as a whole, makes to the body of religious truth. (ii) A careful paraphrase of the text with notes on the more difficult passages and, if need be, excursuses on any points of special importance either for doctrine, or ecclesiastical organization, or spiritual life. But the books of the Bible are so varied in character that considerable latitude is needed, as to the proportion which the various parts should hold to each other. The General Editor will therefore only endeavour to secure a general uniformity in viii NOTE scope and character: but the exact method adopted in each case and the final responsibility for the statements made will rest with the individual contributors. By permission of the Delegates of the Oxford University Press and of the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press the Text used in this Series of Commentaries is the Revised Version of the Holy Scriptures. WALTER LOCK PREFACE HE existence of so many excellent books relating to the T Minor Prophets, collectively or singly, may be thought to render the production of another work on the same subject super:­ :ftuous. But a series of commentaries on the whole Bible, when once started, calls for completion; and this is perhaps sufficient justi­ fication for the present volume. Nevertheless its writer has not been content merely to preserve what in previous commentators appeared most worth preservation, but has endeavoured to sup­ plement it, wherever expansion or addition seemed desirable. Possibly an apology is required for the sections in the Introduc­ tion dealing with Messianic Prophecy and Hebrew Versification. But Christology is attracting renewed attention now, so that a review of the Old Testament passages connected with it cannot be deemed altogether untimely or out of place; whilst the inclu­ sion of a slight sketch of the principles of Hebrew poetic rhythm has its utility in a book which takes some account of the textual criticism of such of the prophetic writings as are here included In the preparation of the volume the writer has consulted the works of older scholars like Maurer, Caspari, Ewald, Pusey, Hen­ derson, and various contributors to the Speaker's Commentary; but he is mainly indebted to more recent critics, such as Marti, Nowack, Sellin, Van Hoonacker, and W ellhausen on the Conti­ nent, and Bewer, Cheyne,Driver, Horton, Kirkpatrick, Lanchester, G. Adam Smith, J.M. Powis Smith, and W. Robertson Smith in this country or in America. Whilst, however, he has derived from his predecessors much of his material, he has sought (as in a pre­ vious work) to exercise an independent judgment in drawing con­ clusions from the data that have been collected For great assistance in the preparation of the manuscript the writer wishes to express his deep indebtedness to his wife. The book has been read in MS. and in proof by Dr Lock, the General Editor, and his meticulous care has caused the author, who fondly imagined himself to be something of an adept in condensation, to X PREFACE feel that, after all, he is but a mere novice in the art. Dr Lock, however, has, done far more than recommend omissions; he has contributed a number of very valuable suggestions, for which the warmest thanks are due. Help with the proofs has also been received from the Rev. D. D. Bartlett, B.A., Lecturer in Theology at Lampeter College. His scrutiny of them has resulted in the discovery and removal of many oversights and blemishes which had previously· escaped detection, and his kindly service calls for most grateful acknowledgment. G.W.W. CONTENTS PA.GR INTRODUCTION TO MICAH xv CHAP.l'ER I. The Title and Contents Xl" CHAPTER II. The Disputed Unity of the Book :uii Chronological Table of the Prophecies in the Book of Micah xxvi CHAPTER III. The Conditions of Micah's Age and the Tenor of his Teaching xxvi INTRODUCTION TO OBADIAH . xxxii CBA.PTER I. The Title, Contents, and Structure . xxxii CHA.PTER II. The Passage Common to Obadiah and Jeremiah xxxiT CHAPTER III. The Date . xxxviii CHAPTER IV. Edom and the Edomites • xliv INTRODUCTION TO JOEL . li CHAPTER I. The Title and Contents li CHAPTER II. The Interpretation of the Book lil" CRAPTER III. The Unity of the Book lvi CHAPTER IV. The Date of the Book lxi CHAPTER V. Joel and Eschatology lxxii Note on Locusts lxui INTRODUCTION TO JONAH lxxviii CHAPTER I. The Title, Content.a, and Purpose lxxviii CHAPTER II. The Date . lxxxii CHAPTER III. The Defective Unity of the Book lxxXT CHAPTER IV. The Character of the Narrative xci GENERAL SUPPLEMENT TO THE SEPARATE INTRODUC­ TIONS . e CHAl'TER I. The Theology of the Books of Micah, Obadiah, Joel, and Jonah • e CBA.PTER II. Messianic Prophecy . crii CHAPTER III. Hebrew Versification cxxxiT xii CONTENTS PA.GIi COMMENTARY ON MICAH I COMMENT.ARY ON OBADIAH 67 APPENDIX. The Oracle quoted in common by Obadiah and Jeremiah 87 COMMENTARY ON JOEL 88 COMMENTARY ON JON.AH 120 ADDITIONAL NOTE by the General Editor 142 APPENDIX 1 The Psalm in eh. ii. rendered in the Rhythm of the Original 143 .APPENDIX II. Critical Analysis of Jonah 144 INDEX. 147 A LIST OF TRANSLATIONS, COMMENTARIES, AND OTHER WORKS CONSULTED (WITH ABBREVIATIONS). .A.q, Aquila's Greek Translation of the Old Testament (in Field's Hwapwrum quae supersunt). A. v. Authorized Version of the Bible, 1611. l)ewer. Bewer's Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Obadiah, Joe~ and Jonah (I.C.C.), 1912. O.B. Century Bible. Camb.B. Cambridge Bible. Caspari- C. P. Caspari's Der Prophet Obaqja, 1842. Cheyne. T. K. Cheyne's Micah, with Notes and Introduction (Camb.B.), 1882. Driver. S. R. Driver's The Books of Joel and .Amos (Camb.B.), 1897. ,, Gen. S. R. Driver's The Book of Genesis (West.O.). ,, LOT. S. R. Driver's Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testa- ment, 1891 and later editions. E.B. Expositor's Bible. Enc.Bib. Cheyne and Black's Encyclopaedia Biblica, 1899-1903. Ewald. H. Ewald's The Prophets of the Old Testament (E.T.). El1JJ)oB. The Ea:positor. Hastings, DB. J. Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, 1898-1904. Hende1-son. E. Henderson's The Book of the Twefoe Prophets, 1858. Horton. R. F. Horton's The Minor Prophets Hosea ...Micah (O.B.). I.C.C. International Critical Commentary. JE. The Prophetic Document of the Pentateuch. JTS. The Journal of Theological Studies. Kirkpatrick. A. F. Kirkpatrick's The Doctrine of the Prophets, 2nd ed., 189T. Lanchester. H. C. 0. Lanchester's Obadiah and Jonah (Camb.B.), 1918. LXX. The Septuagint Translation of the Old Testament, ed. Swete, 1894. Marti. D. K. Marti's Das Dodekapropheton, 1904. Maurer. F. J. V. Maurer's Commentarius Grammaticus criticus in Vetu, - Testamentum, vol. n., 1838. Nowack. W. Nowack's Die Kleinen Propheten, 1903. Old Latin. The Old Latin Version ( cited from JTS. vol. v. 247 f., 378 f., VL 67 f.). P. The Priestly Document of the Pentateuch. Pusey. E. B. Pusey's The Minor Prophets, 1860. R. V. The Revised Version of the Bible, 1884. Sayce, HCM. A. H. Sayce's The Higher Criticism and the Monuments, 1894. Schrader, COT. Schrader's The Cuneiform Inscriptions and the O.T. (E.T.). Sellin, IO T. E. Sellin's Introduction to the 0. T. (E.T.). Smith, G. A. Sir George Adam Smith's The Book of the XII Prophets (E.B.). ,, HGHL., Sir G. A. Smith's Historical Geography of the HoZv Land. Smith, J. M. P. J. M. Powis Smith's Critical and Historir,al Commentary on Micah (I.C.C.), 1912. xiv TRANSLATIONS, COMMENTARIES Smith, W.R. W, Robertson Smith's The Prophets of Israel, 1895. ''Speaker's Bible" (The). The Holy Bible, with a Commentary etc., 1871- 6. Sym. Symmachus's Greek Translation of the Old Testament (in Field). Syr. The Syriac Translation of the 0.T. Th. Theodotion's Translation of the 0. T. (in Field). Van Hoonacker. A. Van Hoonacker's Les Douze Petits Propketes. Vulg. Biblia Sacra Vulgatre Editionis.