Joel: A Theological Exposition of Sacred Scripture (Concordia Commentary | CC)

by Thomas P. Nass

Publisher:

Concordia Publishing House

, 2023

Overview

If you ask average Bible readers what they know about the book of Joel, they might answer with one word: “Locusts!” This is not a bad memory hook, because a debilitating locust plague provides the backdrop of the book and a portion of its contents. Due to locusts, the people of Judah were in a wretched condition— suffering a national catastrophe— when God inspired the prophet Joel to bring a message to them.

What does Joel tell the desperate people to do in their crisis? Rev Thomas P. Nass digs into the background, translation, style, and the historical interpretation of this Minor Prophet. The Book of Joel is a book of comfort and hope for believers who are suffering. For people who feel that they are at the end of their rope, God paints a glorious picture of better days to come.

The Concordia Commentary series is designed to enable pastors, professors, and teachers of the Word to proclaim the Gospel with greater insight, clarity, and faithfulness to the divine intent of the biblical text. This landmark work will cover all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, interpreting Scripture as a harmonious unity centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Every passage bears witness to the Good News that God has reconciled the world to himself through our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection. This scholarly commentary series fully affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture as it emphasizes “that which promotes Christ” in each pericope.

Key Features

• Treats all the elements of traditional exegesis
• Compares the original context and the contemporary context
• Engages contemporary life and culture
• Analyzes Scripture’s language, imagery, and themes
• Pays special attention to the original Hebrew and Greek

Praise for the Print Edition

Joel’s book “begins with unbearable pain and ... ends with unbelievable peace” (page 564). Fittingly, then—in addition to explaining the linguistic details—this volume carefully examines the place of Joel’s Law­Gospel polarity in Scripture as a whole. Whether as regards philology and textual criticism or interpretive history and Lutheran theology, readers will discover valu­ able comments on this paradigmatic prophecy.

—Timothy J. Matthies II, Professor, Asia Lutheran Seminary, Hong Kong

What is “the day of the Lord” all about, and why is this important? We find reliable answers in this exegetically precise, theologically rich commentary on the prophet Joel by Prof. Thomas Nass. The author insightfully unpacks the dramatic imagery and rhetorical forms that charac­ terize the Hebrew poetic text, with special attention being devoted to its important discourse structural arrangement and contemporary expression via a dynamic new English translation. This commentary, including twenty­one scholarly excursuses on a variety of salient topics, is the product of a lifelong study, the fruits of which will be of great benefit to pastors, teachers, and all serious students of Scripture.

—Ernst R. Wendland, Stellenbosch University—Ancient Studies, Stellenbosch, South Africa; South African Theological Seminary, Sandton, South Africa

This book is a true labor of love—for God’s Word and God’s people—and it shows on every page. Here is not only an academically creditable study of the biblical text but also a virtual hand­ book on how a confessional Lutheran hermeneutic applies to the OT—and what this means for Gospel ministry. For many readers, this will be your first experience with the unique blend of depth and accessibility that characterizes all of Prof. Nass’ work. If so, you are in for a treat!

—Kenneth A. Cherney, Jr., Professor of Old Testament and Systematic Theology, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, Wisconsin

Product Details

• Title: Joel
• Author: Thomas P. Nass
• Series: Concordia Commentary
• Publisher: Concordia Publishing House
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 608
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. O.T. Joel › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780758671790, 0758671792
• Resource ID: LLS:CONCOM29JOE
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-08-30T23:20:09Z

About Thomas P. Nass

Thomas Nass has been teaching Biblical Hebrew at Martin Luther College since 1995. Previously he had been a parish pastor for ten years in North Mankato, MN and Milwaukee, WI.