Micah (The Anchor Yale Bible | AYB)
Overview
As one of the 12 Minor Prophets, Micah unwaveringly spoke God’s message to Israel—a message filled with judgment but laced with the promise of redemption. Micah combined poetic complexity and literary sophistication to compel his audience to respond. And now, through an exacting linguistic and literary analysis of the biblical text, coauthors Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman explain what Micah meant to his contemporaries, as well as what his message means to readers today.
What sets this volume apart is its attention to the prophet’s original text. The commentary is descriptive rather than speculative, philological rather than theological. With unusual care, the authors—two of the world’s leading Bible scholars—examine the features of Micah’s biblical Hebrew and prophetic discourse. They discover the use of a special kind of language, which, in its poetic composition, differs significantly from the language of classical Hebrew prose.
At the zenith of their careers, masters of all relevant disciplines, Andersen and Freedman are the perfect duo to unlock the words of this challenging prophet.
Logos Bible Software gives you the tools you need to use this volume effectively and efficiently. With your digital library, you can search for verses, find Scripture references and citations instantly, and perform word studies. Along with your English translations, all Scripture passages are linked to Greek and Hebrew texts. What’s more, hovering over a Scripture reference will instantly display your verse! The advanced tools in your digital library free you to dig deeper into one of the most important contributions to biblical scholarship in the past century!
- Offers original translations, including alternative translations, annotations, and variants
- Provides verse-by-verse commentary on the text
- Presents the reader with historical background, including analysis of authorship and dating
- Features an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary literature
- The Title (1:1)
- The Book of Doom (1:2–3:12)
- The First Warning Oracle (1:2–7)
- First Lamentation (Transitional) (1:8–9)
- Second Lamentation (1:10–16)
- Social Injustice Denounced (2:1–5)
- Attack on Prophets (2:6–11)
- Promise of Restoration (2:12–13)
- Attack on Rulers (3:1–4)
- Condemnation of Prophets (3:5–8)
- Condemnation of Rulers (3:9–12)
- The Book of Visions: Micah 4–5
- The End of the Days (4:1–5)
- Yahweh Rules the Remnant (4:6–8)
- The Anguish and Redemption of Zion (4:9–10)
- Zion Defeats the Nations (4:11–13)
- Zion(?) under Threat (4:14)
- Advent of the Ruler (5:1–3)
- Defeat of Assyria (5:4–5)
- The Remnant (5:6–8)
- Israel Cleansed and Avenged (5:9–14)
- The Book of Contention and Conciliation (Micah 6–7)
- Yahweh’s Covenant Dispute (6:1–8)
- More Accusations and Covenant Curses (6:9–16)
- Lamentation (7:1–6)
- Song of Confidence (7:7–12)
- Vindication (7:13–17)
- The Covenant Mended (7:18–20)
Top Highlights
“There is no reason to doubt that the same twelve books have always formed the collection.” (Page 6)
“The high level of formal poetry sustained in vv 1–3 does not continue in v 4. We saw the same fluctuation in 2:4a and 5. This kind of variation is characteristic of Micah’s compositional style throughout. It can hardly be used to recover stages in the editorial or redactional history of the book.” (Page 348)
“All we need say (all we can say) at this point is that we find no evidence within the book of Micah or within the Book of the Twelve as a whole that requires a date for its completion later than the fifth century b.c.e.” (Page 20)
“A legitimate sensus plenior is that this Ruler will be a superhuman being, associated with God from the beginning of time.” (Page 468)
“the people bring a matching set of questions. Yahweh asked four questions and they ask four questions.” (Page 506)
- Title: Micah
- Authors: Francis I. Andersen and David Noel Freedman
- Series: Anchor Yale Bible (AYB)
- Publisher: Yale University Press
- Publication Date: 2006
- Pages: 664
Francis I. Andersen taught the Bible in Australia, the United States, and around the world before retiring as professorial fellow in the department of classics and archaeology at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Out of his pioneering work on the poetics and metrics of biblical texts, he has produced over 70 scholarly articles and many books.
About David Noel Freedman
David Noel Freedman (1922–2008) received his PhD in Semitic languages and literature from Johns Hopkins University in 1948. Freedman was a distinguished author and prolific editor. His other works include a contribution to the Eerdmans Biblical Resources Series and The Bible in Its World.