Isaiah
in Baker Commentary on the Old Testament
Pages
781
Publisher
Baker Academic
Published
4/18/2023
ISBN-13
9780801030949
The book of Isaiah has been regarded from the earliest Christian period as a key part of the Old Testament's witness to Jesus Christ. This commentary by highly regarded Old Testament scholar J. Gordon McConville draws on the best of biblical scholarship as well as the Christian tradition to offer a substantive and useful commentary on Isaiah.
McConville treats Isaiah as an ancient Israelite document that speaks to 21st-century Christians. He examines the text section by section—offering a fresh translation, textual notes, paragraph-level commentary, and theological reflection—and shows how the prophetic words are framed to persuade audiences.
Grounded in rigorous scholarship but useful for those who preach and teach, this volume is the second in a new series on the Prophets. Series volumes are both critically engaged and sensitive to the theological contributions of the text. Series editors are Mark J. Boda and J. Gordon McConville.
McConville treats Isaiah as an ancient Israelite document that speaks to 21st-century Christians. He examines the text section by section—offering a fresh translation, textual notes, paragraph-level commentary, and theological reflection—and shows how the prophetic words are framed to persuade audiences.
Grounded in rigorous scholarship but useful for those who preach and teach, this volume is the second in a new series on the Prophets. Series volumes are both critically engaged and sensitive to the theological contributions of the text. Series editors are Mark J. Boda and J. Gordon McConville.
Reviews
ThomasCreedy
October 1, 2024
October 1, 2024
Whilst this is overall a very strong commentary, I did feel that at times I wanted more from McConville. In some senses, it is a slightly uneven commentary – and I wonder if that is down to the decision to by and large focus on relatively small sections of text. The 66 chapters of Isaiah are examined in 64 chapters of the book, but each of those chapters has several sub-sections. The effect is not quite as pronounced and granular as the ZECOT volume on Judges I reviewed recently, but I’m not convinced by it as a ‘mode’ of commentary writing. I’ve left till this point in my review any hint regarding McConvilles conviction or opinion around the formation and authorship of Isaiah – whilst he broadly goes with the current academic consensus, he is respectful of those who maintain the traditional view (“I have in mind, e.g., the excellent commetnaries of Oswalt, Motyer, and Webb“, p. 8 fn. 15) and thinks that the reality is a tension between “a certain unity” and the way in which “it exhibits significant differences as it develops” (p. 9). As I hope my review has intimated, I have found it profitable even though I lean strongly towards the traditional view – McConville’s respect for the text and the God it reveals is warm, and infectious. Overall, then, this is a solid modern evangelical commentary on Isaiah, that adds a significant level of detailed work to classics like Motyer’s standalone, or Robert Fyall’s helpful contribution to the ESVEC series.
[Full Review]