Hebrew Bible/OT Commentaries: Amos

"The poetry found in the "Book of Lamentations" is an eloquent expression of one man's, and one nation's, despair. The poet is deep in mourning as a result of the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in the sixth century b.c.e. He looks to Israel's own sins to explain the catastrophe, and yet he recites poignant examples of Israel's suffering in wondering aloud if God has abandoned his people altogether. Thus his lament is both a confession and a prayer for hope in spite of the horrible defeat. "Lamentations" is traditionally thought to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah; today the question is whether one man wrote it or many. In his Introduction, Delbert Hillers gives the evidence against Jeremiah's authorship and suggests that the poems should be treated as an intelligible unity, most likely written by an eyewitness to the events described."The Book of Lamentations" has been taken up through history both as poetry and as an expression of boundless grief. It has become part of the Jewish and Christian liturgies, as well as a source of comfort far beyond the time in which it was written. This commentary fills in the book's literary and historical background, and we emerge with a fresh respect for the artistry with which it was composed. The poetry itself demands this respect, with a translation here that carries the emotion and heartbreak of the original Hebrew. This new edition by Delbert R. Hillers is a thorough revision of his earlier Anchor Bible commentary, incorporating new literary theories and textual discoveries connected with the very latest Dead Sea Scrolls scholarship." - Yale University Press

"Shalom M. Paul’s work makes extensive use of ancient Near Eastern sources, and employs medieval Jewish exegesis along with modern Israeli biblical scholarship. A fantastic study of the book of Amos." - Logos

"The depth of analysis found in the International Critical Commentary (ICC) Series has yet to be surpassed in any commentary collection. One of the best features of this series is the extensive amount of background information given in each volume's introduction, where all of the analysis is provided before the actual commentary begins. Each volume packs more information into the introduction than you will often find in the body of most commentaries! Also consider that with the electronic versions of each volume, you will never need to leaf through the hundreds of pages in each volume searching for the passage you are studying." - T&T Clark

"Study the books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, and Jonah, with pioneering Old Testament scholar Douglas Stuart. Heart breaking, strange, and hopeful stories these books are among the Bible’s most misunderstood and Stuart illuminates their meaning by examining their historical context, and unlocking their mysterious stories and prophecies." - Logos