R. Reed Lessing

Jonah (Concordia Commentary) R. Reed Lessing

About This Volume:



This commentary interprets the narrative of Jonah as true history that reveals the God of Israel as gracious toward all who repent and believe in him. The introduction discusses the historical setting, archaeological evidence, and themes in the book. An original translation is based on the textual notes, which explain all the grammatical features of the Hebrew, revealing the literary artistry of Jonah s author. The commentary clearly expounds the book s message in harmony with the rest of the Scriptures. Ironically, Jonah the Israelite begrudges God s abundant grace, while Gentiles are converted to saving faith through the power of the preached Word. Excursuses cover evangelism in the OT, The Sign of Jonah in the Gospels, death and resurrection motifs from Jonah 2 in Christian Baptism, and God changing his verdict from judgment to salvation. The commentary s focus is on the one greater than Jonah : Jesus Christ, the Savior of all peoples.

About the Series:

The Concordia Commentary Series: A Theological Exposition of Sacred Scripture is written to enable pastors 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.

The commentary fully affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture as it emphasizes "that which promotes Christ" in each pericope.

Authors are sensitive to the rich treasury of language, imagery, and themes found throughout Scripture, including such dialectics as Law and Gospel, sin and grace, death and new life, folly and wisdom, demon possession and the arrival of the kingdom of God in Christ. Careful attention is given to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. Further light is shed on the text from archaeology, history, and extra-biblical literature. Finally, Scripture's message is applied to the ongoing life of the church in terms of ministry, worship, proclamation of the Word, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, confession of the faith--all in joyful anticipation of the life of the world to come.