Micah - Concordia Commentary

In This Volume

“The mountains melt under Him and the valleys will split open.” [Micah 1:4] With this bombastic opening, Micah begins. This commentary explores Micah’s unique theological contributions alongside the exegetical and doctrinal scope of the scriptures as a whole. Throughout, this volume deeply engages with the commentaries of the ancient Fathers, the medievals, the reformers, and contemporary scholars, meticulously pairing theology and philology. It gives particular attention to the Law and Gospel paradigm present in Micah, looking at the prophet’s bold derision of sin as well as the fourfold message of hope he shares with Israel. Meditating on these, the commentary suggests the practical applications of Micah’s wisdom to today’s world and Church, both of which need the Word just as much as the Israel of Micah’s day.

Features

• Narrative structure of commentary makes easy reference for preaching and teaching
• Pastoral resources on Micah’s prophesies of hope and judgement
• Overview of the structure of the book of Micah
• Emphasis on formal poetic properties and genres such as theophany, lament, and artistic wordplay

Additional Essays

• Reasons for the Prophet’s Judgement Speech
• Micah and the Book of the Twelve
• The Integrity and Authenticity of the Book of Micah

About the Author

The Rev. Dr. Jason Soenksen received a B.A. from Concordia University Chicago, an M.A. in classics from Washington University in St. Louis, and his M.Div. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. During his seminary education, he also spent a year studying at the Lutherische Theologische Hochshcule in Oberursel, Germany. He has an M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC), Cincinnati, in the area of history of biblical interpretation. He participated in a joint program between HUC and the University of Cincinnati Classics Department, combining Bible, classics, and patristics. He serves as professor of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW), whose faculty he joined in 2005. He teaches courses in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and the Bible. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Soenksen serves as coordinator of the Great Texts Pathway at CUW, a group of professors who teach courses focused on intensive primary text readings and lively discussion.

Endorsements

"Professor Soenksen argues cogently that the shifts from judgment to hope in the book of Micah need not be the result of editorial reworking of material written centuries apart. A more compelling explanation is that one inspired author proclaimed the message of a God who is both just and merciful."
—Dr. Bill Tackmier, Professor of Old Testament and Homiletics, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary

"Philology, the analogy of faith, and theological interpretation are to the fore in this commentary. Coherence is attributed to the original author; predictive prophecy is countenanced. The good news and bad news of Micah’s proclamation is authenticated through the externality of both “the full harshness of the Law, which does not seem right to man, and the abundant comfort of the Gospel, which must come from outside of man.” This Lutheran hermeneutic allows him to offer the reader a rich and detailed interaction with textual and hermeneutical issues, which is both refreshing and educative."
—Dr. Mark Elliott, Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism, University of Glasgow, Scotland

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.

The series will cover all the canonical books of the Old and New Testament, with an original translation and meticulous grammatical analysis of the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek of each text. The foremost interpretive lens centers on the unified proclamation of the person and work of Christ across every Scriptural book.

The Commentary fully affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture; Each passage bears witness to the confession that God has reconciled the world to Himself through the incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ His Son.

Authors expose the rich treasury of language, imagery, and thematic content of the Scripture, while supplementing their work with additional research in archaeology, history, and extrabiblical literature. Throughout, God’s Word emanates from authors careful attention and inculcates the ongoing life of the Church in Word, Sacrament, and daily confession.

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