The Books of Haggai and Malachi by Mignon R. Jacobs

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Books of Haggai and Malachi by Mignon R. Jacobs Andrew E. Hill mignon r. jacobs, The Books of Haggai and Malachi (NICOT; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017). Pp. xlv + 377. $48. The commentary on the Books of Haggai and Malachi by Mignon R. Jacobs is a new iteration of the commentary first written for the NICOT series by Pieter A. Verhoef (1987). The target audience for the NICOT series includes pastors, scholar-teachers, and all serious students of the Bible. The stated aim of providing rigorous biblical scholarship to all serious students of the Bible is laudable, blending academic excellence with practical application for preaching, teaching, and ongoing academic research benefiting the Christian church. The publisher is to be commended for devoting an equivalent number of pages for this replacement commentary on the two books (377 pages compared to 364 pages for the 1987 version). [End Page 314] Jacobs's stated aim is to interpret the texts both as prophetic literature and as diverse intertextual voices within the Hebrew Bible (p. xiii). For her, this means allowing various, even potentially competing, interpretive options "to coexist"—apart from offering "a single, decisive interpretation" (p. xiii). Her stated goal in this emphasis on interpretive dissonance is to encourage the reader's more active participation in the study of Haggai and Malachi, including reflections on how one's own pre-convictions influence the reading of biblical texts. The commentary is organized accordingly and includes these section headings for each book: Prophet and Date, Historical Context, Text, Intertextual Indicators, Structural Analysis, Message, Text and Commentary. The extensive footnotes attest to J.'s wide reading of the pertinent literature, and the reader will value her engagement with a wide range of alternative viewpoints. The discussions of the literary genre and structure of the two books are concise and current and aid in bringing clarity to the interpretation of the prophetic literature. The extensive indexes of authors, subjects, and scriptural references contribute to the accessibility of the commentary. Providing a more expansive general introduction to the Books of Haggai of Malachi, including treatment of their relationship to each other, to the Haggai–Zechariah–Malachi corpus, and to the Scroll of the Twelve, would enhance the commentary. The series emphasizes the importance of understanding the cultural setting for interpreting the Bible in its ancient context. J.'s treatment of the historical and cultural context of Haggai and Malachi is well informed and complements the thorough interpretive analysis. The chronological charts and maps of the Persian Empire and postexilic Judah are welcome additions to the NICOT series. Conspicuous by their absence in the notes and bibliography, however, are references to OT Bible background commentaries (e.g., John H. Walton, gen. ed., Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary [5 vols.; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009]) and similar resources. Inclusion of such reference works could enrich the study of the cultural setting of these postexilic prophets for some readers. The authors of the NICOT series offer their own "new translation" of the given OT book under discussion. Since translation is an interpretive enterprise in its own right, the reader benefits from the perspective and nuance that the author of the commentary brings to the biblical text. This is the case for J.'s translation of Haggai and Malachi. Her careful and detailed engagement with the MT and the significant ancient versions attests her linguistic competence and enriches the exposition of the biblical text. The reader will profit from the knowledgeable, yet not overly technical, discussions of the role that the ancient versions and recent scholarly treatments play in understanding the text-critical analysis of Haggai and Malachi. The extensive notes related to the translations of the two books allow those interested in the finer points of textual criticism and translation theory and practice an opportunity to participate more deeply in the study of these rich texts (p. xiii). The discussion of "intertextual indicators" in the Books of Haggai and Malachi is a welcome feature. Increasingly, biblical commentaries are including treatments of intratextuality (the OT usage of itself), and intertextuality (the NT usage of the OT), and this offering continues that trend. Such discussions are another way to appreciate the biblical...