The Prayer of Manasseh is a fascinating little prayer. Today, it is included among the biblical apocrypha -and sometimes it is included among thePsalms or at the end of Second Chronicles. It is an imagined prayer of Manasseh, successor king to Hezekiah of ancient Judah, as he makes an apologia in penitence for his sins -praising of other gods. The prayer is divided into fifteen verses, and … Continue reading Thoughts on the Prayer of Manasseh
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Haggai: A Plea To Rebuild the Temple
There are four prophecies contained within the two chapters of the book of Haggai (whose named means something akin to "my holiday" though the root word in Hebrew means something like "to make a pilgrimage"). The text is believed to have been written after the Babylonian exile, during the reign of Darius, the Persian emperor, as … Continue reading Haggai: A Plea To Rebuild the Temple
The Just Shall Live By His Faith: Habakkuk Considered
The book of Habakkuk is told in three short chapters. Habbakuk's vision is described as a "burden" (per the King James translation) as Habakkuk is a troubled prophet of Israel. All around him he sees destruction and decay. His name likely comes from an early Hebrew word meaning "embrace." Unlike other prophets, Habakkuk has the gaul … Continue reading The Just Shall Live By His Faith: Habakkuk Considered
Notes on Micah
As announced at the outset of his book, Micah lived during the reign of Hezekiah, making him a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. He was from a town in southwest Judah. He comes down to us as a rural prophet critiquing the immoral life of the city. The text of Micah echoes the same … Continue reading Notes on Micah
The Reckoning of Edom in Obadiah
The book of Obadiah is a text that claims to record a vision of Obadiah; a vision of the downfall of Edom (the kingdom that is descended from Esau), a mountainous kingdom located just south of Moab and Israel, or Judah. The book is a single chapter lasting twenty-one verses, and is sometimes written as "Abdias". … Continue reading The Reckoning of Edom in Obadiah
Plague and Drought in Joel
The name Joel can be loosely translated to mean "YHWH is God". The Book of Joel is one of the shorter books of the "minor prophets" (named for their length, not their significance). In it, Joel preaches the "word of the Lord" to the "old men" and "inhabitants of the land" -it is an account that is … Continue reading Plague and Drought in Joel
Notes on Amos
Amos lived during the same epoch as Hosea, as both prophets were active in the Northern Kingdom of Israel ("Samaria"), during the reign of Jeroboam II, though Amos is not explicitly described as a prophet in the text (neither he nor his father are described as prophets). He is believed to have been an older … Continue reading Notes on Amos
Infidelity in Hosea
Hosea is the first book of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. It is one of the shorter books of the Bible. The text suggests that Hosea was an active prophet during the reign of Jeroboim II, during the fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel ("Samaria"), which happened around 721 BC. The Talmud praises Hosea … Continue reading Infidelity in Hosea
Sorrow, Anger, and Hope in Lamentations
The book of Lamentations, sometimes called the "Lamentations of Jeremiah", is one of the shorter and more deeply sorrowful books of the Hebrew Bible. From the text, we imagine a lonely, existential man crying out to deaf-heaven from the depths. The book moves from a lament of the city as it weeps in despair (Chapter 1), … Continue reading Sorrow, Anger, and Hope in Lamentations
Thoughts on Jeremiah
As announced at the outset, the writings of Jeremiah take place during the "eleventh year of Zedekiah", the ruler put in place by Babylon after Babylon conquered Jerusalem. In reading the text of Jeremiah we imagine an elderly prophet, Jeremiah, dictating his life and prophecy to a Jewish scribe. During the first part of the book in the … Continue reading Thoughts on Jeremiah
