The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. 2 / Commonly Called the Minor

by George Adam Smith

CONTENTS OF VOL. II.

		PAGE
	[Preface]	v
	[ Chronological Tables]
	[These Tables are in Volume I.]
[INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHETS OF THE SEVENTH CENTURY]
CHAP.
[I.]	THE SEVENTH CENTURY BEFORE CHRIST	3
	[1.] REACTION UNDER MANASSEH AND AMON (695?—639).
	[2.] THE EARLY YEARS OF JOSIAH (639—625): JEREMIAH AND ZEPHANIAH
	[3.] THE REST OF THE CENTURY (625—586): THE FALL OF NINIVEH; NAHUM AND HABAKKUK.
[ZEPHANIAH]
[II.]	THE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH	35
[III.]	THE PROPHET AND THE REFORMERS	46
	ZEPHANIAH i.—ii. 3.
[IV.]	NINIVE DELENDA	61
	ZEPHANIAH ii. 4–15.
[V.]	SO AS BY FIRE	67
	ZEPHANIAH iii.
[NAHUM]
[VI.]	THE BOOK OF NAHUM	77
	[1.] THE POSITION OF ELḲÔSH.
	[2.] THE AUTHENTICITY OF CHAP. i.
	[3.] THE DATE OF CHAPS. ii. AND iii
[VII.]	THE VENGEANGE OF THE LORD	90
	NAHUM i.
[VIII.]	THE SIEGE AND FALL OF NINIVEH	96
	NAHUM ii. AND iii.
[HABAḲḲUḲ]
[IX.]	THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK	115
	[1.] CHAP. i. 2—ii. 4 (OR 8).
	[2.] CHAP. ii. 5–20.
	[3.] CHAP. iii.
[X.]	THE PROPHET AS SCEPTIC	129
	HABBAKKUK i.—ii. 4.
[XI.]	TYRANNY IS SUICIDE	143
	HABBAKKUK ii. 5–20.
[XII].	“IN THE MIDST OF THE YEARS”	149
	HABBAKKUK iii.
[OBADIAH]
[XIII.]	THE BOOK OF OBADIAH	163
[XIV.]	EDOM AND ISRAEL	177
	OBADIAH 1–21.
[INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHETS OF THE PERSIAN PERIOD]
(539—331 B.C.)
[XV.]	ISRAEL UNDER THE PERSIANS	187
[XVI.]	FROM THE RETURN FROM BABYLON TO THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE (536—516 B.C.)	198
	WITH A DISCUSSION OF PROFESSOR KOSTERS' THEORY.
[HAGGAI]
[XVII.]	THE BOOK OF HAGGAI	225
[XVIII.]	HAGGAI AND THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE	234
	HAGGAI. i., ii.
	[1.] THE CALL TO BUILD (CHAP. i.).
	[2.] COURAGE, ZERUBBABEL! COURAGE, JEHOSHUA AND ALL THE PEOPLE! (CHAP. ii. 1–9).
	[3.] THE POWER OF THE UNCLEAN (Chap. ii. 10–19).
	[4.] THE REINVESTMENT OF ISRAEL'S HOPE (CHAP. ii. 20–23).
[ZECHARIAH]
(I.—VIII.)
[XIX.]	THE BOOK OF ZECHARIAH (I.—VIII.)	255
[XX.]	ZECHARIAH THE PROPHET	264
	ZECHARIAH i. 1–6, ETC.; EZRA v. 1, vi. 14.
[XXI].	THE VISIONS OF ZECHARIAH	273
	ZECHARIAH i. 7—vi.
	[1.] THE INFLUENCES WHICH MOULDED THE VISIONS.
	[2.] GENERAL FEATURES OF THE VISIONS.
	[3.] EXPOSITION OF THE SEVERAL VISIONS:
	[THE FIRST:] THE ANGEL-HORSEMEN (i. 7–17).
	[ THE SECOND:] THE FOUR HORNS AND THE FOUR SMITHS (i. 18–21 ENG.).
	[ THE THIRD:] THE CITY OF PEACE (ii. 1–5 ENG).
	[ THE FOURTH:] THE HIGH PRIEST AND THE SATAN (iii. ).
	[ THE FIFTH:] THE TEMPLE CANDLESTICK AND THE TWO OLIVE-TREES (iv. ).
	[ THE SIXTH:] THE WINGED VOLUME (v. 1–4 ).
	[ THE SEVENTH:] THE WOMAN IN THE BARREL (v. 5–11).
	[ THE EIGHTH:] THE CHARIOTS OF THE FOUR WINDS (vi. 1–8).
	[ THE RESULT OF THE VISIONS] (vi. 9–15).
[XXII.]	THE ANGELS OF THE VISIONS	310
	ZECHARIAH i. 7—vi. 8.
[XXIII.]	“THE SEED OF PEACE”	320
	ZECHARIAH vii., viii.
[“MALACHI”]
[XXIV.]	THE BOOK OF “MALACHI”	331
[XXV].	FROM ZECHARIAH TO “MALACHI”	341
[XXVI.]	PROPHECY WITHIN THE LAW	348
	“MALACHI” i.—iv. (ENG.)
	[1.] GOD'S LOVE FOR ISRAEL AND HATRED OF EDOM (i. 2–5).
	[2.] “HONOUR THY FATHER” (i. 6–14).
	[3.] THE PRIESTHOD OF KNOWLEDGE (ii. 1–9).
	[4.] THE CRUELTY OF DIVORCE (ii. 10–16).
	[5.] “WHERE IS THE GOD OF JUDGMENT?” (ii. 17—iii. 5).
	[6.] REPENTANCE BY TITHES (iii. 6–12).
	[7.] THE JUDGMENT TO COME (iii. 13—iv. 2 ENG.).
	[8.] THE RETURN OF ELIJAH (iv. 3–5 ENG.).
[JOEL]
[XXVII.]	THE BOOK OF JOEL	375
	[1.] THE DATE OF THE BOOK.
	[2.] THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BOOK.
	[3.] STATE OF THE TEXT AND THE STYLE OF THE BOOK.
[XXVIII.]	THE LOCUSTS AND THE DAY OF THE LORD.	398
	JOEL i.—ii. 17.
[XXIX.]	PROSPERITY AND THE SPIRIT	418
	JOEL ii. 18–32 (ENG.)
	[1.] THE RETURN OF PROSPERITY (ii. 19–27).
	[2.] THE OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT (ii. 28–32).
[XXX.]	THE JUDGMENT OF THE HEATHEN	431
	JOEL iii (ENG.).
[INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHETS OF THE GRECIAN PERIOD]
(FROM 331 ONWARDS)
[XXXI.]	ISRAEL AND THE GREEKS	439
[“ZECHARIAH”]
(IX.—XIV.)
[XXXII.]	“ZECHARIAH” IX.—XIV.	449
[XXXIII.]	THE CONTENTS OF “ZECHARIAH” IX.—XIV.	463
	[1.] THE COMING OF THE GREEKS (ix. 1–8).
	[2.] THE PRINCE OF PEACE (ix. 9–12).
	[3.] THE SLAUGHTER OF THE GREEKS (ix. 13–17).
	[4.] AGAINST THE TERAPHIM AND SORCERERS (x. 1, 2).
	[5.] AGAINST EVIL SHEPHERDS (x. 3–12).
	[6.] WAR UPON THE SYRIAN TYRANTS (xi. 1–3).
	[7.] THE REJECTION AND MURDER OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD (xi. 4–17, xiii. 7–9).
	[8.] JUDAHversus JERUSALEM (xii. 1–7).
	[9.] FOUR RESULTS OF JERUSALEM'S DELIVERANCE (xii. 8—xiii. 6).
	[10.] JUDGMENT OF THE HEATHEN AND SANCTIFICATION OF JERUSALEM (xiv.).
[JONAH]
[XXXIV.]	THE BOOK OF JONAH	493
	[1.] THE DATE OF THE BOOK.
	[2.] THE CHARACTER OF THE BOOK.
	[3.] THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK.
	[4.] OUR LORD'S USE OF THE BOOK.
	[5.] THE UNITY OF THE BOOK.
[XXXV.]	THE GREAT REFUSAL	514
	JONAH i.
[XXXVI.]	THE GREAT FISH AND WHAT IT MEANS—THE PSALM	523
	JONAH ii.
[XXXVII.]	THE REPENTANCE OF THE CITY	529
	JONAH iii.
[XXXVIII.]	ISRAEL'S JEALOUSY OF JEHOVAH	536
	JONAH iv.
[INDEX OF PROPHETS]		543

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INTRODUCTION TO THE PROPHETS OF
THE SEVENTH CENTURY

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CHAPTER I

THE SEVENTH CENTURY BEFORE CHRIST

The three prophets who were treated in the first volume of this work belonged to the eighth century before Christ: if Micah lived into the seventh his labours were over by 675. The next group of our twelve, also three in number, Zephaniah, Nahum and Habakkuk, did not appear till after 630. To make our study continuous[2] we must now sketch the course of Israel’s history between.