A Commentary on Micah

by Bruce K. Waltke

In this masterful commentary, respected biblical scholar Bruce Waltke carefully interprets the message of the prophet Micah, building a bridge between Micah's ancient world and our life today. Waltke's Commentary on Micah quickly distinguishes itself from other commentaries on this book by displaying an unprecedented exegetical thoroughness, an expert understanding of historical context, and a keen interest in illuminating the contribution of Micah to Christian theology. Tackling hard questions about date and authorship, Waltke contends that Micah himself wrote and edited the nineteen sermons comprising the book. Waltke's clear analytical outline leads readers through the three cycles of Micah, each beginning with an oracle of doom and ending with an oracle of hope, decisively showing that hope wins over doom. Learned yet amazingly accessible, combining scholarly erudition with passion for Micah's contemporary relevance, this book will well serve teachers, pastors, and students alike.

Genres: Reference, Theology

508 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2006

About the author

Bruce K. Waltke is Distinguished Professor of Old Testament at Knox Theological Seminary, Fort Lauderdale, and professor emeritus of biblical studies at Regent College, Vancouver.

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways this is a very helpful and thorough commentary. He does an excellent job of translating each passage and then explains the exegesis of the passage. After each exegesis portion, he has an exposition that explains what the text says and means. The exposition sections of the book are well worth any Christian readers time.

It seems that the average church member was not his target audience. The writing is very scholarly with a great deal of citations. In every passage, he describes and engages differing interpretations. This can make the writing difficult to follow. To complicate it further, he discusses aspects of Hebrew grammar but does not use Hebrew letters or words. Instead, he uses English words with a litany of accents above them. Thus, unless you know all the accents, knowledge of the Hebrew language, much less English, will not help you determine what word he is referring to.

There are a couple of areas of concern with this work. First, he advocates for "inferior" and "superior" revelation: "The difference is important in interpreting Holy Scripture. Inferior forms of revelation, such as the riddle-like visions of the prophets in contrast to the clear, face-to-face encounters of God with Moses, carry less weight than superior forms of revelation..." (p. 43) If his distinction is valid, then who determines which books of the canon are "inferior" and which are "superior"? Does this distinction apply to other doctrines that are not related to eschatology? When Micah, through a vision, said the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, was that unclear and riddle-like? Why would he make such a distinction? Because he wants to avoid a specific theological conclusion.

"Micah's prophecies regarding the Messianic Age must be interpreted according to the lucid teachings of the NT, which excludes the symbolic book of Revelation, and not according to a premillennial model, which is built on OT prophecy and apocalyptic literature instead of on the plain teachings of Christ and his apostles." (p. 43) Problem: the OT is the words of Jesus and is just as clear as any NT book. The book of Revelation is also inspired of God and is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Tim 3:16 NASB) If the text teaches a literal return of Jesus Christ after which a literal and physical kingdom is established, then that should be our conclusion. We should not alter our interpretive method to avoid a theological conclusion.

[Zack · Rating 5 out of 5]

The technical exegetical matter is sometimes tough-going, but the expositions and divisions of the text are super helpful. It is good to pair this with Calvin’s commentary for a more classic pastoral perspective.

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 4 out of 5]

By far the most thorough commentary on Micah that I would know of. Waltke is profound in his depth on exegetical matters and his knowledge of critical scholarship from a wide swathe of sources. There's certainly some areas that are disagreeable (some of his translations seem a little off, but that may just be my palate for different phrases), but by and large he seems pretty spot on with his scholarship. I would add that the commentary won't prove as useful for everyone reading it. For most folks it's simply too much heady information on this short prophecy. I'd also recommend a base knowledge of Hebrew syntax (I originally had this for a Hebrew exegesis course and read it then, but now more in depth since I'm preaching Micah) though he does transliterate the Hebrew words. A great commentary on Micah that is very useful if you're preaching through Micah, doing scholarly work, or looking for something that delves deep into syntax and critical scholarship.

[Matt Braymiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a massive commentary for a seven chapter minor prophet. I found it to be an excellent resource for my own study. The commentary on each section is broken into two halves. The exegesis is very in depth and deals with the textual issues. The exposition that follows is extensive and of tremendous benefit to those who desire to see how this 8th century BC prophet can speak to life in the 21st century. Of all the resources I used for my own current class, I found this volume to be the greatest asset. I think it is indispensable to any serious student of Biblical studies.

[Lance Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough commentary on Micah. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a single commentary on Micah that is longer and more detailed. Excellent exegesis and helpful details on the text for preaching. A bit allegorical at times in it’s interpretation so I tried to be careful in my reading. Definitely a helpful resource for Christ and his church.

[Matt Allhands · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic approach to the text- the division between exegesis and expositional segments was great. Only one issue - transliteration. Just put the Hebrew in the text