A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Obadiah and Joel

PREFACE.

N 1890 the late Pres. William R. Harper agreed to write a commentary on the Minor Prophets in two volumes for this

series of commentaries. But later on this was found to be impracticable, and it was agreed to allow him three volumes for the work. The first volume, containing Amos and Hosea, was published in 1905. Dr. Harper was at work upon the second volume when he was taken from us by death. His pupil and associate, Prof. J. M. Powis Smith, who had assisted him in his preliminary studies, was asked to complete the commentary on Micah and now assumes the entire responsibility for that work. He wishes to make grateful acknowledgment of his indebtedness to the late Pres. William R. Harper for invaluable inspiration and much help in the work on Micah, and to Mrs. William R. Harper for the free use of Dr. Harper's papers and books and for permission to incorporate some of his results in the present commentary. These appear chiefly in the general comments on Micah, chs. I and 2 and 61.

The delay in the preparation of the volumes was so great that it seemed best to distribute the work remaining to be done among several scholars. Accordingly, Zephaniah and Nahum were undertaken by Prof. Charles P. Fagnani, who, however, was obliged after some years to give them up on account of ill health, when Prof. J. M. Powis Smith kindly assumed the task. Habakkuk was assigned to Dr. W. Hayes Ward, Obadiah and Joel to Prof. Julius A. Bewer. These six prophets are published in this volume. The remaining prophets, Haggai and Zechariah by Prof. Henry G. Mitchell, Malachi by Prof. J. M. Powis Smith, and Jonah by Prof. Julius A. Bewer, will be published soon in a third volume completing the commentaries on the Minor Prophets.

The order of arrangement of the Minor Prophets in these volumes differs, not only from the traditional arrangement found in our Bibles, but also from that proposed by Dr. Harper in his original plan. Dr. Harper departed from the traditional arrangement in his volume by placing Amos before Hosea, and also in his plan for the remaining volumes stated in the preface of his commentary. The traditional arrangement was not a chronological one, even from the point of view of traditional theories of authorship, and from the point of view of modern criticism it has little if any propriety. It would be exceedingly difficult and, so far as the editors are concerned, impracticable to insist upon any chronological scheme, especially in view of the great number of different writings of different dates combined under the names of these Minor Prophets, where indeed there is ample room for differences of opinion. We were compelled therefore to consider the views of the several authors, and at the same time respect the traditional arrangement wherever practicable. The order finally agreed upon in this commentary is not therefore an ideal one, but the best that we could make under all the circumstances.

The several authors have their own special preferences in doing their work, and there are therefore differences in these commentaries such as would have been avoided if any one author had composed them all. All the commentaries, however, conform to the general plan of the series.

It was thought best to publish the work of the several authors under separate sub-titles, each with its own separate pagination. This volume is thus really composed of three little volumes bound in one, each author being responsible only for his own work. The editors are not responsible for the opinions of the authors or for the details of their work, but only for the choice of the authors and such general supervision of their work as to insure its conformity to the plan of the series.