Ezra and Nehemiah chart the Jews' return to Jerusalem from exile and the beginnings of a rebirth. Derek Kidner clearly and succinctly deals with the complex literary and historical problems surrounding these two books and their chief characters.

Preaching's Preacher's Guide to the Best Bible Reference for 2014 (Old Testament Commentaries) The prophet Jeremiah and King Josiah were born at the end of the longest, darkest reign in Judah's history. Human sacrifice and practice of the black arts were just two features of the wickedness that filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with innocent blood. As outspoken prophet and reforming king, these two men gave their country its finest opportunity of renewal and its last hope of surviving as the kingdom of David. The book of Jeremiah is full of turmoil and national tragedy, the...

'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' 'Thy word is a lamp to my feet.' 'Search me, O God, and know my heart ' Such phrases leap to mind whenever Christians lift their hearts to God. For many, in fact, the Psalms are the richest part of the Old Testament. Derek Kidner provides a fresh and penetrating guide to Psalms 1--72. He analyzes each psalm in depth, comments on interpretative questions and brings out the universal relevance of the texts. He also gives special help on the psalmists' cries for vengeance. Together with its companion volume Psalms 73--150), both of which were...

'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' 'Thy word is a lamp to my feet.' 'Search me, O God, and know my heart ' Such phrases leap to mind whenever Christians lift their hearts to God. For many, in fact, the Psalms are the richest part of the Old Testament. Derek Kidner provides a fresh and penetrating guide to Psalms 73--150. He analyzes each psalm in depth, comments on interpretative questions and brings out the universal relevance of the texts. He also gives special help on the psalmists' cries for vengeance. Together with its companion volume Psalms 1--72), both of which were...

What is life all about? In the end, is it no more than a wisp of vapor, a puff of wind, a mere breath? So says the Preacher in the book of Ecclesiastes. But is this the whole message of Ecclesiastes? With imagination and clarity, Derek Kidner introduces this unusual Old Testament book that speaks so powerfully to each new generation. He reveals how the Preacher confronts difficult questions and examines extremes of human experience, facing the fear that God is distant and nothing has meaning. Finally, however, we are led to encounter the God who was present all along, who cares about the...