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The Book of Zechariah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament
Over the centuries, the prophetic book of Zechariah has suffered from accusations of obscurity and has frustrated readers seeking to unlock its treasures. This work by Mark Boda provides insightful commentary on Zechariah, with great sensitivity to its historical, literary, and theological dimensions. Including a fresh translation of Zechariah from the original Hebrew, Boda delivers deep and thorough reflection on a too-often-neglected book of the Old Testament.
- GenresTheology
936 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 19, 2019
Zechariah is an important member of the “Book of the Twelve” minor Old Testament prophetic books. It is closely related to Haggai, another minor prophetic book, probably composed a short time earlier around 520 B.C. This was a tumultuous period for the Persian empire with Cyrus, the empire’s founding ruler, being supplanted by Darius's dynasty, a rule that would maintain control until the rise of the Greek empire. Whereas the book of Haggai focuses primarily on Israel’s rebuilding of the temple after the 70 year Babylonian captivity, Zechariah broadens the scope to include “reconstruction of the city and province, renewal of the community’s leadership, and repentance from injustice and idolatry.” The author of this commentary, Dr. Mark J. Boda, is Professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Ontario, Canada. He earned his Masters of Divinity at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, and his PhD from the University of Cambridge. This commentary provides a wealth of insight from Dr. Boda’s expansive knowledge of Hebrew (and Aramaic) and Old Testament studies. I truly appreciated his ability to succinctly link a term in Zechariah with how it is used elsewhere in the Old Testament. His Aaronide/Zadokite background on Joshua the High Priest (chapter 3), the threefold structure of Prophetic Sign Acts (chapter 6), as well as his ability to link the two-fold structure of the book (chapter 1-8, 9-14) to an overarching theme are examples of the depth of Dr. Boda’s Old Testament studies and knowledge. The only reason I could not rate this commentary 5 stars is due its lack of historical-redemptive emphasis. Indeed, I could only find three (!) New Testament references throughout this massive 782-page commentary. That is an egregious oversight given Christ’s imperative that we are to seek for messianic references throughout the “Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). However in spite of this lack of historic-redemptive focus, Dr. Boda challenges the reader to keep the primary theme of Zechariah in mind as we are challenged to heed the “prophetic cry for turning, a turning of the people to their God, which would be met with a turning of God to the people.”
February 13, 2016
This is what an exhaustive commentary looks like. This commentary on the Minor Prophet of Zechariah is almost as large as the one on Psalms in this same New International Commentary series. I am not suggesting it is exhausting though. A judicious use of footnotes has made for a volume at once effective for scholarly pastors and academia. I can’t imagine the hours Boda must have put in here.
You would expect the Introduction to be massive in a volume so large, yet it is a manageable 45 pages. That means the bulk of the book is actual commentary on the text.
The Introduction contains a textual history as well as a competent historical background. A section called “Compositional History” overlapped with structure and was worthwhile. I couldn’t personally agree with some of his other conclusions on how the composition came together, but he still trusts the text. His section on the message of Zechariah was good as far as it went.
Again, it’s the actual commentary that will make this volume important for the next 50 years. It seems most every angle is discussed and it is almost encyclopedic. Still, as most will read it one text at a time, the depth will be appreciated. For that reason, I must give a strong recommendation.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
You would expect the Introduction to be massive in a volume so large, yet it is a manageable 45 pages. That means the bulk of the book is actual commentary on the text.
The Introduction contains a textual history as well as a competent historical background. A section called “Compositional History” overlapped with structure and was worthwhile. I couldn’t personally agree with some of his other conclusions on how the composition came together, but he still trusts the text. His section on the message of Zechariah was good as far as it went.
Again, it’s the actual commentary that will make this volume important for the next 50 years. It seems most every angle is discussed and it is almost encyclopedic. Still, as most will read it one text at a time, the depth will be appreciated. For that reason, I must give a strong recommendation.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
August 27, 2020
At 900 pages, this commentary is beyond thorough, but sometimes misses larger points and themes. Boda will spend a paragraph on every word to present its range of OT usage, but doesn't often link the words into larger thoughts, and rarely discusses the NT usage of Zechariah at all (although I'm told he deals more solidly with New Testament bridges in some of his other books). This book is great for individual word studies, and the first 50 pages are outstanding at setting the historical background for Zechariah—a must-read. Overall, for me the book served its purpose as a solid exegetical anchor alongside other briefer or more homiletical commentaries.
April 18, 2023
This is an extensive commentary on Zechariah with strengths in translation and notes about the process (mainly useful for those with a strong background in Biblical Hebrew). Very extensive discussion of the correlations with other OT books-Jeremiah, Haggai, Ezekiel and I think Malachi. Despite it's length there is essentially no discussion on Zechariah's influence on a number of New Testament passages which seems very odd for an almost 800 page commentary! An excursus or two on it's use in the gospels and it's use in Revelation would be nice.
April 25, 2022
Far and away the best commentary I have read on Zechariah.
May 11, 2017
The Book of Zechariah is written by Mark J. Boda and published by Eerdmans is one of the well written modern commentaries on this book of the Bible. The Book of Zechariah is the most recent volume of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, edited by Robert L. Hubbard, a historic and landmark series, one which is synonymous with superior scholarship and excellence exegesis, this volume continues this legacy. While Boda is no stranger to commentaries, yet this is his first volume in this series on scripture. This volume is one of the most through and prolific commentaries I have ever had the privilege of reading, while I disagree with some of the conclusions that Boda draws, his scholarly approach is commendable.
The Book of Zechariah begins with the typical study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, yet while introductions are common; this introduction is atypical of most commentaries. It is not that this work does dive into history and recent scholarship, which The Book of Zechariah does a phenomenal job of rather, it is the thoroughness that Boda takes with these introductory matters which makes this commentary atypical. In a day where these matters are either glossed over to get to the exegesis of the text or are so cumbersome that they become useless, Boda though has found a good balance in being thorough, communicating depth and attention to recent scholarship, without losing the forest in the trees.
In reference to the commentary on the text of this book of prophecy, Boda takes painstaking care in carefully showing the original context of passage while sprinkling practical application to the reader throughout the textual commentary. Yet while this commentary can be technical it is not so overtly technical that it obscures the helpfulness of the commentary.
With regard of recommending The Book of Zechariah, to others I would whole heartily recommend this commentary to students of scripture, with one caveat. By this I mean I recommend this work to Pastors, Scholars, Bible Teachers, Bible College Students, and Seminary Students, there is enough scholarly weight to this text to understand a particularly issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. The caveat is to the lay person who is looking for a commentary to read as a devotional, while a basic knowledge of Greek is not needed for understanding The Book of Zechariah, it is helpful and would not be suitable for devotional reading. There are many commentaries about the book of Zechariah available at this moment but New International Commentary on the Old Testament The Book of Zechariah, is a step above the herd.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Eerdmans Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
The Book of Zechariah: New International Commentary on the Old Testament
© 2016 by Mark J. Boda
Publisher: Eerdmans
Page Count: 936 Pages
ISBN: 978-0802823755
The Book of Zechariah begins with the typical study into the introductory matters of this book of the Bible, yet while introductions are common; this introduction is atypical of most commentaries. It is not that this work does dive into history and recent scholarship, which The Book of Zechariah does a phenomenal job of rather, it is the thoroughness that Boda takes with these introductory matters which makes this commentary atypical. In a day where these matters are either glossed over to get to the exegesis of the text or are so cumbersome that they become useless, Boda though has found a good balance in being thorough, communicating depth and attention to recent scholarship, without losing the forest in the trees.
In reference to the commentary on the text of this book of prophecy, Boda takes painstaking care in carefully showing the original context of passage while sprinkling practical application to the reader throughout the textual commentary. Yet while this commentary can be technical it is not so overtly technical that it obscures the helpfulness of the commentary.
With regard of recommending The Book of Zechariah, to others I would whole heartily recommend this commentary to students of scripture, with one caveat. By this I mean I recommend this work to Pastors, Scholars, Bible Teachers, Bible College Students, and Seminary Students, there is enough scholarly weight to this text to understand a particularly issue in the text while giving aid to pastors in preaching the text. The caveat is to the lay person who is looking for a commentary to read as a devotional, while a basic knowledge of Greek is not needed for understanding The Book of Zechariah, it is helpful and would not be suitable for devotional reading. There are many commentaries about the book of Zechariah available at this moment but New International Commentary on the Old Testament The Book of Zechariah, is a step above the herd.
This book was provided to me free of charge from Eerdmans Publishing in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.
The Book of Zechariah: New International Commentary on the Old Testament
© 2016 by Mark J. Boda
Publisher: Eerdmans
Page Count: 936 Pages
ISBN: 978-0802823755
July 14, 2016
Very helpful with historical background and seeing the influence of the Torah and earlier prophets on Zechariah's word and phrasing choices. However, after reading the commentary, I didn't come away with any better understanding of Zechariah's overall message. And Boda almost completely ignores the New Testament and its many quotes of Zechariah.
July 19, 2019
This is an excellent commentary. I used it for an adult men's Bible study and it never failed to deliver unknown details of the past. Boda provides ample trails to follow for more in depth research and further study. I recommend this commentary for pastors and people who just want a deeper understanding of the prophet Zechariah.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews