Donna Petter - Ezra-Nehemiah

THE NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY

EDITORIAL BOARD

General Editor

Terry Muck

Consulting Editors Old Testament

Zondervan Editoral Advisors

Stanley N. Gundry

Vice President and Editor-in-Chief

ZONDERVAN ACADEMIC

Ezra-Nehemiah

Copyright 2021 by Donna Petter and Thomas Petter

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub Edition January 2021: ISBN 978-0-310-49288-7

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc . Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc .

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Donna dedicates the book of Ezra to Ron and Judy Smith, founders and directors of the School of Biblical Studies in Youth With A Mission. Thank you for teaching me the Scriptures. Because of your example, I am continuing in what I have learned and have become convinced of (the power and relevance of the sixty-six books of the Bible), because I know from whom Ive learned it (2 Tim 3:14)!

Tom dedicates the book of Nehemiah to the members and attendants of Trinitarian Congregational Church in Wayland, Massachusetts, who model attentiveness to the Scripture coupled with a deep love for the Lord. Thank you for giving me this incredible privilege to feast on the Word, week after week!

The NIV Application Commentary Series

When complete, the NIV Application Commentary will include the following volumes:

Old Testament Volumes

Genesis, John H. Walton

Exodus, Peter Enns

Leviticus/Numbers, Richard E. Averbeck

Deuteronomy, Daniel I. Block

Joshua, Robert Hubbard

Judges/Ruth, K. Lawson Younger

12 Samuel, Bill T. Arnold

12 Kings, Michael S. Moore

12 Chronicles, Andrew E. Hill

Ezra/Nehemiah, Donna Petter and Thomas Petter

Job, Dennis R. Magary

Psalms Volume 1, Gerald H. Wilson

Psalms Volume 2, W. Dennis Tucker Jr. and Jamie A. Grant

Proverbs, Paul Koptak

Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs, Iain Provan

Isaiah, John N. Oswalt

Jeremiah/Lamentations, J. Andrew Dearman

Ezekiel, Iain Duguid

Daniel, Tremper Longman III

Hosea/Amos/Micah, Gary V. Smith

Jonah/Nahum/Habakkuk/Zephaniah, David M. Howard Jr.

Joel/Obadiah/Malachi, David W. Baker

Haggai/Zechariah, Mark J. Boda

New Testament Volumes

Matthew, Michael J. Wilkins

Mark, David E. Garland

Luke, Darrell L. Bock

John, Gary M. Burge

Acts, Ajith Fernando

Romans, Douglas J. Moo

1 Corinthians, Craig Blomberg

2 Corinthians, Scott Hafemann

Galatians, Scot McKnight

Ephesians, Klyne Snodgrass

Philippians, Frank Thielman

Colossians/Philemon, David E. Garland

12 Thessalonians, Michael W. Holmes

12 Timothy, Titus, Walter L. Liefeld

Hebrews, George H. Guthrie

James, David P. Nystrom

1 Peter, Scot McKnight

2 Peter/Jude, Douglas J. Moo

Letters of John, Gary M. Burge

Revelation, Craig S. Keener

NIV Application Commentary

T HE NIV A PPLICATION C OMMENTARY S ERIES IS UNIQUE . Most commentaries help us make the journey from our world back to the world of the Bible. They enable us to cross the barriers of time, culture, language, and geography that separate us from the biblical world. Yet they only offer a one-way ticket to the past and assume that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. Once they have explained the original meaning of a book or passage, these commentaries give us little or no help in exploring its contemporary significance. The information they offer is valuable, but the job is only half done.

Recently, a few commentaries have included some contemporary application as one of their goals. Yet that application is often sketchy or moralistic, and some volumes sound more like printed sermons than commentaries.

The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context. The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the process of moving from the original meaning of a passage to its contemporary significance. These are commentaries, not popular expositions. They are works of reference, not devotional literature.

The format of the series is designed to achieve the goals of the series. Each passage is treated in three sections: Original Meaning, Bridging Contexts, and Contemporary Significance.

T HIS SECTION HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND THE meaning of the biblical text in its original context. All of the elements of traditional exegesisin concise formare discussed here. These include the historical, literary, and cultural context of the passage. The authors discuss matters related to grammar and syntax and the meaning of biblical words. They also seek to explore the main ideas of the passage and how the biblical author develops those ideas.

After reading this section, you will understand the problems, questions, and concerns of the original audience and how the biblical author addressed those issues. This understanding is foundational to any legitimate application of the text today.

T HIS SECTION BUILDS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE world of the Bible and the world of today, between the original context and the contemporary context, by focusing on both the timely and timeless aspects of the text.