Jeremiah, Lamentations (review)

Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 179 Reviews Jerusalem that begins in Isaiah 40; the righteous monarch may be realized in Cyrus and his rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple (Isa 44:24-45:7) or even in the kingship of YHWH at Zion (Isa 2:2-4; chaps. 65-66). Likewise, the concern with the restoration of Zion and the presentation of the righteous Hezekiah in Isaiah 36-39 leads him to the conclusion that Isaiah 34-35 introduces the sustained speech in Isaiah 40-66 concerned with the aftermath of Babylon's downfall and Zion's restoration. This, of course, moves beyond the historical paradigm that led to the initial identification of First Isaiah in Isaiah 1-39 and enables the reader to grasp the literary and theological coherence of the book of Isaiah. Some objections might be raised about various points in Seitz's work, such as his identification of the reign of Manasseh as the setting for the vision in Isaiah 1 or his failure to address the theological significance of the rise of the modem state of Israel in a theological commentary on a book that is so concerned with the destiny of Zion. Most importantly, one might ask whether or not it is appropriate to write a theological commentary only on Isaiah 1-39 when Seitz's work shows so clearly that the book of Isaiah must be viewed from the perspective of the whole. But these objections should not detract from Seitz's accomplishment in this volume. He has provided a commentary that articulates the theological message of the book of Isaiah. and that communicates the significance of current critical research on Isaiah to a much wider audience. Marvin A. Sweeney School of Theology at Claremont Claremont, CA 91711 JEREMIAH, LAMENTATIONS. ByF. B. Huey,Jr. The New American Commentary 16. pp. 512. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1993. Cloth, $27.99. F. B. Huey has written this expository commentary as part of The New American Commentary series. It is a very readable volume that is designed for pastors and lay scholars. While the work is conservative, Huey is not naive about critical scholarship and has integrated many fme observations into his analysis. Short introductions to Jeremiah and Lamentations (pp. 19-36,441-447) include discussions of issues like historical and religious contexts of the books. composition, structure, text-critical concerns, authorship, and date. Hebrew Studies 36 (1995) 180 Reviews Following these introductions, there is a traditional commentary presented in sectional outline along with the text of the NIV. Subject, person, and scripture indices complete the volume. Huey is quite balanced in his critique and analysis of a number of important passages, especially those which are concerns for evangelicals. For example, his discussion of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 30-31 (pp. 259288 ) reflects a commendable sensitivity to the different views on the relationship of this covenant to the church. On the negative side, it is unfortunate that most of the archaeological data relevant to the book of Jeremiah is not well integrated, often being related to the reader through the footnotes (e.g., on p. 110, n. 16, the evidence concerning Tophet in Jer 7:31-32, also 19:5-6). This archaeological evidence bears important significance for the understanding of many passages in Jeremiah. For a more thorough integration of the archaeological evidence relevant to Jeremiah, see now Philip J. King's Jeremiah. An Archaeological Companion (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox, 1993). There is little doubt that Huey's commentary on Jeremiah is stronger than his commentary on Lamentations. The Lamentations commentary lacks any discussion of the city-lament genre in its ancient Near Eastern context. This is a serious lacuna. On this important genre see W. C. Gwaltney, Jr., "The Biblical Book of Lamentations in the Context of Near Eastern Lament Literature," in Scripture in Context II. More Essays on the Comparative Method (W. W. Hallo, 1. C. Moyer, and L. G. Perdue, eds. [Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1983]) pages 191-211; and especially now. F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp, Weep, 0 Daughter of Zion: A Study of the CityLament Genre in the Hebrew Bible (Biblica et Orientalia 44; Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1993). Also, the entire commentary...