A hundred years ago, the International Critical Commentary was synonymous with the best Biblical scholarship in the English language. Some of these old volumes still have value today. Here is a new volume in this great tradition, the result of 15 years' work by a great scholar. In this densely packed book, made even denser by the use of small print for the more technical sections, you will find nearly everything worth saying about this "minor" prophet. MacIntosh casts a powerful new light on the text of Hosea by showing that many of the hard to understand passages can be explained by realising that Hosea spoke a Northern dialect of Hebrew rather than the dialect of Jerusalem. At a stroke, he clears up difficulties that have perplexed his predecessors for generations and caused William Harper (author of an earlier ICC commentary on Hosea) to propose dozens of amendments to the text; MacIntosh shows that these are mostly unnecessary. However, he does find evidence of some editorial activity and explanatory glosses added by priestly circles in Jerusalem. In summary, this book is hard going, but those willing to persevere will find one of the very best commentaries ever written on a minor prophet, and a book that holds its place among the best commentaries on any Bible book.
