Best Commentaries on Haggai, Zechariah, & Malachi

Hill’s exegetical sensibilities are astute, and his writing is clear. He accurately identifies the historical context of God’s oracles to these three prophets, situating them during Israel’s return from the Babylonian exile. Hill argues that in response to Israel’s spiritual distress, God raised up these three prophetic voices in Jerusalem. He also makes clear how these prophets remain timely for the church’s worship and mission in the world today.

Mathison finds Mackay’s introductory-level work very helpful, particularly for pastors and teachers “seeking a way to communicate the meaning of this book to a contemporary audience.”

Webb explores Zecharaiah’s vision of the kingdom of God . He also underscores God’s promises in Zecharaiah, which he argues are meant to fuel the faithfulness of God’s people and prepare the way for the promised Messiah.

Longman calls Boda’s volume a meaty one: “It provides a substantial discussion of introductory issues and the original meaning of the text. Boda is an expert on the texts as witnessed by his more academic research. He also has the sensitivities of a pastor, so his discussions of the contemporary significance of the text are very valuable.”

Written from a Reformed and evangelical perspective, Duguid expounds these three prophets with sure-footed clarity. The commentary does introduce readers to some Hebrew words and phrases, as well as technical details of the text. But the implications of the prophetic message, particularly in the revelation of the promised Messiah, are central. Duguid’s application sections are a treasure of godly and Christ-centered wisdom. They’ll prove rich for the preacher.

J. Alec Motyer’s contribution on Haggai in this volume forefronts apologetic interests . He’s particularly adamant about Haggai having been his own editor.” Commenting on Thomas E. McComiskey’s contribution on Zechariah, Longman says it’s a “reasonable and interesting exposition of [Zechariah] from a conservative perspective. He recognizes the issues connected with seeing chapters 9–14 as not part of the original Zecharian composition, but he resists simply cutting these chapters off.” Finally, Mathison says Douglas Stuart’s work on Malachi causes one to wish “he had written commentaries on the rest of the Minor Prophets.”

Intended to serve the needs of those who preach from the Old Testament, Petterson offers detailed commentary on these three prophetic books, setting them in their wider biblical-theological context. His work shows the connections between the post-exilic world and our own. He explains how these books contain a vital message for the church today about living in the gap between promise and reality.

Longman praises Floyd’s work: “An excellent form-critical study of these prophets, not only of the whole books but of their parts. Floyd does a better job than most connecting this narrow topic with the broader issues of interpretation.” This fantastic resource cannot be missed by scholars.

Longman says, “Hill provides an extensive and excellent analysis of the introductory issues connected with this book. His exposition of the book itself is also of high quality.” A unique strength of this work is how it “takes seriously connections with the New Testament,” an uncommon feature in the Anchor series.

“The Meyers treat Haggai and Zechariah 1– 8 not only as stemming from the same period of time,” observes Longman, “but also as two parts of the same composite work.” Also, because the Meyers are archaeologists, “their commentary is full of helpful historical and archaeological comments. The authors include an excellent bibliography.” Longman raves about the Meyers’ lengthy volume on Zechariah 9–14. He says, “This is a wonderfully written and researched commentary that I have found extremely provocative and largely persuasive.”

Longman identifies a commonality between Petersen’s and the Meyers’s approach to the text: “They are both critical in their understanding of historical questions, but neither gets bogged down completely in such issues. Petersen is more interested in a positive interpretation of the books than in exhaustive interaction with the secondary literature. Like the Meyers, he does an admirable job reconstructing the historical, sociological, archaeological, and economic background to the text.”

Longman observes, “Wolff, as usual, is clear, concise, and insightful. He sees Haggai as a ‘model of communication.’ After all, Haggai [in his view] was the one who got the Israelites to rebuild the temple. Wolff critically analyzes the book as the result of three ‘growth rings’: Haggai’s proclamation, the work of a Haggai chronicler, and interpolations.”