The place: Persia. The time: fifth century BC. The Jews were threatened with genocide. A decree ordered the extermination of young and old, women and children. The book of Esther describes how this crisis was averted through the bravery of Esther, the wisdom of her stepfather and the unity of the Jewish people. It also reveals the God who quietly - and sometimes unexpectedly - works behind the scenes to order the events of our lives.

Following the complete revision of the Tyndale New Testament series, the Old Testament series is now also being fully revised with new volumes, allowing the series to relevantly engage with current scholarship.

These commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section-by-section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties. The format of the new Old Testament volumes reflects a key emphasis from linguistics, which is that texts communicate in larger blocks rather than in shorter segments such as individual verses. The commentary on each section of the text is structured under three headings. A note on Context places the passage in its literary setting within the book as well as noting any crucial historical issues. The Comment offers exegesis of the passage. The Meaning section shows how the passage communicates within the book, highlighting its significant theological themes. The aim throughout is to explain the true meaning of the Bible and make its message plain.