Book Review: How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets By Peter J. Gentry

(Review Written By Zach Turner)

Summary:

A significant genre of literature that appears in the Old Testament is that of the biblical prophets. And while it is important for Christians to understand this genre, Dr. Peter J. Gentry, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Old Testament at Phoenix Seminary and Senior Research Fellow for the Text & Canon Institute, sees a problem at the center of the Christian church in the 20th and 21st centuries: Many believers are simply not equipped to interpret the genre of Old Testament Prophecy for themselves. Gentry believes that the root of this problem is largely due to a lack of information. And in How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets, he seeks to alleviate this problem by presenting seven characteristics (or features) of Old Testament prophetic literature and several interpretive principles. 

Highlights from the Book:

In tandem with a lack of information, Gentry believes that today’s Christians read the various genres of the Bible as if they were all written in the style of Paul’s letter to the Romans.¹Gentry, Peter J. How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 13. While this letter, in particular, addresses specific theological questions in a careful, systematic way, not all of the biblical authors wrote for the same reasons as Paul – especially the biblical prophets. And to rightly understand their writings, Gentry stresses that we ought to read the biblical prophets on their own terms. Moreover, he presents principles to help the reader in this task.

Particularly, Gentry presents seven characteristics (or features) of prophetic literature that help the reader to understand the prophets on their own terms:

Characteristics:

1. A call to return to covenant faithfulness. 
2. An announcement of future events.
3. The use of repetition.
4. Long oracles about foreign nations.
5. The use of typology.
6. The use of apocalyptic language.
7. The “already and not yet.”

Conclusion:

Despite its slim page count, Peter J. Gentry’s How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets is brimming with helpful interpretive principles and illustrative cases to guide any student of the Old Testament through the strange land of the Hebrew prophets. At the core of Gentry’s understanding of the biblical prophets is that they function primarily as foretellers—ones who call God’s people back to covenant faithfulness.²Gentry, Peter J. How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 15, 30. Time and time again, Gentry demonstrates intricate connections between the Prophets and the Pentateuch, particularly Genesis and Deuteronomy. It was with this foundational principle in place that Gentry composed the rest of the seven features of biblical prophecy, providing a helpful roadmap to guide any thoughtful Christian through the confusing lands of Hebrew prophetic poetry. As a result, the reader is equipped to understand each feature in the context of the biblical text and can feel comfortable applying Gentry’s principles themselves. Anyone would benefit from this book, especially the everyday Christian who wants to interpret the Bible correctly.