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Dr. Mark D. Futato

Education
Geneva College, B.A.
Westminster Theological Seminary, MDiv
The Catholic University of America, MA, Ph.D.
About Dr. Futato

Dr. Mark D. Futato is the Robert L. Maclellan Professor of Old Testament at RTS Orlando. His teaching and research emphasize Hebrew language, biblical poetry, and the theology of the Psalms. With a passion for helping students delight in God's Word, Dr. Futato brings clarity, depth, and pastoral insight to the study of Scripture.

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407-278-4459 mfutato@rts.edu
Orlando
Dr. Mark Futato
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The Faithfulness of God

Scripture: Jonah 1-4
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Orlando
1 min read
Maker of Heaven and Earth
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Orlando
1 min read
The Goodness of God in Creation & The Lord's Supper
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Orlando
1 min read
Foundations: From Exegesis to Exposition
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Featured Publications

Basics of Hebrew Accents
The Book of Psalms/The Book of Proverbs
Dictionary of the Old Testament
Interpreting the Psalms
Joy Comes In The Morning
Beginning Biblical Hebrew
Transformed by Praise
Creation

Basics of Hebrew Accents provides readers of biblical Hebrew with a comprehensive working knowledge of accentuation. Hebrew accents can be perplexing but knowing them and their functions will help students become better readers of the Hebrew Bible. The book is an ideal tool for beginning students who are learning to read the language as well as for more advanced students who are reading and translating the Hebrew text.

Mark Futato has carefully organized his book to emphasize accessibility while providing:

  • Clear explanations of the primary functions of Hebrew accents
  • A student-friendly presentation
  • Accessibility for independent study
  • A practical and handy reference resource for all students of the Hebrew Bible
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The Cornerstone Biblical Commentary series provides students, pastors, and laypeople with up-to-date, accessible evangelical scholarship on the Old and New Testaments. Presenting the message of each passage, as well as an overview of other issues relevant to the text, each volume equips pastors and Christian leaders with exegetical and theological knowledge so they can better understand and apply God's Word. This volume includes the entire NLT text of Psalms and Proverbs.
2009  Christianity Today Merit Award winner! 2009 ECPA Gold Medallion (Bible Reference & Study) The Old Testament books of wisdom and poetry carry themselves differently from those of the Pentateuch, the histories or the prophets. The divine voice does not peal from Sinai, there are no narratives carried along by prophetic interpretation nor are oracles declaimed by a prophet. Here Scripture often speaks in the words of human response to God and God's world. The hymns, laments and thanksgivings of Israel, the dirge of Lamentations, the questionings of Qohelet, the love poetry of the Song of Songs, the bold drama of Job and the proverbial wisdom of Israel all offer their textures to this great body of biblical literature. Then too there are...
This second contribution to the  Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis series continues the admirable tradition set by Robert B. Chisholm Jr. in  Interpreting the Historical Books. A valuable resource for pastors and students,  Interpreting the Psalms begins by explaining the nature of Hebrew poetry and the purpose of the Psalms. An accomplished scholar of the Psalms, Mark Futato next explores issues related to properly interpreting Israel's songbook, and concludes with a sample of moving from interpretation to proclamation. A glossary is included.
Life is a journey, full of smooth sailing and rocky roads. The Psalms are there for us as we experience life. They can clarify our thinking or release emotions from the deep well of the soul. Joy Comes in the Morning helps readers understand how to utilize the Psalms throughout life’s journey and introduces readers to the concept of genre. Joy Comes in the Morning is a unique combination of head and heart. It introduces readers to the importance of genre as an interpretive tool and demonstrates this for the three major genres in the Psalms. Interwoven with the author’s personal testimony, Joy Comes in the Morning also traces the author’s journey and shows how no matter life’s circumstances, joy comes in the morning.

Mark not only shares...

Achieving the right balance of amount of information, style of presentation, and depth of instruction in first-year grammars is no easy task. But Mark Futato has produced a grammar that, after years of testing in a number of institutions, will please many, with its concise, clear, and well-thought-out presentation of Biblical Hebrew. Because the teaching of biblical languages is in decline in many seminaries and universities, Futato takes pains to measure the amount of information presented in each chapter in a way that makes the quantity digestible, without sacrificing information that is important to retain. The book includes exercises that are drawn largely from the Hebrew Bible itself.

The whole unfolding Let's Study series is a...

God's people love the Psalms - pray them, sing them, meditate on them. This book will help you understand them more deeply and love them more. Out of the depths of his own suffering and from his extensive study, Mark Futato has found in the Psalms a compelling portrait of Christ himself. The Psalms take us from lament to praise through a life-transforming encounter with their divine Author.
When we are gripped by a true vision of God, our lives take on true meaning. This book opens our eyes to God’s majestic nature as revealed in his creation.
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About Dr. Futato

Dr. Mark Futato joined RTS Orlando in 1999 and serves as the Robert L. Maclellan Professor of Old Testament. He teaches core classes on Hebrew and Old Testament books. Dr. Futato served as Academic Dean of RTS Orlando from 2004 to 2012.

Dr. Futato’s research interests include biblical Hebrew, the Book of Psalms and the role that elements of creation such as climate and geography play in scripture. Dr. Futato has published multiple books on the Psalms as well as an introduction to biblical Hebrew and an introduction to the Hebrew accent system. He is currently finishing a commentary on Jonah. Dr. Futato served on the translation team for the Book of Psalms in the New Living Translation, contributed study notes for The ESV Study Bible and The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, and contributed to the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theologyand Exegesis.

Prior to joining RTS, Dr. Futato served as a pastor for five years and taught for more than 10 years at Westminster Seminary California.

Students appreciate Dr. Futato’s passionate emphasis on God’s desire to bless all nations, his engaging communication style and his practical application of biblical texts to those who struggle, suffer and doubt. Dr. Futato and his wife, Adele, have four children and seven grandchildren.

Publications

BOOKS

SELECT ARTICLES

  • “Sense Relations in the “Rain” Domain of the Old Testament,” in Lawrence Boadt and Mark Smith, eds., Imagery and Imagination in Biblical Literature. Washington, D.C.: Catholic Biblical Association of America (2001), 81-94.
  • “Because It Had Rained: A Study of Gen 2:5-7 with Implications for Gen 2:4-25 and Gen 1:1-2:3,” in Westminster Theological Journal 60:1 (1998), 1-21.
  • “The Preposition ‘Beth’ in the Hebrew Psalter,” in Westminster Theological Journal 41:1 (1978), 68-83.