Old Testament Books

Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey (Encountering Biblical Studies)

Bill T. Arnold, Bryan E. Beyer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Excellent intro to the OT 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

If you're a pastor, seminary student, or a layperson who needs a good, informative, and easy to read introduction to the Old Testament then this book will be perfect for you. Many OT introductions/surveys that are out there are either 1) too technical and academic, or 2) liberal/modernist. This introduction is solidly evangelical, easy to understand, and academic enough for even the novice biblical scholar.

The strength of the book is that it does not only survey each of the books in the Old Testament section by section but by topics of significance in each book. For instance, when the authors talk about the book of Genesis they do not only discuss what each of the 50 chapters say but about what the author said about the nature of election, the Abrahamic promise, the covenant, etc. Pretty much everything is covered regarding each book (authorship, date, place of writing, etc.).

Another feature of the book that will attract more novice pastors and students of the Bible is the colourful pictures that are abundantly printed in the book. Though some may find this comical, I think it added to the charm of this book. Pictures, graphs, maps, etc. help readers understand the background of each of the OT books better.

Finally, one other thing I really liked about this book is that the authors discuss side-issues related to the OT. The chapters on the historical background of the OT (chap. 2) and the introduction to the Prophetic books (chap. 24) are well written, informative, and orthodox. Sure, the authors could have written more deeply on these chapters but the intended audience demanded that they do not go too deeply in these matters.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book for those who want a better understanding of the OT books. Though it is not that scholarly and deep, it is still good enough for what it intends and many students of the Bible will find rich information that will greatly help in their personal spiritual growth and ministry.

Editorial Review:

The bestselling Encountering the Old Testament has become the leading Old Testament survey text. Now the second edition has been updated throughout with revisions to the text, sidebars, bibliographies, notes, and indexes. The accompanying CD-ROM has been radically revised to demonstrate its close connection to the text and includes links to study aids, videos, and photos. The book's numerous helpful features include full-color illustrations, photographs, sidebars, focus boxes, learning objectives, chapter outlines and summaries, and study questions.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon

Francis Brown, S. Driver, C. Briggs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Has been supplanted 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This review is for 4 Hebrew lexicons in common use: Brown-Driver-Briggs, Koehler-Baumgartner, Holladay, and Langenscheidt.

The sizeable Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon is a development of Gesenius' historic work, and a long-time standard in English speaking countries. However, it has become dated, and now is used mostly because Hendrickson put out a cheaply constructed version keyed to Strong's concordance. Oxford's Clarendon Press edition is superior if you are required to get BDB. In addition, organizing entries by verbal root rather than alphabetically makes it difficult to use "BDB" for those without intimate knowledge of Hebrew. Fortunately, there is an alternative.

The Koehler-Baumgartner lexicon is superb and thorough, and based on the latest Hebrew and Aramaic scholarship. The authors also took into account cognates from Ugaritic and Akkadian, so users of this massive work have a goldmine of information to draw from. By massive, I mean it is over 2000 pages in 2 large volumes. This plus its $190 asking price means it might be better to let the university or seminary library bear the brunt of purchasing and housing it unless you are an Old Testament specialist.

Most readers will be best served by the work of William Holladay, a reasonably sized 426 pp lexicon based on the latest scholarship. Holladay abridged K-B by removing bibliographic references and other information most needed by specialists. It is well organized (alphabetically), and the font is clear. Entries also have references (not exhaustive) to use within the Old Testament, meaning it can be used as a poor man's OT concordance. While Holladay is manageably sized enough (9.75" x 6.875" x 1.25") to be pleasant to read and easily portable in a bookbag, it is not the smallest resource available.

Some may be tempted to go a step further for the ultimate in compactness with the Langenscheidt pocket dictionary. This item is 6" x 4" x 1" and quite lightweight - in its 1959 iteration anyway. Its definitions are limited in scope and scholarly foundation, but still, what else fits in your coat pocket?

My overall recommendation: Holladay for everyone, supplemented by Koehler-Baumgartner for those who need and can afford it.

BDB: 3 stars
K-B: 5 stars
Holladay: 5 stars
Langenscheidt: 4 stars

Editorial Review:

A trio of eminent Old Testament scholars—Francis Brown, R. Driver, and Charles Briggs—spent over twenty years researching, writing, and preparing The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Since it first appeared in the early part of the twentieth century, BDB has been considered the finest and most comprehensive Hebrew lexicon available to the English-speaking student. Based upon the classic work of Wilhelm Gesenius, the "father of modern Hebrew lexicography," BDB gives not only dictionary definitions for each word, but relates each word to its Old Testament usage and categorizes its nuances of meaning. BDB's exhaustive coverage of Old Testament Hebrew words, as well as its unparalleled usage of cognate languages and the wealth of background sources consulted and quoted, render BDB and invaluable resource for all students of the Bible.
—From the publisher's preface

The Jewish Study Bible: featuring The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 51 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Jewish Study Bible presents the center of gravity of the Scriptures where Jews experience it--in Torah. It offers readers the fruits of various schools of Jewish traditions of biblical exegesis (rabbinic, medieval, mystical, etc.) and provides them with a wealth of ancillary materials that aid in bringing the ancient text to life. The nearly forty contributors to the work represent the cream of Jewish biblical scholarship from the world over. No knowledge of Hebrew is required for one to make use of this unique volume.
The JSB uses The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation, whose name is an acronym formed from the Hebrew initials of the three sections into which the Hebrew Bible is traditionally divided (Torah, Instruction; Nevi'im, Prophets; and Kethubim, Writings). A committee of esteemed biblical scholars and rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism movements produced this modern translation, which dates from 1985.
Anyone interested in acquiring a fuller understanding of the riches of the Bible will profit from reading The Jewish Study Bible.

A Survey of the Old Testament (Second Edition)

Andrew E. Hill, John H. Walton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

I'm sorry, but I was very dissatisfied... 3 out of 5 stars.
7 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I just finished this book for a college course. I admit it had a lot of useful information. But, from a Christian standpoint the authors do not take a positive or powerful enough stand on some serious issues. It's almost as if they give the unbelieving worldviews and theories too much credit. They act as if the unbelieving theories about the bible should be respected. Sure, at points in their arguments they mention (barely) in passing that they do not agree (sort of), but, they do not throw down the gauntlet and really challenge these unbelieving worldviews and seriously expose them for their weaknesses. Of course these men are wonderful scholars. But, they are supposed to be "Christian" scholars and are therefore commanded to contend for the faith. Obviously they make attempts at this in the book. However, I do not believe they did it strong enough.

If you were trying to get this book to learn as well as be edified... I would seriously try to persuade you otherwise. Not Spiritually uplifting.

Editorial Review:

This second edition improves, both textually and graphically, on a widely accepted Old Testament survey for undergraduate students that goes beyond basic content.

Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament

William Sanford LA Sor, David Allan Hubbard, Frederic William Bush, Leslie C. Allen, William Sanford Lasor

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Very informative book, but the authors ride the fence 4 out of 5 stars.
16 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I thought that this was a really interesting textbook. The authors reveal the message of each Old Testament book, while discussing some of the scholarly issues surrounding each part of the Old Testament (such as the JEDP theory). Unfortunately William Lasor passed away in 1991, so Hubbard (who is dead now too) and Bush recruited six other OT scholars to complete the revision. This may be one of the reasons why the authors ride the fence on issues such as whether or not we can take the numbers in Numbers literally, the number of Isaiah's, the historical worthiness of Joshua and Jonah, and the happenings surrounding the Exodus from Egypt. The authors also seem to lean toward the book of Jonah being a parable rather than actual history, although they don't take a really strong stand on that, either.

The reviewer who wrote that this book supports the JEDP theory was mistaken: In fact, the authors predict that this theory will eventually be out of vogue with scholarship. What the authors do affirm is that Moses was originally responsible for the Pentateuch and that through the centuries, the community revised and updated it.

And contrary to an earlier reviewer, I didn't find the book tedious at all: It was very well written and very interesting throughout. I especially appreciated the articles at the end about the Authority of the Old Testament for Christians, Messianic prophecy, and the chronological puzzle.

In short, I recommend this book, only wishing that the authors would take a stand on some of the issues discussed above.

Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction

Lawrence Boadt

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A deep understanding of the Old Testament 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

My reading of the Bible has had three levels of accompaniment. The first consists of the annotations of the New Oxford Annotated Bible, which tend to be brief explications of bits of the text that might otherwise be difficult to comprehend within the context of the writer. The second is Asimov's Guide to the Bible, which goes into somewhat greater detail and, in particular, is quite good at providing the necessary historical and geographic background.

The third is this book, which goes into considerable depth with not only the basic factual background, but also the cultural and literary background. Though written by a devout believer (a Catholic), he is not someone who believes in the literal truth of the Bible, but follows modern scholarship in teasing out the various strands of text: the J, E, and P source texts, in particular.

The book is divided into two sections and numerous chapters. The first section provides a general overview in four chapters. The first discusses the text itself, why we should read it, and its meaning for us today, and lesser issues such as the merits of various translations. Chapter 2 provides a general geographic and historical overview, discussing the peoples of that time and where and when they lived and prospered. The third chapter discusses Biblical archeology, how it works, and what sort of background it can provide. And Chapter 4 goes into the literary aspects of the writings, from the difficulties translators encounter to how the texts were considered at the time they were written down.

The bulk of the book, however, focuses on key portions of the text in turn, explaining their context and significance, and clarifying aspects that we moderns might find perplexing.

The author considers the book a textbook, and it would certainly be useful as the basis for a one- or two-semester course in the Old Testament. However, I found it very useful to read it on my own, providing a much deeper perspective than I could get just from reading the text, which, if nothing else, makes many assumptions about what I should already know.

Editorial Review:

Reading the Old Testament is a clear and carefully organized introduction for contemporary readers. It is designed to guide the student of the Bible through the text and its problems, enrich their understanding of the individual biblical books, and explore the way the Bible came to be written.

Reading the Old Testament combines the latest scholarship with sensitivity to religious issues and Israel's ever deepening understanding of God's ways. The author gives special attention to recent archeological discoveries in the Middle East and how these affect our understanding of the Old Testament. The book contains numerous maps, charts, and drawings.

Reading the Old Testament is particularly illuminating about the way Israel's religious experience was translated into written records. No other introduction offers the same thorough treatment of the Exile and the post-exilic periods as crucial times in the formation of the Old Testament.

The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures

Michael D. Coogan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Lucidly written by a leading biblical scholar, this balanced, engaging, and up-to-date introduction to the Hebrew scriptures distills the best of current scholarship. Employing the narrative chronology of the Bible itself and the history of the ancient Near East as a framework, author Michael D. Coogan covers all the books of the Hebrew Bible, along with the deuterocanonical books included in the Bible used by many Christians. He treats every book of the canon with careful attention to its historical context, its particular genre, and its distinctive features. Dealing in detail with ancient Near Eastern sources and archaeological data, Coogan works from a primarily historical and critical methodology but also introduces readers to literary analysis and other interpretive strategies, especially current ones.
The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures is enhanced by a glossary, timelines, photos, illustrations, maps, and a four-color insert on Jerusalem in biblical times. Strategically placed boxes address issues that often puzzle readers of the Bible, provide models of interpretation of particular texts, and discuss their significance for Judaism and Christianity. Each chapter includes key terms, questions for review and discussion, and suggestions for further reading. Providing a non-denominational and non-doctrinal treatment, The Old Testament is accessible to students of all backgrounds. It offers a unique and captivating introduction to the Hebrew scriptures themselves and to how they have been--and can be--interpreted.

Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

John J. Collins

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Delightful and Doubtful 3 out of 5 stars.
18 of 29 people found this review helpful.

Collins presents a rather interesting read. His book by book breakdown of the Hebrew Bible Scriptures is easy to read, and even enjoyable to parouse. A major pitfall of the book is that it provides deep doubts about the validity of Scripture without adequate information or data backing up such negative claims-- namely that a majority of the stories are folklorish in origin, solely for the purpose of explaining God's nature without fact, etc.-- and seems to be aimed more at disproving the Scripture's validity than studying the meaning behind Scripture. Many times Biblical scholars are able to state the intent of a Biblical passage without casting such deep shadows of doubt over how they should be read, their originality/validity, etc. Such a dark casting of the Scriptural sources seems hardly helpful to the student of these Scriptures. Yet it is also impossible to state that Collins fails to offer interesting information and historical background; this he achieves through several very well stated parallels to Ancient Middle Eastern lengends, stories, and other pieces of literature that clearly had an effect on the development of the Hebrew Bible. With plenty of delight but a bit too much doubt, this book is definitely an interesting and insightful read.

Editorial Review:

This accessible introduction to the Hebrew Bible, including the Apocrypha, features a CD-ROM that uses Libronix software and offers extensive additional materials, including discussion questions, maps, illustrations, and Web resources.

The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary

Robert Alter

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Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A brilliant new translation and commentary of one of the Bible's most cherished and powerful books.
Like the Five Books of Moses a cornerstone of the scriptural canon, the Book of Psalms has been a source of solace and joy for countless readers over millennia. The cleansing purity of its images invites reflection and supplication in times of sorrow. The musicality of its powerful rhythms moves readers to celebration of good tidings. So today as it has been throughout our past, this is a book to be cherished as the grounding for our daily lives.

This timeless poetry is beautifully wrought by a scholar whose translation of the Five Books of Moses was hailed as a "godsend" by Seamus Heaney and a "masterpiece" by Robert Fagles. Robert Alter's The Book of Psalms captures the simplicity, the physicality, and the coiled rhythmic power of the Hebrew, restoring the remarkable eloquence of these ancient poems. His learned and insightful commentary shines a light on the obscurities of the text.

Old Testament Parallels: Laws And Stories from the Ancient Near East

Victor H. Matthews, Don C. Benjamin

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OT Clarifications in Adoptions, Parallels or Allusions 4 out of 5 stars.
38 of 46 people found this review helpful.

"How manifold are thy works! They are hidden before men,
Oh sole God, beside whom there is no other. Thou didst create earth according to thy heart." (Akhenaten hymn /Psalm 104)



TaNaKh in Ancient Texts:
Many ancient texts from Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia discovered recently as a result of archaeological excavations, shed light and give various sorts of background information for OT books. Many of these texts provide historical information that clarify our knowledge of ancient biblical times. Some of the ancient texts have literary parallels to biblical narratives and could help students understand literary genres, and reconstruct the parallel culture and thought of ancient east Mediterranean peoples with whom the Hebrews had sojourned.
Those adoptions, parallels or allusions are only confirmations of the active role those Semites developed ultimately their religious thought to monotheism. This faith journey, with numerous contributors from Akhenaten, to Moses, to the prophets is exegetically described as: The history of Salvation.

Hebrew Bible Parallels:
The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) did not come to expression 'Ex Nihil,' even if still an unconscious belief of many orthodox Jews and fundamental Christians, to come close to the idea of revelation as mechanical dictation. The debate over who wrote the books of the Old Testament and when they were written has raged for over two centuries. While tradition plays a role in answering these questions. Scripture itself makes certain claims about authorship and date. Given in the light of the Exodus, a historical events for Israel; e.g., the Decalogue, when compared with the much older Egyptian Book of the Dead, 'Not have I despised God...Not have I killed...Not have I fornicated...Not have I despoiled the thing of the God...not have I defiled the wife of a man...Not have I cursed God...Not have I borne false witness,' clarifies how humanity pronounced the words of God.

Archaeological finds:
There have been astounding archaeological finds in the regions of Syria and Palestine, Egypt, and Arabia, since the early twentieth century. In relation to religious sites, there has been the identification of temples and shrines. There are several sources for understanding Middle Eastern life and religion, in particular the Egyptian, Canaanite pantheon. Israel was under the powerful influence of Egypt, and later in constant positive and negative contact, with her neighbors, Syria and Babylonia. These sources include the Old Testament, and the discoveries of Tall el-Amarna and Ras Shamra. The studious faithful should not be detracted from seriously considering proven historical data provided by scholars and archaeological finds, to avoid fall off the other side of their hermeneutical vehicle, examining ancient resources availed to us by archaeologists to uncover the ancient thought-world and religious milieu.

The Documents:
I came across those parallels early on, in my dad's catechist style replies to my teenage questions, which I suspect 'The Dawn of Conscience' was his prime source. D. Winton Thomas translated and edited OT scholars in, 'Documents from OT Times' in 1958, and M. coogan rendered, 'stories from ancient Canaan' two decades later. In this expanded edition, Matthews and Benjamin, updated their fresh translation of some famous stories, songs, and laws, in a Biblical chronological order with the OT books, providing some hundred scenes and figures, supplemented by notes that clarify common concepts, and identify where the ancient text was found; few are selected herein:

Story of Balaam:
During 1967 two fragmentary inscriptions, were recovered by H. Franken while excavating in the Jordan valley. 'The story of Balaam,' written in Aramaic, of southern Canaan, in around 700 BC. Balaam, son of Beor appears as a prophet in the Book of Numbers (22:5 - 24:25).

Egyptian Moral Teachings:
Two thousand years separate Ptah-hotep and Amen-em-ope, but their teachings demonstrate the consistency of the Ancient Egyptian world view. The wise was not perfect, only the gods are acknowledged to possess perfection. You could enjoy reading the 'Thirty Chapters' of admonition and knowledge in matthews/ Benjamin; O.T. Parallels.

The Thirty sayings of Amenemope:
Professor Lange of Copenhagen was a pioneer in comparing the teachings of the Egyptian moralist Amenemope (Tenth Century BC), before any of the Old Testament was written, with the Book of Proverbs. In his book 'The Dawn of Conscience', Breasted gives parallels between prophet Jeremiah, who lived in Egypt for sometime, and ancient sayings of Amenemtope. Archaeologists now know that his sayings were translated into Hebrew, and read by the Jewish scribes, before it found its way into the book of Proverbs (22.17 to 24.22)

Hymn to Aton:
James H. Breasted, an outstanding Egyptologist, was the first to compare the 'Hymn to the Sun' written by prophetic Pharaoh Akhenaten, Ca 1300 BC, with Psalm 104 of the Hebrew psalmody, showing the striking parallels.

Editorial Review:

An all-new translation of the most important ancient Near East documents that share parallel themes and issues with biblical stories.