Storytelling is a powerful and effective means of communication, a truth Jesus knew and used to great advantage in his parables. Many of the plots in these parables involve financial matters. They teach about God's perspective on money, resources, and their use, but further, they teach profound spiritual truths about the kingdom of God. This kingdom operates according to a different kind of economy, wherein relationships, love, and serving others take precedence over accumulating wealth an...

This short volume is designed as a guidebook to accompany the journey of reading the Old Testament, and is targeted to those who need some assistance to get through the thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Bible. With an emphasis on the major events and characters of the storyline, each of the forty-eight chapters provides an overview of each book (or a portion of a book) that includes important summaries and a fresh translation of some key texts. Recognizing that study of the Bible in our pres...

Within the library of the world's classics, the book of Psalms occupies a unique place. Few books were composed over a longer period of time and have exercised more cultural and religious influence than the Psalms, the longest and most complex collection in the Hebrew Bible. Nearly 1,000 years in the making with dozens of contributors, this ancient anthology includes 150 prayers and poems for a host of public occasions and private exigencies, ranging from the comforting passage “Though I w...

Among the most challenging biblical figures to understand is Jeroboam son of Nebat, the first monarch of northern Israel whose story is told in 1 Kings 11-14. This book explores the characterization of Jeroboam in the Hebrew text, and traces his rags to riches career trajectory. What are the circumstances whereby this widow's son is elevated to the position of king, with a conditional promise for a lasting dynasty? A close reading of the narrative reveals a literary achievement of great su...

With extraordinary range and literary energy, the story of Absalom’s rebellion in 2 Samuel ranks as the most elaborate and extensively narrated internal political event in the Hebrew Bible, complete with a host of scandalous and sordid events: illicit sex, murder, cover-up, petty crime, to name a few. For many students approaching the historical books of the Bible, however, texts often fail to address the vitality of this most turbulent period of King David’s career. Bodner addresses this ...

1 and 2 Kings unfolds an epic narrative that concludes the long story of Israel's experience with institutional monarchy, a sequence of events that begins with the accession of Solomon and the establishment of the Jerusalem temple, moves through the partition into north and south, and leads inexorably toward the nation's destruction and the passage to exile in Babylon. Keith Bodner's The Theology of the Book of Kings provides a reading of the narrative attentive to its literary sophisticat...

The opening sector of the book of Exodus is a powerful narrative and a striking example of the artistic qualities of the Pentateuch, a facet of the text that occasionally is neglected in high-level scholarship. Exodus 1-2 is finely choreographed work that compresses a vast amount of material onto a limited textual canvas, creating a story that appeals to readers of every age. Resuming where the book of Genesis leaves off-the last image of Genesis 50 is a coffin in Egypt, primed for a seque...

In the wake of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the displacement of exile, there is a unique story that is told about the remnant left behind after the invasion. The narrative of Jeremiah 40--44 unfolds the challenges and crises of this community who remain in Judah as they negotiate their survival following the catastrophe of Jerusalem's fall. After the Invasion shares the often overlooked, but compelling story that emerges from the five later chapters of Jeremiah. Kei...

Storytelling is a powerful and effective means of communication, a truth Jesus knew and used to great advantage in his parables. Many of the plots in these parables involve financial matters. They teach about God's perspective on money, resources, and their use, but further, they teach profound spiritual truths about the kingdom of God. This kingdom operates according to a different kind of economy, wherein relationships, love, and serving others take precedence over accumulating wealth an...

Comprehensive, accessible, and fully illustrated--this commentary on 1-2 Kings is a must-have resource.You want a deeper understanding of the Scriptures, but the notes in your study Bible don't give you enough depth or insight. This commentary was created with you in mind.Each volume of The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary is a nontechnical, section-by-section commentary on one book or section of the Bible that provides reliable and readable inte...

The Cambridge Companion to Biblical Narrative offers an overview and a concise introduction to an exciting field within literary interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures and New Testament. Analysis of biblical narrative has enjoyed a resurgence in recent decades, and this volume features essays that explore many of the artistic techniques that readers encounter in an array of texts. Specially commissioned for this volume, the chapters analyze various scenes in Genesis, Exodus and the wilder...