The Old Testament
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Baker Academic (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2026
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
This substantially updated fourth edition of a classroom standard provides students with an accessible introduction to the literature, history, and social context of the Old Testament. Written by two seasoned Old Testament professors with distinguished careers, this book pays attention to methodology, archaeology, history, and literary genre. The fourth edition brings archaeology up to date with current discoveries and methods and incorporates new insights from current scholarship. This edition has been restructured to increase its usability in one-semester classes on the Old Testament, improving the book's usefulness for instructors. The book also maintains its student-focused orientation, with revisions throughout to increase its readability. The Old Testament: Text and Context is designed to assist students who are encountering the material for the first time. It includes helpful illustrations, sidebars, maps, study questions, and enrichment activities, making it well suited for undergraduate-level Old Testament courses in university and college settings.
Endorsements (6)
“This classic, now in its fourth edition, introduces readers to both the nature of the Old Testament and its reflection of the ancient Near Eastern world. It is packed with information, including beautiful maps, insets, figures, study questions, a glossary, and indices. Many parts of the work have been expanded, updated, and revised to make it even more readable and helpful for undergraduates and seminarians encountering the Old Testament for the first time.”
“The Old Testament: Text and Context is a guide for students in that important first class in the Old Testament. Victor H. Matthews and James C. Moyer—repeatedly recognized by their colleagues as skilled teachers—show how archaeology, anthropology, sociology, and literary criticism contribute to our understanding and appreciation of the enduring biblical traditions. This fourth edition is a testimony from all instructors and their students who have found the previous editions to be a valuable resource.”
“With The Old Testament: Text and Context, Matthews and Moyer have produced an excellent, comprehensive, student-oriented textbook that provides first-time readers of the Hebrew Bible an entrance into the texts, their historical background, and scholarly interpretations. Teachers and students will find readable introductions to the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Apocrypha, with valuable sidebar discussions of important issues, organized around the historical context. Special discussions of interest, such as modern methods of biblical research, advice about translations, online resources, and an extensive glossary, add to the book's value for the reader.”
“Two of my very best teachers have taken an already-excellent textbook and made it even better. This new edition is clearer, richer, and more relevant for students, and it allows instructors to pivot in many different directions for teaching. This book remains one of my gold standards for introducing students to the Old Testament.”
“The book is well organized and well written. It is easily accessible to the college-level student and written with such students in mind. . . . The authors make generous use of maps, charts, photographs, and sidebars to illuminate the information in the main discussions, and each section and chapter ends with study questions. . . . The great strength of this book is, as suggested by the title, the blending of matters related to the text and the context of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. It not only summarizes what is in the OT/HB but also provides insight into the world of the biblical characters and biblical writers by integrating relevant archaeological data, social-historical issues, and insights from critical scholarship. . . . This textbook does a fine job of preparing the student to read the OT/HB intelligently.”
“Artistic in its design and solid in its content and presentation, this work provides students with the necessary background to understand the Bible and its diverse cultures and rich heritage. With its engaging style and sharp attention to biblical methodology, archaeology, history, and literary genre, as well as its clear explanations of important biblical terms and thoughtful study questions, this text is a gem for both students and teachers alike. . . . It is a superb work, and I am grateful to Victor Matthews and James Moyer for providing teachers of the Bible with a text that answers the needs of today's students.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem