In this latest addition to the Handbooks for Old Testament Exegesis series, Peter T. Vogt continues the tradition of excellence established by previous volumes. Divided into three parts, Interpreting the Pentateuch first provides an overview of the major themes of the Pentateuch. In the second part, Vogt offers resources and strategies for interpreting and understanding the first five books of the Bible by exploring its genres-law and narrative. Finally, Vogt shows that, although the Pentateuch is a collection of ancient texts, it still has contemporary significance. Vogt also includes two samples-one from law and one from narrative-of exegesis, giving students a start-to-finish example of the techniques he has illustrated for effective exegesis.

The studies collected in this book represent landmarks in the vast exegetical landscape of the Pentateuch. In the first series of these studies, Jean-Louis Ska examines key texts from different perspectives and draws a map to show the way. These texts are mainly the story of the flood (Gen 6-9), the call of Abraham (Gen 12:1-4), God's covenant with Abraham (Gen 15), the Lord's apparition to Abraham in Mamre (Gen 18), the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen 22), the introduction to the Sinai covenant (Exod 19:3-6), and the meal and the vision on the mountain (Exod 24:9-11). Different methods are used according to the text or the topic treated: literary criticism, redaction criticism, inner-biblical exegesis, and narrative analysis. In the second part, the author grapples with some basic issues in recent debates about exegetical methods: the function of the narrator, the validity of resorting to the category of redactor, the nature and purpose of the biblical law collections, and the legitimacy of a critical reading of the Old Testament. The Pentateuch is a cantata with many voices, and faithfulness to its nature means that the exegete has to use all the instruments at his or her disposal to make this old music be heard once again.

The Pentateuch, also known to Christians and Jews as the "Law" ("Torah" in Hebrew), is the name given to the first five books of the Bible. Like the other volumes in the standard edition of the Navarre Bible, prepared by Navarre University's theology faculty, this volume contains the full biblical text in the Revised Standard Version and the New Vulgate together with extensive commentaries. The commentaries, or notes, help to explain the doctrinal and practical meaning of the scriptural text, drawing on a rich variety of sources, Church documents, the exegesis of Fathers and Doctors, and the works of prominent spiritual writers, particularly Blessed J. Escriva, who initiated the Navarre Bible project.

Persuaded of the singular vision of the Pentateuch, Old Testament professor John Sailhamer searches out clues left by the author and the later editor of the Pentateuch that will disclose the meaning of this great work. By paying particular attention to the poetic seams in the text, he rediscovers a message that surprisingly brings us to the threshold of the New Testament gospel.

In this introduction to the first five books of the Old Testament, Victor Hamilton moves chapter by chapter--rather than verse by verse--through the Pentateuch, examining the content, structure, and theology. Each chapter deals with a major thematic unit of the Pentateuch, and Hamilton provides useful commentary on overarching themes and connections between Old Testament texts. This second edition has been substantially revised and updated. The first edition sold over sixty thousand copies.

When Jean Louis Ska's Introduzione alla lettura del Pentateuco was first published in Italy, it was quickly hailed as the most attractive and usable introduction to the Pentateuch to appear in modern times. Because of its strengths, it was soon translated into French. The English translation published by Eisenbrauns has been completely reviewed and updated (including the bibliography) by Ska. Among the book's many strengths are its close attention to the ways in which modern cultural history has affected Pentateuchal interpretation, attention to providing the kinds of examples that are helpful to students, presentation of a good balance between the history of interpretation and the data of the text, and the clarity of Ska's writing. For both students and scholars, many consider this book the best contemporary introduction to the Pentateuch.

As the last installment of R.J Rushdoony's commentary series on the Pentateuch, it stands as one of the more dynamic expositions in the series in that it addresses God's demands upon man, family, church, and state. In short, Deuteronomy is the defining volume on theocracy, and could easily stand alongside Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law in its equally comprehensive application of Biblical law. If you desire to understand the core of Rushdoony's thinking, this commentary on Deuteronomy is one volume you must read. The covenantal structure of this last book of Moses, its detailed listing of both blessings and curses, and its strong presentation of godly theocracy provided Rushdoony with a solid foundation from which to summarize the central tenets of a truly Biblical worldview-one that is solidly established upon Biblical Law, and one that is assured to shape the future. This is why the book of Deuteronomy is central to a gospel of victory in time and eternity. The redemptive power of Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit are the enabling forces for a people to once again live faithful to God's covenant-and Deuteronomy provides the details for that covenant. Rushdoony's study of Deuteronomy represents a sizable deposit into securing the obedience of the church.

Christophe Nihan investigates the composition history of Leviticus, considered as a separate 'book' in the Torah/Pentateuch. In order to account for the distinct nature of the text, the author combines redaction criticism with comparative observations, cross-cultural studies in rituals, and inner-biblical exegesis. His analysis focuses on the sources used by the authors of Leviticus and the way in which they are re-interpreted in what is primarily a literary composition; on the book s relationship to the so-called 'priestly' literature in the Pentateuch; and, finally, on the place of Leviticus in the composition of the Torah as a whole. In particular, it is argued that Leviticus 1-16 (except for chapter 10) was initially composed as the conclusion to the priestly narrative in Genesis and Exodus. It reinterprets earlier ritual texts serving as check-lists for priests, transforming them into a revelation made to Moses on Mt Sinai for the whole community and thereby achieving the sacerdotal ideal of Israel as the 'priestly nation' of the world. Thus, reinterpretation of earlier sources in Lev 1-16 goes hand in hand with a redefinition of the community's identity that betrays the specific concerns of the priestly scribes in Jerusalem under Persian rule, probably during the reign of Darius I. The introduction of Lev 17-26 (27), for its part, betrays an entirely distinct historical and literary context. Through the systematic reception of Deuteronomy on one hand and the 'Book of the Covenant' (Ex 21-23) on the other, an attempt is made to close the revelation on Mt Sinai with a legislation that bridges the gap between P and other biblical codes at the time of the Torah's composition."

For years, Douglas Stuart's Old Testament Exegesis has been one of the most popular ways to learn how to perform exegesis—the science and art of interpreting biblical texts properly for understanding as well as proclamation. This new edition includes a major revision and expansion of online and other resources for doing biblical research and updates past editions by including a helpful configuration of the format for the exegesis process. Stuart provides guidance for full exegesis as well as for a quicker approach specifically tailored to the task of preaching. A glossary of terms explains the sometimes-bewildering language of biblical scholarship, and a list of frequent errors guides the student in avoiding common mistakes. No exegetical guide for the Old Testament has been more widely used in training ministers and students to be faithful, careful interpreters of Scripture.

Most scholars studying the first five books of the Bible either attempt to dissect it into various pre-pentateuchal documents or, at the very least, analyze Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy as separate, self-contained documents. The Pentateuch As Narrative focuses on the narrative and literary continuity of the Pentateuch as a whole. It seeks to disclose how the original Jewish readers may have viewed this multivolume work of Moses. Its central thesis is that the Pentateuch was written from the perspective of one who had lived under the Law of the Covenant established at Mount Sinai and had seen its failure to produce genuine trust in the Lord God of Israel. In this context, the Pentateuch pointed the reader forward to the hope of the New Covenant, based on divine faithfulness. Throughout the commentary Dr. Sailhamer pays close attention to and interacts with a wide range of classical and contemporary literature on the Pentateuch, written by Jews, Catholics, and Protestants.