Peoples of the Old Testament World [Paperback]

Edwin M. Yamauchi (Editor), Alfred J. Hoerth (Editor), Gerald L. Mattingly (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 1998

The ancient Israelites lived among many nations, and knowing about the people and culture of these nations can enhance understanding of the Old Testament. Peoples of the Old Testament World provides up-to-date descriptions of the people groups who interacted with and influenced ancient Israel.

Detailed accounts by specialists cover each group's origin, history, rulers, architecture, art, religion, and contacts with biblical Israel.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alfred J. Hoerth recently retired as the director of archaeology at Wheaton College, where he taught for almost thirty years.

Gerald L. Mattingly is professor of Bible at Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Edwin M. Yamauchi is professor of history at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (June 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801021960
• ISBN-13: 978-0801021961
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, essential resource for serious Bible students!, October 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Peoples of the Old Testament World (Paperback)

Wow! What a resource! Every major people group mentioned in the Old Testament is explored in this single volume!

Categorized by geographic location and extensively indexed by Subject, Scripture reference and Author, this book is very easy to use . . . a handy refence for preparing to teach a Bible study.

And for more serious scholars (or people like me who are just curious to know more) there are references at the bottom of each page telling where the authors found the information they're writing about.

All of the information is up-to-date, giving details of recent archaeological finds which shed light on the Peoples of the Old Testament World. I love it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Baker's Dozen, December 10, 2003

By 

Virgil Brown (White Oak, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peoples of the Old Testament World (Paperback)

A baker's dozen is supposed to be twelve and one more for good measure. In this book Hoerth et al present concise studies of a dozen peoples known from the Old Testament and include the Sumerians for what really is good measure due to their heritage to the Ancient Near East. The book is organized by geographic area. In Mesopotamia are the Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, and of course the Sumerians. Along the coast of the Mediter-ranean Sea are the Hittites, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Arameans, Philistines, and Egyptians. In the transjordan area are the Ammonites, Moabites, and the Edomites.

The scholarship is generally conservative. Many readers will recognize the names of Edward Yamauchi and James K Hoffmeier. Other readers will notice that David Howard struggles to coincide the archaeological data concerning the origin of the Philistines with the patriarchal history found in Genesis. Readers will also notice that the three articles on the transjordan peoples emphasize their existence at a time when the Exodus could have occured. However this latter is just a matter of emphasis as Gosta Ahlstrom allows for the same in his _History of Ancient Palestine_.

Though the book is now about ten years old, it is still generally solid in scholarship. One exception would be in Keith Schoville's article on the Canaanites and Amorites where he cites Giovanni Pettinato's claim that the name "Canaan" was known from the Eblaite texts of 2250 BCE. Many of Pettinato's claims on the connections between Ebla and the Old Testament no longer stand up.

Overall _Peoples_ is a worthy and interesting read. Many readers will want to pull out a map in order to follow along.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, July 13, 2011

By 

busyinbville - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Peoples of the Old Testament World (Paperback)

This book was very informative. It contained many of the people groups from the Old Testament. Loved it!