How to Read Exodus

by Tremper Longman III

Overview

The book of Exodus is a key to understanding the Bible. Without it, the Bible would lack three early scenes: deliverance, covenant and worship. Exodus provides the events and narrative, the themes and imagery foundational for understanding the story of Israel and of Jesus.You can read Exodus on your own, and its main themes will be clear enough. But an expert can sharpen your understanding and appreciation of its drama. Tremper Longman provides a box-seat guide to Exodus, discussing its historical backdrop, sketching out its literary context, and developing its principal themes, from Israel's deliverance from servitude to Pharaoh to its dedication to service to God. And, for Christians, he helps us view the book from the perspective of its fulfillment in Christ.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830838585
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	08/03/2009
Series:	How to Read Series
Pages:	187
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Tremper Longman III is Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies at Westmont College and is a well-known Old Testament scholar. Among his many published works are How to Read Genesis, How to Read the Psalms and How to Read Proverbs.

Table of Contents

Part One: Reading Exodus with a Strategy
1 Understanding the Book of "Departure"
Part Two: Reading Exodus as Literature
2 The Shape of the Book of Exodus
3 The Narrative Structure of Exodus: Presence, Covenant and Servitude
Part Three: Reading Exodus as History in Its Historical Context
4 Birth Legends, Hammurabi, and Portable Shrines: The Ancient Near Eastern Background of Exodus
5 Evidence for the Exodus Event
6 Does it Matter Whether the Sea Parted?
Part Four: Reading Exodus as God's Story
7 God Rescues Abraham's Descendants from Egyptian Bondage (chs. 1-18)
8 God Gives Israel His Law (chs. 19-24)
9 God Instructs Israel to Build the Tabernacle (chs. 25-40)
Part Five: Reading Exodus as a Christian
10 The Christian Experience of Exodus
11 The Role of Law in the Christian Life
12 The Word Became Flesh and Tabernacled Among Us
Appendix 1: Who Wrote the Book of Exodus?
Appendix 2: Commentaries on the Book of Exodus
Author Index
Subject Index
Scripture Index

Editorial Reviews

"Scholarly approaches to narrative structure and archaeological, historical and theological matters become practical through study questions that help readers appropriate Exodus in their daily lives."

Christian Century