This is a new edition, extensively updated and revised, of a classic text for newcomers to Old Testament study. Written by four leading academics, this book distils the best in biblical scholarship in a style accessible to readers with little or no previous experience in the field. Their writing focuses on key issues for Old Testament study, raising questions which students will be bound to encounter as they move forward in their studies, including history, theology, ethics, method, world view and the relationship of Old and New Testaments.