Table of Contents

Contents List of Maps Foreword Publisher's Foreword Abbreviations 1. Introduction Source Material Importance of Israel Israel's Strategic Location Geography of Palestine History Divisions 2. Patriarchal Background Historical Accuracy Significance of Abraham's Call Date of Abraham Abraham's Country Departure 3. Abraham The New Land Shechem, Bethel, Egypt, Bethel Rescue of Lot (Gen. 14) Destruction of Sodom (Gen. 18:1--19:38) Covenant Waiting the Promised Child (Gen. 16:1--18:15) Abimelech and the Philistines (Gen. 20--21) Near Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22) Death and Burial of Sarah (Gen. 23) A Bride for Isaac (Gen. 24:1--25:11) Abraham, Man of Faith 4. Isaac, Jacob, Joseph Isaac (Gen. 25:9--26:35) Jacob (Gen. 28:1--36:43) Joseph (Gen. 37--50) 5. Sojourn and Exodus Chronology Duration of Egyptian Sojourn Date of the Exodus 6. Life in Egypt Four Periods of Egyptian Rule Egyptian Life Jacob's Descendants in Egypt Israel in Servitude (Exod. 1:8--22) Moses (Exod. 2:1--10) Moses' Choice (Exod. 2:11--25; Acts 7:23--29; Heb. 11:24--27) Moses' Return to Egypt (Exod. 3:1--4:31) The Contest With Pharaoh (Exod. 5:1--12:36) Departure From Egypt 7. Israel in the Wilderness Israel's Route of Travel To Mount Sinai (Exod. 15:22--18:27) Giving the Law (Exod. 19:3--24:18; 32:1--34:35) The Law The Tabernacle (Exod. 25--31; 35--40) The Number of People Sinai to Kadesh-barnea (Num. 10:11--17:13; 33:16--19) Thirty-seven Years and Six Months of Fruitless Wandering (Num. 15--19; 33:19--36) Kadesh-barnea to the Jordan (Num. 20--21; 33:37--48; Deut. 2:1--3:14) At the Jordan (Num. 22--27; 31--32; Deut. 31, 34) Deuteronomy 8. The Conquest The Land of Canaan Entrance to the Land (Josh. 2:1--5:12) Conquest of Central Palestine (Josh. 5:13--9:27) Conquest of the South and the North (Josh. 10--12) The Land Divided (Josh. 13--22) Institutions 9. The Judges Background Matters Failure to Occupy the Land Fully (Judg. 1:1--3:7) The Period of Mesopotamian Oppression (Judg. 3:8--11; 17--21) The Period of Moabite Oppression (Judg. 3:12--31) The Period of Canaanite Oppression (Judg. 4--5) The Period of Midianite Oppression (Judg. 6:1--10:5; Ruth 1--4) The Period of Ammonite Oppression (Judg. 10:6--12:15) The Period of Philistine Oppression (Judg. 13--16) Samuel 10. King Saul The Anointing of Saul (1 Sam. 9--12) The Rule of Saul The Rejection of Saul (1 Sam. 13--15) Saul and David (1 Sam. 16--20) Saul's Last Years (1 Sam. 22:6--19; 28:1--25; 31:1--13) David as Fugitive (1 Sam. 21--27; 29--30; 2 Sam. 1) 11. David David at Hebron (2 Sam. 1:1--5:5) David Establishes the Kingdom of Israel (2 Sam. 5:6--8:18; 10:1--19) David's Government Significant Deeds Last Years of David (2 Sam. 13--20; 1 Kings 1:1--2:11; 1 Chron. 22; 28--29) Israel's Greatest King 12. Solomon Established as King (1 Kings 2:12--46; 3:4--28; 2 Chron. 1:1--17) Solomon's Kingdom Foreign Relations Building Activity (1 Kings 5:1--9:9; 2 Chron. 2--7) Literary Age Spiritual Decline and Punishment (1 Kings 11; 2 Chron. 9:29--31) Solomon the King 13. The Northern Kingdom The Revolt (1 Kings 12:1--24; 2 Chron. 10) The Early Years (931--885; 1 Kings 12:25--16:20) The Dynasty of Omri (885--841; 1 Kings 16:23--22:53; 2 Kings 1--8) The Dynasty of Jehu (841--753; 2 Kings 9:11-10:36; 13; 14:16--29) The Decline of Israel (752-722; 2 Kings 15:13--17:41) Israel Under Assyrian Control Summary 14. The Kingdom of Judah A Period of Conflict With Israel (931--870; 1 Kings 14:21--15:24; 2 Chron. 10--16) A Period of Alliance With Israel (873--835; 1 Kings 22:41--50; 2 Kings 8:16--29; 11:1--16; 2 Chron. 17:1--23:15) Four God-approved Kings (835--731; 2 Kings 12--15; 2 Chron. 23:16--27:9) Years of Assyrian Dominance (743--640; 2 Kings 16--21; 2 Chron. 28--33) Babylon Becomes Dominant (640--586; 2 Kings 22--25; 2 Chron. 34--36) 15. Exile and Return Developments in Judah (2 Kings 25:22--26; Jer. 40--44) The Babylonian Period (605--539) Captive Judah The Persian Period The First Return to Judah (Ezra 1--6) The Second Return (Ezra 7--10) The Third Return (Neh. 1--13) Esther (Esth. 1--10) The Elephantine Colony 16. Between the Testaments Israel as a Vassal State The Maccabees The Hasmonean Era Social Developments Parties Within Judaism The Literature of the Intertestamental Period Conclusion Basic Further Reading A Chronological Chart Subject Index Scripture Index Map Section LIST OF MAPS Map 1 The Fertile Crescent Map 2 The Ancient World--Physical Features Map 3 The Route of Abraham Map 4 The Campaign of Genesis 14 and Main Areas of Population Map 5 The Route of the Exodus and the Conquest of Canaan Map 6 The Tribal Divisions Map 7 The Levitical Cities Map 8 The Areas Actually Settled by Israelites Map 9 The Kingdom of Saul Map 10 The Kingdom of David Map 11 The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah Shortly After the Division Map 12 The Campaigns of Tiglath-Pileser III Map 13 Palestine Under Assyrian Control Map 14 The Campaign of Shishak Map 15 The Cities of the Prophets Map 16 Necho's Route and Josiah's Battle Map 17 The Fall of Assyria and the Rise of Babylonia Map 18 Postexilic Judah

About the Author

The late Leon Wood was professor of Old Testament Studies and Dean of the Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary.