Exploring Exodus
Author: Nahum M. Sarna
Publisher: Schocken, 1986
Pages: 277
This book is essentially a commentary on Exodus but framed in such a way that it can be read without having the text constantly in front of you. The main sources for the commentary are the results of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern scholarship which he uses to place the narrative in its context and supplement on what is found therein.
He admits at the outset that “the Torah is not a book of history but one that makes use of history for didactic purposes” (xi) and tries to show by means of this background material what these purposes were.
In 9 chapters he does this and very succesfully. His suggestions based on similarities (or differences) between other ancient material are at the very least fascinating and in many cases quite persuasive. His approach is critical but not overly so, he is careful in his suggestions and generally engages the primary sources without making sweeping generalizations. Especially the chapter that compares laws from the Torah with that of other cultures I found very interesting.
I would recommend the book to people interested in looking at parts of the narrative from the perspective of the Ancient Near East. Both the similarities and differences yield a very interesting picture.
Grade:
8 out of 10
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