Edited by Bill T. Arnold and Hugh G. M. Williamson, the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books is
the second volume in IVP's Old Testament dictionary series. This volume picks up where the Dictionary of the Old
Testament: Pentateuch left off--with Joshua and Israel poised to enter the land--and carries us through the postexilic
period. Following in the tradition of the four award-winning IVP dictionaries focused on the New Testament, this
encyclopedic work is characterized by in-depth articles focused on key topics, many of them written by noted experts.
The history of Israel forms the skeletal structure of the Old Testament. Understanding this history and the biblical
books that trace it is essential to comprehending the Bible. The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Historical Books
is the only reference book focused exclusively on these biblical books and the history of Israel. The dictionary
presents articles on numerous historical topics as well as major articles focused on the books of Joshua, Judges,
Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. Other articles focus on the Deuteronomistic History as well as the
Chronicler's History, the narrative art of Israel's historians, innerbiblical exegesis, text and textual criticism,
and the emergence of these books as canonical. One feature is a series of eight consecutive articles on the periods
of Israel's history from the settlement to postexilic period, which form a condensed history of Israel within the
DOTHB.Syro-Palestinian archaeology is surveyed in one article, while significant archaeological sites receive focused
treatment, usually under the names of biblical cities and towns such as Jerusalem and Samaria, Shiloh and Shechem,
Dan and Beersheba. Other articles delve into the histories and cultures of the great neighboring empires--Egypt,
Assyria, Babylonia and Persia--as well as lesser peoples, such as the Ammonites, Edomites, Moabites, Philistines
and Phoenicians.