F. F. Bruce shapes the daunting complexities of Israel's history into straight prose that sparkles with clarity. This new edition, carefully revised by David F. Payne, includes new material and a revised bibliography.

2011 Reprint of 1963 American Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. This work combines a scholar's research and a Christian's interpretations with popular history's readability. It is a definitive source book on the history of ancient Israel from the Exodus to the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Bruce does not deal with Israel as an isolated unit. Rather, he deals with Israel from the standpoint of its historical interaction with its almost forgotten neighbors. The detailed genealogical and chronological tables which add so much to the value of this book were compiled by the author himself after intensive research.

In recounting Israel's story from the Exodus to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, F.F. Bruce reveals the historical context of the nation of Israel in a way that reads more like a novel than an academic text. In doing so, he makes the Bible come alive. For instance, the book gives a context to Psalm 137 in which Edom rejoices over Jerusal.