Ancient Israel: The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings: A Translation with Commentary

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Bible & Bible Studies
Cover of the book Ancient Israel: The Former Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter, W. W. Norton & Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Alter ISBN: 9780393240276
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Publication: April 1, 2013
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company Language: English
Author: Robert Alter
ISBN: 9780393240276
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication: April 1, 2013
Imprint: W. W. Norton & Company
Language: English

Robert Alter’s award-winning translation of the Hebrew Bible continues with the stirring narrative of Israel’s ancient history.

To read the books of the Former Prophets in this riveting Robert Alter translation is to discover an entertaining amalgam of hair-raising action and high literary achievement. Samson, the vigilante superhero of Judges, slaughters thousands of Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. David, the Machiavellian prince of Samuel and Kings, is one of the great literary figures of antiquity. A ruthless monarch, David embodies a life in full dimension as it moves from brilliant youth through vigorous prime to failing old age.

Samson and David play emblematic roles in the rise and fall of ancient Israel, a nation beset by internal divisions and external threats. A scattering of contentious desert tribes joined by faith in a special covenant with God, Israel emerges through the bloody massacres of Canaanite populations recounted in Joshua and the anarchic violence of Judges. The resourceful David consolidates national power, but it is power rooted in conspiracy, and David dies bitterly isolated in his court, surrounded by enemies. His successor, Solomon, maintains national unity through his legendary wisdom, wealth, and grand public vision, but after his death Israel succumbs to internal discord and foreign conquest. Near its end, the saga of ancient Israel returns to the supernatural. In Elijah’s fiery ascent to heaven many would find the harbinger of a messiah coming to save his people in their time of need.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Robert Alter’s award-winning translation of the Hebrew Bible continues with the stirring narrative of Israel’s ancient history.

To read the books of the Former Prophets in this riveting Robert Alter translation is to discover an entertaining amalgam of hair-raising action and high literary achievement. Samson, the vigilante superhero of Judges, slaughters thousands of Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. David, the Machiavellian prince of Samuel and Kings, is one of the great literary figures of antiquity. A ruthless monarch, David embodies a life in full dimension as it moves from brilliant youth through vigorous prime to failing old age.

Samson and David play emblematic roles in the rise and fall of ancient Israel, a nation beset by internal divisions and external threats. A scattering of contentious desert tribes joined by faith in a special covenant with God, Israel emerges through the bloody massacres of Canaanite populations recounted in Joshua and the anarchic violence of Judges. The resourceful David consolidates national power, but it is power rooted in conspiracy, and David dies bitterly isolated in his court, surrounded by enemies. His successor, Solomon, maintains national unity through his legendary wisdom, wealth, and grand public vision, but after his death Israel succumbs to internal discord and foreign conquest. Near its end, the saga of ancient Israel returns to the supernatural. In Elijah’s fiery ascent to heaven many would find the harbinger of a messiah coming to save his people in their time of need.

More books from W. W. Norton & Company

Cover of the book Inner City Blues: A Charlotte Justice Novel (Charlotte Justice Novels) by Robert Alter
Cover of the book The Driest Season: A Novel by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War by Robert Alter
Cover of the book The Great Transition: Shifting from Fossil Fuels to Solar and Wind Energy by Robert Alter
Cover of the book What Every Therapist Needs to Know about Treating Eating and Weight Issues by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Einstein's Clocks, Poincare's Maps: Empires of Time by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Nervous States: Democracy and the Decline of Reason by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Yellow Jack: A Novel by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Salvage Secrets Design & Decor: Transform Your Home with Reclaimed Materials by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Behind the Veil of Economics: Essays in the Worldly Philosophy by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening by Robert Alter
Cover of the book A Faker's Dozen: Stories by Robert Alter
Cover of the book Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World (The Global Century Series) by Robert Alter
Cover of the book The Food of Sichuan by Robert Alter
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy