Old Testament Today: A Journey from Original Meaning to Contemporary Significance

by John H. Walton, Andrew E. Hill

Proven three-tiered approach and a wealth of full-color images help readers connect the Old Testament with today’s world. Old Testament Today is unique among Old Testament surveys. It not only provides an orientation to the world of the Old Testament but also builds a bridge between the original audience and modern readers, demonstrating why the ancient message is important for faith and life today. Old Testament Today goes beyond basic content to help students understand what the Scriptures mean and how to apply them personally. Similar to the acclaimed NIV Application Commentary, this text takes the reader section by section through the Old Testament using a progressive, three-step • Original Meaning presents the details of the content, focusing on the story line, historical background, and literary information that address the original setting and audience. • Bridging Contexts focuses on theological perspectives and on issues of the author’s purpose and the universal message of the text, building a bridge between the original audience and today’s audience. • Contemporary Significance develops an understanding of the relevance of the Old Testament writings to today’s Christian, showing how they can be applied in personal faith and practice. The image-rich full-color design gives Old Testament Today a strong visual appeal. A wide array of charts, sidebars, illustrations, photos, and supplemental materials complement the body of the text, helping students to easily comprehend the literature, theology, and history of the Old Testament.

Genres: Theology, Old Testament, Christian, Biblical Studies, Nonfiction, Religion, History

432 pages, Hardcover

Published November 25, 2004

About the author

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament; Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context; Covenant: God’s Purpose, God’s Plan; The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament; and A Survey of the Old Testament.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See:

John H. Walton, Agriculture
John H. Walton, ceramics.

Reviews

[Carla Cramsey]

Easy to read for a textbook that covers the entirety of the Old Testament. Very helpful in understanding the purpose of each book, how everything ties together, and relevant application for today

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book for an Old Testament survey class and really enjoyed it! It does an excellent job at presenting the Old Testament and discussing how we can be faithful readers of Scripture. Almost every question I’ve found myself asking about the Old Testament is addressed. I found myself delighting in God more as a result of reading this book and it’s already been really helpful for me as I’ve been reading through the Old Testament.

[Anna Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for an Old Testament survey course… not too bad for being a required class text. I actually enjoyed it most of the time and I have already found it helpful in my reading of the OT.

[Squishy Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This text gives interesting historical context for the old testament. I found the application of Israel's historical lense and the explanation of surrounding conflict informative to my studies. Old testament books are put into timeline context. Ideas are explained well particularly in texts that are thought of as difficult in a church setting (such as Job).

I have for stars as the present day applications seemed to apply conservative personal theology relating specifically to American emerging church doctrine at the time of writing. It would have been easier to link the passages by suggesting questions that allow for ecumenical debate. But I understand that this is my own personal opinion and may not be what others feel about the interpretation.

Overall, a great read.

[JR Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good survey of the Old Testament. I picked this textbook for my 9th grade O.T. survey class, but I ended up only assigning about 30% of its material.

As "textbooks" go, it is fine. Walton's only stinker is in the beginning sections when he argues for a functionalist and poetic rendering of Genesis 1-2. His whole philosophical and hermeneutical approach is so flawed that it marrs what is genuinely a good book overall.

On another note, I'm getting tired of using these types of books to teach O.T....I would rather assume this material into my lecture notes, and have students read something like "The Drama of Scripture" or "From Eden to the New Jerusalem" perhaps paired with one or two of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology volumes. Digression over...

[Joah Pearson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly fine with some very helpful sections. However, it is shot through with some really bad interpretive ideas - especially in the chapter on Genesis. The authors seem to think that we should use tentative scholarly speculations on the worldview of ancient middle easterners to inform our view of whether or not the Bible is scientifically accurate. Because, of course, evolution and millions of years are scientific facts, so the six-day creation account must arise from the cultural ideas of the time rather than from God. Basically, this is a fancy version of eisegesis - forcing extra-biblical ideas on the text.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously, this book was based on facts rather than fiction. I enjoyed learning more about the Bible, but something I wished that they would have done was give more visuals and spaced out the words so that they would be easier to read and not so lifeless.

Overall, it was a pretty good book.

I don't have much else to say about this book as it was a non-fiction book so I can't really critique the plotline or the story itself.

[Sherri Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 2nd Addition and I loved this book. It helped me see the Old Testament in light of the worldview around it. This was required reading for a class and I’m glad it was. I will read and study the Word now with a new focus. I especially liked The commentary on Job.

[Josh Beaudoin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good intro to the Old Testament. Didn’t care for the writing of the summary chapters that much: came across as opinion with the gravitas of truth. However, I enjoyed and got a lot out of the historical context.

[Katie Rodriguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assigned reading for an Old Testament class. Had to document this victory because I read this literal textbook front to back. It’ll probably come in handy as a reference book but it was definitely hard to read. Would not recommend unless you are trying to be a seminary student.

[PJ Ochoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic overview of the Old Testament. Unlike most Old Testament books, this book does not seek to summarize each individual book in the Old Testament; rather, it lays the foundation for the Old Testament and why it is vital to read it!

[Yajaira Marmolejo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read informative book. You can get a good and easy introduction to the books of the Old Testament and information about ANE culture. Sometimes books like this can be overwhelming and boring but this one is not.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my Intro to Old Testament class. This book focuses on the general classifications of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch, Prophetic literature, etc.) and breaks down the purpose of each and how readers should view it. There were a lot of context boxes, pictures, and maps, which I enjoyed. This was a fairly good introduction to the Old Testament, though it does rely heavily on the reader having a general understanding of the content of each Old Testament book.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides history relevant to the time of the ancient writers. Although a bit dry at times, this book provides insightful information.

[Joel Born · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview that gave a lot of good historical background of the people groups around Israel.

Loved the wisdom section!

[Mikayla Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for my OT class. I really enjoyed this book even thought it was a textbook. I thought the graphics, charts, pictures, and diagrams were very helpful to enhance the reader’s understanding of the content. All around, a great resource.

[Leandro Dutra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should lose half a star for a few ambiguous, unnecessary paragraphs speculating how Old testament saints were saved, probably because it could use a more solid foundation on a covenant theology. Other than that, a superb overview of the Hebrew Bible in its context, historical, cultural and theological, taking into account also the New testament interpretation of the old.

[Karl Kranich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the Old Testament with examples of how to apply it to our lives today.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review on my blog

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is good to get an overview of the books of the Old Testament. Summary tables were particularly helpful