Yale University Library Research Guides: Hebrew Bible Interpretation I &amp; II: Handbooks

Hebrew Bible Overviews

The Biblical World by John Barton (Editor) A comprehensive guide to the contents, historical settings and social context of the Bible.
The Blackwell Companion to the Hebrew Bible by Leo G. Perdue (Editor) Offers a broad overview and survey of Hebrew Bible study. Explores the history, archaeology, theology, sociology, and ancient Near Eastern context of the Hebrew Bible.
The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament by Stephen B. Chapman (Editor); Marvin A. Sweeney (Editor) Offers an introduction to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. Examines the historical and religious contexts for the contents of the biblical canon, and critical approaches and methods, as well as newer topics such as the Hebrew Bible in Islam, Western art and literature, and contemporary politics.
The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible and Ethics by C. L. Crouch (Editor) Addresses the Hebrew Bible's historical and literary contexts and identify key social, political, and cultural factors affecting their ethical ideas.

The Cambridge Companion to Genesis by Bill T. Arnold (Editor) Summarizes key developments in Biblical scholarship of Genesis since the Enlightenment, while offering an overview of the diverse methods and reading strategies that are currently applied to the reading of the book.
The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Law by Pamela Barmash (Editor) Provides an analysis of the major questions, principles, and texts pertinent to biblical law.
The Oxford Handbook of the Pentateuch (Online) by Joel S. Baden (Editor); Jeffrey Stackert (Editor) Provides a comprehensive survey of key topics and issues in contemporary pentateuchal scholarship.

The Oxford Handbook of Isaiah (Online) by Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer (Editor) Covers the formation, interpretations, and reception of the book of Isaiah.
The Oxford Handbook of the Prophets (Online) by Carolyn Sharp (Editor) Features wide-ranging discussion of ancient Near Eastern social and cultic contexts; exploration of focused topics such as the persona of the prophet and the problem of violence in prophetic rhetoric; sophisticated historical and literary analysis of key prophetic texts; issues in reception history; feminist, materialist, and postcolonial readings engaging the insights of influential contemporary theorists.
The Oxford Handbook of the Minor Prophets (Online) by Julia M. O'Brien (Editor) A one-volume guide to the major interpretative questions currently engaging scholars of the twelve Minor Prophets.