In brief sections, this book gives an overview of the Old Testament of the Bible—from the primeval history to the period after the Babylonian captivity. When busy people want to know more about the Bible and the Christian faith, the Zondervan Quick-Reference Library offers an instant information alternative in a manageable length. Covering the basics of the faith and Bible knowledge in an easy-to-use format, this series helps new Christians and seasoned believers alike find answers to their questions about Christianity and the Bible. The information in Old Testament History is presented in units of one or two pages, so that each section can be read in a few minutes, covering: The creation account. - The patriarchal history. - The Exodus and Israel in the desert. - The Judges and the united monarchy. - The divided kingdoms. - The Babylonian exile. - The Intertestamental period. The Zondervan Quick-Reference Library makes important knowledge affordable, accessible, and easy to understand for busy people who don’t have a lot of time to read or study. John Sailhamer (Ph.D., UCLA) is scholar in residence at Northwestern College, St. Paul, Minnesota, and professor of Hebrew Scriptures at Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon. He is the author of the commentary on Genesis in the Expositors Bible Commentary, The Pentateuch as Narrative, the NIV Compact Bible Commentary, and Introduction to Old Testament Theology When busy people want to know more about the Bible and the Christian faith, the Zondervan Quick-Reference Library offers an instant information alternative. Covering the basics of the faith and Bible knowledge in an easy-to-use format, this series helps new Christians and seasoned believers find answers to their questions about Christianity and the Bible. The information is presented in units of one or two pages, so that each section can be read in a few minutes. The Zondervan Quick-Reference Library makes important knowledge affordable, accessible, and easy to understand for busy people who don't have a lot of time to read or study. John H. Sailhamer is professor of Old Testament at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Brea, California and was formerly senior professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.. His other works include An Introduction to Old Testament Theology and The NIIV Compact Bible Commentary. AbrahamBeginning in Genesis 12, the Bible takes a decided turn in its focuson historical events. World history fades into the background of the biblicalnarratives, and only occasionally are events of global importancerecorded (cf. Gen. 14). For the most part, the focus centers on the livesof certain key individuals and their families---the first of whom wasAbraham.Abraham was born in the twenty-second century B.C. During thattime, the great Akkad empire in Mesopotamia was coming to an end. Politicalpower in both Canaan and Egypt were fragmenting. We first meetAbraham in the city of 'Ur of the Chaldeans'---a major city occupied bythe Babylonians, that is, the Chaldeans. Perhaps the biblical author wantsus to identify the city of Ur with the city of Babylon, mentioned in Genesis10:10; 11:1--9. If so, then Abraham's leaving Ur of the Chaldeans andtraveling westward to the Promised Land is linked to God's forced returnof the people of that city back into the land, as 11:8 suggests: 'The LORDscattered them from there over all the face of all the land' (NIV, earth).On his way to the Promised Land, Abraham first settled in a region innorthern Mesopotamia called Haran, where he remained until the deathof his father. The Lord then called on him to leave his family and continuehis journey to the Promised Land (cf. Acts 7:2).Abraham was seventy-five years old when he entered the land.Recent studies of seasonal agricultural changes suggests that the migrationof Abraham may have been associated with a more general migration ofpeoples throughout the Near East as a result of widespread famine. In fact,Abraham himself felt forced to travel beyond Canaan into Egypt becauseof famine (Gen. 12:10). He entered Egypt during its First IntermediatePeriod, a time of great social unrest. After a brief sojourn there, he settledin the land of Canaan as a farmer and shepherd. While there, he wascalled on to defend its inhabitants against a cruel attack by four kings fromthe east, who had formed a coalition to launch a military raid against thecities of Canaan. The purpose of the raid was to loot and pillage the region.Abraham, more or less a cultural outcast at the time and hence called a'Hebrew' (most likely meaning 'outcast'), rallied his own household of318 men and defeated the eastern kings as they fled. Such internationalconflicts and raiding parties were a common fact of life throughout theNear East in Abraham's day.The biblical writer uses the account of Abraham's victory as a pictureof the Lord's blessing of Abraham. Just as God delivered Canaanthrough the house of Abraham, Go