This book is a basic introduction to the study of Old Testament law, and assumes no prior knowledge of the subject.

First, it examines when and where the series and codes of law in the Old Testament came into being, the literary conventions to which the authors were adhering and the social settings which cultivated these conventions and preserved them in writing. Then it goes on to expound the laws themselves, deciding what range of action is governed by a rule of law and what sort of enforcement is envisaged. Thirdly, it penetrates beyond the moral and judicial laws to the concepts and principles that inform them, and beyond that to the world-view underlying them. Finally, it relates the presentation of divine law to judicial law on the one hand and constitutional theory on the other. A postscript discusses the relevance of biblical law to the modern reader. Each chapter lists articles and books on the subjects covered in the text.

There is no other book available quite like this. It not only outlines problems and suggests solutions, where there are any, but brings new life to what can often seem one of the more barren areas of the Old Testament.