Can we know how the ancient Israelites conceived of “the good life?” In this his final work, Norman Whybray brings his considerable learning to this question, in a social and theological study of the Hebrew Bible. He discovers that, far from giving a faint or undifferentiated picture of “the good life,” the books of the Old Testament each yield a distinct impression of what this life entails, underpinned by divine guidance and protection.
Comprehensive in scope, and marked by Professor Whybray’s lucid thought and style, this book is a fitting addition to the work of an illustrious scholar. It will richly reward any reader interested in the social world as depicted in the Bible, and in God’s relationship with it.
