In Kent’s in-depth introduction, where he sets the stage for the great events of the Old Testament, he dedicates entire sections to Babylonian, Egyptian, and Palestinian history. The body of the book treats the earliest narratives of the Old Testament, examining the history of Israel through the death of Moses. Kent takes up individual themes separately—among them, the stories of man’s creation, man’s sin and its consequences, Cain and Abel, and many more. Each of these sections is followed by a short explanatory discussion. Contents include:
The explanatory paragraphs are likely to be read by a large constituency, more eagerly than the text itself, while the text will no doubt assume a new and richer significance when thus viewed. In so small compass there is perhaps not so much cogent comparative material to the Old Testament narrative anywhere accessible to the English reader.
—Biblical World