I did not read this book from cover to cover--it's so very dense, but I really appreciate the author's attention to detail and the deep research. I will continue to return to the book as a reference when questions come up in my study. ( )

Anyone engaged in serious Bible study knows how important it is to have a realistic understanding of the times and settings of the events described. Daily Life in Biblical Times by Liora Ravid, a native Israeli with a PhD in biblical studies, provides this background information for many of the major characters and stories in the Hebrew Bible.

Drawing on historical and archaeological resources, Dr. Ravid describes the prevailing cultural realities, social norms, and legal systems at the time the biblical narratives took place. She offers knowledgeable answers to the many basic questions that arise for the modern reader of the Bible. (For example, how long did it take Abraham, Sarah and Lot to travel from Ur to Hebron?) She also elucidates the true Hebrew-language meanings largely hidden in English translations.

The book is divided into six major parts: (1) Abraham, his family and their journeys; (2) the women of the Bible; (3) the dynastic processions of the forefathers and foremothers; (4) the rape stories and the rebellion of Absalom; (5) the inheritance stories; and (6) the world of the Bible narratives as they really happened. In conclusion, Dr. Ravid says she has tried to peel away the legendary overlay from the biblical stories to reveal a realistic historical society. By so doing, she hopes to have shown the Bible to be “a credible testimony about the beginnings of a nation and its land.”

Although the book is very readable, its level of detail makes it somewhat difficult to read from cover to cover. I found it more helpful first to scan its contents and then to peruse its various sections in conjunction with Bible study. The book is recommended for all church and synagogue libraries and for all those desiring more background information on biblical characters and stories. ( )

The author takes several major themes that would impact family (and 'tribal' life) in the time of the Jewish Bible / Old Testament, covering topics such as inheritance, the roles and rights of women as wives, concubines, and slaves, and the patriarchy in general. Derived almost entirely from textual evidence rather than archaeological or physical evidence (which would indeed be scant for a nomadic people), she makes brings out many points from the text that may have significant cultural differences between the authors' / subjects' time and our own. In doing so, she does serve to give a richer picture of the situations portrayed, and perhaps gets the reader closer to how the original stories may habe been received, with a shift in emphasis or nuanced understanding. Even the punning language of the text can lead to new insights. However, it is a bit frustrating that she seems to have no clearly explained guide as to when fantastical language of the texts should be rejected (e.g., impossibly long life spans) and when it should be carefully explained as rational, no matter how improbably (impossibly long journeys). There are also some disturbing 'readings' of the psychology of ancient characters, such as the discussion of rape, or the unironic comparison of Israelite settlers and Canaanites to American 'pioneers' and the Native Americans who 'opposed' them.

I found this book to be very interesting. It gave a lot of information on questions that are of interest. We get to see how people of the Bible days lived and handled many things that came up in their lives We find that many things where the same back then, and they set up laws to live by just as it is today. I would say this is a great book for someone that is studying the Bible. Also would be a great reverence book for for a Bible teacher. I enjoyed this book reading over may things I wondered about. ( )

The book is divided into several sections. Each section focuses on a specific topic (for example, the role of women, marriage, rape, inheritance, etc.) The author then explains how those things usually happened in the ancient world. Then there are several chapters that go through various stories in the bible which show how these concepts and structures in the ancient world play out in the biblical narrative. For example in the family structure section, the book first explains how families were structured and usually functioned. Then there are chapters on various biblical families, examining each in detail through the lense of what was presented earlier which helps to explain the text.

The author takes a decidedly unorthodox approach to some things, essentially throwing out certain texts which she thinks are obvious exaggerations or later additions to the text because they conflict with what is known about the functioning of the ancient world. Although no sources are cited, it is clear that rabbinic sources are not used, and the author is relying on academic sources to provide the background information from which she does textual analysis. Despite this, the author's unavoidable conclusion is that the stories in the bible (while perhaps exaggerated), are based in reality and did occur.

Although I have more than a passing familiarity with the bible, reading this book definitely helped me understand many of the stories better and provided me with a greater depth of understanding. For example understanding how inheritance usually worked in the ancient world, the author explained the story of Ruth. As a result the actions of some of the characters make more sense in context instead than they did before I understood the culture from from they originated.

I do have two complains with the book. The primary one is that the author frequently diverted into long poetic prose that would have been far more at home in a fiction novel than a non-fiction book. My assumption is that the author is trying to lend more of a feel for the stories and characters by describing them as you would in a novel, but the effect is to cheapen what should be a fact based work.

My second complaint is the final chapter, entitle "the bible really happened". The book takes the theories of Hermann Gunkel and debunks them. The problem is that Gunkel's theories are all very dated, and debunking them proves nothing. This is similar to the straw man argument - taking an absurd position of your opponent, attacking it, and saying that proves your argument correct. It would be far more instructive to see the author try to argue with modern critics like Hawkins and Hitchens.

Overall, while the constant forays into poetic descriptions of biblical scenes was a little grating, the book did provide me with a lot to think about, and a new understanding of many of the biblical stories. ( )