Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-156) and indexes.

The Ancestral Narratives: A Sea of Names and Places -- Tales of Origins and Heroes -- The Ancestral Narratives -- Precedents and Constitutional Experiences in the Ancestral Narratives -- Covenant Making -- Abram/Abraham Builds an Altar -- Abraham Purchases His Family Burial Plot -- Jacob Obtains the Covenantal Blessing -- Jacob Makes a Treaty with Laban -- The Israelites Move to the Delta Region of Lower Egypt (Goshen) -- Dealing with the Wealth of Names -- Exodus and Settlement Period -- Putting the Story Together -- Superpower Politics and Diplomacy -- Aids to Chronology and Historical Reconstruction -- Archaeological Data -- Precedents Important for Later History -- Early Monarchy Period (ca. 1030-900 B.C.E.) -- Judges Period as a Political Transition -- Saul and the Establishment of a Chiefdom -- David and the Kingdom of Israel -- Solomon and the Organization of a Monarchy -- Reconstruction of the Tenth-Century Monarchy -- Precedents Formed in the Early Monarchic Narrative -- Period of the Divided Kingdom (ca. 925-586 B.C.E.) -- Extrabiblical Sources and Historicity -- Division of the Kingdom -- Jeroboam's Sin and the Pattern of Leadership in Israel -- Dynastic Changes in the Northern Kingdom -- The Household of Omri -- The Eighth Century and the Mounting Assyrian Threat -- Judah Stands Alone (ca. 720-586 B.C.E.) -- Hezekiah's Reform -- The Last Days of Judah -- Josiah, Reform, and Disaster -- The Last Kings of Judah -- From Exile to Alexander (ca. 597-322 B.C.E.) -- Aftermath of 587 -- Those Who Remained Behind -- Those Taken into Exile -- Restoration Period -- Those Who Returned -- The Role of Ezra and Nehemiah -- Alexander of Macedon and the Beginning of the Hellenistic Age -- Major Events During the Monarchy Period.

Grounded in the latest archaeological developments, Matthew's A Brief History of Ancient Israel presents a concise history of Israel covering the ancestral period, conquest and settlement, the monarchy, and both the exilic and postexilic periods. Using supplemental figures and insets, the author concentrates on providing a cogent and condensed discussion of events. He examines historical geography, archaeological data, and, where relevant, comparative cultural materials from other ancient Near Eastern civilizations. With an accessible yet high-quality introduction, A Brief History of Ancient Israel will be of immense value to both students of the Old Testament and the scholars who teach them.