The description of the Discovering Biblical Texts series (on the book’s first leaf) states that it provides “comprehensive, up-to-date and student-friendly introductions to the books of the Bible: their structure, content, theological concerns, key interpretative debates and historical reception.” Although the sheer quantity of existing scholarly discussion precludes comprehensiveness in three hundred pages, Ralph Hawkins has produced a very satisfying introduction to Exodus in line with the series’ aims. Because these goals vary in some ways from those of traditional introductory literature on books of the Bible, the result is a table of contents and chapter titles rather unlike those contained in other such works. However, Hawkins has used this format to good advantage.
Hawkins’s consideration of the needs of students is evident throughout the work. After acknowledgments, a list of abbreviations, and a note about style, the Introduction situates Exodus within the Pentateuch, describes the book’s structure, and outlines...