Not Scattered or Confused: Rethinking the Urban World of the Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible displays a complicated attitude toward cities. Much of the story tells of a rural agrarian society yet those stories were written by people living in urban environments. Moreover cities frequently appear in a negative light; the Hebrew slaves in the book of Exodus were forced to build cities and the book of Samuels critique of monarchy assumes an urban setting that supports that monarchy. At the same time Ezra-Nehemiah makes restoration of Jerusalem and its wall a holy priority and Genesis 111 (and subsequent references to the primeval narrative) show a much more layered view of the dangers and opportunities of the urban context. As the worlds population continues to move into cities and we debate the impact on human life and the natural environment it becomes increasingly important to know how the biblical writers understood the ways in which urban life enhances and disrupts human thriving. In this book McEntire offers a comprehensive and hopeful understanding of the Bible and the city.