Books

Destruction of the Canaanites: God, Genocide, and Biblical Interpretation 

I recently wrote a short book on the most difficult ethical problem in the Old Testament. Many scholars have written on this in recent years, so I decided my most useful contribution would be a survey of the various approaches to the topic. It is not a “happy” book, but I hope that it is helpful for you as you think through this very difficult topic.

Destruction of the Canaanites: God, Genocide, and Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2022)

Understanding Old Testament Theology: Mapping the Terrain of Recent Approaches

The field of Old Testament theology is vast and diverse, and shows no sign of slowing down or consolidating on a particular view. As a PhD student I felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of entries in the field and did not know how to make sense of it all. I wanted an introduction to the field of Old Testament theology that would help me navigate it all, but since one did not exist I enlisted my friend Brittany Kim and we wrote one together.

Understanding Old Testament Theology (co-authored with Brittany Kim; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020)

The first blog post below summarizes the content of the book, while the second talks about the co-authoring aspect of the writing.

Book Announcement: Understanding Old Testament Theology (Good Book Blog)

Experiences in Co-Authoring (Good Book Blog)

As part of this project we composed two annotated bibliographies. First, we worked with Darian Lockett to create a bibliography of 101 books on biblical theology in general. Second, we created a more extensive bibliography focusing on Old Testament theology in particular.

“101 Books on Biblical Theology: An Annotated Bibliography” (co-authored with Brittany Kim and Darian Lockett)

Old Testament Theology: An Annotated Bibliography (co-authored with Brittany Kim)

“YHWH Fights for Them!” The Divine Warrior in the Exodus Narrative

I stumbled into the academic study of warfare and violence. When I was talking with Dan Block about a possible dissertation, we decided on intertextuality between Numbers and Deuteronomy. But since this was still far too broad, I decided to narrow it down to the topic of warfare because I had been interested in studying military history. After I began studying warfare, I got interested in the ethics of the problem and never returned to the intertextuality. My dissertation eventually settled on the topic of YHWH as a divine warrior in the exodus narrative (Exodus 1-15) and was published by Gorgias. For an overview of my argument, see the blog post below, and some samples of the book can be read at my academia.edu page. Since my target audience is academics, the book is not the easiest to read for those outside of academia.

“YHWH Fights for Them!” The Divine Warrior in the Exodus Narrative (Gorgias: Piscataway, 2014)

YHWH Fights for Them: An Interview with Charlie Trimm (Good Book blog)

Fighting for the King and the Gods: A Survey of Warfare in the Ancient Near East

My first writing project after my dissertation was a book idea that I wished someone had written so I could have used it for my dissertation research: a survey of warfare in the ancient Near East. I had taken extensive notes while in my PhD program, and now I decided to write a book based on those notes. It took much longer than I expected as it spiraled out of control (and the scholars who reviewed the book suggested I should have added even more categories and material). The book is a reference book, so it is not the sort of book one just sits down to read. But I continue to find it very helpful and frequently return to it to remind myself what I said. Some samples of this book can be read at my academia.edu website. I also wrote a series of blog posts highlighting certain parts of the book.

Fighting for the King and the Gods: A Survey of Warfare in the Ancient Near East (Atlanta: SBL Press, 2017)

Overview of the Book (Good Book Blog)

Going to the Bathroom during Battle (Good Book Blog)

Fighting Chaos (Good Book Blog)

Pictures from the Book Part 1 (Good Book Blog)

Pictures from the Book Part 2 (Good Book Blog)

Exodus (NICOT)

Finally, Chloe Sun and I have been asked to write the Exodus volume in the NICOT series, which will give me many more opportunities to study Exodus!

Exodus in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series (co-authored with Chloe Sun; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, under contract)