Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible

by John H. Walton

When we study an ancient text, we cannot make words mean whatever we want them to or assume that they meant the same to the ancient audience that they do to a modern audience. Language itself is a cultural convention, and since the Bible and other ancient documents use language to communicate, they are bound to a culture.

Material substance had relatively little importance or relevance to their understanding of the world.

In fact, even the word “intervention” is inappropriate because it implies that some historical events are not supernaturally driven. In the view of the ancient Near East, even “natural” occurrences are the result of divine activity.