Throughout the Hebrew Bible, strangers are indispensable to the formation of a collective Israelite identity. Encounters between the Israelites and their neighbors are among the most urgent matters explored in Biblical narratives, yet relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to them. This book corrects this imbalance by carrying out close readings of the accounts of Israel s myriad interactions with the surrounding nations.

The book follows the people of Israel from leaving Egypt to inhabiting Canaan and ultimately creating the nation of Israel. The introduction...