Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
A rigorous exploration of the Spirit of God in the Old Testament - where breath, wind, wisdom, and prophecy converge across history, poetry, and the ancient Near East.
What happens when the Spirit of God enters the landscape of Ancient Israel? With contributions from leading scholars like Tremper Longman III, John H. Walton, and Daniel I. Block, this compelling volume traces a rich and intricate portrait of the Spirit - moving from Genesis' primordial wind to the creative insights of Israel's wisdom literature, prophetic oracles, and even the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.
Far from theological abstractions, these pages focus on specific questions: How did Israel's understanding of ruah - "breath," "wind," "spirit" - shape its vision of leadership, prophecy, and divine presence? Where do creation, poetry, law, and restoration merge under the empowering hand of the Spirit? How do figures like Bezalel, Job, and the psalmists encounter God's energy on the ground? Readers encounter topics ranging from leadership and empowerment to the Spirit’s creative force in both the mundane and miraculous.
Perfect for those passionate about Old Testament theology, biblical exegesis, or the roots of Christian pneumatology, this book grounds every discussion in the Old Testament's gritty, evocative imagery. Its reflections open a window on how the Spirit's presence, power, and promise still shape the big questions - and details - of faith, vocation, and community.
1. Breath, wind, spirit and the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament 25
Richard E. Averbeck
2. The Ancient Near Eastern background of the Spirit of the Lord in the Old Testament 38
John H. Walton
Part 2: The Spirit and creation
3. The Spirit and creation 71
Robert L. Hubbard,
Part 3: The Spirit and wisdom
4. Spirit and wisdom 95
Tremper Longman III
5. Job 27:3: the Spirit of God in my nostrils 111
Rosalind Clarke
6. Spirit and the psalmist in Psalm 51 122
Daniel J. Estes
7. Spirit and presence in Psalm 139 135
Jamie A. Grant
8. Spirit of wisdom or Spirit of God in Proverbs 1:23? 147
Lindsay Wilson
Part 4: The Spirit and creativity
9. Bezalel and Oholiab: Spirit and creativity 161
Richard S. Hess
Part 5: The Spirit and prophecy
10. The view from the top: the Holy Spirit in the Prophets 175
Daniel I. Block
11. Is Balaam’s donkey the real prophet (Numbers 24:1-4)? 208
John N. Oswalt
12. The Spirit of Yahweh in Isaiah 11:1-9 220
Hilary Marlow
13. Isaiah 48:16: a trinitarian enigma? 233
Paul D. Wegner
14. Joel's promise of the Spirit 245
Erika Moore
Part 6: The Spirit and leadership
15. The Spirit and leadership: testimony, empowerment and purpose 259
David G. Firth
16. The Samson saga and spiritual leadership 281
Eugene H. Merrill
17. Is Saul also among the prophets? Saul's prophecy in 1 Samuel 19:23 294
David G. Firth
18. The 'Spirit of the Lord' in 2 Kings 2:16 306
Robert B. Chisholm, Jr
Part 7: The Spirit and the future
19. The Spirit and the future: a canonical approach 321
Willem VanGemeren and Andrew Abernethy
20. The Spirit and the future in the Old Testament: restoration and renewal 346
Robin Routledge
Part 8: The Spirit at Qumran
21. The Holy Spirit at Qumran 371
Geert W. Lorein
Author index 396
Scripture index 402
Ancient sources index