Violence and Personhood in Ancient Israel and Comparative Contexts

[a] very timely and revealing study ... This monograph is carefully researched and meticulously documented. I was consistently impressed by the degree of nuance Lemos exercises throughout the study ... this book is a welcome addition to the growing collection of studies on various aspects of violence in the Hebrew Bible. It deserves a careful reading and will certainly become an important part of future conversations that reflect on the nature of personhood in Israelite thought and the determinative role violence played in that regard. * Eric A. Seibert, Catholic Biblical Quarterly *
Lemos' book is important, perhaps even essential, reading for scholars (and students) interested in serious questions of violence in a variety of contexts in biblical literature. She reads contemporary literature carefully, and her use of social science and even philosophical arguments is both helpful and clear throughout the study ... The approach is such that it would be useful for advanced undergraduate, and definitely graduate, level courses along these lines. The wide-ranging nature of the work means that it would be relevant for a variety of courses in biblical ethics, and not only courses specifically interested in war and peace. * Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Biblical Interpretation *
Lemos has done us a great service with this project. It is a work of great precision, marked by patient exegesis and carefully considered conclusions. Lemos points to the blindness we have shown to these matters in a way that does not allow retreat but demands new accounts of the types of brutality the scriptures contain... It will be of interest to scholars concerned with the social dynamics of ancient West Asia, particularly those interested in matters of class, gender, and ethnicity. However, its exegetical insight is of far broader significance. * Anthony Rees, The Review of Biblical Literature (RBL) *
Lemos's book is an important contribution to the topic of personhood in ancient Israel and violence in the [ancient Near East]. The blend of anthropological and textual analyses make it a rich catalyst for discussions on law, culture, and society in ancient Israel. It is the hope of the reviewer that this book will encourage further scholarly engagement with these issues, which are of vital importance in contemporary society. * Sarah Gane Burton, Reading Religion *