The Rational Bible: Exodus

Thoughtful and simple exegesis, but not simplistic. Well laid out, easy to read, visually a treat. I might wish for a deeper bibliography, foot notes, etc., but that does not detract from the straightforward message, that ethical monotheism changed the world for good, built the foundation for our civilization and a moral society. Thank you, Mr. Prager.

Got two books: one for myself and one as a birthday present for my sister. They came just in time in excellent shape. Thoroughly enjoying reading it. I love history and this is a brilliantly written piece-by-piece breakdown of the second book of the Bible. Prager tells you his opinion, based on the facts, and why he believes as he does.

As a Christian raised in church, I’ve probably heard dozens of messages on Exodus and read the book dozens of times. But Pragers’ unique qualifications make his commentary so insightful, I felt like I was reading Exodus for the first time. As the title states, this is a rational commentary whose moral center makes it must reading for people of all faiths, as well as those with no faith.
Bob W

Listed to Dennis Prager all the time, As a practicing Catholic, I had some reservations in studying the Torah. I'm glad I did, clear a concise explanation of the Old Book, providing a completely new awareness and significance of the Old Book. This really provides the teaching foundation which many relied on when Jesus delivered the prophecies into the New Book.

Clear, concise, rational explanations of the verses that gave me a better understanding of the development of ethical monotheism and how and why God guided the Hebrews (and us) in their (and our) journey. Put me on the list for Mr. Prager's next volume.

Like the author states on his radio show, he prefers clarity to consensus.
This books brings to life the devotion of the Jewish people with clear background and knowledge to make the history of the Torah compelling to everyone.

This is an incredible comprehensive commentary on the book of Exodus. Those who follow Dennis Prager will surely appreciate the time and thought into creating such a in depth commentary. As someone who is not a Jew, I can appreciate this commentary as it brings many incredible points to the book of Exodus.

"The Rational Bible: Exodus" by Dennis Prager is a masterpiece. He takes each few lines of the book of Exodus, and writes a fascinating, concise commentary on the meaning of the text. I have read Exodus multiple times, and this is the first time that my reading has had true clarity. After all, it is in Exodus that God reveals the history of the Jewish people, establishes His laws, and gives all of humanity a logical and proper moral code for daily living.

Mr. Prager uses a warm and easy style to ponder some of the most important questions about man's relationship with God. I am so glad I purchased this book.

Profound yet clear and accessible analysis of the book of Exodus. Insights I had never heard before including having taken Old and New Testament at a religious university. I would suggest that you read a chapter in full of Exodus, then go back and read his analysis as he inserts his thoughts after a verse or two, or even parts of verses. Wonderful book, looking forward to seeing more on the other book of the Pentateuch.

Profound yet clear and accessible analysis of the book of Exodus. Insights I had never heard before including having taken Old and New Testament at a religious university. I would suggest that you read a chapter in full of Exodus, then go back and read his analysis as he inserts his thoughts after a verse or two, or even parts of verses. Wonderful book, looking forward to seeing more on the other book of the Pentateuch.

For far too long Christians, myself included, have neglected the Old Testament. A good way to reverse that is by reading Dennis Prager's recently released book on Exodus. His many years of studying the Torah have served him well in shedding light and meaning for those of us who have cast our eyes elsewhere.

“The Rational Bible,” puts ancient biblical life, thinking and behavior, into a reasonable and logical perspective that makes rational sense in the past as well as in contemporary time. The Exodus clarifies ancient thinking and behavior as well as what God expects from his people, then and now. It's about God, slavery and freedom. The central message of his book is simply that God is good and demands that we as humans behave as good people, with good values, as this is the only belief that will enable a good world for humans to live in. The Rational Bible, is profound and demystifies scripture with human logic and reason. It’s simply life changing with respect to wisdom, adopting new thinking, good values and behavior.

One of the best books I ever read, to be fair Mr. Prager offers a great explanation on how the Bible came to revolutionize ethics as we know them, I loved the explanation on an "Eye for an Eye " and how it came to be.

Great book so far! As a Christian I value other’s wisdom dealing with ancient scripture. There is little doubt that our decline as a society stems from little wisdom and a lack of belief and study of God. This book can add to your understanding and faith in God and Christ. My primary issue with the book is the cheap binding!! It’s the worst hardcover binding I have seen and every book I buy is hardcover. Prager...fix it!!!

Ayn Rand, the queen of "reason and logic", echos the moral tenets of God's Word in her writings...Randians hate and deny it, but it is true...Thank-you Dennis for your brilliant insight...despite the negative review claiming that since you are not a Christian, you are wholly without understanding of "The Word"...as Mark Twain noted: "If Jesus were to come back today, the last thing he would choose to be is "Christian". Twain has a good point when one considers just how many doctrines today's "Christian" embrace, and routinely "add to or takes away from these words..."
Guess they think that Revelation 22:18-19 are "throw away lines" not to be taken seriously...

Increasingly, the modern American has no familiarity with the Bible. Many have tried to read it, only to bog down in early chapters of geneologies or rituals. The centrality of the Bible to the formation of our nation and our freedoms is not appreciated. We feel we have "progressed;" while in fact we have lost patience with the demands and disappointments of our common human condition, formerly learned through teachings and dialogues centered around Biblical narratives and instruction. For the person seeking an introduction to the Bible and an understanding of its relevance to our modern society, Dennis Prager's RATIONAL BIBLE is perfect--a blend of Biblical text, historic background, rabbinic commentary ancient and modern, all discussed from the perspective of our time. This makes the Bible narrative meaningful and understandable for new readers and provides fresh insights for those already familiar with its passages. Prager explains that "the modern world poses intellectual and moral challenges that did not exist when the classic Jewish commentaries...were written." His RATIONAL BIBLE commentary answers a need for analysis of the scriptures in response to the challenges of our times.

Early in my rabbinical school years, I was introduced to A Commentary on Exodus, by Rabbi Umberto (Moshe David) Cassuto of blessed memory. For the next thirty-two years, I regarded Rabbi Cassuto’s book as the best commentary on any book of the Bible that I had ever seen. Each year, when Exodus was read in synagogue, I would reread it, always picking up some new nugget of information I had not paid attention to in the past.

Because I was first introduced to Dennis Prager’s work through his Jewish writings, I anticipated the release of his The Rational Bible: Exodus, with great eagerness. Immediately upon getting my copy, I turned to chapter twenty-five (prompting my daughter to say, “Daddy! Who starts a book on page 363?”), but there was a method to my madness. Chapter 25 of Exodus comes after the narrative portion of the book is finished. It is the beginning of a long section that goes into great detail about the building of the Tabernacle, the transportable sanctuary used by the Israelites in the wilderness. It is the part of Exodus that many congregants and students of mine have described over the years as “the boring part.” Many can write compelling commentary on the Exodus narrative. I wanted to see what Mr. Prager could do with the so-called boring part of Exodus.

In short, Mr. Prager brought it to life in a way I had never seen before. His work surpasses even the that of the great Rabbi Cassuto. A Commentary on Exodus is highly informative, but it reads like an academic work, and does not attempt to make the Biblical text relevant to the modern reader. Mr. Prager’s writing is riveting, with his trademark clarity present on every page. Like Rabbi Cassuto, Mr. Prager does an outstanding job explaining the contextual meaning of Exodus, but does so in a style that makes it accessible to any intelligent reader. Moreover, Mr. Prager shows his readers how and why this ancient text has much to teach us today. It is one thing to do that with the Ten Commandments. It takes a Dennis Prager to do it with the instructions for building the Tabernacle.

It would be a great loss to many if potential readers assume that because Mr. Prager is Jewish, he has written a commentary for a Jewish audience. Whether one is Jewish or Gentile, religious or secular, you will be enriched by reading The Rational Bible. Even an atheist should want to understand the book that has done more than any other in history to shape the moral values of the West. It is my belief that there should be, and my hope that there will be a place for The Rational Bible on every bookshelf in North America.

Rabbi Benjamin Sendrow
Congregation Shaarey Tefilla, Carmel, IN
Adjunct Professor of Bible, Butler University

This book is for Jews, non-Jews and anyone who struggles with the big questions in life. The Torah, in my opinion, does not have all the answers to life but it is filled with wonderful insights that can help any individual live a better life. This book is an excellent summation of many of those ideas that the Torah brings to us.

Dennis Prager has the incredible gift of making complex ideas seem simple. He can take something that appears very complicated and reduce it to an essence that is easy for all of us to understand. This book is very readable (which I can't say for the Torah itself).

Even if you are not religious you can learn a lot from this book. It will challenge, and enhance, all of your thinking. Highly recommended!

Well, there goes my next book. For those who read my books on Hebrew word studies, I strongly encourage you to read this commentary by Dennis Prager. A truly wonderful mix of Jewish Literature, thought and insight into Jewish culture so very necessary for us from a Christian background to understand. As a Christian Bible College teacher in Classical Hebrew I was not even aware of the difference between the two words for nation, am and goy. This book is filled with wonderful insights you will not gleen from a Christian perspective and yet is so necessary to help us understand our relationship with God and to understand the New Testament and teachings of Jesus. I highly recommend every Christian pastor to purchase this commentary, it is truly a scholarly work for the common believer. Chaim Bentorah

Compelling. I have been reading this book all afternoon and instead of feeling confused and overwhelmed with data I feel enlightened with clarity. It’s not a difficult read because the author aids the reader in understanding the meaning of the Torah instead of showing off his considerable knowledge. I am reading on my Kindle but will buy a hard copy so I can make notes in the margins and add to my library of reference books.

Dennis Prager is an illuminating teacher of Jewish Torah. He appreciates the rationality of the Torah, and squarely places the Exodus as the central event which introduced ethical monotheism to the world. His assertions concerning Sabbath keeping and other legal systems illustrate that a new thing has been initiated with the Exodus, a delicate development in a world where polytheism and henotheism are the rule. There is truth, common sense and logic here. I genuinely appreciate his look at the Jewish central story, a look which deserves any Christian's respect, and his take on the way that Christians and Jews have historically joined to support each other's ethical issues. It's a warm relationship, and a first-rate explication. I look forward to the other volumes to come.

First I would like to say I listen to Dennis Prager on a regular basis. I may not always agree with him, but he does have interesting topics, including politics, religion and the "male, female" hour to name a few. While his book is well written, could not bring myself to believe that everything that is written in his book to be true.

As a former believer who is agnostic, the fact that the New Testament was written decades after the supposed death of Jesus, full of contradictions, discrepancies and absurdities, how can one come to believe that every aspect of the Exodus to be literally true in the Old Testament? As Dennis takes you through his book, he basically gives his interpretation as his Jewish faith teaches, and does a fine job, regardless of how far-fetched things may sound. The feel of the book just keeps going along explaining the Exodus without missing a beat. Except at some point, you have to ask, how can this be really true and accurate without someone being there at the time to record these events. This is where my skepticism comes in.

While Dennis is a good guy, and I will continue to listen to him on the radio, the only ones who will devour this book are the believers of the same or similiar faith. Sorry Dennis, you didn't convince me or change my life after reading your book like you had hoped to. I'm sure your next book on Genesis will be the same and it will have the same results from the religous crowd, while non-believers will still be looking for something more convincing.

Dennis Prager weaves together traditional interpretations with his own original and personal insights to make the book of Exodus (Shmot) understandable and meaningful for any interested reader, of any or of no religion. If he never writes another book, dayenu! (This is enough)

Throughout, Prager has many entries that support his (and my) belief that the Torah is Divine wisdom, that the Exodus really happened, that hardening Pharaoh's heart enabled him to do exactly what he wanted to do, etc.

The format is simple. The Torah text, from the 1985 JPS translation, is numbered and printed in bold type. Where appropriate, Prager's commentary follows, in regular type. Section headings are given in red caps, and major ideas are given in red italics and set off with horizontal borders. There are end notes for almost every chapter.

I read this with the Hebrew text open next to me, took pages of notes, and am looking forward to researching many of the ideas and concepts he raises. For example, I was not familiar with Cassuto's comparison of the golden calf and the cherubim -- both serving as a seat or pedestal for an invisible God.

Thank you, Dennis Prager.

I am a God seeker and I believe that seeking for God is an intellectual enterprise. This is not because God is lost nor that He is hiding from us. I believe God delights on us when we persuade Him as if we are interested in a personal relationship and we use all our been, especially our reason in this relationship.
I consider Mr Prager as my Rabbi even though I am a Christian. I have learned so much from him about life than grad school.
I couldn’t wait to get the book (it supposed to arrive in 2 days) that I have to read the sample for kindle from the store. And thrilled with the little portion that I have read.
I have read many commentaries from Christian and Jewish authors but no one explain so clear and precise each verse for a modern person.

I am a christian man who wavered with my faith in my younger years. With the influence of my parents and wife and by the grace of god I found my way back to my faith. I am a Firefighter and in my experience my profession seems to be very godless. While regaining my faith I noticed many of my brother Firefighters were against the belief in god or any higher power. I defended my faith but was constantly met with a barrage of questions I couldn't seem to answer. I was often ridiculed or made fun of. I became tired of not being able to answer simple questions explaining my faith and began questioning it again. I decide to take to educating myself when about a year ago I discovered Mr. Prager. I have since been listening to him daily and couldn't wait for the Rational Bible to come out. The day arrived and I dove right into the book and while I'm only 2/3 of the way through it had provided me with a knowledge and perspective I would have never dreamed of. It has awakened my courage to speak openly and honestly about my faith. I am making progress in my firehouse and while many still do not believe the answers I give them make them pause and think. The ridicule is far less than it once was and by the grace of god some men are starting to question themselves.Thank you Mr. Prager for such a work of art that provides the expert knowledge one needs to answer the hard questions.

Manny

Dennis Prager is an amazing person. I have been listening to his radio program and watching his YouTube videos for years now. He is so intelligent with a lot of clout and experience to back it up yet explains topics in a way that the average person can understand what he’s saying. His shows talk about all the relevant topics in today’s news and cuts to the meat of the arguments. I have been waiting for this book to come out. I have always wanted to read the Bible and tried but couldn’t get past the difficult primitive language, so I gave up and listened on TV for preachers to explain them. I read a sample before I bought the book at Costco. I can’t wait to read it in its entirety. Thank you Dennis for all you do for so many people across the world

For any Jew, gentile, or even non-believer with an interest in truth, goodness, and morality I enthusiastically recommend Dennis Prager’s new book, “The Rational Bible”. It focuses on the book of Exodus. Subtitle: “God, Slavery, and Freedom”. The introductory observations made regarding “honoring parents” is priceless. This book is saturated with wisdom and keen insight. Arguably Dennis Prager’s most profound book to date, it beautifully illuminates the most important Book of ALL time! The Rational Bible should be mandatory reading for every heart and mind!
Dennis Prager, while a Jew, has an exceptionally keen appreciation for Christianity. A truly gifted man whom I’m convinced God is not done with yet! He’s a wonderful Conductor as well!!
Kenneth D. Rogers

I love Dennis Prager. I love his fireside chats and his Prager U videos. This book is good, but not great. Since I am a Christian and Dennis is a Jew, we will obliviously have different beliefs. Overall, I agree with most of what Dennis says. One of the biggest disagreements I have with this book is that Dennis believes that Moses was not predestined. That God chose him out because he was a moral man who did not tolerate injustice ( I believe God predestined Moses)...I disagree with him but that's ok. Dennis has a right to believe that. However, most of what I've read thus far is great.

Very insightful, but even more wise. Dennis did a great job explaining points in Exodus that I hadn't noticed; he notes a lot of instances where the choice of words used (in the original Hebrew) implicates how the text should/could be interpreted. I also enjoyed his inclusions of Hebrew translations--he would often offer his own translation because the English translation provided by his source wasn't quite accurate or perhaps failed to include that the phrase was a known idiom or metaphor in ancient Hebrew. Often, he would note how Hebrew functions differently than English and other languages and how therefore the original text may have included linguistic symbolism or metaphor in the printed words themselves (as opposed to the meaning of the words used together in a sentence). I can't wait for Genesis!

I loved everything about this book. I loved the way it read, the way it felt, and the way it educated. If you have a hard time reading the period text of the bible this book is Definitely for you! I grew up learning all about the people and stories of the bible. The Exodus story was my favorite as a child. Prager does an excellent job keeping you engaged and excited about learning this amazing story in detail. details that I didn't even realized had gone completely over my head! His insight into the various meanings of the Hebrew words used, his application of the various lessons and their applicability to today, etc. I could not put this down. I couldn't wait to wake up and spend the beginning of my morning enjoying the next installment over coffee! His book has inspired me to consider my next book to be a history buff's perspective of the bible. (I'm currently finishing my 1st, American history text) Thank you Dennis but also Dang it Dennis!-cause I desperately want to read Genesis now and I saw it isn't out till next year!?! Gonna be a long wait as all I want to do is read another, and another, and....

Thank you Regnery Faith for sending us this book to review!

Dennis Prager has studied and taught the Torah for fifty years and has hosted The Dennis Prager Show on radio. This book is written for people of all faiths or lack thereof. According to the author, “The Torah either has something to say to everyone or it has nothing to say to Jews.” The Rational Bible: Exodus is 520 pages long and goes through each verse and adds commentary to explain them further as needed.

Each chapter of the book focuses on a chapter in Exodus and the longest chapter by far is the 20th one which focuses on the Ten Commandments. That chapter alone is over fifty pages long. Along with the verse explanations are various essays that are thought provoking. Some of the major topics covered are slavery, abortion, and the “eye for an eye” concept.

When the Bible was written, slavery was much different than slavery during the Civil War. Most of the slaves in Bible times were slaves by choice or circumstance and not by kidnapping/stealing. In fact, human trafficking is punishable by death according to the Bible. Many Jews became slaves to pay off debt and they had many rights that American slaves did not have. Along with guaranteed food, clothing, and freedom after seven years, they were not required to work on the Sabbath, and even had marital rights.

While not tolerated or recommended, slave abuse is also covered in Exodus. Any injury that involved the loss of a tooth, limb, or an eye, freed the slaves from their abusive master. If a slave was killed by their master, their death must be avenged and treated as a murder. Beatings are not harshly punished though they are counterproductive and if done too severely, sets the slave free.

Many controversial topics are covered in this book and I cannot recommend it enough. I only wish that a thorough verse by verse explanation book was available for each book in the Bible. The $25 asking price is very reasonable and worth considering if you want an in-depth explanation of the Ten Commandments and the reasoning behind them.

This book is for anyone curious about the world we live in today. It is a much easier read than the Bible but it also breaks down Exodus where anyone can understand wisdom, reason and the world. This book for me sums up many questions I often hear people ask about the relevant nature of the Bible in our world today. Do yourself a favor - read this book and let it shine a light of wisdom unto you, your spirit and your walk with the Lord!

As soon as Dennis Prager announced this book I knew I had to buy it. It’s so fascinating and well researched that I can’t put it down. I’ve already read most of Mr. Prager’s works because I love his writing style and how personal he is in all of his books. Though this is a hardy topic, he manages to keep it simple and explains all the verses in the book of Exodus with common sense reasoning. I’m excited for future releases of The Rational Bible series of books.

As a side note, this has converted a lifelong atheist into a believer. I want to thank Mr. Prager for his intellectual honesty and earnest way of delivering his message. This book is perfect for any atheists that wants a great breakdown on what makes the Torah/ Bible the most endearing book of all time. For the believers, this will help you get a clearer understanding of the original Hebrew version of the Torah that is so often mistranslated in English Bibles.

Listened to the audio version of this while commuting and I've learned so much from this: importantly where our societal values and subsequent laws comes from, and why. Overall brilliant work. Can't wait for the others in his series.

I have read all of Mr. Prager's books and thought they were very insightful. This book was a complete disappointment. There was really noting new added to the conversation that hadn't been addressed in numerous other bible studies/books. I won't be reading his others on the Bible.

This book reinforced my urge and goal to read the entirety of the Bible as well as the history of the Russian Revolution, the history of Communist China, and the history of World War 2. Although Mr. Prager may have studied the Torah for 50 years he clearly neglected to study history. The individual is capable of great evil but the individual is much more capable of great good. What Mr. Prager fails to realize (or more importantly-acknowledge) is that vast networks of many individuals capable of great evil prop up very specific individuals in history that he has implied have alone been responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths. Lenin was propped up and financed. Trotsky was propped up and financed. Mao Zedong would have never gotten as far as he did without someone or some nation neutralizing the threat of Chiang Kai-Shek which allowed China to be infiltrated by the Red Communists. This book was a great kick in the behind to make sure history is never forgotten or reinterpreted.

I buy almost all my books from the store but lately I have also been buying from Costco and that is where I got this book.

One time I was at whole foods and someone had left a bible on the shelf with an inscription .Thrilled I took it home and tried to read it but found the stories to be distracting and far fetched. I felt silly reading the passages out loud to my husband who is a Christian and explained that this is why you need faith to believe what is the written word. I could not get past the hokey.

What I love about this book is that it explains the meaning of these verses and passages in a way I can relate to. I'm really am enjoying the bible now.

Clarity, integrity, RATIONALITY, thoroughness, depth of reflection, explanations from a Jewish perspective enriched by a lifetime of plumbing the richness of the Torah, enlightened by decades of marinating in the thoughts of others HIGHLY respected in their areas of specialty as well as the author's own digging into each word or phrase to wring from it/them every bit of meaning.

I've always found the Bible difficult to read. This book makes it very readable, interesting and engaging. Dennis Prager is a brilliant writer. My only question, in all that he does, how did he find the time to write this?

I just finished reading The Rational Bible. I can't thank you enough for writing this brilliant book. I encourage nearly everyone I see to get it. I don't want to lend mine for two reasons. 1. I highlighted and wrote all throughout mine. 2. They need their own copy to keep.

This book has opened the OT to me as a Bible Teacher. I so enjoy Dennis Prager when he is speaking. I also learn so much when I listen to him but just as much when I read his writings. Thank You, Dennis. Looking forward to the other 4 books as well.

Very well done. Yes. God is outside of nature as he created the universe like this book points out. Other aspects in here as well.
As to the water-sun part of my title review in 2014 it became a scientific fact that water is older than the Sun (see Discover magazine Sep. 2014 for more on this) agreeing with Genesis Chapter One. Great, 100% amazing scientific accuracy like this (and sphere of Earth hanging on nothing) proves the Bible is the Divine word of God.

Thoroughly well thought out, just very well done in general. It's a lot better than every other version of Exodus I had read previously and you'd be surprised at just how many that is in my many years of worship & practice at other dominations.

The 5 stars are mainly for reading the reviews. When did Dr. Who fans take over Xianity and start calling being born again regeneration? It's a fascinating development and it will be interesting to see if this becomes mainstream.

I become familiar with Dennis Prager through his university videos concerning politics, which I still highly respect. But I must say, this book was so far beyond disappointment it actually had me disgusted enough to shred it halfway through the first chapter wherein I was told that God failed THREE times to created good humans, and that the Torah was sent to rectify the situation by revelation of the law. I was also told that it was arguable that God cannot predict our actions because of our free will... which is absurd.

The introduction to this book is misleading. It would have you think Mr. Prager was going to give "biblical" insight. But to Mr. Prager, the bible consists of "theTorah", the first five books of the Old Testament in the Christian bible. It is said in the foreword that this book could be read as a whole, or one could use the index to look up specific topics of interest and they would stand as "read alone" sections explaining that particular subject. But again, this "revelation" is offered up without any insight from the New Testament what-so-ever. It's like looking at a painting of a subject with most of the background, but the subject of the painting is missing.

Why do I say that? Because I've learned one thing well since 1993 in my study of the bible. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed, while the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. Dennis Prager is a Jew and he has been completely devoted to the Torah all his life (I didn't know that until reading the intro in the book). I thought I would have much to glean from his insight into the time when all man had was God's law. But in the absence of Jesus totally from his assumptions and arguments, I find his understanding of the Old Testament shallow and in many cases, just will not have the answers and flat out wrong when trying to determine what God was doing and why. It is realizing the truths of Jesus and what He accomplished for us that literally UNLOCKS every thing about the bible one finds hard or impossible to understand.

I admire Mr. Prager. I still respect his understanding of politics in America and agree with his perspectives. But biblically speaking, he offered me nothing but Jewish scholarship as Jewish scholarship always is, without even recognition of Jesus as he meditates on God's "reasons" and "intents".

This book is heretical and Mr. Prager is the complete opposite of a theologian and is actually leading many people astray with this awful book. He's basically trying to substitute faith with works. Very dangerous. Here's a quote from the book "The torah is emphatically behaviorist. It recognizes it is bad behavior, not bad thoughts, that does the most damage in life". That statement is in direct conflict with the word of God. 1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.God has a strict standard that we are unable to meet that is why we needed a Savior and that is why God became a man and died on a cross for sinners.

I "read" read parts of the book on www.audible.com I found it to be a waste of time. It rehashes all the "Bible Stories" that we've been taught in Sunday School.

"WISDOM"?--is not to be found in Exodus-mostly "stories" that are told in Sunday School without any evidence that they really happened. If you want to find "wisdom" in the Bible...go to Leviticus and Solomon....or the ethics of Jesus.
IF ANYONE IS SERIOUS ABOUT "WISDOM"....LISTEN TO THIS: ALL RELIGIONS HAVE TWO PARTS...1) THE SUPERNATURAL BASED ON BLIND BELIEF, AND 2) ETHICS. INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE AND GROUPS OF PEOPLE WILL DISAGREE ABOUT THE SUPRNATURAL IDEAS AND BELIEFS BECAUSE THEY ARE BASED ON...ON...ON...FANTASY. MORE AGREEMENT CAN BE ATTAINED WITH THE "ETHICAL" IDEAS....SUCH AS "THE GOLDEN RULE" AND "DO NO HARM" AND KANTS "CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE. AND, IT IS THE ETHICAL ASPECTS OF ALL RELIGIONS THAT WILL PROMOTE HUMAN GOODNESS AND KINDNESS....THE SUPERNATURAL WILL AND THROUGH TIME HAVE AND WILL IN THE FUTURE CAUSE...CAUSE..."GOODNESS"??...NO...WAR AND SLAUGHTER...AS IS SHOWN AND PROVEN BY THE EXPERIENCE OF HISTORY. MY HOPE IS THAT THE WORLD WILL "GROW UP" AND LOOK FOR ETHICAL STANDARDS SUCH AS TAUGHT BY JESUS AND BUDDAH AND SOME OTHER TRULY WISE HUMANS.

Sound quality is TERRIBLE! It would seem the store / Audible, in order to save precious bandwidth/space on their servers recorded and delivered this (all?) recording(s) with Very low standards. Rest assured after I finish this book I'll never order the second "free" book that I am entitled to! If you value your time and books you shall stay clear of this site and offerings.

Unfortunately, Mr. Prager announces at the beginning of the book that he starts with the assumption that if he disagrees with anything in the text of the Torah, the Torah view is correct, as it comes from God, and therefore Mr. Prager has to change his previously held position.. Therefore Mr. Prager is parsing the words of the text whenever necessary and creating whatever interpretations are needed to make the text always appear rational, moral, and highly thoughtful. Indeed, that's what I would also do too if my entire being revolved around the presupposition that what's written in some text is infallible. Still, it's sometimes interesting reading Mr. Prager's analysis of the text.

Prager is a great conservative thinker. On most "rational" issues he's, for the most part, on target. Here is the problem: This review is not so much a negative review as a warning: If you are a Christian believer, you must ask yourself how much "truth" you can get from a man who is not regenerated. True, some of his exposition may be better than many Christian apologist who do not have the same intellectual depth. But keep in mind, it is the Holy Spirit that open God's word to the individual's mind. 1 Cor. 2:14 reminds us, "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." Such being the case, in Prager's attempt to explain God's Word, he is, for lack of a better term, "flying blind." I even heard someone promoting this book to non-believers by saying, "Just pretend the word 'Bible' is not involved." That comment speaks volumes. If and when Prager trusts Jesus as Moshiach--he may want to revise his exposition--or void the project in Toto. READ...BUT BEWARE.

There are two seminal issues addressing a review of this work. First, if the writer is unregenerate then the noetic effect of sin cannot be minimized. The worldview involved will ultimately dictate the hermeneutic employed. There can be no true ethical knowledge honoring God apart from union to Christ without which there is no indwelling of the Holy Spirit and subsequent necessary illumination. The second issue is even among the regenerate if human reason is the final arbiter in interpretaing the Scriptures at best it will yield probability rather than certainty. To start with God’s Word being autopistic is not necessarily the seedbed for circular reasoning. In the case of transcendent authority (and the metaphysical), there has to be ultimate principium higher than human reason. Both regenerate and unregenerate customarily practice this maxim.

This book has opened the OT to me as a Bible Teacher. I so enjoy Dennis Prager when he is speaking. I also learn so much when I listen to him but just as much when I read his writings. Thank You, Dennis. Looking forward to the other 4 books as well.

Very well done. Yes. God is outside of nature as he created the universe like this book points out. Other aspects in here as well.
As to the water-sun part of my title review in 2014 it became a scientific fact that water is older than the Sun (see Discover magazine Sep. 2014 for more on this) agreeing with Genesis Chapter One. Great, 100% amazing scientific accuracy like this (and sphere of Earth hanging on nothing) proves the Bible is the Divine word of God.

Thoroughly well thought out, just very well done in general. It's a lot better than every other version of Exodus I had read previously and you'd be surprised at just how many that is in my many years of worship & practice at other dominations.

The 5 stars are mainly for reading the reviews. When did Dr. Who fans take over Xianity and start calling being born again regeneration? It's a fascinating development and it will be interesting to see if this becomes mainstream.

I become familiar with Dennis Prager through his university videos concerning politics, which I still highly respect. But I must say, this book was so far beyond disappointment it actually had me disgusted enough to shred it halfway through the first chapter wherein I was told that God failed THREE times to created good humans, and that the Torah was sent to rectify the situation by revelation of the law. I was also told that it was arguable that God cannot predict our actions because of our free will... which is absurd.

The introduction to this book is misleading. It would have you think Mr. Prager was going to give "biblical" insight. But to Mr. Prager, the bible consists of "theTorah", the first five books of the Old Testament in the Christian bible. It is said in the foreword that this book could be read as a whole, or one could use the index to look up specific topics of interest and they would stand as "read alone" sections explaining that particular subject. But again, this "revelation" is offered up without any insight from the New Testament what-so-ever. It's like looking at a painting of a subject with most of the background, but the subject of the painting is missing.

Why do I say that? Because I've learned one thing well since 1993 in my study of the bible. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed, while the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. Dennis Prager is a Jew and he has been completely devoted to the Torah all his life (I didn't know that until reading the intro in the book). I thought I would have much to glean from his insight into the time when all man had was God's law. But in the absence of Jesus totally from his assumptions and arguments, I find his understanding of the Old Testament shallow and in many cases, just will not have the answers and flat out wrong when trying to determine what God was doing and why. It is realizing the truths of Jesus and what He accomplished for us that literally UNLOCKS every thing about the bible one finds hard or impossible to understand.

I admire Mr. Prager. I still respect his understanding of politics in America and agree with his perspectives. But biblically speaking, he offered me nothing but Jewish scholarship as Jewish scholarship always is, without even recognition of Jesus as he meditates on God's "reasons" and "intents".

This book is heretical and Mr. Prager is the complete opposite of a theologian and is actually leading many people astray with this awful book. He's basically trying to substitute faith with works. Very dangerous. Here's a quote from the book "The torah is emphatically behaviorist. It recognizes it is bad behavior, not bad thoughts, that does the most damage in life". That statement is in direct conflict with the word of God. 1 John 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.God has a strict standard that we are unable to meet that is why we needed a Savior and that is why God became a man and died on a cross for sinners.

I "read" read parts of the book on www.audible.com I found it to be a waste of time. It rehashes all the "Bible Stories" that we've been taught in Sunday School.

"WISDOM"?--is not to be found in Exodus-mostly "stories" that are told in Sunday School without any evidence that they really happened. If you want to find "wisdom" in the Bible...go to Leviticus and Solomon....or the ethics of Jesus.
IF ANYONE IS SERIOUS ABOUT "WISDOM"....LISTEN TO THIS: ALL RELIGIONS HAVE TWO PARTS...1) THE SUPERNATURAL BASED ON BLIND BELIEF, AND 2) ETHICS. INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE AND GROUPS OF PEOPLE WILL DISAGREE ABOUT THE SUPRNATURAL IDEAS AND BELIEFS BECAUSE THEY ARE BASED ON...ON...ON...FANTASY. MORE AGREEMENT CAN BE ATTAINED WITH THE "ETHICAL" IDEAS....SUCH AS "THE GOLDEN RULE" AND "DO NO HARM" AND KANTS "CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE. AND, IT IS THE ETHICAL ASPECTS OF ALL RELIGIONS THAT WILL PROMOTE HUMAN GOODNESS AND KINDNESS....THE SUPERNATURAL WILL AND THROUGH TIME HAVE AND WILL IN THE FUTURE CAUSE...CAUSE..."GOODNESS"??...NO...WAR AND SLAUGHTER...AS IS SHOWN AND PROVEN BY THE EXPERIENCE OF HISTORY. MY HOPE IS THAT THE WORLD WILL "GROW UP" AND LOOK FOR ETHICAL STANDARDS SUCH AS TAUGHT BY JESUS AND BUDDAH AND SOME OTHER TRULY WISE HUMANS.

Sound quality is TERRIBLE! It would seem the store / Audible, in order to save precious bandwidth/space on their servers recorded and delivered this (all?) recording(s) with Very low standards. Rest assured after I finish this book I'll never order the second "free" book that I am entitled to! If you value your time and books you shall stay clear of this site and offerings.

Unfortunately, Mr. Prager announces at the beginning of the book that he starts with the assumption that if he disagrees with anything in the text of the Torah, the Torah view is correct, as it comes from God, and therefore Mr. Prager has to change his previously held position.. Therefore Mr. Prager is parsing the words of the text whenever necessary and creating whatever interpretations are needed to make the text always appear rational, moral, and highly thoughtful. Indeed, that's what I would also do too if my entire being revolved around the presupposition that what's written in some text is infallible. Still, it's sometimes interesting reading Mr. Prager's analysis of the text.

Prager is a great conservative thinker. On most "rational" issues he's, for the most part, on target. Here is the problem: This review is not so much a negative review as a warning: If you are a Christian believer, you must ask yourself how much "truth" you can get from a man who is not regenerated. True, some of his exposition may be better than many Christian apologist who do not have the same intellectual depth. But keep in mind, it is the Holy Spirit that open God's word to the individual's mind. 1 Cor. 2:14 reminds us, "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." Such being the case, in Prager's attempt to explain God's Word, he is, for lack of a better term, "flying blind." I even heard someone promoting this book to non-believers by saying, "Just pretend the word 'Bible' is not involved." That comment speaks volumes. If and when Prager trusts Jesus as Moshiach--he may want to revise his exposition--or void the project in Toto. READ...BUT BEWARE.

There are two seminal issues addressing a review of this work. First, if the writer is unregenerate then the noetic effect of sin cannot be minimized. The worldview involved will ultimately dictate the hermeneutic employed. There can be no true ethical knowledge honoring God apart from union to Christ without which there is no indwelling of the Holy Spirit and subsequent necessary illumination. The second issue is even among the regenerate if human reason is the final arbiter in interpretaing the Scriptures at best it will yield probability rather than certainty. To start with God’s Word being autopistic is not necessarily the seedbed for circular reasoning. In the case of transcendent authority (and the metaphysical), there has to be ultimate principium higher than human reason. Both regenerate and unregenerate customarily practice this maxim.

I come to YouTube for insane conspiracy theories, videos of people's pets, and people making insane jokes that we all agree are jokes. If I wanted conspiracy theories people believed in, believing that women are equal to pets, and insane jokes that people treat as if they are true, I'd buy this book.