I picked up this book to evaluate if it could replace two textbooks in an Old Testament survey/foundation course that I teach to first-year seminary students: Hill and Walton’s Survey of Old Testament, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2010) and Arnold and Beyer’s Encountering the Old Testament: A Christian Survey, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic). To be sure, I could have undertaken a more updated comparison with the recent fourth versions of these two books, but at the time of my review, Arnold and Beyer’s 4th edition was still forthcoming. Nonetheless, all three books have achieved “standard” status since their debut more than twenty-five years ago and any of these volumes would make a good textbook, especially in more confessional institutions.

House and Mitchell write with an evangelical audience in mind. They hold on to traditional positions, such as early dating of events, inerrancy, and the unity of the Bible. This latest edition has expanded on topics related to the historical and geographical background of the biblical text in a picturesque manner—there are about sixty diagrams/maps, forty-six illustrations/tables and charts, and close to three hundred high-quality, full-color images and pictures. The reader will be treated to some form of visual aid on almost every page of the volume!

The book is divided into twenty-two chapters, grouped into four major parts (Law, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, and Writings) following the sequence of the Hebrew Bible canon. Each chapter begins with a summary of five items: plot, major characters, key minor characters, major events, and major themes. The back matter of the book includes name, subject, and scripture indices.

Perhaps benefitting from Mitchell’s archaeological expertise, an outstanding feature of this book is the sixty or so sidebars titled, “For Greater Historical Understanding.” These sidebars are interspersed across the book and develop specific historical and archaeological background information, such as the dating of Israel’s conquest of Canaan (pp. 123–24). I have not encountered another introductory text on the Old Testament with such extensive background content.

Designed as a textbook, there are several other notable features. First, it is easy to read. The authors have written in clear, short, and direct sentences. There is little use of jargon, and when it does appear, it is well explained. As such, this book is helpful to readers who do not have English as their first language. Second, while well-researched, the book is free from laborious footnotes or lengthy bibliographies. Every page is well-spaced and well-paced, without coming across as having too much information. Third, this book’s primary focus is descriptive, retelling the content of each book, although short evaluations are given sporadically and a brief conclusion is provided at the end of a chapter. This makes the volume beneficial for those less familiar with Old Testament narratives.

This book suffers from several weaknesses. First, it lacks a way to help readers engage deeper with the presented content. Apart from a brief conclusion at the end of a chapter, the book does not offer deeper theological reflections or applications. Unlike Hill and Walton and Arnold and Beyer, there are no “further readings” or “discussion questions” at the end of chapters to deepen the engagement with the content. Such questions can be helpful for peer-to-peer discussions or engagement with the tutor in the classroom. In other words, this book lacks important handles and activities to deepen learning.

Second, I find the lack of discussion on literary unity surprising because the authors clearly stated their intent to “emphasize the Old Testament’s unity” (p. 1). To those who are aware of House’s work on the unity of the Twelve (Minor Prophets), this is all the more striking! There is very little to no discussion on the structure or outline of each biblical book. The divisions of each biblical book are simply given on the contents page and discussed as they stand. In other words, the book does not offer sufficient windows to show readers how the biblical texts can be structured, read coherently, or interpreted.

As a whole, the book’s strength lies in its extensive provision of historical, archaeological, and background content. It also excels with a well-presented, picture-rich, and clutter-free format, giving it an edge over other Old Testament surveys. The breadth of historical details provided is more than sufficient for first-year seminary students, eliminating the need for additional references on background information. However, it is weaker compared to Hill and Walton and Arnold and Beyer in terms of hermeneutical and interpretive discussions.

Although all three textbooks are written from an evangelical perspective, House and Mitchell typically adopt a more traditional position, though not unfairly. At the same time, House and Mitchell stand out in their decision to discuss books in the sequence of the Hebrew Bible rather than the Christian canon.

Compared to Survey of Old Testament and Encountering the Old Testament, House and Mitchell’s book is more readable and slightly shorter in length, making it suitable for the reading load of a three-credit hour introductory Old Testament course. However, as an ecosystem of resources, Arnold and Beyer and Hill and Walton offer a wider spread of teaching/study resources, such as instructor manuals, presentation slides, sample syllabi, quizzes, and flashcards. House and Mitchell, nonetheless, is accompanied by an Old Testament Survey Workbook (by Archie England and Eric Mitchell [Nashville: B&H Academic: 2023]) that provides instructors with “a simple resource for structuring lessons, increasing student engagement, and assessing understanding,” as described by the publisher.

In conclusion, I cannot outrightly replace Hill and Walton or Arnold and Beyer with House and Mitchell. Neither do I want to relegate Old Testament Survey simply to one among my bibliographic references. In my view, House and Mitchell can be part of the expanded textbook list and offered as an alternative option for students who require more readability. At the same time, instructors using other textbooks can supplement their content on history and archaeology with the material featured in House and Mitchell.