The Bible’s Design & the Hypocrisy of Nations with Gary Rendsburg | Created In The Image of God 258

Gary A. Rendsburg has spent his life immersed in the Hebrew Bible: its language, its literary design, and its place in the history of Israel and the wider ancient Near East. As the Blanche and Irving Laurie Chair of Jewish History at Rutgers University and a Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies and History, he has written on everything from the redaction of Genesis and the dialects of ancient Hebrew (especially “Israelian Hebrew” of the northern kingdom), to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Israel–Egypt connections, and the artistry of biblical narrative. His books include The Redaction of Genesis, Diglossia in Ancient Hebrew, Israelian Hebrew in the Book of Kings, Solomon’s Vineyard (with Scott Noegel), and How the Bible Is Written, along with two popular Great Courses on Genesis and the Dead Sea Scrolls. In this episode, Gary joins Wade for a wide‑ranging conversation that refuses to keep Scripture in the past. They explore how the Bible’s tight literary design and moral vision frame questions of power, justice, and judgment in every era—from Psalm 1 and 2 to the birth of the modern State of Israel, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the staggering hypocrisy of today’s nations. Along the way, they touch on ancient ziggurats and the Tower of Babel, medieval and modern Hebrew manuscripts, and what it means to read the Bible as both historical document and living critique. For anyone who senses that our current crises have deep roots—and that the image of God, the people of Israel, and the raging of the nations are part of the same story—this conversation offers a thoughtful, historically grounded guide.