The purpose of this study is not so much to interpret the meaning of the underlying events -- a task more properly in the province of biblical theology -- as it is to discover the historical data themselves and by every resource at our disposal (including the biblical text, extrabiblical documents, and archaeology) to reconstruct the history of Israel along the lines of ordinary historiographical method, that is, to the extent that such a goal is possible, given the unique nature of the material. Any success in this endeavor will be of importance to the search for a true understanding of Israel's Old Testament past -- a worthy objective in itself -- and to the establishment of the historical factualness of the Old Testament record, the truthfulness of which is absolutely critical if the religious and theological message is to have any effect. - Preface.