Understanding the Old Testament with Dr. John Walton (podcast)

Understanding the Old Testament with Dr. John Walton (podcast)

From Re-integrate by Bob Robinson

February 23, 2026 · 1h 11m

About this episode

Dr. John Walton discusses the complexities of understanding the Old Testament in its ancient context.

Many of us find the Old Testament difficult to understand. Some find it incomprehensible, and some find it difficult to square with our modern sensibilities. We wonder if the Old Testament is irrelevant. Or we try to understand it and find it so confusing that we give up trying to read it. Our guest is one of the most influential Old Testament scholars of this generation. John Walton has spent his career engaging deeply with the Old Testament’s text and understands the ancient context in which it was written. His latest book is Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief (InterVarsity Press, 2025). In it, he invites us to leave our modern , and even our inherited Christian , preconceptions at the threshold as we enter the world of the Old Testament. We discuss: * How the New Testament writers viewed the Old Testament, and the danger of shirking our desire to understand it. * That since the Old Testament was written for us, it was not written to us. To fully comprehend the way that it is for us, we have to do whatever it takes to join the author’s implied audience. We discuss the importance of delving into both the cultural and literary contexts…

People in this episode

Host: Bob Robinson

Guest: Dr. John Walton

Topics covered

  • Old Testament
  • Biblical interpretation
  • Ancient context
  • Cultural influences
  • Theology

Keywords

  • Old Testament
  • John Walton
  • Biblical scholarship
  • cultural context
  • theology
  • interpretation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: InterVarsity Press

Books & works: Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief

More episodes of Re-integrate

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Re-integrate podcast page.