This new volume in the Library of Ancient Israel series argues that, while the laws in the Hebrew Bible tend to reflect the interests of those in power, the majority of the ancient Israelites developed unwritten customary laws to regulate behavior and resolve legal conflicts in their own communities. The book includes numerous examples from village, city, and cult.Volumes in the Library of Ancient Israel draw on multiple disciplines--such as archaeology, anthropology, sociology, linguistics, and literary criticism--to illuminate the everyday realities and social subtleties these ancient cultures experienced. This series employs sophisticated methods resulting in original contributions that depict the reality of the people behind the Hebrew Bible and interprets these insights for a wide variety of readers.