"Designed for students, teachers, and pastors, this is really a handbook for studying the basics of biblical exegesis. It takes the reader, step by step, through context, historical, and literary analyses. While the diachronic and existential approaches are given their due, Gorman clearly states that the synchronic approach is dominant here. Having seen how a text is taken apart, the reader is then shown how to put it back together again in a way that will yield meaning for today. The very layout of the book is instructive. Important words are in bold print and explanations follow. Charts illustrate ideas. Each chapter ends with a summary of the content, practical hints for learning and remembering, and suggestions for further practice. Five appendices supplement the material in the book itself. This guide is highly recommended for classroom use."
--The Bible Today

The second edition features the following improvements to this top-selling textbook:
* Already discussed and embraced in the first edition, theological interpretation receives more attention in the second edition, accounting for the most significant change: the considerable expansion and renaming of chapter 8. That chapter is now called "Reflection: Theological Interpretation." The revised chapter 8 is longer and more theoretical than most of the other chapters.
* Another major addition to the second edition is the inclusion of a sample exegesis paper on a text from the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible.
* Other alterations include changes to some exercises, clarification and/or elaboration on several matters, and especially the addition of new resources.
* The purpose of the book, and its intended audience, remain the same: Elements provides students and ministers with an unapologetically practical approach to exegesis that is built on a strong theoretical foundation.