The Harlot by the Side of the Road Audiobook By Jonathan Kirsch cover art

The Harlot by the Side of the Road

Forbidden Tales of the Bible

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Harlot by the Side of the Road

By: Jonathan Kirsch
Narrated by: Candace Barrett, Raye Birk
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $14.00

Buy for $14.00

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A multitude of Biblical stories have been censored, mistranslated, ignored, and even banned by religious authorities due to their erotic, violent, or mysterious content. In this recording, Jonathan Kirsch recounts some of the most startling and explicit writings from the Old Testament, those that dealt with seduction and revenge, incest and murder, interracial marriage, women's rights, and other explosive subjects. What emerges is a text whose real power lies in its unflinching view of the contradictions of human nature.Recording (P)1997 by Audio Literature; Copyright ©1997 by Jonathan Kirsch Bible Study Bibles & Bible Study Christianity Commentaries Judaism Ministry & Evangelism Sacred writing
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup
All stars
Most relevant  
The author takes some liberties in telling the stories adding details that are more speculations than truth. There are also some inaccuracies in details as well. Interesting, but not entirely accurate.

Interesting, but not entirely accurate

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great readings of the stories, would like a little more analysis or something like that.

Good to know!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What made the experience of listening to The Harlot by the Side of the Road the most enjoyable?

It was a new way to see the implications of stories you probably have skimmed over and never given a second thought to the characters and events surrounding the brief mention in the Bible. I'll bet this is the way the tales were told around the campfire before they were sanitized for publication.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tamar (of the Judah story) - a clever and feisty woman.

What about Candace Barrett and Raye Birk ’s performance did you like?

I always like a team or ensemble reading. It gives greater variety and realism to women's and secondary characters' voices.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's short enough that you can. But this was my biggest disappointment. I would have liked to listen to more. What possibly could have motivated the publisher, Audio Literature, to have made an abridged version? I HATE ABRIDGED VERSIONS.

Any additional comments?

I wish/hope that Audible will find an unabridged version. I will upgrade.

And now, the rest of the story ...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Excellent! My only problem (if you can call it that) is that the book was just much too short!!!

Excellent! But…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Kirsch elaborates and dramatizes four stories that involve sexual intrigue and violence bringing these to life. Each story is followed by a brief commentary shedding some insight as to their meaning.

The stories are: Lot and his daughters, Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar, the gang rape of a Levite's concubine, and the rape of David's daughter Tamar by her half brother.

It's a very enjoyable audiobook; I only wished it had not been abridged.

Fascinating stories

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This book gives you an idea of what sitting around a fire at night a thousand or two thousand years ago would have been like. Everyone knows the outlines of the biblical tales but the best story teller would embellish the tale just like this to entertain people he spent every day with and whose lives were pretty dull. It makes the lesson of the tale really instructive.

Interesting back story to the Bible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.