Fields examines the motif of the ‘stranger’ in the stories of Lot in Sodom (Gn. 19), the Ephraimite in Gibeah (Jdg. 19–21), and Rahab in Jericho (Josh. 2). He seeks to identify the purposes or values conveyed. These three stories portray two guests who in some way have hospitality extended to them although they are objects of hatred by the citizens of the town. Motifs include safety in mountains, danger in the night, the sexual harassment of strangers, and the destruction of a city by fire. The political polemics of the biblical writers against nations (Ammon and Moab) and tribes (Benjamin) lie behind the stories of Lot and of Judges 19–21. Finally, Fields examines the Sodom tradition and its use by the prophets as an example of wickedness and judgment. This is a valuable catalogue and discussion of each of these motifs in their occurrences throughout the Old Testament.

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