Focusing on texts in the Hebrew Bible, and using feminist hermeneutics, Phyllis Trible brings out what she considers to be neglected themes and counter literature. After outlining her method in more detail, she begins by highlighting the feminist imagery used for God; then she moves on to traditions embodying male and female within the context of the goodness of creation. If Genesis 2-3 is a love story gone awry, the Song of Songs is about sexuality redeemed in joy. In between lies the book of Ruth, with its picture of the struggles of everyday life.

Phyllis Trible is a renowned scholar in the field of feminist biblical scholarship. She has served as the Baldwin Professor of Sacred Literature, Union Theological Seminary, New York, as well as associate dean, professor of biblical studies, and university professor at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Her groundbreaking books include God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality and Rhetorical Criticism.