This work covers the papers given by invitation at the 18th Congress of the International Organization for the Study of the Old Testament, held in Basel from 5-10th August 2001. It presents the state-of-the-art of the exegesis of the Hebrew Bible, taking into account research in general linguistics and semitic philology, as well as textual criticism (Massora Magna, Septuagint, Qumran manuscripts), ethno-sociology and archaeology. Feminist biblical studies are represented as well as the last research on literary criticism on the Pentateuch, especially in its relation to other ancient Near Eastern texts (Neo-Assyrian and Aramaic inscriptions).