In this reflection on a lifetime's study of the Old Testament, William McKane shows how biblical exegesis should be less of an art to interpret revelation and inspiration than a illuminating humanist and linguistic discipline. He argues that the use of 'Word of God' in connection with prophetic utterances, and as a term for Scripture as a whole, leaves too much unsaid about the divine-human encounter. Exploring the limits of our knowledge of God in the tradition of Maimonides, he suggests that God does not speak Hebrew, that all language is human language, and that the language of the Old Testament should be studied like any other language embedded in ancient documents.