The distinct terminology of "knowledge," "control," and "sex" as used in Biblical Hebrew are all conceptually related. Malul seeks to explain how these words are related and why these terms overlap semantically in the Hebrew Bible. The book is divided into four parts, covering the evidence, the idea of knowledge, and related institutions, concluding with a summary; in the course of the study, he discusses such things as carnal knowledge, the status of woman, purity/impurity, circumcision, and related topics.