Many today find the Old Testament a closed book. The cultural issues seem insurmountable and we are easily baffled by that which seems obscure. Furthermore, without knowledge of the ancient culture we can easily impose our own culture on the text, potentially distorting it. This series invites you to enter the Old Testament with a company of guides, experts that will give new insights into these cherished writings. Features include * Over 2000 photographs, drawings, maps, diagrams and charts provide a visual feast that breathes fresh life into the text. * Passage-by-passage commentary presents archaeological findings, historical explanations, geographic insights, notes on manners and customs, and more. * Analysis into the literature of the ancient Near East will open your eyes to new depths of understanding both familiar and unfamiliar passages. * Written by an international team of 30 specialists, all top scholars in background studies.
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'This is a unique and important commentary. It is a milestone in the collection and comparative interpretation of ancient Near Eastern texts, pictures, and other archaeological materials as well as geographical, historical, and cultural information as they relate to the Old Testament. There is nothing else like it available today. The interpretations provided are usually cogent and convincing. Where there is legitimate debate, the explanations generally show due caution. There will always be disagreements between scholars on such matters, but the many comparative and archaeological resources assembled in these volumes make it a veritable gold mine for those who desire to take the ancient context of the Lord's work and word seriously in their study, teaching, and preaching of Holy Scripture.' -- Richard E. Averbeck, Ph.D., Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
About the Author
John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament; Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context; Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan; The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament; and A Survey of the Old Testament.
David W. Baker (PhD, University of London) is professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Ashland Theological Seminary.
Steven Voth (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Translation Coordinator for the Americas, United Bible Societies.
Paul Ferris Jr. (PhD, Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning) is professor of Hebrew Bible, Bethel Seminary - Bethel University.
Daniel Bodi (ThD, University of Strasbourg; PhD, Union Theologiical Seminary) is associate professor of Hebrew, Aramaic and Akkadian Languages and Literatures, Paris School of Oriental Studies, INALCO Institut National des Lanques et Civilisations Orientales.
Max Lucado has a BA in mass communications and a masters in biblical and related studies from Abilene Christian University in Texas. He has 80 million books in print, and altogether, 100 million products. His works have appeared on every major national bestseller list including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and Christian Booksellers Association. Max has also been featured in countless media outlets and national broadcasts. Currently, he is the minister of preaching at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he has served since 1988. He and his wife, Denalyn, have three grown daughters.
David W. Baker (PhD, University of London) is professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Ashland Theological Seminary.
Steven Voth (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Translation Coordinator for the Americas, United Bible Societies.
Paul Ferris Jr. (PhD, Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning) is professor of Hebrew Bible, Bethel Seminary - Bethel University.
Daniel Bodi (ThD, University of Strasbourg; PhD, Union Theologiical Seminary) is associate professor of Hebrew, Aramaic and Akkadian Languages and Literatures, Paris School of Oriental Studies, INALCO Institut National des Lanques et Civilisations Orientales.
Max Lucado has a BA in mass communications and a masters in biblical and related studies from Abilene Christian University in Texas. He has 80 million books in print, and altogether, 100 million products. His works have appeared on every major national bestseller list including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and Christian Booksellers Association. Max has also been featured in countless media outlets and national broadcasts. Currently, he is the minister of preaching at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he has served since 1988. He and his wife, Denalyn, have three grown daughters.
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More About the Author
David Baker is Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, OH, where he has taught for 25 years. Prior to that, he taught at the University or Durban-Westville and the University of the Witwatersrand, both in South Africa, and Bethel College in St Paul, Minnesota. He has also lectured at: Laidlaw College, Auckland, New Zealand; Queensland Theological College, Brisbane, Australia; South America Theological Seminary, Colon, Argentina; River Plate Adventist University, Libertador San Martin, Argentina; Tyndale Theological Seminary, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Ontario Theological Seminary (Now Tyndale Seminary), Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As well as traveling, David enjoys editing as well as writing, having written or edited over 40 publications.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and Informative,
This review is from: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary) (Hardcover)
First of all, thanks go out to Jesse Hillman at Zondervan for this review copy of Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel (hereafter, ZIBBCOT4).ZIBBCOT4 is breath-taking. It is beautiful, and offers a wealth of information for the reader who wants to dig deeper into the text. Much of the information found within is essential to understand more difficult passages, passages made more complicated for interpretation and translation by our cultural distance from the original audience. I have really enjoyed reading it and soaking in a lot of information that I was unaware of, or had not yet placed in context. Based on its coverage of the major prophets, ZIBBCOT4 specifically deals with the decline of Israel and Judah under repeated waves of dominating empires - Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Persian and Greek. This series does not have "Illustrated" in the title for nothing. Each page is set off by images and artwork from the Ancient Near East that make the concepts, people and texts come alive. Added to this are a large number of additional short essays discussing important topics as they are appropriate. The text flow is wonderful, making reading easy. Notes are left to the end of each book, rather than at the bottom of the page, which I was not fond of, but overall I thought the presentation made study easier, rather than a distraction or hindrance. This is not your verse-by-verse style commentary. Rather, it progresses through the text, stopping as required to address verses and subject areas that need cultural setting in order to grasp their full import. Concepts are presented individually and directly, seemingly without much effort to bring them together into a coherent whole. Though understandable, this causes the flow to be a little jumpy. As well, ZIBBCOT4 is not intended for direct application. It provides rich background information so that the Old Testament texts can be studied in its proper context, but does not overtly point out application for the reader. This is a wise choice in my mind; a commentary that tries to do too much will suffer for it. Plus, the focus is on the writer's intent (as far as it can be constructed from relationship with similar themes and concepts) and the expected reception of the message by the original audience - not so much on how we should respond to it. Background provided by this commentary is wide-ranging. Shared literary forms are addressed when relevant, such as poetry and prophetic utterances in Isaiah, the use of lament in Jeremiah and Lamentations, or courtier stories in Daniel. Shared religious imagery is also addressed. Where contrast or response to the surrounding culture is needed, this commentary steps in to clarify exactly how Israelite worship and the Old Testament text in particular is shaped by those conflicts. As for languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Akkadian (to name a few) are all addressed as commonalities and differences provide additional context. I found information on religious practices (ANE use of astrology, magic, prostitution, sacrifice, etc.) to be very interesting and beneficial for understanding how Israel, with its belief in a single, sovereign God, responded. If you like learning about history and/or language, this will be an especially gripping read, and a work you will come back to again and again.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of information with great pictures,
By Yogi Tarzan "Big DVD user" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary) (Hardcover)
Very good commentary with great pictures. Explains many things that I never knew even after reading other commentaries. Highly recommended.
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