Customer Reviews

Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners And Customs How The People Of The Bible Really Lived

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you truly want to understand the Bible Days this is a must have book. This book brings the Bible to life again. You can see every detail of how people really lived. This is not a dictionary but more of an Advanced Encyclopedia on how people really lived. I believe the Illustrated Version with the Photography is very important to have here. The Photography is so amazing and detailed. I also ordered, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary : An Authoritative One-Volume Reference Work on the Bible, With Full-Color Illustrations... Using the two of these together you can really understand the meaning of phrases and words in the Bible.

Take for example if I said, "This is a really cool book". 1000 years from now you would think I was saying this book is very cold. But really I meant this book is very useful, neat, or exciting. These Two Nelson books go hand in hand.

Have you ever read the Bible and wondered why a character did or said something a certain way or why certain events took place the way they did? Like, for instance, why did Ruth lay beside Boaz's feet on the threshing floor or why did Matthew become a tax collector, and why was he so despised? Learning the cultural significance of certain things enriches one's Bible study. If you are not one to just read the Bible, but are dedicated to serious and in-depth Bible study, then this book is a must-have. Knowing the backstory of the people in the Bible lands of Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt, etc., their cultural habits, and the way they lived their daily lives helps to illuminate the scriptures. For example, in the 4th chapter of the Book of John when Jesus has a conversation with the Samaritan woman, we know by the woman's statement that there was tension between Jews and Samaritans for the woman was surprised that Jesus asked her for a drink of water since the "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." However, the text doesn't go into detail about why this tension exists, but referencing Nelson's Bible Customs and Manners will tell you that because the Samaritans were taken captive by the Assyrians, they intermarried and adopted many pagan beliefs leading to enmity between the Samaritans and the Jews. This book is an invaluable resource for learning not only the customs and manners of certain groups, but it also presents exciting articles about the political landscape, wars and captivity, socio-economic conditions, how different cultures evolved, and the impact all of this had on God's people and His purposes. It is not laid out in dictionary format; it's more encyclopedic and has a wonderful and comprehensive index. Also, the photographs are very useful and very well-placed throughout the book. This book will certainly help to increase your understanding and appreciation of the Bible.

This book walks you through the streets of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus and helps you to appreciate what family and social and cultural life was like. You also get to walk with the apostle Paul through the streets of Ephesus and Colosse.

But the sections of the book that really opened my eyes was learning about life in Ur of the Chaldees and in Haran where Abram and his family relocated before God called him to leave his father's household to the place where he would show him.

Howard Vos writes in a clear and engaging style that will hold the attention of the pastor and the layperson hungry for more knowledge of the biblical world. I give it my highest recommendation.
Rev. Marc Axelrod

An appreciation of the history, political climate, trends, and just plain way of life of persons and generations of the times of the Bible is important in the understanding of the potence of the main thrust of it. One needs to ensure that he/she is taking everything within context and divine guidance in his/her quest to understand the Bible with a derived main motive of being more of an accurate servant to God.

Although the Bible can be understood by itself in itself through careful and patient study with humility and guidance, this book is - in my opinion - is an adequate assistant. It goes through the history and meanings of customs as well as the politics and rules of the land. It has accurate maps and drawings and even gives evidence based on secular history of biblical content.

If you are a student or considering purchasing a gift for such a student of the Bible - I say that this would be appropriate.

This is very readable book created in a format that is clear and easy on the eyes. Although this is no novel, it is laid-out in clear sections and allows for continual reading in each era of biblical times.

For instance, you can take a tour of the time of Abraham and learn of the geography, houses, religions, foods, agriculture, tools and many other such things that were pertinent to that era and less so as time progressed. This is very helpful if you wish to have accurate information for a particular time and place.

For myself, this book is not quite as helpful as I had anticipated, and this simply because I was looking more for a searchable encyclopedic book that would describe all the above items in a more itemized format. The way this book presents its cultural and historical information is valid, but makes searching for specific items "an Inn" or "yoke" difficult. Most pictures are very clear but not in color.

This would be a great book for someone wishing to study a specific era such as the Kings of Israel, Babylonian captivity, Roman rule...

For me, reading the Bible has been like listening to one end of a phone conversation. You don't get the full meaning. I have been left with so many questions, like what it means to heap burning coals on someone's head, or why people who spoke in Aramaic read Hebrew and wrote in Greek, although they were ruled by Romans. Without knowing the cultural background, you can't understand the full context of Scripture. This book gives you 'the other half of the conversation.' It is so in-depth that a nerd like me can read for hours. It is simply so interesting that my husband and friends went out and bought copies for themselves. It is a must-have for anyone who is really interested in 'learning' the Bible.

This book is an excellent source for historical and cultural information in the times of the Bible. It can really clarify many different questions in regard to culture and context in the Bible.

I felt really privileged to be able to have this book on hand. It serves to make the lands and people of the Bible times come alive as it describes details from facts, some long known and often newly discovered. One can tell that these authors spent countless hours compiling all that goes into this book. Delightful photographs.

A real good reference work. I also have this on my LOGOS program and go to this material often. In my future as a full time student I see many times of going back to this material. Highly recommend this not only in the students library but in any one serious about biblical studies.

I use this book to teach the youth at our church...it is a great asset!