: John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas
: The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
: IVP Academic
: 9780830866083
: 1
: CHF 43.10
:
: Religion/Theologie
: English
: 832
: Wasserzeichen
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
Preaching's Preacher's Guide to the Best Bible Reference An Expansive Old Testament Resource You Can Trust How can we account for the 'Book of the Law' suddenly being discovered during Josiah's renovation of the temple (2 Chron 34:14)? We know from Egypt and Mesopotamia that it was common to seal important documents-including theological documents-in the masonry or foundations of a palace or temple in order to inform a future king who might undertake restoration of the building. What might the psalmist have had in mind when praising God for removing our transgressions 'as far as the east is from the west' (Ps 103:12)? In an Egyptian hymn to Amun-Re, the deity is praised for his judgment of the guilty. As a result of the god's discernment the guilty are assigned to the east and the righteous to the west. What is meant by God 'weighing the heart' (Prov 21:2)? In Egyptian religious tradition we find the notion of the dead being judged before the gods. As the soul is examined, the dead person's heart is weighed in a scale against a feather symbolizing Truth. If the answers are correct and the heart does not outweigh the feather, the soul may enter the realm of everlasting life. The narratives, genealogies, laws, poetry, proverbs and prophecies of the Old Testament are deeply rooted in history. Archaeologists, historians and social scientists have greatly advanced our knowledge of the ancient world of the Bible. When we illuminate the stories of Abraham or David, the imagery of the Psalms or Proverbs, or the prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah with this backlight of culture and history, these texts spring to new life. The unique commentary joins The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament in providing historical, social and cultural background for each passage of the Old Testament. From Genesis through Malachi, this single volume gathers and condenses an abundance of specialized knowledge, making it available and accessible to ordinary readers of the Old Testament. Expert scholars John Walton, Victor Matthews and Mark Chavalas have included along with the fruits of their research and collaboration - a glossary of historical terms, ancient peoples, texts and inscriptions - maps and charts of important historical resources - expanded explanations of significant background issues - introductory essays on each book of the Old Testament The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament will enrich your experience of the Old Testament-and your teaching and preaching from Scripture-in a way that no other commentary can do.

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament, emeritus, at Wheaton College and Graduate School. His many books include The Lost World of Genesis One and Wisdom for Faithful Reading.

Other Resources for the Cultural Context of the Old Testament


This list provides the reader with some of the significant sources we found useful in developing the information we present. It is not a “beginning bibliography” in that some of the sources listed are fairly technical or advanced in nature. Neither is it a comprehensive bibliography – many fine works, even standard works, have been omitted. However, these would be the key works to refer to if the reader wants to find more information or discussion on the topics presented.

General Reference


Biblical Archaeologist. NowNear Eastern Archaeology.

Biblical Archaeology Review.

Boardman, John, et al., eds.The Cambridge Ancient History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970.

Botterweck, G. Johannes, and Helmer Ringgren, eds.Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975-.

Bromiley, Geoffrey, ed.The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988.

Douglas, J. D., ed.The Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1980.

Freedman, D. N., ed.The Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Hallo, W. W., and K. L. Younger, eds.Context of Scripture. Leiden: Brill, 1997.

Mazar, Benjamin, ed.Views of the Biblical World. Jerusalem: International Publications, 1959.

——–, ed.World History of the Jewish People. Jerusalem: Masada, 1963-1979.

Meyers, Eric, ed.The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Pritchard, James, ed.Ancient Near East in Pictures. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1954.

———. Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1969.

Reiner, Erica, et al., eds.Chicago Assyrian Dictionary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1956-.

Ryken, Leland, et al., eds.Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1998.

Sasson, Jack.Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. New York: Scribner’s, 1995.

Stern, Ephraim, ed.The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. New York: Simon& Schuster, 1993.

Van der Toorn, Karel, et al., eds.Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Leiden: Brill, 1995.

VanGemeren, Willem, ed.New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997.

Books on Particular Aspects of Bible Background


Aberbach, Moshe. Labor, Crafts and Commerce in Ancient Israel. Jerusalem: Magnes, 1994.

Ackerman, Susan.Under Every Green Tree: Popular Religion in Sixth-Century Judah. Harvard Semitic Monographs 46. Atlanta: Scholars, 1992.

Aharoni, Yohanan.The Land of the Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1979.

Amiet, Pierre.Art of the Ancient Near East. New York: Abrams, 1980.

Anderson, B. W.Gemstones for Everyman. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1976.

Baines, John, and Jaromír Málek.Atlas of Ancient Egypt. New York: Facts on File, 1980.

Beckman, Gary.Hittite Diplomatic Texts. Atlanta: Scholars, 1996.

Beitzel, Barry.The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985.

Berquist, Jon.Judaism in Persia’s Shadow. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995.

Borowski, Oded.Agriculture in Iron Age Israel. Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1987.

———.Every Living Thing. Walnut Creek, Calif.: Alta Mira, 1998.

Bottéro, Jean.Mesopotamia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Cansdale, George.All the Animals of the Bible Lands. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970.

Chirichigno, Gregory.Debt-Slavery in Israel and the Ancient Near East. Sheffield, U.K.: JSOT, 1993.

Clifford, R. J.Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East and the Bible. Washington, D.C.: Catholic Biblical Association, 1994.

Cook, J. M.The Persian Empire. New York: Schocken, 1983.

Crenshaw, James C.Education in Ancient Israel. New York: Doubleday, 1998.

Cross, F. M.Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1971.

Cryer, Frederick H.Divination in Ancient Israel and Its Near Eastern Environment. Sheffield, U.K.: JSOT, 1994.

Currid, John.Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997.

Dalley, Stephanie.Myths of Mesopotamia. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Davies, W. D., et al.The Cambridge History of Judaism. Vol. 1,The Persian Period.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984.

Dearman, Andrew.Religion and Culture in Ancient Israel. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1992.

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