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 ofthe 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.



Mark W. Chavalas is professor of history at the University of Wisconsin--La Crosse. He is also editor of Emar: The History, Religion, and Culture of a Syrian Town in the Late Bronze Age, (with John L. Hayes) New Horizons in the Studyof Ancient Syria and (with K. L. Younger Jr.) Syria-Mesopotamia and the Bible.



Victor H. Matthews is dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and professor of religious studies at Missouri State University (Springfield, Missouri). He has written several books on the Old Testament, including Manners and Customs in the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Life in Bible Times, (with James Moyer) The Old Testament: Text and Context and (with Don C. Benjamin) The Social World of Ancient Israel.



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



Preface



Other Resources

Pentateuch: Introduction



Genesis



Ancient Near Eastern Mythology and the Old Testament



Ancient Near Eastern Flood Accounts



The Religion of Abraham



Major Trade Routes in the Ancient Near East



Exodus



The Date of the Exodus



Leviticus



Numbers



Deuteronomy



The Covenant and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties

Historical Literature: Introduction



Joshua



Egyptian Information About Canaan and Israel



Judges



The Political Climate in the Early Iron Age



Ruth



1 Samuel



2 Samuel



1 Kings



2 Kings



The Western Campaigns of Tiglath-Pileser III, 734-732



1 Chronicles



Significance of Genealogies to Postexilic Audience



2 Chronicles



Sennacherib's Inscriptions



Lachish



Ezra



Nehemiah



Esther



Herodotus

Wisdom and Poetic Literature: Introduction



Job



Retribution Principle



Psalms



Common Concepts



Common Metaphors for God



Musical Terms



Proverbs



Proverbs Echoed in Ancient Near East



How Proverbs Were Used



Proverbs As Generalized Truth



Ecclesiastes



Song of Songs



Sexual Metaphor

Prophetic Literature: Introduction



Isaiah



Afterlife Beliefs in Israel and the Ancient Near East



Jeremiah



Seals and Bullae



Lamentations



Laments over Fallen Cities in the Ancient World



Ezekiel



Daniel



Akkadian Apocalypses



Hosea



Joel



Day of Yahweh



Amos



Economic Changes and Social Classes in Eighth-Century Israel



Obadiah



Jonah



Micah



Nahum



Habakkuk



Zephaniah



Haggai



Zechariah



Apocalyptic Literature



Summary of the Temple-Building Connections to Zechariah's Visions



Malachi



Glossary



Charts and Maps



Topical Index



"This volume [The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Genesis--Deuteronomy, a precursor to this new, complete OT volume] provides Bible readers who have little knowledge of the ancient world an abundance of information on the sociocultural background of texts throughout the Pentateuch. The authors present the materials in a clear, concise, straightforward manner. . . . This book is a splendid tool that provides ready access to the cultural background of the books of the Pentateuch."



"Users of Craig Keener's IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament will be delighted to have a companion volume on a period both more remote in time and exotic in cultural background. . . . This volume . . . fills a need not addressed by any other book I know. It will open the eyes of lay readers to the vast and still largely untapped resources of ancient Near Eastern archaeology and texts for the understanding of the Old Testament. I predict a warm and enthusiastic reception for the book."