The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament

This book is outstanding it's very detailed, well-organized and great quality. The commentaries are well researched, easy to read and understand. A must have for anyone interested in bible study.

This is one of those tools that many people overlook, but everyone who teaches or preaches from the OT needs. It is packed with useful information. For example, this past week I was working on a sermon from Micah 3 (where leaders in Israel are condemned for cannibalism). Some of my resources focused on the symbolic nature of this comment. BBCOT (this book) focused my attention on the 8th Century BC problem of siege warfare that purposely caused starvation as a common technique with cannibalism as a commonly prescribed curse in some cultures. This was tied to 2 Kings 6 where cannibalism is reported from that very time period. Unfortunately my other resources led me down a wrong path on Micah 3. But this tool provided a couple of key insights that not only enhanced my own understanding, but helped me to reject a wrong assumption that some of my resources were propagating. I know the author, Dr. Walton, from a class i audited by him at WCGS. He's an excellent man with a great grasp of the issues related to this book. I'm very glad we have this tool. It's too bad there are not more supporting photos, but I understand the publishers limitations on the size and number of volumes put a damper on that very issue. Still, it's a great tool and I use it regularly. Five stars!

This is most often the first commentary I reach for in studying a passage of Scripture. When I am away from my library this book (along with the NT companion volume which in some ways is even better) this is the only commentary that I even think of taking with me in printed and bound form. Some may find this set disappointing because they do not explore the meaning of a passage nor all of the scholarship related to it. What they do give, they give very well indeed, and that is a reasonably thorough top-level survey of the historical, cultural, and archaeological factors that are relevant to the passage in a compact, yet useable from. Included are citations and summaries of literature and historical facts that shed light on a passage. For the deepest levels of research and study, this book is no substitute for a complete library and good old fashioned grunt work, but to begin to get the meaning of a passage or a set of passages it is hard to imagine a better place to start. It can be useful in helping me to decide where to devote my time doing more exhaustive research, or as a quick "sanity check" to ensure that as I begin to survey a longer section of Scripture I am not reading meanings into any one verse that might be foreign to the original writer and his peers or otherwise going off in an incorrect direction. A good complement to a more conventional set of commentaries - highly reccomended tool for filling the holes in many day to day Bible studies.

I've found it to be priceless to have this book (and the NT edition also) at the table whenever doing a Bible study. When I do group Bible Studies (especially inductive studies), people love to crack this reference book open so that they can get more clues into the significance of objects and names and motivation of the characters in the Bible. I am not a Biblical scholar, so there would simply no way for me to learn about some of the more obscure details we come across during even common passages for study. I also own the electronic version of this book, so that I have it with me wherever I go with my laptop.

I have been using this resource for more than four years in a variety of contexts--academic classes, Bible studies with high school and college students, and so on. This book is an invaluable resource.Two main reasons to buy this book: 1) We are all very removed from the cultural perspective of the authors who wrote the Old Testament. This book helps bridge that gap by pointing out details we would consider irrelevant and giving context to other details we would otherwise misunderstand. 2) The text is highly readable and accessible for a wide selection of readers. The scholarship is very strong, fair, and thought-provoking, and furthermore, the editorial team did an excellent job ensuring that the information was presented in a clear and interesting manner. I've often found myself provoked to curiousity and ended up reading more than I originally intended to (and, no, that is not a habit for me with most reference books!).A brief word, too, about the fact that an evangelical publisher is responsible for this book being published. First, every publishing house has biases, so to judge an evangelical publisher for publishing work sympathetic to evangelical tendencies is a bit harsh. Secondly, as one who reads a fair amount from a variety of sources, I have often found that IV Press books exhibit an uncommon level of integrity and fairness in the way their books are written. Thirdly, it is a logical fallacy to argue that a book does not contain truth or is inaccurate due to its origin. Have an open mind and judge the accuracy of the material on its own merits.Really, this is a great text. I know several dozen men and women who regularly use this book in their work and who consider it very helpful for the purpose of presenting Scripture accurately. I strongly encourage you to buy and use this book.