To understand and apply the Bible well, you need two crucial sources of information. One is the Bible itself. The other is an understanding of the cultural background of the passage you're reading.
In verse-by-verse format, the Old Testament and New Testament (2nd edition) IVP Bible Background Commentaries provide the crucial historical, social and cultural background you need for responsible—and rich—Bible study. They each include a glossary of cultural terms and important historical figures, maps and charts, up-to-date bibliographies, and introductory essays about cultural background information for each book of the Old and New Testaments.
Based on decades of in-depth study, these accessible and bestselling commentaries are valuable for pastors in sermon preparation, for Sunday-school and other church teachers as they build lessons, for missionaries concerned not to import their own cultural biases into the Bible, for college and seminary students in classroom assignments and for everyday Bible readers seeking to deepen and enhance their study of Scripture.
From Genesis through Malachi, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament 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
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 2nd edition expands on the first edition throughout to now provide even more up-to-date information by Craig Keener, one of the leading New Testament scholars on Jewish, Greek and Roman culture.
