Discover the Significance of the World of the Scriptures

To truly grasp the richness of the Bible, we must understand the world in which it was written. This essential two-volume set illuminates the Old and New Testaments, providing the crucial cultural, historical, and social context needed for responsible and insightful Bible study in verse-by-verse format.

Authored by leading scholars, this series brings the ancient world of the Bible to life, unveiling the customs, beliefs, and historical events that shaped the sacred text. By understanding the original authors' concerns and purposes, you can discover a new depth and clarity in passages you have read for years.

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 seeking to avoid cultural biases, for college and seminary students in classroom assignments, and for everyday Bible readers seeking to deepen and enhance their study of Scripture.

Inside this comprehensive set, you will find:

• Introductions for each book of the Bible
• Glossaries of important terms and historical figures
• Maps and charts to help visualize the biblical world
• Up-to-date bibliographies for further exploration

Praise for the Series

"Every biblical text has cultural assumptions. Like an intriguing archaeological dig, Keener's work surfaces the cultural and worldview assumptions of the New Testament. This work brings background to the foreground, so the text's meaning is more accessible to all."

—Darrell Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary

"One of the most useful available reference tools for pastors and laypeople alike, and I frequently recommend it from the pulpit. The reader simply has to look up his comments on a passage to find out, for example, why it was momentous that the prodigal son received sandals and a ring when he returned to his father. Although background material is often notoriously slippery and debatable, Keener makes it useful for students of the Scripture."

—Gary Shogren, Biblical Theological Seminary

"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."

—Harry A. Hoffner Jr., Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago