Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel

An image rich, passage-by-passage commentary that integrates textual and artifactual context from the ancient Near East to inform our understanding and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible—while remaining respectful to the inerrancy of Scripture.

Without a deep knowledge of the ancient cultures the Old Testament was born from, we can be tempted to impose our own culture on the text, potentially distorting it. This unique Bible backgrounds commentary examines:

• The history of the ancient Near East as a means of recovering knowledge of the events that shaped the lives of the people.
• The archaeology as a means of recovering the lifestyle reflected in the material cultures.
• The literature of the ancient Near East as a means of understanding the heart and soul of the people who inhabited the ancient world that Israel shared.

Detailed exegetical notes are combined with comparative discussions of the cultural settings that help scholars interpret the early historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and 1 & 2 Samuel.

This volume of the celebrated Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary series brings these five books of the Bible into sharper focus—enabling scholars, pastors, and laity to access rich data from over one hundred and seventy years of explorations and excavations in the Near East.

THE ZONDERVAN ILLUSTRATED BIBLE BACKGROUNDS COMMENTARY SERIES

Invites you to enter the world of the Old Testament with a company of seasoned guides, experts who will give new insights into these cherished writings. Features:

• Over 2000 photographs, drawings, maps, diagrams, and charts provide a visual feast that breathes fresh life into the text.
• Passage-by-passage commentary presents archaeological findings, historical explanations, geographic insights, notes on manners and customs, and more.
• Analysis into the literature of the ancient Near East will open your eyes to new depths of understanding both familiar and unfamiliar passages.
• Written by an international team of 30 specialists, all top scholars in background studies.

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament; Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context; Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan; The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament; and A Survey of the Old Testament.

Richard Hess (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is Earl S. Kalland professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Denver Seminary.

Daniel I. Block (D.Phil, University of Liverpool) is Gunther H. Knoedler professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College.

Dale W. Manor (PhD, University of Arizona) is Professor of Archaeology and Bible at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. He has been the Field Director of the Tel Beth-Shemesh Excavation Project in Israel since 2000. In addition, he served on the staff of the Tel Miqne/Ekron and Tel Rehov Projects in Israel. He served as an Assistant to the Editor of the Anchor Bible Dictionary in which he has several articles. Additional articles appear in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East, the Eerdmans' Dictionary of the Bible, and the New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible.

V. Phillips Long (Ph.D., Cambridge) is professor of Old Testament, Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.