The word of the day is…

δεξιός, δεξιά, δεξιόν

Greek, dexios, dexia, dexion, 1. right, right-hand side 2. a place of honor or authority 3. fortunate

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel Hard Cover, 624 pages Publisher: Zondervan Language: English ISBN-13: 9780310255765

First of all, thanks go out to Jesse Hillman at Zondervan for this review copy of Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel (hereafter, ZIBBCOT4).

ZIBBCOT4 is breath-taking. It is beautiful, and offers a wealth of information for the reader who wants to dig deeper into the text. Much of the information found within is essential to understand more difficult passages, passages made more complicated for interpretation and translation by our cultural distance from the original audience. I have really enjoyed reading it and soaking in a lot of information that I was unaware of, or had not yet placed in context. Based on its coverage of the major prophets, ZIBBCOT4 specifically deals with the decline of Israel and Judah under repeated waves of dominating empires – Egyptian, Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Persian and Greek.

This series does not have “Illustrated” in the title for nothing. Each page is set off by images and artwork from the Ancient Near East that make the concepts, people and texts come alive. Added to this are a large number of additional short essays discussing important topics as they are appropriate. The text flow is wonderful, making reading easy. Notes are left to the end of each book, rather than at the bottom of the page, which I was not fond of, but overall I thought the presentation made study easier, rather than a distraction or hindrance.

This is not your verse-by-verse style commentary. Rather, it progresses through the text, stopping as required  to address verses and subject areas that need cultural setting in order to grasp their full import. Concepts are presented individually and directly, seemingly without much effort to bring them together into a coherent whole. Though understandable, this causes the flow to be a little jumpy. As well, ZIBBCOT4 is not intended for direct application. It provides rich background information so that the Old Testament texts can be studied in its proper context, but does not overtly point out application for the reader. This is a wise choice in my mind; a commentary that tries to do too much will suffer for it. Plus, the focus is on the writer’s intent (as far as it can be constructed from relationship with similar themes and concepts) and the expected reception of the message by the original audience – not so much on how we should respond to it.

Background provided by this commentary is wide-ranging. Shared literary forms are addressed when relevant, such as poetry and prophetic utterances in Isaiah, the use of lament in Jeremiah and Lamentations, or courtier stories in Daniel. Shared religious imagery is also addressed. Where contrast or response to the surrounding culture is needed, this commentary steps in to clarify exactly how Israelite worship and the Old Testament text in particular is shaped by those conflicts.  As for languages, Hebrew, Aramaic and Akkadian (to name a few) are all addressed as commonalities and differences provide additional context. I found information on religious practices (ANE use of astrology, magic, prostitution, sacrifice, etc.) to be very interesting and beneficial for understanding how Israel, with its belief in a single, sovereign God, responded.

I give this book ★★★★☆. If you like learning about history and/or language, this will be an especially gripping read, and a work you will come back to again and again.

Posted in Books ]]> http://sphodra.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/review-of-zibbcot4/feed/ 0 George ZIBBCOT Volume 4 http://sphodra.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/greek-kathizo/ http://sphodra.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/greek-kathizo/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:22 +0000 George http://sphodra.wordpress.com/?p=1507 ]]>

The word of the day is…

καθίζω, καθίσω, ἐκάθισα, κεκάθικα, -, ἐκαθέσθην

Greek, kathizō, kathisō, ekathisa, kekathika, -, ekathesthēn, 1. to sit/set down 2. figuratively, to appoint 3. to settle, settle down, tarry

Hebrews Life Application Bible Studies: NLT Series Soft Cover, 86 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers Language: English ISBN-13: 9781414325644

First of all, thanks go out to Tyndale House for this review copy of Hebrews, Life Application Bible Studies (NLT).

I took my time with this book study, and am glad I did. Hebrews points out the supremacy of Christ and the need for the body to persevere  corporately and individually as they follow him. Using a bounty of Old Testament Scripture to firmly cement Christ’s mission and person, it stands out as a powerful encouragement to trust in Christ alone. As for this study, I really enjoyed the insightful questions that challenge the reader to do more than just regurgitate the text. The lessons were reasonable in length; I would estimate I spent about half and hour on each lesson (not counting the “in-depth” questions), and then more time on my own in Hebrews on the side.

This book covers the book of Hebrews in 13 lessons. It is made up of two parts. Part 1 is the full text of the book of Hebrews, with footnotes at the bottom of each page, and scripture references in the gutter. Footnotes that will be assigned as reading in the lesson are marked with a dot. Part 2 is the lesson questions, with space for notation. Each lesson is divided into 5 basic parts:

1. Introductory questions that do not require reading of the Scripture, but introduce the topics to be addressed. These could be used as warm-up questions if this study was done in a group setting.
2. Scripture assignment, with specific footnotes assigned for review to reinforce and support the reading.
3. Questions that deal with the content of the Scripture
4. Questions that require personal reflection and application of the principles found through part 3. This section has an introductory remark that highlights the major theme of the reading.
5. Additional questions for more in-depth study.

I thought that the reading was divided well, and that the questions were well written to make the reader go back over Scripture and apply it. The fact that the entire text of Hebrews is provided in the text make this a very portable Bible study for someone who is on-the-go. However, this comes with a price. There are many scripture references in the gutter – Hebrews is full of Old Testament references – and if you go the route of only carrying this study with you, deeper study will be impossible at the time. And there is no way of getting around double book-marking with this study if using the provided scripture text, since the lessons are not inline. I’m torn as to whether this is good or bad. Having scripture chopped up throughout the lessons makes me cringe. Overall, I think multiple markers is the lesser of two evils.

I give this book ★★★★☆, gladly suggesting this study to individuals and groups. Hebrews is a great book for personal study in its own right, and the lesson authors do a great job of bringing the richness of the book to the forefront.

Posted in Books ]]> http://sphodra.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/review-of-hebrews-life-application-bible-studies-nlt/feed/ 0 George Hebrews LAB http://sphodra.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/greek-poieo/ http://sphodra.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/greek-poieo/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:00 +0000 George http://sphodra.wordpress.com/?p=1502 ]]>

The word of the day is…

ποιέω, ποιήσω, ἐποίησα, πεποίηκα, πεποίημαι, ἐποιήθην

Greek, poieō, poiēsō, epoiēsa, pepoiēka, pepoiēmai, epoiēthēn, 1. make 2. do