~ I love the concise explanations and the historical information you include in the study guides. Now I want to learn more! Are there particular materials you’d recommend to delve a bit deeper into understanding the texts?
~ My group has been going through the Genesis study. One woman who grew up in the Middle East has commented in a couple of places on how the stories reflect that culture, especially in regard to bartering and protecting one’s sense of honor. A good example is when Abraham buys the cave as a burial plot for Sarah. Our group was reflecting on this “bartering” tradition when we read through the story of Abraham bargaining with God for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. I think we would be really interested in learning more about the cultural aspects of these stories. Where might we go to learn more?
~ Where can I find reference materials on the background information given in these books? Is there a reference list online, or reliable sources that we can use as supplemental readings?
Let me say to all three of you that I’m really glad to hear your experience with the study guides has made you want to dig deeper into the Bible and its background.
The place to go next is a biblical commentary. Commentaries give you extensive information about the historical and literary context of particular books of the Bible. They allow you to listen in on the scholarly conversation about passages that are difficult to interpret. And they provide details about the various ways that Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words and phrases can be translated.
The study guides in the Understanding the Books of the Bible series do as many of these things as possible, but they’re limited in length and they also need to save room for reading suggestions and discussion questions. So you’ll want to find a good full-length commentary (or two, or three) on the biblical book you’re i
nterested in.
There are lots of really great commentaries out there these days. Some series I like in particular are The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, and the Word Biblical Commentary. All of volumes in these series show respect for the Bible as the inspired and authoritative word of God and at the same time make full use of the findings of biblical scholarship.
I hope you enjoy your further explorations!
Good Question 