If teachers want their students to do research on the Old Testament, then the IVP Bible Background Commentary is a must. This text is an all-encompassing, in-depth reference book. It is obvious the authors have worked to provide a clearly-written, minutely detailed commentary on the Old Testament. This book would be an excellent resource for teachers who teach the Bible as literature or history, or for a class on comparative religion. While the authors state this is not a book for academic or scholarly studies, it is a premium resource for high school teachers and their students.
The book is divided into four major sections: The Pentateuch, from Genesis through Deuteronomy; Historical Literature, from Joshua through Esther; Wisdom and Poetic Literature, from Job through Song of Songs; and Prophetic Literature, from Isaiah through Malachi. Each section begins with an introduction to provide additional insight into its contents. The Pentateuch introduction emphasizes that the Pentateuch is not a single unit, rather it is five individual books, as they were written. The authors give a brief introduction to each of the books.
The books in this first section are broken down by verse, sentence, words, comparisons/contrasts; often the literary elements used in the passage are analyzed. In Genesis, for example, the creation story is explained using Egyptian comparisons. The authors go on to discuss mythology in the ancient world and how the ancients used theology to answer HOW the world came into existence, and how the gods had their purposes and man was subject to the consequences of these purposes. Many of the questions that arise about creation are addressed. Since there are many creation stories, this might pique the students’ interest to find others and discuss them.
There is a substantial account of the flood story. The book discusses everything from wood, boats in the ancient world, the archeological evidence of the flood to the habits and uses of the birds in the ancient Near East. Various items are explained, words defined (in the context of the story), and historical background is provided. Flood stories from other cultures are included, making way for comparison to the Hebrew version.
The second major section is Historical Literature. The authors explain, "We find a wealth of ancient Near East material to illuminate the historical literature of the Old Testament" (209). This section is sorted by royal inscriptions, accounts and achievements of kings, chronographic texts (showing historical events from lists of kings to court chronicles), and historical literary texts (poetic epic narratives recounting experiences of kings).
The books included in this section range from Joshua through the book of Esther. Included in this series is the book of Ruth. Ruth, a perfect example of a short story, is often studied in Bible literature classes and/or Bible history classes. There have been many commentaries written about the book of Ruth, but none is as complete as the information provided by the authors of this text. The book is dissected, almost phrase by phrase, sometimes word by word.
The authors continue through Wisdom and Poetic Literature—Job through Song of Songs, and Prophetic Literature—Isaiah through Malachi. Again, each section provides a complete accounting of each book. Space here does not permit discussing each section in detail, but the information on the patriarchs, judges, and kings is exceptional. The background information on Proverbs is particularly interesting, interjecting such things as "the ‘sage’ functioned as the students’ ‘father,’ conveying the substance of the culture’s store of wisdom…" (560). Not only is the text explained, but also the different cultural aspects that made the text so significant for the time period in which it was written are addressed.
At the end of the book (appendices) is an extensive glossary of terms along with charts and maps (several other maps are even embedded within the main text). The maps are excellent and would be a great resource for teachers to share with students.
All in all, this book receives five stars (out of five). It is thorough and most informative; and by providing the latest research it offers many NEW insights into a very OLD book. It is written in lay terms, which makes it easily understood, no hidden meanings, just straight forward writing. I cannot emphasize enough how beneficial this tome would be as a class resource or for the school library.

review ©2002 by Lynne Moyers and RSiSS

Jenks High School, Jenks OK