Decades of historical and cultural research on the ancient world will soon be accessible in the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Zondervan, August 2016). Notes and resources hand-picked by Bible scholars John H. Walton (Old Testament) and Craig Keener (New Testament) complement the New International Version of the Bible, the world’s most read and most trusted modern-English Bible translation. Newcomers to Bible study and veteran students of the Bible alike will find surprising insights into ancient culture on the pages of the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.
[See Biblical Archaeology resources in the Bible Gateway Store]
The robust study tools and features provided in the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible focus on the cultural context of each passage. Notes, book introductions, and articles totaling approximately 15 volumes of content ground an additional 375 vivid full-color photos, illustrations, and maps, giving relevance to the ancient world in which Scripture was first written.
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible includes a concordance, cross-references, endnotes, glossary, index to articles, and the words of Christ in red. The exhaustive project includes nearly 400,000 more words of study tools than Zondervan’s groundbreaking 2005 NIV Archaeological Study Bible and dozens more maps, charts, illustrations and graphics.
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible delivers rich, historical details of life from the time in which a text was first heard and understood, including valuable archaeological insight and illustrations. The notes of the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible are taken from the best resources on Bible backgrounds, including the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary. This acclaimed scholarship provides added dimension to Bible study by explaining subtle nuances, idiosyncrasies, wordplays, and cultural references that’s often missed but that the original audience would have understood instinctively.
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible is designed to help readers see richer meanings to familiar biblical stories and passages.
“Every line and every word in the Bible comes from a context—historical, social, cultural, theological — and speaks into those contexts—sometimes against that culture, sometimes with that culture, and sometimes to expand that culture. In so doing the Bible models how we can speak from our culture and into our culture in very fresh and missional ways. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible not only acknowledges this but engages ordinary readers in seeing what it looks like. I cannot recommend a study Bible any more than this one.”
Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, Illinois
About Zondervan
Zondervan is a world-leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, as part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.