The Bible in Its Ancient Context

23 Fresh Insights

Edited by John D. Barry and Rebecca Van Noord

The Bible in Its Ancient Context: 23 Fresh Insights

Copyright 2014 Lexham Press

Adapted with permission from content originally published in Bible Study Magazine.

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All rights reserved. You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission, or email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.

Scripture quotations marked (esv) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (leb) are from the Lexham English Bible (leb), copyright 2013 by Lexham Press. Lexham is a registered trademark of Faithlife Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked (niv) are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked (nrsv) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Assistant Editors: David Bomar, Rebecca Brant, Lynnea Fraser, Abigail Stocker, Joel Wilcox

Contents

Introduction

Insights on Biblical Events

The Birth of Jesus

God’s Judgment on Nadab and Abihu

Ehud Kills the Moabite King

The Destruction of Shechem

Sennacherib’s Invasion of Judah

The Second Coming

Insights on Biblical People

Jesus

Joseph

Moses

Nabal

Jezebel

Jeremiah

Paul

Insights on Biblical Interpretation

John

Joshua

Esther

Psalms

Proverbs

Jeremiah

Matthew

Romans

2 John

Revelation

Introduction

Studying the Bible is a bit like unraveling a Sherlock Holmes mystery. You know there are clues along the way, but at times you’re not sure how to distinguish between a clue and a scene detail. This is made even more difficult by the colloquialisms unique to the period.

The Bible is ancient literature, full of contextual details. The articles contained in this book annotate many of those details—each step along the way showing you just how incredible the Bible is. This book unlocks many of the Bible’s mysteries. Each of these articles is the product of experts journeying into the ancient world. These articles are tried and tested: each of these articles was originally published in Bible Study Magazine and thus have already been read by many before you.

The Bible is both a historical and spiritual book. As a historical book, written for certain people in a certain time, the Bible ...

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About The Bible in Its Ancient Context: 23 Fresh Insights

God can reveal himself to us as we read his Word, no matter how much knowledge and experience we have when we open its pages. Bible study is a different matter. Few of us have the knowledge of the ancient world, its history and culture, to get the most from our reading. The Bible in Its Ancient Context is a hand-curated collection of articles published in Bible Study Magazine from 2008 to 2014. Each one is like an expert-guided tour, providing insight on the people and events portrayed in the Bible, and on biblical interpretation. As you journey into the ancient world, you will see God working in specific moments and on a grand scale to bring people to himself—and discover just how relevant God’s Word is for us today.

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Table of Contents