How can we account for the "Book of the Law" suddenly being discovered during Josiah's renovation of the temple (2 Chron 34:14)?

We know from Egypt and Mesopotamia that it was common to seal important documents-including theological documents-in the masonry or foundations of a palace or temple in order to inform a future king who might undertake restoration of the building.

What might the psalmist have had in mind when praising God for removing our transgressions "as far as the cast is from the west" (Ps 103:12)? In an Egyptian hymn to Amun-Re, the deity is praised for his judgment of the guilty. As a result of the god's discernment the guilty are assigned to the east and the righteous to the west.

What is meant by God "weighing the heart" (Prov 21:2)?

In Egyptian religious tradition we find the notion of the dead being judged before the gods. As the soul is examined, the dead person's heart is weighed in a scale against a feather symbolizing Truth. If the answers are correct and the heart does not outweigh the feather, the soul may enter the realm of everlasting life. The narratives, genealogies, laws, poetry, proverbs and prophecies of the Old

Testament are deeply rooted in history. Archaeologists, historians and social scientists

have greatly advanced our knowledge of the ancient world of the Bible. When we

illuminate the stories of Abraham or David, the imagery of the Psalms or Proverbs, or

the prophecies of Isaiah or Jeremiah with this backlight of culture and history, these

texts spring to new life.

This unique commentary joins The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament in giving historical, social and cultural background for each Old Testament passage. From Genesis through Malachi it gathers and condenses an abundance of specialized knowledge and makes it available to ordinary readers of the Old Testament. It will enrich your study of these biblical books in a way that no other commentary can do.