ZIBBCOT Wins 2011 Christian Book Award

Last night, the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Testament (ZIBBCOT) was awarded the 2011 Christian Book Award in the category of Bible Reference.

Written for the many people that feel baffled by the cultural issues that surround the Old Testament text, its unique visual approach—backed by the very best scholarship—helps readers connect with the historical and cultural context of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Congratulations to general editor John H. Walton and the entire team of contributors from around the globe!

Genesis           John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College)

Exodus            Bruce Wells (PhD, Johns Hopkins University) 

Leviticus          Roy E. Gane (PhD, University of California, Berkeley)  

Numbers          R. Dennis Cole (PhD, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) 

Deuteronomy    Eugene Carpenter (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) 

Joshua             Richard S. Hess (PhD, Hebrew Union College) 

Judges             Daniel I. Block (D.Phil., University of Liverpool)  

Ruth                Dale W. Manor (PhD, University of Arizona) 

1 & 2 Samuel    V. Philips Long (PhD, Cambridge University)  

1 Kings            John M. Monson (PhD, Harvard University) 

2 Kings            Iain Provan (PhD, Cambridge University) 

1 Chronicles      Simon Sherwin (PhD, St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge) 

2 Chronicles      Frederick J. Mabie (PhD, University of California at Los Angeles) 

Ezra/Nehemiah Edwin M. Yamauchi (Ph. D., Brandeis University) 

Esther             Anthony Tomasino (PhD, University of Chicago) 

Job                 Izak Cornelius (D.Litt., University of Stellenbosch) 

Psalms            John W. Hilber (PhD, Cambridge University) 

Proverbs          Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University)  

Ecclesiastes/Song of Solomon        Duane Garrett (PhD, Baylor University) 

Isaiah              David W. Baker (PhD, University of London) 

Jeremiah          Steven M. Voth (PhD, Hebrew Union College) 

Lamentations    Paul Ferris Jr. (PhD, Dropsie College for Hebrew & Cognate Learning) 

Ezekiel             Daniel Bodi (PhD, Union Theological Seminary) 

Daniel              Ernest C. Lucas (PhD, University of Liverpool)

Hosea              J. Glen Taylor (PhD, Yale University)

Joel/Zephaniah  Mark W. Chavalas (PhD, University of California at Los Angeles)

Amos              Philip S. Johnston (PhD, Cambridge University)

Obadiah/Nahum Alan R. Millard (M.Phil., Oxford University; F.S.A.)

Jonah              John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College)

Micah              Daniel M. Master (PhD, Harvard University)

Habakkuk         Victor H. Matthews (PhD, Brandeis University)

Haggai/Zechariah      Kenneth Hoglund (PhD, Duke University)

Malachi            Andrew E. Hill (PhD, University of Michigan)

ZIBBCOT Features:

• Over 2,000 photographs, drawings, maps, diagrams and charts provide a visual feast that breathes fresh life into the text.

• Passage-by-passage commentary (representing nearly 3,000 pages!) presents archaeological findings, historical explanations, geographic insights, notes on manners and customs, and more.

• Analysis into the literature of the ancient Near East will open your eyes to new depths of understanding both familiar and unfamiliar passages. 

• Written by an international team of over 30 specialists, all top scholars in background studies.

• Over 12,000 endnotes direct readers to the most important scholarship.

Praise for the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Testament

“This tool is a rich gift to everyone who seeks to teach the Scriptures.” 

—John Ortberg, author and pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church Menlo Park, California

“This is an impressive and rich resource for scholars, students, seminarians, and interested lay readers. The volumes, with their insightful and perceptive commentaries, updated footnotes, wonderful illustrations, and sidebars—all judiciously researched—contain a veritable thesaurus of enlightening information relating to the Hebrew Bible within the cultural, ideological, and religious world of the ancient Near East. Notwithstanding their traditional approach to Scripture, I heartily recommend this series with enthusiasm.”

—Shalom Paul, Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Bible Department, Hebrew University

“A unique and important commentary. It is a milestone in the collection and comparative interpretation of ancient Near Eastern texts, pictures, and other archaeological materials as well as geographical, historical, and cultural information as they relate to the Old Testament. There is nothing else like it available today.”

—Richard E. Averbeck, professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“To me, every Christian should own these commentaries. I cannot imagine doing any study of the Bible without it, quite honestly, and couldn’t recommend a commentary of this type any higher.”

—Dan Kimball, pastor and author of They Like Jesus but Not the Church

“This important reference work will serve as an essential starting point for an ancient ‘contextual criticism’ of the Hebrew Bible, enabling scholars, pastors, and laity to access the rich data from over one hundred and seventy years of explorations and excavations in the Near East.”

—K. Lawson Younger, professor of Old Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School