“That’s the way the cookie crumbles!” “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Most modern-day English-speakers immediately understand these sayings, but they would sound completely foreign to speakers of other languages or even to English-speakers from centuries past.

Context changes everything!

If we want to understand biblical principles, we need to contextualize and interpret the unfamiliar phrases and cultural norms of the ancient Near East. Insight’s Handbook of Old Testament Backgrounds: Key Customs from Each Book, Job-Malachi is your fluent guide, translating foreign phrases and answering many questions that puzzle today’s readers:

• What does it mean to “cast your bread upon the waters”?
• How does meat become defiled, and why does that matter?
• Why did the Israelites have slaves?

Arranged by Bible book and verse, this enjoyable, easy-to-navigate resource will open up the world of the Old Testament and deepen your understanding of God’s Word.

200 pages