I was thrilled to be able to review the “Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible”. After having my interest piqued several months ago to learn more of the historical and cultural context surrounding Biblical events, I was eager to learn more, and the “Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible” provided me with a way to do just that. For, as the subtitle says, it truly does bring the ancient world of scripture to life.

This Bible offers so many invaluable tools to dig deeper into Scripture. Through the countless verse-by-verse study notes that explain the historical and cultural context of the passage, you will gain remarkable insight about all of the details of the time period that people who lived during that time would have readily known as a way of life. But the benefits don’t end there! Full color photos of everything from a signet ring similar to that of King Xerxes from the book of Esther, to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed before his arrest, offer a fresh new look at even those stories we know best. Also, many in-depth articles are interspersed throughout the text highlighting topics ranging from archeological discoveries pertaining to Biblical accounts (such as the mysterious Shroud of Turin), to a discussion of ancient music notation that may have been used in the Psalms. I could go on as to the many more wonderful features included in this Bible, but instead I will simply encourage you to experience for yourself the amazing opportunity to learn and understand scripture in a whole new way, that the “Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible” can give you.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.