Written by accomplished scholars with all students of Scripture in mind, the primary goal of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series is to make available serious, credible biblical scholarship in an accessible and less intimidating format. A visual generation of believers deserves a commentary series that contains not only the all-important textual commentary on Scripture, but images, photographs, maps, works of fine art, and drawings that bring the text to life.

Each volume of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series features a CD-ROM, which expands the uses and capabilities of the Commentary even more. The CD-ROM version of the Commentary provides convenience and versatility—rapid and comprehensive searches are a click away. The commentary text, Sidebars, and visuals are all reproduced on a CD-ROM that is fully indexed and searchable. The combination of the print version and the CD-ROM offers the convenience of having the finest biblical studies resource available at your fingertips when you need it, where you need it. Pairing a text version with a digital resource is a distinctive feature of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series.

The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series is built upon the idea that meaningful Bible study can occur when the insights of contemporary biblical scholars blend with sensitivity to the needs of the general reader. Some persons within local faith communities, however, struggle with potentially informative biblical scholarship for several reasons. Often, such scholarship is cast in technical language easily grasped by other scholars, but not by the general reader.

A primary objective of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series is to make serious, credible biblical scholarship more accessible to a wider audience. Writers and editors alike present information in ways that encourage readers to gain a better understanding of the Bible.

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To accomplish this goal, writers in this series have drawn from numerous streams in the rich tradition of biblical interpretation. The basic focus is the biblical text itself, and considerable attention is given to the wording and structure of texts. Each particular text, however, is also considered in the light of the entire canon of Christian Scriptures. Beyond this, attention is given to the cultural context of the biblical writings. Information from archaeology, ancient history, geography, comparative literature, history of religions, politics, sociology, and even economics is used to illuminate the culture of the people who produced the Bible. In addition, the writers have drawn from the history of interpretation not only as it is found in traditional commentary on the Bible but also in literature, theater, church history, and the visual arts.

The Commentary’s vast amount of information could easily overwhelm the reader if not presented in a “user-friendly” format. Thus, the heavier discussions of detail and the treatments of other helpful topics are presented in special-interest boxes, or Sidebars, clearly connected to the passages under discussion so as not to interrupt the flow of the basic interpretation.

Combining credible biblical scholarship, user-friendly study features, and sensitivity to the needs of a visual generation of believers creates a unique and unprecedented type of commentary series. With insight from many of today’s finest biblical scholars and a stunning visual format, the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series is sure to be a welcome addition to the personal libraries of all students of Scripture.