Holman Illustrated Guide To Biblical Geography: Reading the Land

Really enjoy this resource!

Beautiful book. The writing, the pictures, the explanations are so easy to read and understand. I have both Kindle and hardcover, both are beautiful. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to 'see' the land of the Bible but can't go there.

Being both a geographer and a serious reader of the Bible, it has been a joy reading it. I'm taking my time with it and savoring the process. With the Kindle version, I can have it with me wherever I go.

This is an excellent coursebook on Biblical geography. Very well written. 5 stars for the content.I took away one star for the font size. The font is very small. Many pages had a good two inches of blank white on the edge - perhaps the font could have been a tad bigger and used up that space?I also took another star off because there are no full paged maps. There are smaller maps spread out here and there, but no full paged maps of the land. I really would have expected a book like this to have at least a few full paged maps at the beginning or end.

I loved how the author kept the information in a format that was accessible to all levels of understanding. At the end of each chapter there are short answer questions helping you engage with what you just read and apply it to the Bible and other historical events. A must read for anyone interested in seeing how the land has been a part of the biblical world and Bible since the beginning.

I am writing this review because of the inadequate description given to the book. This book is the product of many years of teaching Biblical Israel field studies to tens of thousands of students at Jerusalem University College (Institute of Holy Land Studies). Many people who teach about the land or led tours, have been associated with this school. They really practice their motto, "Read the Land". It is only due to the recent pandemic that they have offered classes that did not involve field work. Dr. Wright is not just an administrator, but has led field studies throughout the land and in neighboring countries.The book clearly exceeded my expectations from what I read in the description. First of all, it is a big book, but hand-holdable. The pages are 8.5x11. The 10 point text is in double columns. With most books, this would be double the size of its 328 pages. The main body of the work is in 304 pages. The scripture index is 6 pages (6 columns). The general index is 3 pages (4 columns). The place names index is 7 pages (4 columns). The maps are generous in size with just enough detail. There is no attempt to list every town. If copied for teaching, they are clear. The pictures are generous in size. Many are full-page. I would say that the book almost contains a photo or map on every page, but does not degenerate into a picture book. The photo captions are longer than what you will find in most books. For instance, the picture of the Gihon Spring has 12 lines of caption that are over a column wide. This is actually a book that I would read, and not just use as a reference. It doesn't get into minutiae, but gives a proper level of information that you realize the significance of a feature. There is also a devotional perspective that shows through at times as illustrated by how the feature is used to make a point in scripture. There are some footnotes in the text to satisfy the advanced user, but the main text should be understandable by a high school student. (I don't know how Amazon got the reading level to Baby and up.) The educational roots of this book is shown by the inclusion of study/review questions at the end of each chapter. For instance, the 42-page chapter on the central Israel/Samaria is followed by 16 questions.This book complements a Bible atlas. A Bible atlas will cover more countries and generally follows a historical path. This book deals only with Israel and focuses on the geography. Historical information is provided for context, but is not the purpose of the book. Most people underestimate the significance of geography as they read about the Bible. You really need both a Bible atlas and this book to understand the events of the Bible. Do not expect this book to be a tour guide. The geography of Jerusalem is covered in 10 pages. You will learn about the type of limestone, the hills and valleys, the strategic location of the city, the walls, etc. You will not find discussions of tourist sites. John A. Beck, a JUC instructor has written a tour book, The Holy Land for Christian Travelers and several devotional books on geography. Carl Rasmussen, another instructor, has written the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible. Together, these books will solidify the significance of the land to the text.

For a quarter of a century Dr. Paul Wright has had the privilege of living in Israel and teaching at the Jerusalem University College. This opportunity has enabled him to experience the land of the Bible, year after year, season after season and to understand the land considerably better than the average Holy Land visitor. His most recent book is the culmination, the magnum opus, of his research, study and personal experience in Israel. The book presents the geographical and physical background of the Bible, a subject which distinguishes the classes offered at the Jerusalem University College. Most of the lovely photographs were taken by Paul Wright. The maps are colorful and very clear. This outstanding volume would serve as an excellent introduction to the land of Israel for travelers anticipating a visit. I would also serve as a great resource to review and expand one's knowledge of the land of the Bible. I am happy to commend and recommend this valuable resource.

Very thorough discussion (treatise?) of the geography, geology, and history of Israel and the biblical landscape. Really ties together the landscape, the living and travel conditions, and the stories of the Bible. Fascinating reading of a different angle of historical perspective…..great compliment to other history books and the Bible.

If you are not someone who has studied the topic for years (or even if so it could still be very helpful and have new insights) this book is really a must read for one to understand the Biblical sites and how each area played a role in history... seriously this is a book that a non-expert will need to read a few times throughout the years for him to absorb the amount of material it containts...The author does connect verses of the Bible with the weather, area, route of trade, etc... very enlightening indeed and in reality the price is quite a great deal for one can find similar academic books dedicated to a topic in such a way that are at least twice the price.This will be quite useful with a Biblical Atlas as the author says (I paraphrase) first of all you have to know the geography and the related stuff for an atlas to be of better use.Hope you find it useful too 😉