Archaeological Study Bible

Have you ever heard of the Archaeological Study Bible? Well it is brand new. Here is a blurb from its website:

"To engage the Bible more, you need to enter the world from which it came. From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, The Archaeological Study Bible is filled with study material that opens your eyes to the archaeological, historical, and cultural contexts of the stories you read and the people you meet in Scripture.

"Take a journey back to the lands and origins of the Bible for an unparalleled encounter with the Word of God. Get insights into the roots of the Bible that will strengthen your faith and open new vistas of knowledge and understanding. Like no other study Bible, this one provides a sweeping, detailed look at the lands and times of Scripture, bringing to light the importance of ancient civilizations, practices, historical records and artifacts, literature, architecture, religions, laws, events, movements, geography, agriculture, wars and battles, political and monetary systems, historical figures and other factors that are critical to a deep and accurate grasp of the Bible.

• "Full-color throughout, including 500 full-color photographs!
• Emphasizes the trustworthiness of the Bible, and uses the bestselling NIV Bible translation.
• Satisfies widely-expressed interest in Biblical archaeology and makes the subject easily accessible to readers."

The only problem I have with it, is that Zondervan published it using the NIV as its text. I would have preferred a more serious translation such as the NASB or ESV.

The NIV is fine as far as it goes; however, being a dynamic-equivalent translation leaves much to be desired in terms of serious Bible study.

For that matter, both the ESV and NASB would have been preferable, since both are literal translations.

I suppose we would have to wait and see what happens in the future!

HT: Dan Phillips

Updated:
17 April 2007
I emailed Zondervan earlier today to find out if they will ever publish the Archaeological Study Bible in either the ESV or NASB. I received the following from their Customer Care department:
"At this time there are no plans to make the Archaeological Study Bible in any other Bible version. I will pass your suggestion on to our Bible department for review."