Bible Encyclopedia

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Q-Z
$75.00
This has become a very useful tool for my adult Sunday School preparations.

It is packed with loads of information not only in the form of Biblical commentary but also in terms of information about people, places, things, and events in the Bible. Also, while Bromiley tends to be on the Evangelical side of things in terms of exegesis (he's from Fuller after all, as are some of his co-editors, one of whom is from Wycliffe), he at least mentions the many interpretations that various passages of scripture have (including neo-orthodox and liberal). He also provides numerous, though at times cryptically short, references for those with the desire to look them up in a good reference library.

One criticism I have is his writting style, particularly in some of the exegetical sections, is a little terse, and more explaination of the Hebrew/Greek would be helpful.

Nelson's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts: A Comprehensive Fact-Finding Sourcebook on All the People, Places, and Customs of the Bible
$29.99
The convenient topical arrangement of this encyclopedia is a key to unlocking the wonders and mysteries of the Bible, its people, and its cultures. Forty-five major sections cover over 6,000 topics such as law, trade, transportation, and family life. Over 300 black and white and full-color photographs vividly illustrate the entries in this all-in-one guide to the riches of Scripture. Includes comprehensive index.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
$29.97
I've had this Bible Dictionary for about 3 weeks now and am very pleased with it. I also have an older Smith's Dictionary and it has it's purpose in my study time but the Holman's Dictionary is full of clear color pictures, nice pages, detailed and full of facts about different places, people and events that I had no knowledge of previously. To date, and I have not gone over the book page by page, but I have not found any grammatical errors. The book itself is made of higher than average paper materials and I highly reccommend this book as an added study tool to reading the Bible.