Guide to the perplexed....

Bible Resources

A resource well worth learning to use.  It gives you an excellent set of cross-references (click TSK) and quick access to several different commentaries.  It will even display the Hebrew text of any verse you choose on-line (click Concl. after selecting the verse).  By clicking on the Strong's concordance number, you can get an excellent summary of the etymology and meaning of any Hebrew word in the verse you are examining.  Note, for example, the  Strong's entry on preacher (qoheleth).

This is my favorite quick reference for Church history and Biblical studies.  It is an exceptionally good starting point for the scholarly study of both New and Old Testament books.  You might find particularly useful the Catholic Encyclopedia articles on the following:

•  Ecclesiastes
•  Proverbs
•  Job
•  Habbakuk
•  Daniel
•  Machabees
•  Hebrew Poetry

Crosswalk provides links to an excellent collection of on-line references.  You might find especially Baker's Evangelical Dictionary.  This will give you the same kind of information you'll find in the Catholic Encylopedia, but with a slightly different perspective.  You might find it interesting to compare with Baker's articles with the Catholic Encylopedia articles mentioned above.  Unfortunately, I can't figure out a way to link directly to these articles, but you should be able to figure out how to use the Baker's search without too much difficulty.

Crosswalk also makes available  Smith's Bible Dictionary and  Easton's Bible Dictionary, both of which you may find useful for quick reference.  And if a particular verse confuses you, you might find helpful either the Geneva Study Bible (yes, the 1599 edition!) or  Matthew Henry's Commentary.

Features concise summaries of all the Old Testament books and other study aids.

This site offers a wide variety of resources for the study of all aspects of Judaism.  Among other things, you'll find here categorized lists of commonly asked questions.  The Judaism Knowledge Base is particularly interesting.  You can find there information on Kosher food, the Jewish calendar, Jewish history, and the Temple.

This site has a great summary of the 168 BC to AD 135 period.  Takes an extraordinarily complex subject and makes it very easy to follow.

For what it's worth.

Excellent links to Ancient Near Eastern texts as they relate to the Old Testament.