Podcasts have grown in popularity in recent years, taking up the mantle of the radio programs of days gone by. According to the podcast search engine, Listen Notes, there are at least 3,017,132 podcasts and 154,447,676 episodes in the world (and growing).¹

Not only are podcasts a great way to learn, they allow you to do so while sitting in the comfort of your own home or filling “dead time” driving. For my part, I tend to listen to podcasts in the car when driving on my own. As I have an interest in biblical archaeology (some might say obsession), I’ve found a number of podcasts related to the subject that I’d share them with you. While some podcasts occasionally have a guest archaeologist, these five primarily deal with the world of biblical archaeology. I should note that I don’t always agree with everything proposed in these podcasts. However, I do enjoy stretching my own thinking by hearing other perspectives from the people who hold them. Here then are five podcasts about biblical archaeology you might want to check out.

The Book and the Spade

While not technically a podcast in the true sense of the word, this long-running, award-winning radio program can now be found online. For 40 years Gordon Govier has been reporting on biblical archaeology and in that time has interviewed close to 350 archaeologists and Bible scholars. Each episode is about 15-mintues in length and follows an interview format. Govier often interviews the archaeologists directly involved in the excavations where discoveries are made, and it’s a great way to get the information directly from the source.

Check out the Book and the Spade here: http://www.radioscribe.com/bknspade.htm

Let the Stones Speak

Let the Stones Speak (Formerly Watch Jerusalem) is a podcast that explores archaeology from a biblical perspective. Published by the Armstrong-Mazar Institute of Archaeology, each episode is roughly 20-30 minutes in length and focuses primarily on archaeology related to ancient Israel. Recent episodes include topics such as the Jerusalem ivories, Solomon’s gates and the location of the tabernacle at Shiloh.

Check out Let the Stones Speak here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-the-stones-speak/id1605801612

Troweling Down

Troweling Down is a monthly podcast by Steve Collins and Gary Byers from Trinity Southwest University and is 15-20 minutes in length. Given that Steve Collins is the Director of excavations at Tall el-Hamman, which he believes to be biblical Sodom, most of the episodes are dedicated to advancing this view, either from an archaeological or chronological perspective.

Check out Troweling Down here: https://open.spotify.com/show/47CY1tN81JarNjALFt9aw2

Digging for Truth

The Digging for Truth podcast by the Associates for Biblical Research is the “new kid on the block.” Their podcasts began in September 2022 and feature either a round-table format or interviews. Some of their content converts interviews done on the Digging for Truth TV show into audio format for these podcasts. For those who haven’t seen the video version, or who wish to review an episode they’ve seen, this podcast is a great way to (re)listen on-the-go. Most episodes are 45-60 minutes in length; recent shows have covered topics such as the Amarna letters, the pharaoh of the Exodus, and the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.

Check out Digging for Truth here: https://open.spotify.com/show/194dZWCHguG4YttGa81ACt

On-Script’s Biblical World

In this podcast Chris McKinny and Kyle Keimer or Mark Janzen bring the biblical world to life. Sometimes round-table discussion, sometimes interview-style, each episode can range in length from 30-90 minutes, although most are about an hour long. The thing I like about Biblical World, and what sets it apart from the other podcasts I’ve listed, is that it has a distinct focus on historical geography. This gives me a better understanding of where ancient sites are located and how their location impacted biblical events. I particularly enjoyed their episodes on the Lachish Letters, the Geography of the Judges, and Egypt and the Bible.

Check out On-Script’s Biblical World here: https://onscript.study/biblicalworld/

Conclusion

Since you’re reading this blog, you likely share my interest in biblical archaeology. I hope the brief introductions to these five podcasts might spur you on to give each a listen. Comment below and let me know which ones you enjoy most. Are there any other podcasts specifically about biblical archaeology that I missed?

ENDNOTES:

1 Listen Notes, Online: https://www.listennotes.com/podcast-stats/ (Accessed Jan. 19, 2023)