Bible Backgrounds Recommendation

I've always found the New American Commentary to be a great series like you mention.

If you are strictly looking for background commentaries Logos only has a few: Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary (ZIBBC) and the IVP BBC.  Evans has one I believe but that only covers the new testament.  I don't remember how either of those meets with your standards but knowing that Walton was an editor of the OT set there is sure to be some of the temple cosmology stuff he likes to throw in (Lost World).

You are welcome!  I wish I could have been more help.  I did forget that there is the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Notes in Logos as well.  It would be the cheapest option of them all and if I remember correctly it is the 2 IVP backgrounds condensed into study notes.

Matillo has covered the main ones I would suggest specifically targeted at backgrounds. One though to look at for NT only is:

https://www.logos.com/product/5194/new-testament-background-commentary 

“The New Testament is a fascinating collection of documents that illuminate the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It contains an amazing number of details in its texts that can easily be lost on the modern mind. This means that the full impact can pass by the reader, yet sometimes that snippet of information has major consequences for the meaning of the passage.

Commentaries usefully explain the main teaching of a passage, but do not always explore the broader context. Bible dictionaries are helpful, but they are often more interested in expressing the meaning of specific words rather than the significance of situations.

Harold Mare has helped the modern reader by combining the best elements of both commentaries and dictionaries in his New Testament Background Commentary. It is both a commentary and a dictionary of words, phrases, and situations that shed light on the text. An invaluable companion to studying the New Testament, you will wonder how you managed without it.”

DIsciple II said:

Matillo has covered the main ones I would suggest specifically targeted at backgrounds. One though to look at for NT only is:

https://www.logos.com/product/5194/new-testament-background-commentary 

“The New Testament is a fascinating collection of documents that illuminate the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It contains an amazing number of details in its texts that can easily be lost on the modern mind. This means that the full impact can pass by the reader, yet sometimes that snippet of information has major consequences for the meaning of the passage.

Commentaries usefully explain the main teaching of a passage, but do not always explore the broader context. Bible dictionaries are helpful, but they are often more interested in expressing the meaning of specific words rather than the significance of situations.

Harold Mare has helped the modern reader by combining the best elements of both commentaries and dictionaries in his New Testament Background Commentary. It is both a commentary and a dictionary of words, phrases, and situations that shed light on the text. An invaluable companion to studying the New Testament, you will wonder how you managed without it.”

I forgot about this one!  I'll have to look at it later

The Teach the Text series has a lot of background information; one of my favorite commentary series overall.

Gregorio Billikopf said:

Do you have a link to that podcast? Sounds interesting.

https://newbooksnetwork.com/andrew-steinmann-genesis-an-introduction-and-commentary-ivp-academic-2019/ 

you can find it in Apple podcasts as well