Recommended Commentaries

I am often asked what commentaries I recommend. My strategy regarding commentaries is as follows: 

1) Get some kind of commentary on the entire Bible. The list below is in order from least expensive (free) to most expensive (over $1000) and in reverse order (for the most part) of how helpful they are. I recommend purchasing the set that is the farthest down the list that you can afford. 

NOTE: I do not recommend buying any set without first borrowing some volumes from your pastor to see how you like them.

2) When you study a particular book, find out from your pastor which are the best 3 or 4 commentaries on that book and purchase those (or borrow them from your pastor or church library).

Commentaries on the Entire Bible:

1.	Free electronic commentaries

E-Sword in a free Bible program that includes numerous commentaries (www.e-sword.net), including commentaries on the entire Bible by Albert Barnes, John Wesley, Adam Clarke, Jamieson Faucet and Brown, John Gill, and Matthew Henry. (Clarke and Wesley are from a more Arminian perspective and the others more Calvinistic). All are good commentaries, but when a single individual writes a commentary on the entire Bible it is generally not as reliable as sets in which the commentary for each book is written by a different scholar with special expertise in that book. The above commentaries are also quite brief and unhelpful in many passages. Of those listed above my favorite is Matthew Henry for his wonderful devotional insights.  (This program also provides the entire 10-volume Keil and Delitzsch set on the OT. That set is outstanding, although it is written for scholars and is not easy reading at all). 

The free, whole-Bible commentary that I have found the most helpful has been John Calvin’s. It is available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/commentaries.i.html. 

2.	The NIV Study Bible notes 

These notes are brief, but they are exceptionally helpful, particularly in the Old Testament. Even if I have 20 scholarly commentaries on my shelf for a particular Old Testament book I will always consult the NIV Study Bible notes first. The notes for each book are written by a different scholar with expertise in that particular book, and they are a great way avoid “re-inventing the wheel” in your study. Most study Bibles give commentary from the perspective of a single individual. But when you see something in an NIV Study Bible note you can be fairly confident that it is something that is generally accepted and not in dispute among conservative scholars. A copy of the NIV Study Bible can be purchased quite inexpensively from Wal Mart. 

3.	The Expositor’s Bible Commentary edited by Frank Gaebelein. 

Each book in this set is written by a different scholar. It is more detailed than the above commentaries, but still quite brief. The one on Matthew is exceptional – one of the best commentaries out on Matthew (written by D.A. Carson). This set on the entire Bible is available on CD ROM for less than $100.

4.	New Testament Commentary set by William Hendriksen and Simon Kistemaker 

When I lend my commentaries to people I usually give them 8 or 10 on the book they are studying so they can pick which one is most helpful. Almost always they pick the volume from the New Testament Commentary series.  These commentaries are much more detailed than the Expositor’s set, they are scholarly and yet easy to understand, and very reasonably priced. Most are written by a single author (Hendriksen) and the rest by Kistemaker after Hendriksen died. Volumes can me purchased individually or as a set. The set of 12 (covering the entire New Testament) can be purchased from CBD for $200 (as of August of 2007). This is an excellent price (retail would be $700). A software version is available for $160.

5.	The Pillar New Testament Commentary set

This set is currently being developed. Each book is by a different scholar. So far there are only 8 of them out (covering 11 NT books). These commentaries are absolutely outstanding. I highly recommend them. This set is available at Monergism.com for $235 (as of August of 2007). 

6.	New International Commentary on the Old Testament 

Easily the best commentary set available on the OT. 22 large volumes, each written by a different scholar. Extremely helpful. CBD has them for $600, which is about half the price most places have them for right now (August of 2007).

7.	New International Commentary on the New Testament 

17 large volumes covering 24 books, each written by a different scholar. Extremely helpful. Highly recommended. CBD has them for $450. (August of 2007).