A Great Bible Commentary - and What I Use

Here is the Bible commentary set that I use - The Expositor's Bible Commentary (12 volume set). I bought them when I was in college in 1998 after a fair bit of research. They are so helpful to me!! So this is my 10th anniversary - and I also have an electronic version.

For more than 20 years, the EBC has been widely recognized by preachers, teachers, and laypeople as one of the best commentaries available. Each Bible book features an insightful introduction, detailed outline, penetrating theological and critical exposition, and useful bibliography. Notes on textual difficulties are kept separate and all Hebrew and Greek is transliterated. This commentary uses the New International Version for its text, but freely refers to other translations and the original languages.
Guidelines for Selecting Bible Commentaries

Bible commentaries are undoubtedly some of the most important tools in a preacher’s library. They aid in the preparation of sermons and lessons by offering textual, linguistic, cultural, historical, geographic, theological, and homiletical insights relevant to specific portions of Scripture.

There are thousands of commentaries—multi-volume sets, stand-alone volumes, and volumes in series—on the market today. They are not all created equal. Rather, they differ in purpose, theological perspective, depth of treatment, reading level, and other features. Consequently, it is imperative for the preacher to exercise caution when selecting them for purchase or use.

Making a wise commentary choice involves collecting information in four categories—purpose, evaluation, experience, and perspective.

Purpose
When evaluating a commentary, a preacher should consider the purpose for which it was written. Does it aim to ascertain the precise meaning of the text? To inspire the reader to spiritual growth? To discuss potentially relevant background information without arriving at a definite interpretation? To suggest means of outlining or illustrating texts in sermons or lessons? To bridge the gap between ancient revelation and contemporary life? These are but some of the goals of commentaries.

No commentary successfully caters to all readers; in fact, none should attempt to do so. Each reader approaches commentaries with a unique set of needs. Wise is the preacher who seeks out works whose purposes align with his own.
Discovering the purpose of a commentary is fairly simple in the case of a work that is part of a series. The distinctive features that define a series are stated prominently in each of its component volumes. Thus commentary series are uniform as to purpose. (It should be noted, however, that they are rarely uniform in quality.) The aims of commentaries that do not belong to series may be advertised less prominently, but can usually be discovered by reading the book’s cover and prefatory information.


Evaluation
A second stage in selecting commentaries consists of obtaining reliable assessments of their quality. While ministers might rely on their colleagues to some extent for this kind of insight, more informed judgment is often available in published bibliographies and reviews.

Experience
The third stage of commentary selection consists of applying the preacher’s personal experience to the decision-making process. Choosing a commentary involves an element of personal preference. What one preacher finds highly useful may be unsatisfactory to another, and vice versa. It is therefore advisable for preachers to take steps to avoid purchasing materials they will rarely use.

Ministers can avoid making poor choices by examining commentaries personally before deciding to buy them. This is particularly important in the case of commentary sets, which usually cost several hundred dollars. It is best if the examination process begins during a minister’s formal education, when he has access to the resources of a campus library.

A second aspect of experience has to do with the accumulation of knowledge regarding authors, publishers, series, and the various features of commentaries. As a preacher expands his understanding of the world of commentaries, he becomes less likely to make poor choices. To neglect the role of experience in commentary selection is to risk spending funds that might be better used elsewhere.

Perspective
The final stage of commentary selection involves assessing the theological and philosophical perspective of the author(s). Many commentators approach the Scriptures purely as a compilation of ancient literature, thus presuming the authority to critique a text that identifies itself as the pure, living Word of God (Prov. 30:5; Heb. 4:12). Accordingly, expositors with a high view of biblical inspiration must learn to deal with commentaries that reflect divergent theological views.

It is admittedly tempting to discard works written by authors with whom one disagrees. Yet, the decision to restrict one’s reading to authors presumed to be safe is faulty on several grounds. First, this action significantly reduces the pool of available writings. Second, it breeds an uncritical acceptance of the views of “safe” authors. Third, it prevents the reader from drawing benefit from authors whose writings are only partially in error.

The preceding stages of the selection process—purpose, evaluation, and experience—will undoubtedly help the reader determine the author’s perspective and decide whether to use or ignore a given commentary. Critical bibliographies are especially valuable. Furthermore, the minister should rely on the Holy Spirit to aid him in the discernment of truth.

How a preacher goes about choosing commentaries will determine to some extent how well he spends his money, understands God’s Word, and carries out ministry. The application of the principles discussed in this blog should help readers make more informed choices.

Adaped from Gregory A. Smith - Dean of the Integrated Learning Resource Center at Liberty University.