• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Wednesday in the Word

what the Bible means and how we know

  • Home
  • Bible Studies
    • New Testament Bible Studies
    • Old Testament Bible Studies
    • Topical Bible Studies
    • What is the Gospel?
  • Study Help
    • Resource Library
    • Resources by Book of the Bible
    • Bible Study 101: Learn to Study the Bible
    • Bible Study 201: Learn to teach the Bible
  • Articles
    • Theology
    • Faith & Life
    • Family
    • Women’s Ministry Resources
    • Most Popular
  • What is WitW?
    • Meet Krisan
    • What We Believe
    • Looking Back
  • Contact
You are here: Home / 101Study Help / Bible Study Tools #6: Commentaries

Bible Study Tools #6: Commentaries

July 18, 2012 by Krisan Marotta

How to use commentaries | WednesdayintheWord.com

Commentaries can be useful for “getting your bearings” on a particular book or passage, but should not be a substitute for your own work (in my opinion).

I usually start by searching commentaries for background, historical and archeological evidence — which they typically do really well.  Then I do my own study, generate a list of questions to answer. When I get stuck on the questions or want to see what others think, I come back to commentaries.  Sometimes that generates more questions, and sometimes that confirms answers. I also turn to commentaries which I hit a “dead end” and don’t know what step to take next. (I call that “study block”, like writer’s block.)

You can buy multi-volume commentaries or one-volume commentaries.  Before buying books, check your bible study software.  Many times you can buy great commentaries as electronic add-ons and plug-ins to your software. Don’t forget to include online sermons and podcasts in your commentary search. There’s now a wealth of those online!

My commentary rules:

  1. Always consult more than one commentary.
  2. Consult both classic and contemporary works.

Examples:

Adventuring Through the Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to the Entire Bible, by Ray C Stedman.  (My favorite 1-volume commentary)

New International Bible Commentary, 1 volume, ed. FF Bruce (Zondervan)

Tyndale Commentaries, multi-volume (InterVarsity Press)

New Bible Commentary, 1-Volume commentary.  (InverVarsity Press)

Go to top

Online Commentaries & Study Bibles

Classic Commentaries online

Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible

Albert Barnes Notes on the Whole Bible

Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Bible

Geneva Study Bible

Reformation Study Bible Notes

John MacArthur’s Introductions to each book of the Bible

For more online classic commentaries see studylight.org

RC Sproul’s Overivew of the Bible

ESV Introductions to each book of the Bible

Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament & New Testament

For modern commentary recommendations, try one of these:

Top 5 Commentaries on every book of the Bible – Ligonier.org

Best Commentaries on…. – Tim Challies

Commentary Reviews

Go to top

Historical Information

Alfred Edersheim: Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Alfred Edersheim: Old Testament History

Alfred Edersheim: The Temple —Its Ministry and Services 

Alfred Edersheim: The Life & Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Works of Flavious Josephus

The Antiquities of the Jews – Josephus

The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem – Josephus

Jacob Abbott: Cyrus the Great (1904)

Jaocob Abbott: Darius the Great (1904)

Xerxes – Abbott

The Apostolic Fathers by J. B. Lighfoot

Go to top

Previous: Bible Study Tools 5: Multi-volume Encyclopedias

Part of the Series: Bible Study 101

Photo by Susan Yin on Unsplash

(This article has been read 454 times plus 1 today.)

Related posts:

  1. Bible Study Tools #4: Lexicons & Dictionaries
  2. Classic Commentaries Online
  3. Bible Study Tools #5: Multi-volume Encyclopedias
  4. Bible Study Tools #3: Concordances
  5. Bible Study Tools #1: Different translations

Filed Under: 101Study Help, 101Tools Tagged With: commentaries, study tools

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Find the podcast on:


  • Facebook

  • Instagram

  • Google Play

  • iTunes Podcasts

  • Apple Music

  • Pinterest

  • SoundCloud

  • Spotify

  • Stitcher

  • TuneIn

  • iHeart

  • Email

  • RSS Feed

Wednesday in the Word is the podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.

Contact us

Privacy Policy

Legal Disclaimers

Copyright © 2023 · Krisan Marotta, WednesdayintheWord · Log in