Recommend Bible commentary

[Korean-American Christian]

Reformation Study Bible. ESV Study Bible. MacArthur Study Bible. All 3 are incredible.

Thank you for the excellent recommendations!! May God be with you always!!

 

[St_Worm2]

I really don't believe in commentaries. Commentaries are just man's thoughts about God. To find God's thoughts, study the Bible carefully, prayerfully, and with your heart open to the Holy Spirit.

Hi MB, so how far do we take this thought Brother? Most of my commentaries were written by theologians/professors at seminary, and some were written by pastors (and, of course, there is the ancient commentary collection/library of the Fathers). Are we to avoid the teaching of seminary professors, church doctors, and pastors/priests? After all, whenever they speak and/or write, they are speaking/writing, "man's thoughts about God", yes

Also, I don't know about you, but I haven't had 6 years of Koine Greek, nor do I have a PhD in Church history. However, the guys that write our commentaries often have that much and more, and I'm thankful for the off campus/non-classroom access that their books give me to what they know and understand, so I can consider what they have to say as I study Bible and grow in the faith

Yours in Christ,
David
p.s. - thanks for the recommendation of the Orthodox Study Bible (I've already downloaded it ).

 

[dysert]

I really don't believe in commentaries. Commentaries are just man's thoughts about God. To find God's thoughts, study the Bible carefully, prayerfully, and with your heart open to the Holy Spirit.

I used to feel the same way until I started looking at commentaries seriously. Even if they "are just man's thoughts about God" (which they aren't), they are thoughts which many times are somewhat different from mine. So in that respect, it opens my mind to other possibilities. I can't think of everything just on my own.

Not only that, but good commentaries are more than someone else's thoughts about God. A good commentary will contain other information that I lack. For example they'll tell me about the culture, the history, geography, et al. They help fill in the gaps that exist between what I know and what else I need to know in order to better understand what I'm reading in the Bible.

I still use the Bible primarily to let Scripture interpret Scripture, but then I'll access commentaries to increase my knowledge and get other ideas.

 

[food4thought]

I really appreciate the IVP Bible Background Commentary... it gives cultural and historical context to the Scriptures that is quite often very helpful.

For a single volume commentary I prefer the Believers Bible Commentary, although, as others have noted, it just scratches the surface.

A historical commentary that I often refer to is Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible, it is really solid.

_______EDIT______________
All of these are available through the e-sword bible program which can be obtained for free online (www.e-sword.net). The program is free, but modern Bible translations and commentaries cost money, but they are much more reasonably priced than real book commentaries are.

 

[Korean-American Christian]

I really appreciate the IVP Bible Background Commentary... it gives cultural and historical context to the Scriptures that is quite often very helpful.

For a single volume commentary I prefer the Believers Bible Commentary, although, as others have noted, it just scratches the surface.

A historical commentary that I often refer to is Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible, it is really solid.

_______EDIT______________
All of these are available through the e-sword bible program which can be obtained for free online (www.e-sword.net). The program is free, but modern Bible translations and commentaries cost money, but they are much more reasonably priced than real book commentaries are.

food4thought, thank you so much for the excellent recommendations!! I have used the e-sword Bible program before (I need to download it again). I have used the IVP Bible Background Commentary in the past...it is an outstanding resource

 

[Unix]

Regarding the OP question, I have a favourite one-volume commentary, although it's no-longer sold in Bible Study software, so depends on if You'd be ready to use a paper version? Also, think of which part of the Bible You'd be interested in, and get a separate commentary or even monograph or introduction! For example the Sheffield T & T Clark Old Testament Guides and New Testament Guides -series have overall decent introduction volumes, even taking into account that MOST of them are a couple of decades old.

Don't forget there are other free softwares as well, although they may not provide almost any free books, such as accordancebible.com Lite, which is at version 12, at the same time Accordance provides so much more when it comes to copyrighted works and develops at a tremendously much faster pace, than say e-sword, that You can't even compare the two. But my point is there's a learning curve to things, which may cause some friction, but I'd say it's worth it for a good platform to build on instead of being stuck in a dead-end.
Depending on the way You want to spend, also WORDseach may be considered - if You can put up with having to wait for publisher sales, and look at the storefront to see if they have the things which You although You aren't consider buying, indicate that You won't outgrow the platform - You can get a good experience with it. Remember to contact a tech rep if You encounter software problems as they have easy sollutions You didn't think of, contact instead of clicking an extra time on the download and install link!:

food4thought, thank you so much for the excellent recommendations!! I have used the e-sword Bible program before (I need to download it again).

 

[A71]

I find most commentaries very waffly, especially the 19th Century ones.

gods-kingdom-ministries.net

Is the best commentator I know of personally, and although I find myself in disagreement with him on some stuff, he is very good imo.

I would also advise listening to God. He shows us things, we just have to be attentive, listen, and search, because he expects us to search. I.E the answers aren't always ready meals.

 

[Honoluluwindow]

[I hope I am posting this in the correct section....it may need to be moved to General Theology?]

Which Bible commentaries do you use?

Can you recommend a good Bible commentary? (Preferably a one-volume Bible commentary).

If you prefer, you can also recommend a good study Bible

Theologically, I am from a Reformed and/or conservative Presbyterian theological background

Ryrie's study bible nasv

 

[Honoluluwindow]

Okay...so far, I have narrowed my Study Bible choices down to 2 Study Bibles - the Hebrew Greek Key Word Study Bible and the Fire Bible Global Study Edition. Thank you all for your excellent recommendations so far!!

Any more Bible commentary or Study Bible recommendations?

Ariel Ministries: Messianic Bible Studies NUMERICAL INDEX

 

[Korean-American Christian]

Ariel Ministries: Messianic Bible Studies NUMERICAL INDEX

Honoluluwindow, thank you for the recommendations!!

 

[inquiring mind]

I'm currently using The Moody Bible Commentary. It's a one-volume commentary covering the whole bible written by the faculty of the Moody Bible Institute.

 

[Korean-American Christian]

I'm currently using The Moody Bible Commentary. It's a one-volume commentary covering the whole bible written by the faculty of the Moody Bible Institute.

thank you for the Bible commentary recommendation!!

 

[Jonathan98]

[I hope I am posting this in the correct section....it may need to be moved to General Theology?]

Which Bible commentaries do you use?

Can you recommend a good Bible commentary? (Preferably a one-volume Bible commentary).

If you prefer, you can also recommend a good study Bible

Theologically, I am from a Reformed and/or conservative Presbyterian theological background

I really enjoy and appreciate several commentary series. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (or old) NICNT/NICOT, New American Commentary, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Word Biblical Commentary WBC, The Expositor's Bible Commentary (newer revision) EBC, Pillar New Testament Commentary PNTC, New International Greek Testament Commetnary NIGTC, and the International Critical Commentary ICC.

These are all academic commentaries. Christ Centered Exposition and the Reformed Expository Commentary are more personal or sermonic in nature.

I really like the ESV, HCSB, and NKJV study bibles.

as far as a one volume, MacArthur commentary is decent

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I like Bible Hub...........Verses or Chapters from about a dozen different bible versions.

Bible Commentaries

Genesis 1:1 Interlinear: In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth --

Genesis 1:1 Lexicon: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In beginning
Strong's Hebrew: 7225. רֵאשִׁית (reshith) -- beginning, chief

reshith: beginning, chief
Original Word: רֵאשִׁית
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: reshith
Phonetic Spelling: (ray-sheeth')
Short Definition: beginning

Englishman's Concordance
Strong's Hebrew 7225
51 Occurrences

bə·rê·šîṯ — 5 Occ.
bə·rê·šî·ṯāh — 1 Occ.
lā·rê·šîṯ — 1 Occ.
mê·rê·šîṯ — 5 Occ.
mê·rê·ši·ṯōw — 2 Occ.
rê·šîṯ — 28 Occ.
rê·šî·ṯām — 1 Occ.
rê·šî·ṯə·ḵā — 1 Occ.
ū·mê·rê·šîṯ — 1 Occ.
wə·rê·šîṯ — 6 Occ.

 

[Eryk]

Thomas Constable

 

[St_Worm2]

I really enjoy and appreciate several commentary series. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (or old) NICNT/NICOT, New American Commentary, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Word Biblical Commentary WBC, The Expositor's Bible Commentary (newer revision) EBC, Pillar New Testament Commentary PNTC, New International Greek Testament Commetnary NIGTC, and the International Critical Commentary ICC.

These are all academic commentaries. Christ Centered Exposition and the Reformed Expository Commentary are more personal or sermonic in nature.

I really like the ESV, HCSB, and NKJV study bibles.

as far as a one volume, MacArthur commentary is decent

Hi Jonathan, I see you are new here, so first off, WELCOME TO CF ..

That said, I agree with all of your excellent choices above, except perhaps for the WBC (which I have not been as happy with). Of course, it is a wonderful thing to have access to them all, isn't it

Yours and His,
David

 

[Aino]

I have the Oxford Bible commentary at home and while the writers don't represent a christian background, their commentary seems legit and not at all too atheist minded either. While the single-volume commentary won't give you all the answers you might have on a particular verse or passage, I still thin this has proven to be quite helpful. Also, I think wherever the commentary is lacking, there's space for more research and prayer.