How do you pick which commentaries to use?
I have been using Logos for a few years now, and as my library grows, the struggle of picking which commentaries to use grows.
Do you have a method for how you pick which ones you will use? My problem is, which over a hundred commentaries, how could I ever use them enough to pick which ones are my favorite?
I would love to hear people's thoughts on this.
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Nobody answered this question?
For me I see commentaries belonging in "type" groups. I just want to get a feel for a passage of a book I will look at a standard pastoral type commentary, or application based. If I am wanting to understand more about the structure and depth of the original language I will look at an exegetical, type. If I am wanting to get a grip on the time, or historical context I will have a look at socio/historical or critical type commentaries.
I have my go-to ones that I am comfortable with hearing from for me it's NAC and Pillar.
Usually I avoid all of that until I had had a good run through a few times to get a solid overview of the text as it presents itself.
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Thank you for your answer, I had begun to think logos never posted my questio haha.
do you know if logos allows for searching for commentaries based on the type of commentary it is?
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charlie said:
do you know if logos allows for searching for commentaries based on the type of commentary it is?
Probably the easiest way to do this is in the Passage Guide. Enter a passage or book, go to the Commentaries section, and click on Type. Your commentaries which address the book or passage will be sorted into types and can start to appreciate the difference by looking through them on that basis.
You can make Collections of the Types that you like and use that collection for searching.
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Awesome help, thank you.
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charlie said:
Do you have a method for how you pick which ones you will use? My problem is, which over a hundred commentaries, how could I ever use them enough to pick which ones are my favorite?
I would suggest any of several websites recommending commentaries by book of the Bible. One of the most referenced based on number of mentions in the forums is https://bestcommentaries.com/. Another is the annual NT (https://denverseminary.libguides.com/Denver_Journal_NT) and OT (https://denverseminary.libguides.com/djot) library lists from Denver Seminary. One Logos user Joseph Turner posts the list from Denver Seminary as PBBs with links to the resources in Logos which is very helpful. Here is a link to the thread: https://community.logos.com/forums/t/63727.aspx?PageIndex=1. Another list I have used is https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/best-commentaries/. I am sure there are many, many more that others can recommend.
Windows 11 & macOS 15 (Logos Pro) | iOS 18 (Logos Mobile Beta)
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I do have a method for how I pick which commentaries I will use. First, I've acquired sets of commentaries (23 sets in my prioritized list that I focus on) by browsing incessantly* - YouTube videos, websites, and whatever else I can find (as Chris points out here, Best Commentaries | Old and New Testament Bible Commentary reviews, ratings, and prices is a great resource - tons of useful content). When I study the Bible, I have my current favorite sets open, all tabbed in one pane on my study layout, and when I have a question I flip through those. But I can flip through all 23 sets I've prioritized (or at least the ones that include a commentary on the book of the Bible I'm reading) by using the "//" symbol in the menu bar of any tab with a commentary open.
I have a very deeply individualized approach to studying anything - because I've been at it for most of my 71 years - and I imagine most folks, and practically everybody here, does as well. Some commentaries are written with an approach and style that work well with my approach, and others don't. I find some commentary sets have a much higher batting average than others at answering my question, if I have a particular question, or satisfying my need for background, if I need background, than others. Certainly collections with a wide range of authors can be hit or miss book by book, but most have an overall style and approach that make them better or worse fits for me. So just by looking stuff up in lots of commentaries, I find what works best for me. While most of my need for commentaries is for exegesis, there are times I'm looking for other content, and as Antony notes, commentaries have types - exegetical, application, historical background and context, etc.
As an example - one I assume is a bit offbeat - John Gill (1697-1771) took fifty years to preach through the Bible, and wrote a commentary on the whole Bible (An Exposition of the Old Testament, Volumes 1–6 | Logos Bible Software and An Exposition of the New Testament, Volumes 1–3 | Logos Bible Software - total cost about $77) that I find incredibly useful. I owned it in hardcover - in six volumes of microscopic type** - but now I have it on Logos and I refer to it regularly. Gill wrote what would be one to three typewritten pages on practically every verse of the Bible, and he tells the reader what the verse says. The way my thought process works, he answers a stunning percentage of my "I don't know what this verse is saying" questions. Obviously some would find other commentaries, but not this one, as useful as I find this one, but the point is that working through various commentaries will lead you to a short list of the commentaries that speak to you and meet your needs in ways that work well with your process.
* A useful personal productivity tip is to seek out recreational pursuits to which you resort when procrastinating from doing other things that are themselves productive, while still being pleasant enough diversions. I watch videos about books. Each to their own.
** The hardcover set is now in the library of my daughter, whose eyes are 42 years younger than mine.
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Mark Barnes posted a guide to commentaries where he labeled commentaries and their main function, i.e. Homiletical, Expository, Exegetical, etc. Maybe someone can post the link to that thread.
DAL
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DAL said:
Mark Barnes posted a guide to commentaries where he labeled commentaries and their main function, i.e. Homiletical, Expository, Exegetical, etc. Maybe someone can post the link to that thread.
DAL
Is this it: https://www.logosbiblesoftwaretraining.com/documents/suggested-commentary-tags/
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Chris Heil said:
Another is the annual NT (https://denverseminary.libguides.com/Denver_Journal_NT) and OT (https://denverseminary.libguides.com/djot) library lists from Denver Seminary. One Logos user Joseph Turner posts the list from Denver Seminary as PBBs with links to the resources in Logos which is very helpful. Here is a link to the thread: https://community.logos.com/forums/t/63727.aspx?PageIndex=1.
Thanks Chris!
As Chris pointed out, I keep the Denver bibliographies updated with links, and I use them a lot when I don't know which commentary to go to or if I want to know which commentaries are recommended at a certain level. The NT list has them in three different levels, while the OT is completely annotated. I highlight the volumes I have in Logos in green, and anything else in paper or Kindle but not available in Logos in another color. That way I know at a glance what I have and where while looking at the list.
After a while, you will get a feel for certain sets and authors and their focus.
I almost always consult the NIVAC because they are commentaries written by scholars, but they also include application. It's good to have a solid and complete go-to commentary set that you trust.
Because I do academic work or background/contextual studies, I don't usually consult works before the 1950s unless I am tracking a specific school of thought or argument.
I'm sensitive to formats, as I don't want to have to overcomplicate my search for information, so unfortunately, I don't usually go to the WBC first, though it has some great volumes. I do not like the format.
Lastly, I will pick a newer commentary on whatever book I'm studying and read through that, noting along the way the commentaries cited by that author. I will then go and look at the ones most cited.
Additional note: if I want quick information, I check four study Bibles: The ESV Study Bible, the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, and the Oxford Annotated Bible w/Apocrypha.
Disclaimer: I hate using messaging, texting, and email for real communication. If anything that I type to you seems like anything other than humble and respectful, then I have not done a good job typing my thoughts.
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charlie said:
I would love to hear people's thoughts on this.
I have curated a master list of bestcommentaries.com, Ligonier recommendations, Challies' recommendations, TGC Recommendations, TIU Library, and Denver Seminary recommendations. I created a COLLECTION of the top 5 from each list then ranked them with stars - 5 stars = top, 4 stars = top 3, 3 stars = top 5. [curating the list took considerable time, but NOW my study is streamlined each week]
Each week I consult 1-3 one volume commentaries (BKC, Moody & NBC), the NT use of the OT, 2 Bible Background (Zondervan and IVP), and as many of my "Best" as time allows.
Making Disciples! Logos Ecosystem = LogosMax on Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (Win11), Android app on tablet, FSB on iPhone & iPad mini, Proclaim (Proclaim Remote on Fire Tablet).
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Which commentaries to use? For me, I pick out some of my favorite verses (about 10 or so) and then see how a commentary handles them. If the teaching of the commentary is not what I would expect, then I classify that commentary as one I don't use.
If the teaching is what I would expect the bible to say or close to it, I put that commentary in my "Collection" of commentaries and prioritize my commentaries accordingly.
I think the bible sheds a lot of light on commentaries. [8-|]
xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".
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Another cool way of approaching your commentaries is through theological stream:
https://community.logos.com/forums/t/54491.aspx?PageIndex=33
https://faithlife.com/posts/5591470
Some crazy forum-ites and Logos staffers put together a great way of tagging your collection according to theological / denominational stream. Neat to explore different angles.0 -
This is great, thank you for the time this took to put together.
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This is a great idea I have considered.
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charlie said:
Do you have a method for how you pick which ones you will use?
My method is simple...knowing the authors. There are those I know are believers and scholars and those who are scholars only. I pick from the former.
I don't isolate a certain 'type' of believer...I use a pretty big tent. That means I get commentary from people with whom I wouldn't fellowship in the same church, but they are still believers. I'm just not interested in Bible commentary from unbelievers no matter how good the scholarship.
And yes, there are some that are hard-to-call. I usually give them the benefit of the doubt unless I know they hold a position that I believe is a first-tier gospel issue and that I can't hold tenable.
It makes picking commentaries fun. [:O]
Eating a steady diet of government cheese, and living in a van down by the river.
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Doc B said:charlie said:
Do you have a method for how you pick which ones you will use?
My method is simple...knowing the authors. There are those I know are believers and scholars and those who are scholars only. I pick from the former.
I don't isolate a certain 'type' of believer...I use a pretty big tent. That means I get commentary from people with whom I wouldn't fellowship in the same church, but they are still believers. I'm just not interested in Bible commentary from unbelievers no matter how good the scholarship.
And yes, there are some that are hard-to-call. I usually give them the benefit of the doubt unless I know they hold a position that I believe is a first-tier gospel issue and that I can't hold tenable.
It makes picking commentaries fun.
Agree 100%.
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David Thomas said:charlie said:
I would love to hear people's thoughts on this.
I have curated a master list of bestcommentaries.com, Ligonier recommendations, Challies' recommendations, TGC Recommendations, TIU Library, and Denver Seminary recommendations.
I too consult those recommendations. I wasn't aware of the TIU Library recommendations. Perhaps you could post a link. I also like the John Evans recommendations as this gives reasons for the recommendations and currently being updated:
https://www.logos.com/product/302691/a-guide-to-biblical-commentaries-and-reference-works-11th-ed?
I particularly like an alternative way of viewing the Denver Seminary recommendations which I recently stumbled upon:
https://denverseminary.libguides.com/Denver_Journal_NT/
https://denverseminary.libguides.com/djot/commentaries
This site is particularly good because it categorizes the commentaries by use:
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I find, when they are available the Lexham Research Commentaries provide a good starting point to explore a particular passage.I believe they are now going to be included in the books provided with the new subscription plans.
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My library has grown over the more than 40 years that I have used Logos. I now have more than 20 commentaries on every book of the Bible.
My first consideration in choosing commentaries is what do I know about the writer of the commentary. Is he/she a Biblical scholar for whom I have a great respect and appreciation? Have their previous writing been helpful to me?
A second consideration is the commentary's theology. I want more than one theological perspective. I am Wesleyan in theology, but I also look for commentaries from other theological perspectives - so long as the writers are legitimate scholars.
A third consideration is whether or not I need another commentary on a particular book of the Bible.
A fourth consideration is what do other sound scholars think of the commentary. One resource that helps me with this is www.bestcommentaries.com.
A fifth consideration is whether or not the commentary is written at an academic level that I can use. I have studied Greek and Hebrew in seminary, so that is seldom a problem for me. However, I would certainly not recommend the ICC commentaries for those who have no Greek or Hebrew skill.
A sixth consideration is the cost of the commentary.
"In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church," John Wesley0 -
Paul Caneparo said: I wasn't aware of the TIU Library recommendations. Perhaps you could post a link.
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charlie said:
I would love to hear people's thoughts on this.
I would take all of the suggestions with a pound of salt as they all assumed you were interested in evangelical biblical interpretation and its selection of methods. If that assumption is not correct, I'll round up suggestions that don't have that assumption.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Charlie, that much salt will make you sick, don't do it
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charlie said:
...as my library grows, the struggle of picking which commentaries to use grows.
I've been working through the same issue recently. Over the years I've purchased a bunch of Legacy Libraries, so I have some commentaries I've never really looked at. I'm a layman who wants to know the Bible better, so I'm looking for commentary sets that are good overall, not the best commentary on individual books of the Bible. I'm also including Study Bibles in this project.
My wife says if I had a super-power I'd be Spreadsheet Man, so naturally I started by listing my commentaries in a spreadsheet. Then I picked a passage and read each commentary on that passage. I'd rate the commentary on a three-point scale: 1 (unimpressed), 2 (adequate) to 3 (well-written, accurate and comprehensive).
My intent is to pick one familiar passages from each major section of the Bible and rate the commentaries: Moses, history, poetry, major prophets, minor prophets, Gospels & Acts, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles and Revelation. I'll fill out the spreadsheet for each commentary, then drop off all the commentaries that got an average score of less than 2.
Round two is essentially the same, but I'll pick passages I feel I don't know much about. Again, I'll drop off the lowest scoring ones.
I think at this point I'll start looking at reviews and learning about the authors/editor. I've also started reading the introductions to the Bibles, study Bibles and commentaries I'm reviewing.
I'm hoping by this point I'll have a much more manageable list of commentaries to consider. Then I'll need to use them over a longer period of time to whittle it down further.
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David Thomas said:
Paul Caneparo said:
I wasn't aware of the TIU Library recommendations. Perhaps you could post a link.
https://library.tiu.edu/c.php?g=1234426&p=9033553
https://library.tiu.edu/c.php?g=1234426&p=9033555
Thank you
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MJ, given that the question was how people personally choose how they approach commentary selection I think your thoughts would be totally valid regardless of the theological or sectarian persuasions of the OP. Please go ahead and share, I know I would be interested.
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My approach is quite different - for each cycle through the Bible, I try to pick one commentary series that takes an approach that is new to me. Examples:
- socio-rhetorical
- literary
- cultural
- Jewish or other non-Christian author
- Pietist or related tradition
- Medieval commentaries
- Syriac/Oriental Orthodox commentaries
I add that to a base of commentaries:
- An academic commentary such as Hermenia, Anchor, ICC
- A historical commentary from the Church Fathers (or a Catena)
- A Catholic commentary - usually Berit Olam/Sacra Pagina
- An Orthodox commentary - either Eastern or Oriental depending on what I have available
- An Anglican commentary
- A Lutheran commentary
Then I add a recent monograph based solely on my current whim.
Why do I use such a mix? We are told to STUDY the scripture not to read to confirm our current limited knowledge. I keep my commentaries within a range I know I can actually understand and that should I need to change my belief, it is a change that is manageable in the belief-revision logic sense. It exposes me to difference of opinion that I understand but doesn't distract me with traditions I would misunderstand.
So, at any point of time I usually have around 10 commentaries that I try to read or at least scan for interesting points.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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