How many commentaries are enough?

I just picked up Boice's commentaries and EBC (old school version) mainly just to replace dead tree versions with Logos ones. It got me thinking, just how many commentaries are enough? I generally use about 4 or 5 and have others that are more technical or specialized for difficult texts. After adding these two to my Logos Library, I probably will not buy any more sets, just individual volumes here and there. I guess it only took me 10 years to get all of the ones I want in Logos, but it made me wonder how many everyone else uses on average and if they will buy more just to have more in Logos?

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Dan Francis

I would still recommend New Interpreter's Bible. It is a fair bargain now before it's release date in August. And may compliment your library with slightly different views (not that there are not plenty of strong evangelical voices like Kaiser in Leviticus and Wright in Romans). As I have said to others if you find it is not going to be for you, one can always call Logos up within the first month and get one's money back. I do think there are some souls out there who buy everything to simply have a larger Logos library, I have more than a few purchases, usually CP pricing ones that I virtually never use. I do not think one needs to own everything but then that is me.

-Dan

Tanner Thetford

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610952#Comment_610952

I personally like to have as many as I can get within reason/cost. I've found that it has been helpful to have my personal favorites, plus the standard good ones (NICOT, WBC, NAC etc). I'm not in any hurry to get more, but I will certainly be picking them up as I get a chance. As Dan mentioned, New Interpreter's, Pillar, and others are on my short list, etc.

I subscribe firmly to the perspective that the more resources I have, the more powerful a tool Logos becomes. I have not been a Logos user very long, but already I have experienced the joy several times of finding the exact information I needed in a resource that I didn't even know existed, much less that I had. I feel that as I expand into more commentaries in the future, I will surely have many more years of the same joy.

Unix

I guess that to a large degree it depends on if You want to have several types of commentaries: pastoral, devotional, application, technical, Jewish, historical-critical, grammatical-critical, textual-critical, archaeological, inter-textual; whether You want the views from many different authors and denominations; whether You want both brief and in-depth commentaries on the same books of the Bible; whether You buy introductions separately or if You want to have so many commentaries that the introduction material is enough; how many excursuces You want; and whether You want to cover the entire Bible - including the Apocrypha and perhaps some Pseudepigrapha, Apostolic Fathers and "Gnosticism" as well?

When I look at sets I always consider what I'm paying for: do I really want to pay for dated volumes (if there are many dated volumes in the set I'm looking at it's better to cherry-pick among the current volumes)? is it too verbose (the problem is I wouldn't have time to read through it - not even just the parts I need)? are there many volumes from a denomination that I want to avoid like the plague (in my case Southern Baptist, Greek Orthodox, Seventh-Day Adventist, Jehovas Witness, and the entirely Wesleyan sets)? does it ad too much from a denomination which is too easy to collect too my much (Reformed)? The latter is the reason why I cancelled the New Testament Library set (but I'm going to buy a few individual volumes if it's ever broken up which I think it will be).

Another question to ask Yourself is whether You want to do special studies and specific topics only. In that case You might want to research monographs instead. For example when it comes the genuine Pauline letters including Ephesians, or Ecclesiasticus.

A final point to consider is if the inclusion of images is very important or not.

I will be interested in what others say on this topic and what motives they have for buying any of the more expensive commentary sets currently on pre-pub or which really valuable and useful individual volumes from any set they have found?

Rob

How much is enough?

“Just a little bit more.”

John D. Rockefeller

David A Egolf

The more the merrier! Sometimes you come across something in the Bible that just hits you as odd and it is interesting to see if anyone else notes it.

For instance, When Michal helped David escape from Saul, as recounted in 1 Sam 19, the ESV says that she placed an "image" in the bed to make it look like David was still there. Other Bible versions make it plainer that it was a household god. I was amazed at how many commentaries do not bother to "comment" on the oddity of David having a household god in his house. Very few elaborated on exactly what it was in the bed and even fewer drew attention to the incongruity. I actually redid my Logos commentary priorities based on my results.

BTW: I found that the most complete treatment was by Lange and Schaff from a 100 year old commentary.

Everett Headley

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610962#Comment_610962

Just a point of clarification, I was asking how many you use on average, or would want in your library. I'm not needing suggestions...I have my sets that I need.

And FWIW: A comment like"avoiding like the plague" could be seen as inflammatory...especially for those of us who are Southern Baptist...

David A Egolf

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610967#Comment_610967

I was asking how many you use on average, or would want in your library.

Well to refine my answer from above based on your refined query, I would say that I typically don't start with a commentary when I study. I start with Biblical text and then refer to commentaries for research when questions arise.

Rather than reading a commentary, I attempt to locate audio for general overview material. I like www.blueletterbible.org and, being from a reformed background, www.monergism.com.

Tanner Thetford

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610969#Comment_610969

On average I use about 10, including Study Bible notes in that total. I believe I am likely on the low end of the spectrum for this, but I find I need to typically spend much more time on illustration, application, and prayer as I am much more expositionally oriented in my disposition.

That said, they aren't always the same 10. Sometimes a commentary I read loses my interest almost immediately because I feel their exegesis is forced in my particular pericope. Sometimes this is the case even when I felt they were particularly insightful the week before. Thus my desire to have as many different options as I can get.

Matthew C Jones

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610967#Comment_610967

how many you use on average, or would want in your library.

For preaching I would stick to my top 5 trusted commentaries.,

For personal study I want as many as I can get. Logos becomes exponentially more powerful as you add resources.

Disclaimer: I am not currently a preacher.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610967#Comment_610967

Typos edited.

It varies depending on which part of the Bible I'm looking at, on some parts I have little coverage and then I have adequate coverage for other parts. The average number of commentaries I use is probably less than half a dozen, but at least 3-4 for the parts of the Bible I'm particularly interested in. It's that few because some of them on popular parts of the Bible are thick, and I'm interested in some neglected parts of the Bible such as Jude. I have more, not a lot more though. I know I use more for GJn but I'm not in a hurry to buy more for it. It happens that I also buy introductions to books of the Bible separately if there are any really good ones.

I would like to be decisive and make my decisions next month at the latest so that I can fully focus on studies - shopping (incl. reading reviews) consumes too much time. Sorry I asked for recommendations. Is there anyone with an opinion on Darrell L. Bock on Lk 9:51-24:53? I know Bovon is better but I can't afford Bovon for that middle-part of Lk right now (Lk volume 2) - I used to have it though until I swapped it for Accordance lexicons. Bock seems like a low-budget option for the middle-part of Lk. Is it important to have an as updated commentary as possible for the middle-part of Lk?:

Just a point of clarification, I was asking how many you use on average, or would want in your library.

Well, I do. But to some extent I avoid Evangelical commentaries and sadly many times those are the cheapest or most common ones. I also avoid thoroughly dispensationalist commentaries but it happens that I accept that the author is a dispensationalist if the reviews clearly say that there are few occurences of that:

And FWIW: A comment like "avoiding like the plague" could be seen as inflammatory...especially for those of us who are Southern Baptist...

Dave Moser

How many commentaries are enough... for what?

For preaching I only have time to check a handful (generally 5 or fewer) of my favorite commentaries on that book.
For a writing project I can't have enough commentaries.

I have reached something of a saturation point now where I'm experiencing diminishing returns. Having accumulated a good number of commentary sets I only ever purchase a new commentary if it has some unique quality for a sermon or project I'm writing.

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/610953#Comment_610953

I personally like to have as many as I can get within reason/cost.