Recommended Commentary Set

I am building a study plan that may take some time to complete. As part of my study plan I intend to take an Old Testament Introduction and New Testament introduction along with a commentary set on the Old Testament and a commentary set on the New Testament. By commentary set I mean something like NICOT or REBC. If you were going to read through the Old or New Testament along with one commentary set, and time was not an issue, which commentary set would you choose for the Old Testament and which one for the New Testament?

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John Fidel

For me, going from most technical to least, considering sets that I think cover all books of the bible that I think are most consistent through out the set:

1. NICNT/OT

2. NAC

3. Tyndale

I come from an protestant evangelical perspective.

MJ. Smith

commentary set would you choose for the Old Testament and which one for the New Testament?

I would go with a reception history/catena style commentary or rather, several of them, to get complete coverage both canonically and theologically. In my order of preference:

Brian Davidson

1. NICOT/NT

2. WBC

3. Hermeneia/Continental

4. OT/NT Library

5. Tyndale Commentaries

DMB

One set per Old vs New? I guess probably Anchor Yale (hard background info).

But I don't. I use a Multiview from my main Bible, with my preferred commentaries. On any particular set of passages, the questions can vary, so several authors provide support.

Rosie Perera

Wiley Blackwell Bible Commentaries | WBBC: Old and New Testament (22 vols.) | Logos Bible Software

Unfortunately this series is still "under production" (only one volume has shipped), and it's very incomplete even if it all shipped tomorrow. It only has 22 volumes, covering only 16 of the 39 OT books and 14 of the 27 NT books. (Some volumes cover more than one book and Psalms is spread out over 3 volumes.)

MJ. Smith

Unfortunately this series is still "under production" (only one volume has shipped), and it's very incomplete even if it all shipped tomorrow.

Yes, I was assuming that the reading project should take long enough that additional volumes would be available AND added other catena style commentaries so that the entire canon is covered ... although I suspect that there are still holes when using the NRSV ecumenical canon.

Brian Davidson

Yes, I need to revise my list:

1. NICOT/NT

2. Anchor Yale

3. WBC

4. Hermeneia/Continental

5. OT/ NT Library

6. Tyndale

Nick Steffen

Wiley Blackwell
Anchor

Phil Tuften

While I agree with the suggestions the other members have provided, I wish to add one.

Obtain a copy of a one-volume Bible commentary as well. Why? A one-volume commentary will give you an overview of the book, chapter or verse. The other suggestions, like NICOT/NICNT, are great, but they go into greater detail. WhIle more detail is good; sometimes you want a simple overview.

One-volume commentaries such as the New Bible Commentary. I like this one because it is broadly evangelical, and most commentators have written more detailed commentaries. Examples are Gordon Wenham's section on Genesis, Leslie Allen's on Joel, and Richard France's on Matthew.

There are many other excellent one-volume commentaries available for other traditions.

I hope this assists in your understanding.

DAL

NICOT/NT, BST OT/NT and REBC should be enough unless you want to get technical.

DAL

R. Mansfield

Since no one else has mentioned any backgrounds commentaries, I thought I might mention these to round out your study plan.

The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (9 volumes) offers a lot of historical and cultural information without getting too technical. The footnotes provide an excellent resource for finding source texts. And the images are helpful if you're teaching or preaching on a passage.

A less-detailed treatment can be found in the IVP Bible Background Commentary (2 volumes). The NT volume by Craig Keener is especially good.

And the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture has already been mentioned, but it is a favorite of mine for finding Patristic thought on a passage, and the footnotes will direct you to the original sources.

DAL

Since no one else has mentioned any backgrounds commentaries, I thought I might mention these to round out your study plan.

The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (9 volumes) offers a lot of historical and cultural information without getting too technical. The footnotes provide an excellent resource for finding source texts. And the images are helpful if you're teaching or preaching on a passage.

A less-detailed treatment can be found in the IVP Bible Background Commentary (2 volumes). The NT volume by Craig Keener is especially good.

And the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture has already been mentioned, but it is a favorite of mine for finding Patristic thought on a passage, and the footnotes will direct you to the original sources.

Welcome to the club 😉 😁 Great choices!

R. Mansfield

Welcome to the club 😉 😁 Great choices!

Well, unbeknownst to many, I've actually been in the club for a very long time 😏

EastTN

I find the New American Commentary (NAC) tends to hit a sweet spot for me. I'd describe it as an intermediate commentary, with a broadly Evangelical tone. It will flag technical issues without getting bogged down in them or losing sight of the broader message of the text. Like many commentary series it has multiple authors, so the individual volumes vary in quality, but many are quite good.

DAL

Welcome to the club 😉 😁 Great choices!

Well, unbeknownst to many, I've actually been in the club for a very long time 😏

That’s, at least, 2 decades! Unless you’re rich 💰

David Thomas

2. NAC

3. Tyndale

I concur with John (am from the same theological tribe)

If only 1, I would do Tyndale on Old and New, If 1 on each I'm advising NAC on New Testament and TOTC on First Covenant.

MJ. Smith

I would plead with you to select commentaries with which you don't expect to agree. To simply read for confirmation bias leads to no learning and much misunderstanding both of others' beliefs and of how your beliefs related to others. Choose commentaries that make you think -- both of new ways to view and support what you believe and to understand what others believe and why.

EastTN

I would plead with you to select commentaries with which you don't expect to agree. To simply read for confirmation bias leads to no learning and much misunderstanding both of others' beliefs and of how your beliefs related to others. Choose commentaries that make you think -- both of new ways to view and support what you believe and to understand what others believe and why.

I generally agree with MJ's advice here, and certainly agree with the sentiment. I would nuance it bit, though, depending on an individual's background and the purpose for the study they're currently doing. There are times when having a serious commentary that comes from our own Christian tradition is very helpful. That can help us build out our basic understanding of Scripture and of our own tradition - we all need a foundation to grow from. Over time, it's natural and healthy to begin looking for other perspectives and start integrating them into our understanding of God's will, challenging and perhaps outgrowing the faith tradition we began with. But we can't start there.

An analogy might be the traditional advice for beginning martial artists. Don't start out by taking classes in multiple martial arts at the same time - you'll just confuse yourself. Pick one and earn a black belt. Then begin studying other martial arts, because you'll have the foundation to understand them without becoming confused by their various different strategies and approaches.

MJ. Smith

An analogy might be the traditional advice for beginning martial artists. Don't start out by taking classes in multiple martial arts at the same time - you'll just confuse yourself. Pick one and earn a black belt. Then begin studying other martial arts, because you'll have the foundation to understand them without becoming confused by their various different strategies and approaches.

There is an elephant in this analogy - in martial arts, one can argue that all martial arts are essentially equal in achieving the goal. [Warning: theology/ personal belief ahead] In Bible study, I would never argue that all interpretations/meanings are essentially equal because I believe in an eternal Truth -- one must take care that one is rooted in a reasonable portion of Truth before deciding it is a secure foundation.

EastTN

An analogy might be the traditional advice for beginning martial artists. Don't start out by taking classes in multiple martial arts at the same time - you'll just confuse yourself. Pick one and earn a black belt. Then begin studying other martial arts, because you'll have the foundation to understand them without becoming confused by their various different strategies and approaches.

There is an elephant in this analogy - in martial arts, one can argue that all martial arts are essentially equal in achieving the goal. [Warning: theology/ personal belief ahead] In Bible study, I would never argue that all interpretations/meanings are essentially equal because I believe in an eternal Truth -- one must take care that one is rooted in a reasonable portion of Truth before deciding it is a secure foundation.

As an aside, one could argue that all martial arts are essentially equal, but very few people do. I think it's generally recognized that some are more combat oriented, some are more sports oriented, and others are more oriented towards personal development and fitness. And if any group of people argues more than Christians do about who is on the "one true path" it would be martial artists. But that truly is an aside.

I completely agree with you that all interpretations are not created equal. I am firmly on the side of there being a divinely revealed truth that is accessible to reason through the study of Scripture. I also firmly agree that we must not accept the first (or second, or third) doctrinal position or interpretation we encounter as Truth with a capital 'T' and stop there. I also think it's theological malpractice for anyone with any degree of theological training or teaching responsibility to only read works from their own denomination, or to rely on a single commentary. When preparing to teach, I always use multiple commentaries. I have a degree from a seminary that's outside the tradition I grew up in and that of the congregation I'm currently a part of. It was a great experience. So I do agree with you.

For many of us, there's a point in our Christian growth where we move from using a study Bible to supplementing our study with a stand-alone commentary. We may even invest in a commentary series. My only point is that, as a practical matter, someone who is taking their first steps into this kind of serious bible study may not be able to effectively study three or four commentaries coming from widely divergent points of view side by side. That typically comes later, once we have some experience using that first commentary and begin to see the additional value it brings to us.

Of course, some people get stuck there, and never move on to consider alternative views. I'll join you all day long in encouraging them to do so. [Warning: theology/personal belief ahead] While I do encourage studying a wide range of views, I do not promote positions outside the broad stream of historic Trinitarian orthodoxy (although I will study them from time to time). [End Warning] But asking someone relatively new to serious Bible study to take on four views of Revelation, or four views of the warning passages in Hebrews, is a recipe for confusion.

Michael Kinch

Thanks for everyone who contributed to this thread. Your responses are very helpful and will help me to lay out my study plan. Much appreciated.

Carson Wulf

Many have said NAC and I just wanted to point out that you can get almost the whole set for at least half the price of the list price on logos. For me this one is 125 because I have so many other legacy libraries, but it's in some other silver bundles too. If you would like to check what is cheapest for you, go to an individual volume of NAC and scroll down and see what sets it's included in. These silver libraries include 40+ of the 45 volumes and the 3 or 4 other volumes that are missing can be picked up for 20 a piece.

https://www.logos.com/product/218996/logos-5-silver-legacy-library