Commentaries 101

with Mark Sheldrake

 

 

“How do you know which commentary is best to use?”  This question is often asked of me as a Bible study leader.  I have a few go-to commentaries, but before I share which books I use most often, let’s take a closer look at the Precept Upon Precept study materials.

There is a page you will find to be very helpful at the front of every Precept Upon Precept workbook.  Directly after the “Table of Contents” page, you will find a page named “Helpful Study Tools.”  I must admit that for many years I would skip over these opening pages and get right to the first week’s homework, or I’d flip straight to the back to dig into my “Observation Worksheets.”

 The “Helpful Study Tools” page gives you a list of resources to use as you do your Bible study.  This page also gives you a list of Bible commentaries that the Precept writing team referred to when they wrote the study.  The listed commentaries are the ones we will always highly recommend you use for your study.  Make sure you don’t skip that page when setting up your binder for your new course.

My go-to resource for doing my commentary work is Logos Bible Software.  I have been using Logos since my days as a pastor, way back when Logos was sold with multiple disks and before CD Drives.  The program has changed and developed over the years into a robust digital library with thousands of books.  Even though I have a few hundred different commentaries in the program, I still have five go-to commentaries on my bookshelf.

 

Here are my top 5 Commentaries and Study Resources:

The MacArthur Bible Commentary

This is an easy-to-follow commentary with good historical notes and points of application.  This is not as detailed as MacArthur’s New Testament Commentary Series that has multiple volumes but is a good all-in-one option.

This book retails at around $50.00 CDN.

 

The ESV Study Bible

The ESV Study Bible is another all-in-one option that has several great tools and charts.  I use the ESV Study Bible when comparing the segment divisions I have made during my study.  I also use the commentary notes as one individual writes these notes, but 95 different scholars from multiple denominations have given input into this Bible.

The ESV Study Bible retails for around $55.00 CDN.

The New International Application Commentary Set

This is a series of 42 books, and I use this tool for two main reasons.  The first is that this commentary has a section called “Bridging the Gap,” which provides historical context and then relates history to the modern-day.  This has been very helpful in understanding how each book applies to the days in which we live.  The second reason is the section on application. The authors take the observations of the Scripture, the interpretation, and then properly apply God’s Word to the believer.  I have taken application questions directly from this tool and asked them in class creating great discussion. 

The retail price is about $30.00-40.00 CDN per book.  Watch for a 50% off Logos sale 🙂

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines OT and NT

This is a two-volume tool that is great for application.  Warren Wiersbe is a great communicator, and this tool gives basic outlines of the text with application for today.  This would not be the main commentary for historical context but a great tool to develop application questions for your group.

The retail price is about $50.00 CDN per book.

The New American Commentary

This is another multiple-volume tool that is in my Logos library.  The commentary compliments the NASB version of our study Bible and has detailed historical information and application for today.  This is one of the first secondary sources that I use.

There are 42 volumes in this series at approximately $35.00 CDN per book.

That is my list. Next time I will share with you the books that I use for word studies.  These are just a few of the many resources I regularly use in my library.

I would love to add a number of others to this list, but the list would never end.

One final note to you as students and leaders is – commentaries are great tools that have their place within the Inductive Bible Study Method.  Once we have done our personal Observation, Interpretation, and Application, we can then go to these secondary sources.

The best commentary you can own is your Precept New Inductive Study Bible because God’s Word is its own best commentary.  For every verse you do not fully understand, there will be a verse within God’s Word that will give you a better understanding.  Exhaust your cross-references before going to see what others have interpreted from their study.  Enjoy the reward of putting the work in through your own study.

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