Exegetical Commentary Sets
The commentary sets listed here are much more academic in their approaches, and are appropriate for in-depth word studies and Bible verse analysis. It can be a useful practice to use one exegetical commentary and one non-exegetical commentary to prepare for sermons or Bible studies.
New International Commentary on the New Testament series (NICNT)Call Number: THEO REF BS2341.2 .N4Some volumes also available as ebooks - click on title above for link to catalog records and access to any ebooks.
New International Commentary on the Old Testament series (NICOT)Call Number: THEO REF BS1151.2 .N48Some volumes also available as ebooks - click on title above for link to catalog records and access to any ebooks.
Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New TestamentCall Number: Theology Ref BS2341.2 .B34 v.5ISBN: 0801026687This book is also available online. Click here, then click on the "View electronic book" link.
Non-Exegetical Commentary Sets
The commentaries listed here are not usually the kind of commentaries that your professors want you to use for exegetical papers. However, if you are looking for some more application-oriented commentaries to use alongside the more exegetical ones found in this guide, these have excellent scholarship behind them, and can be helpful in preparing sermons or Bible studies.
Commentaries from a Particular Perspective
You will find several commentaries below that come from particular perspectives (feminist, African-American, etc). The commentaries that cover the entire Bible were included because of their unique viewpoints - usually, you would want to use commentaries that cover one book of the Bible (or maybe a few books), rather than those that try to cover all books of the Bible in one volume.
Africa Bible Commentary by Call Number: Theology Ref BS491.3 .A47 2010ISBN: 03102918792006 first edition is also available in Theology Ref
Africa Bible Commentary series by Call Number: Theology Ref BS491.3 .A47ISBN: 9789966805386Note that this is a new and still forthcoming commentary set (not a 1-vol. commentary) -- from a particular perspective. It is primarily written for pastors, but exegetical issues are sometimes addressed in endnotes.
IVP Women's Bible Commentary by Call Number: Theology Ref BS521.4 .I97 2002ISBN: 083081437XThis commentary is also available in the circulating collection
A Postcolonial Commentary on the New Testament Writings by Call Number: Theology BS2361.3 .P67 2007ISBN: 0567045633
True to our Native Land: An African American New Testament Commentary by Call Number: Theology Ref BS2341.52 .T78 2007ISBN: 0800634217This commentary is also available in the circulating collection.
Women's Bible Commentary by Call Number: Theology Ref BS491.2 .W66 1998ISBN: 97806642370733rd edition. This 3rd edition is also available as an ebook. Earlier editions are also available in Korean or English in Stamps or the LA Center: see catalog record.
The Bible and Disability: A Commentary by Call Number: Theology Ref BS680.P435 B53 2017ISBN: 9781602586215
While the following series are not strictly commentary sets, they will still provide information about Biblical books from a different perspective.
A Feminist Companion to the BibleISBN: 1841270792Click on the title link above to get more information about this series
A Feminist Companion to the New Testament and Early Christian WritingsISBN: 0826462529Click on the title link above to get more information about the series
What Are Commentaries?
Bible commentaries go through a particular book of the Bible in order by verse, and the author (usually a Bibical Studies scholar) "comments" on the verses. Commentaries provide analysis of the Biblical text, though some are more detailed than others. Below, you'll see an excerpt from the Word Biblical Commentary (one of the more analytical commentaries) on a passage in Exodus.
You must have a Bible verse in order to use a commentary - you cannot look up topics in commentaries. If you are looking for passages that deal with a particular topic, try the resources below.
Expository Dictionary of Bible Words by
Look up an English word and you will find the major Hebrew and/or Greek words that are translated into that English word. Bible verses that contain the word will also be listed.
Call Number: Theology Ref BS440 .E97 2005ISBN: 1565636732
Zondervan Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies by
Look up a topic and you will find a specific breakdown of the topic along with the corresponding Bible verses.
Call Number: Theology Ref BS432 .Z66 1999ISBN: 0310206685
Where Are Commentaries?
Most commentaries are going to be located in the Stamps Theological Library on West Campus. Commentaries can be found in both the reference collection and the stacks - some commentaries can even be found in both sections. You can find commentaries in the following call number sections:
BS 490 - BS 511
(Old & New Testament Sets)
NOTE: One exception to this is the Anchor Bible Commentary set - this is located in the section for Bibles since it includes an original translation.
BS 1150.2 - BS 1151.3
(Old Testament Sets)
BS 1221 - BS 1615.53
(Pentateuch & Individual Old Testament Books)
BS 2333.2 - BS 2341.3
(New Testament Sets)
BS 2574 - BS 2826
(Individual New Testament Books)
Find More Commentaries
You can find all of the commentaries for any given book of the Bible by performing searches similar to the one you see in the image below. Go to the basic search in the classic version of the library catalog. Choose 'Subject' from the drop-down menu on the left. Type in 'bible,' followed by the name of the Bible book, followed by the word 'commentaries.' Click 'Submit.'
Below, you will see some links that will perform commentary searches in the catalog for a select few books of the Bible.