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MINY226 (Studying & Teaching the Bible): Bible Commentaries

This guide includes print and electronic resources, and instruction that will aid students in MINY226. This guide was originally created by Michelle Spomer.

Exegetical/Critical 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 at least one exegetical commentary and one non-exegetical commentary to prepare for sermons or Bible studies.

Commentaries from a Particular Perspective

You will find several commentaries below that come from particular perspectives (feminist, African-American, etc). These are one-volume commentaries that cover all of the books of the Bible. Most of the time, you will want to select a commentary that covers only one or a few books of the Bible. However, because of the unique viewpoints, the one-volume commentaries below are included.

What Are Commentaries?

Bible commentaries go through a particular book of the Bible in order by verse, and the author (usually a Biblical 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.

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. There is an increasing collection of ebook editions of commentaries available: They can be found in the online catalog, with some linked on this page in the boxes to the left and many featured on the Commentaries/Works by Book of the Bible on the Stamps Virtual Theological Library guide. You can find commentaries in the following call number sections:

BS 490 - BS 511
(One-volume commentaries, whole Bible sets, Old Testament-New Testament sets)

BS 1151
(Old Testament sets)

BS 1221 - BS 1615.53
(Commentaries on the Pentateuch & on individual books of the Old Testament)

BS 2335 - BS 2361
(New Testament sets)

BS 2555 - BS 2826
(Commentaries on individual books of the New Testament)

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.

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 (with the exception of the innovative SHBC that is designed for use by pastors, students, and scholars).  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.