The Book of Galatians is unique in many ways because of its polemic nature, aimed as it is against Christians in churches who have listened to false teaching and abandoned (or are close to abandoning) Paul’s teaching. It has not been well-served with commentaries, although some historical works are of note. Remember, I have preachers in mind for these recommendations. Balance is important. Other works are worth looking at, such as Phillip Graham Ryken’s contribution to the REC, but Stott …
Category: Commentaries
When it comes to the Pastoral Epistles there is a wealth of good choices. The top four in the following list are all excellent high-level works. I would personally go for Knight and Marshall if money were no object (although Mounce and Towner would be just fine). Some of these scholars dance around Paul’s clear statement preventing women from being preachers and teachers of men. I have marked such with a (w’) 1. George W. Knight III – Good at …
A Review of Adam Copenhaver and Jeffrey D. Arthurs, Colossians and Philemon: A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching, Kerux Commentaries, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2022, 335 pages, hdbk. This is the first time I have set my eyes on a Kerux commentary. The series is designed to give exegetical, theological, and homiletical help for the expositor and preacher. This approach is nothing new, although it has not been seen for some time. These kinds of commentaries were quite popular in …
For my money the top three works in the list are indispensable. The next two are important to have. I do not think the warning passages in Hebrews have yet been tackled adequately (and who is up to the task?). I personally hold that Hebrews should be read alongside the Olivet Discourse. Peter T. O’Brien – Yes, I know the author has gotten it in the neck for plagiarizing (but it is odd plagiarism, like repeating phrases, not exegesis). Because …
N.B. This is a review of the book and its merits. However, I believe the NT to be quite clear that women are not to be instructors of men in Church related matters like the interpretation of Scripture, doctrine, and the like. This has nothing to do with ability and everything to do with obedience to God and His established creation order (1 Tim. 2:11-14). As one would expect, a lot of female scholars are cited in this work. I …
As with the selections on the Book of Revelation, this list will display some bias towards Dispensational works, although I don’t want to fill it up with just those. One big reason for that is because Dispensationalists have not written many great commentaries on any book of the Bible. Often-as-not they have been content to furnish basic commentaries for the masses. The fact is that if a person wishes to go deep into an inspired author he will need to …
A Review of Nijay K. Gupta, The New Testament Commentary Guide: A Brief Handbook for Students and Pastors, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020, 124 pages, pbk. Nijay Gupta is a Professor of NT at Northern Seminary and a busy author. This little book is his attempt at writing a NT Commentary survey that is up to date and judicious. No attention has been given to NT Introductions or NT Theologies, only commentaries are included. Gupta’s introduction covers several questions about …
Mark’s Gospel is terrific for the preacher. It really comes into its own when expounded. Any commentary on this book that keeps flipping back and forth between Mark, Matthew and Luke should not be considered a first choice. There is now an embarrassment of fine resources. Here is my list: 1. James R. Edwards (Pillar) Edwards’ commentary on Romans is very good, and it was on my experience with that work that I purchased this. I ended up reading the …
A review of Eugene H. Merrill, A Commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles, Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2015, 637 pages, hdbk Among readers of the Old Testament (you know, those creatures of legend that used to inhabit churches), the Books of 1 and 2 Chronicles would not rank too high on their list of favorites. Even zealous preachers would, given the choice, prefer to go through 1 & 2 Kings rather than Chronicles. But these neglected books (one book in the …
A review of Duane A. Garrett, A Commentary on Exodus, Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2014, 741 pages This latest commentary to be released by Kregel comes from the veteran commentator Duane Garrett of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Garrett is known for contributing solid works on Hosea and Joel, Amos, and several commentaries on Wisdom Books. He is known for his balanced approach and careful exegesis. This new work on the Book of Exodus helps to maintain his standards. Kregel’s Exegetical …
