Best Commentary

[jhancock61]

I would like to take advantage of the 20% off sale and would like to get a really good COMMENTARY SET. I have the Essential Collection so I already have the Tyndale Module. I just would like to know from some of you who have a lot of experience with some of the available commentary sets to give me some guidance on a set that would be the best bang for my buck. I am not a pastor, but do some teaching, and am a student of the Bible. I have always used paper copies up until recently. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

Jeff

Alabama

[Ken Simpson]

Big question Jeff,

I would seriously consider:

 

EBC - excellent set overall, good price

Pillar NTC - some really fantastic volumes in that one. PT O'Brien's Ephesians and Hebrews are outstanding in my view, and Carson on John is fabulous. I like Peterson on Acts as well, but that's a little more idiosyncratic.

 

Finally, WBC is sort of the standard evangelical basic scholars set. It's not cheap and it's definitely patchy, but it is a very good reference set.

 

People speak very highly of BECNT, but I have not used it enough to pass any comments.

[Tony Lawrence]

Jeff, just a thought. If you are considering Pillar (which I highly recommend) you may want to consider upgrading your collection from Essentials to Advanced. In this case you get the Pillar set, the John Phillips set, IVP Reference Collection Keil-Delitzsch, and Robertson's Word Pictures in addition to a lot of other good stuff. With the 20% discount you can't beat the deal. Just my 2¢

[JonathanHuber]

Although the Pillar series isn't complete yet, it really is fantastic. I have used every volume with profit. And Tony's suggestion of simply
upgrading the collection is worth considering.

If you're willing to spend the money, this would be a great opportunity to get the NICOT/NICNT set. It's pricy, but frequently rated as one best overall commentary sets. If you like the Tyndale set, this would be similar in perspective but much more thorough.

 

Edit: I'll add that I use the WBC a lot and find it useful. It's more technical than NICOT/NICNT and spans a wider conservative/liberal spectrum, but it has lots of really good volumes and is actually less expensive than some of the other major commentary sets.

Edited March 22, 2014 by JonathanHuber

[PhilT]

Word Series- but it coments on Greek or Hebrew Text, use it all the Time

Pillar good

NICNT & NICOT- use this all the time

NIV Application Commentary (there is a podcast on this, good set useful for preaching) I have used some of these

New Internattional Greek-Comments on the Greek Text use it often

I have used several of the New American Volumes they are good.

BEC used severa of these, Luke is Excellent, Acts is good, 1 Peter is excellent, Revelation is good, have not used all of them.

 

I like technical stuff, you might not

 

Check out Best commenteries site.

 

What do you hope to get out of the commentaries?

If it's leading Bible studies, then Bible Speaks Today, NIV Application Commentaries are great

 

Are you Evangelical? I am, if are not then some of my stuff above may not apply

 

Do you want one Volume or multivolume?

 

You have 20 days. Look at the above site. Watch some of the podcasts as Dr J has done podcasts on the NIV app series, Expositors Series and may be others.

 

Do not be put off by some series saying they comment on the org. language; for instancs BEC usually translates and you can read around these things.

 

Leaving you in God's Care and Grace

 

Phil

[Daniel Francis]

I would suggest Word Biblical Commentary too, most volumes are pretty good. And yes there is extensive discussion of greek and hebrew, but you can usually follow it fairly well. The words are not transliterated but the are defined usually... Here is a paragraph from verse one to give you an idea.

 

1 tyvar “beginning” is an abstract noun etymologically related to var “head,” and Nwvar “first.” In temporal phrases it is most often used relatively, i.e., it specifies the beginning of a particular period, e.g., “From the beginning of the year” (Deut 11:12) or “At the beginning of the reign of” (Jer 26:1). More rarely, as here, it is used absolutely, with the period of time left unspecified; only the context shows precisely when is meant, e.g., Isa 46:10. “Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times (Mdqm) things not yet done” (cf. Prov 8:22). The contexts here and in Gen 1 suggest tyvar refers to the beginning of time itself, not to a particular period within eternity (cf. Isa 40:21; 41:4; H. P. Müller, THWAT 2:711–12).

Wenham, Gordon J. Genesis 1-15. Word Biblical Commentary 1. Accordance/Thomas Nelson electronic edition, version 1.3. Waco: Word Books, 1987.

One thing to possibly also look into is either Barclay's Daily study Bible (NT) or Wright's Everyone's NT series. One thing to possibly consider is Anchor Bible while volumes are uneven some are wonderful gems, the 20% would bring the 87 volume set down $300, it is not a complete set but it is a pretty decent set at a good price.

ANCHOR YALE BIBLE COMMENTARIES: OLD TESTAMENT, APOCRYPHA, AND NEW TESTAMENT (87 VOLUMES)

 

BARCLAY'S NEW DAILY STUDY BIBLE - NEW TESTAMENT

 

FOR EVERYONE: THE COMPLETE NEW TESTAMENT COLLECTION (N.T. WRIGHT) (18 VOLUMES)

 

-Dan

PS: I doubt it is going to happen but if New Interpreter's Bible (12 volumes) became available before the sale was over I would say snap it up.