Have you discovered the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary Series (ZEC for short)? If you spend some time with the series, you will immediately see that it is different from many other commentary series. Imagine if some of the top Evangelical scholars were to write exegesis papers—not stuffy ones, but ones you actually wanted to read—over every passage in the New Testament. This is what the ZEC is like!

Though not complete yet, the ZEC is an ongoing commentary project that takes every biblical passage and analyzes it by the following categories:

  • Literary Context—a concise discussion of how the passage functions in the broader literary context of the book.
  • Main Idea—a one- or two-sentence statement of the big idea or central thrust of the passage.
  • Translation and Graphical Layout—perhaps the greatest distinction of the series, the purpose of this diagram is to help the reader visualize, and thus better understand, the flow of thought within the text.
  • Structure—the commentator describes the flow of thought in the passage and explains how certain interpretive decisions regarding the relationship of the clauses were made in the passage.
  • The Exegetical Outline—the overall structure of the passage is described in a detailed exegetical outline.
  • Explanation of the Text—the emphasis on this section of the text is to convey the meaning of the passage.
  • Theology in Application—a reflection of the theological contribution of the passage.

This series is ideal for the person who has had one or two years of original languages, but may or may not be a little bit rusty. ZEC is not as technical as the Word Biblical Commentary or the New International Greek Testament Commentary as it is designed for a broader audience. If the reader has not had any training in biblical languages, the series is still accessible because all Greek text follows English translation.

ZEC Zondervan Exegetical Commentary


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Current OT Volumes (each also available individually):

  • Ruth by Daniel I. Block (2015) (Regular Price $32.90)
  • Hosea by Jerry Hwang (2020) (regular Price $31.99)
  • Joel by Joel Barker (2020) (Regular Price $29.99)
  • Obadiah by Daniel I. Block (2013) (Regular Price $19.90)
  • Jonah (2nd ed.) by Kevin J. Youngblood (2019) (Regular Price $29.99)
  • Nahum by Daniel C. Timmer (2020) (Regular Price $29.99)

ZEC Old Testament (6 Volumes, 1 Revised)
Regular Price $165.94
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Current NT Volumes (each also available individually):

  • Matthew by Grant R. Osborne (2010) (Regular Price $59.90)
  • Mark by Mark L. Strauss (2014) (Regular Price $44.90)
  • Luke by David E. Garland (2012) (Regular Price $59.90)
  • John by Edward W. Klink III (2016) (Regular Price $49.90)
  • Acts by Eckhard J. Schnabel (2012) (Regular Price $59.90) 
  • Romans by Frank Thielman (2018) (Regular Price $47.99)
  • 1 Corinthians by Paul Gardner (2018) (Regular Price $39.99)
  • Galatians by Thomas R. Schreiner (2010) (Regular Price $35.90)
  • Ephesians by Clinton R. Arnold (2010) (Regular Price $39.90)
  • Colossians & Philemon by David W. Pao (2012) (Regular Price $35.90)
  • 1-2 Thessalonians by Gary S. Shogren (2012) (Regular Price $34.90)
  • James by Craig L. Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell (2009) (Regular Price $29.90)
  • 1, 2, 3 John by Karen H. Jobes (2014)
  • Revelation by Buist M. Fanning (2020) (Regular Price $43.99)

ZEC New Testament (14 Volumes)
Regular Price $537.86
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OT / NT Bundle (20 Volumes)

ZEC Old / New Testament Bundle (20 Volumes)
Regular Price $703.80
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NT Upgrades

There are two upgrades available from previously available NT Sets:

OT Upgrade

OT/NT Upgrade

Note: Prices are subject to change at any time. If there is a difference in price between this article and the product pages, the prices on the product pages should be considered correct.