Best Commentaries

Kirk E. Miller

The following was originally composed for publication at Rolfing Library. I have added here a brief note of introduction.

Introductory notes:

  • The following list of commentaries was composed using a variety of reliable sources. Therefore, this final product is the result of a collaboration of various reliable opinions. I have only interacted with a small percentage of these commentaries. My opinion and experience is a factor at times. But for the most part, I relied on the opinion of others.
  • I composed the following list for my reference job at Trinity International University’s (of which Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is a part) Rolfing Memorial Library. In other words, this list was created for academic use. Priority was given to commentaries which are more technical in nature. Although I am an evangelical, priority was not necessarily awarded based on evangelical conclusions. Quality commentaries of more liberal bent are also included. In light of these two realities, the nature of this list will best serve students and pastors. Nonetheless, a variety of commentary types were included (e.g., critical, technical, pastoral, devotional, etc.). Less technical, more devotional commentaries were included when they received significantly high reviews.
  • I attempted to provide 4-6 commentaries per book. Variation exists due to how many ‘stand out’ commentaries exist per book. Deviation from this 4-6 amount norm occurs with the inclusion of commentaries that only cover certain portions of a biblical book (e.g., see the commentaries listed under “Psalms”).
  • Library of Congress call numbers (e.g., BS1235.3 .W46x v.1 1987) are included since I made this list for library use. I have decided not to take the time to remove them.
  • This list was completed on 7.17.2014. Commentaries published after this date were not considered in the formation of this list.

OLD TESTAMENT

Pentateuch

Genesis
  • Wenham, Gordon J. Genesis 1-15 and Genesis 16-50. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco: Word Books, 1987 and 1994. (BS1235.3 .W46x v.1 1987 and BS1235.3 .W462x v.2 1994)
  • Hamilton, Victor P. The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17 and The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18-50.The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990 and 1995. (BS1235.3 .H32 1990 and BS1235.3 .H323 1995)
  • Westermann, Claus. Genesis 1-11, Genesis 12-36, and Genesis 37-50. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984-1986. (BS1235.3 .W4413 1984, BS1235.3 .W44313 1985, and BS1235.3 .W3713 1986)
  • Mathews, Kenneth. Genesis 1- 11:26 and Genesis 11:27-50:26. American Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 1996 and 2005. (BS1235.3 .M37 1995)
  • Waltke, Bruce K. Genesis: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001. (BS1235.53 .W34x 2001)

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Help! What Commentary Should I Use? (Pt. 2)

Kirk E. Miller

This post was originally published at Rolfing Unshelved, a blog of the university library for which I work as a reference assistant.

 

JoshuaCommentaries

We’ve all been there. Staring at a wall of Rolfing’s amazing collection of commentaries (or scrolling through an endless list of commentaries on TrinCat) and feeling bombarded, overwhelmed, and not sure where to start. Choosing commentaries can be tough — but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips on choosing the right commentary.

Note the type

There are many types of commentaries out there, e.g., expositional, devotional, technical, etc. So, first, know what kind of commentary for which you are looking; and, second, find that kind of commentary. Don’t expect Derek Kidner’s Proverbs commentary to be super technical. And don’t expect Michael Fox’s to be filled with pastoral insights and implications. Know what you are trying to find; and restrict your selection accordingly.

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Help! What Commentary Should I Use? (Pt. 1)

Kirk E. Miller

This post was originally published at Rolfing Unshelved, a blog of the university library for which I work as a reference assistant.

 

JoshuaCommentaries

I was in college when I first began using commentaries. I was rather aimless, didn’t have much help or guidance, and just sort of jumped in. Maybe that’s been your experience as well.

The whole process of learning about commentaries is sort of like a circle — There’s no obvious starting point. You just have to enter somewhere, learn from your mistakes, and figure things out as you go. In one sense, the best way to get to know commentaries is to just use them.

But the process doesn’t have to be that aimless. Your entrance into the world of commentaries doesn’t have to be as abrupt as mine was.

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Seminary–You’re doing it wrong

Kirk E. Miller 2 Comments
My seminary--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

My seminary–Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

If you’re doing seminary without significant involvement in a local church, as the saying goes, “You’re doing it [sic] wrong.”

Over the past two years of seminary I’ve become more and more convinced of the church’s importance in my (and others’) seminary education. It takes a church to raise a Christian. And equally so, it takes a church to form a seminarian. As such, I am convinced that going through seminary without significant involvement in a local church (i.e., not just attending, but being involved in ministry) is incredibly harmful to one’s seminary experience and formation process.

Let me share with you at least three reasons why.

1. It’s a needed supplement to your seminary education.

We learn a lot of valuable stuff in seminary. But seminary can’t provide us with all the training we need. (Get your Greek out!) It’s a para- (“alongside”) church organization, not a para- “this-is-all-there-is!” organization.

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J. Gresham Machen’s “Christianity and Liberalism”–Continued Relevance for a Continued Liberalism

Kirk E. Miller 2 Comments

As contemporary Christian continues its debate over homosexuality and (so-called) same sex marriage, my mind keeps drifting back to one of my favorite books of all time, Christianity and Liberalism (originally published in 1923) by J. Gresham Machen, one of my favorite authors of all time. (See my review of this book here.) This ‘Christian’ position in support of same-sex marriage as Christian is merely one manifestation of an ever present liberalism to which Machen’s words are as relevant as the day he originally wrote them.

If you haven’t yet read this book, please do yourself a favor and do so immediately. But in the meantime, allow me to share with you some snippets that I think exemplify this current relevance.

Machen

On standing for and proclaiming the truth.

The type of religion which … shrinks from “controversial” matters, will never stand amid the shocks of life. In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight. (1-2)

The things that are sometimes thought to be hardest to defend are also the things that are most worth defending. (8)

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