“All I need is the Bible and only the Bible when I am studying Scripture. Commentaries are a crutch, a distraction, and filled with human opinion. I’m committed to Sola Scriptura! Scripture alone!” Sadly, I’ve heard that declaration from many naïve, well-meaning Christians who misunderstand the doctrine of Biblical Sufficiency, also known as Sola Scriptura.
Sufficiency of Scripture, not Sufficiency of the Individual Bible Interpreter
But the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture applies only to the nature and content of the Bible; it does not apply to us, the readers, who are compromised by sin, ignorance, our finitude and so much more. We need help, in the form of gifted teachers, to properly understand God’s Word. I constantly need a reliable Hebrew scholar to tell me the tense of the verb of a key word and its implications in a passage I’m studying in Genesis. I rely on a solid commentary to give the historical background of the people Luke mentions by name at the time of Jesus’ birth including King Herod, Zacharias the priest, Caesar Augustus, and Quirinius the governor of Syria (Luke 1:5; 2:1-2). I believe in the Bible alone; but I don’t study the Bible alone.
My three years in seminary, beginning back in the 1980’s, were a highlight in my life. One of the biggest blessings was being mentored by my professors, who were all older, mature godly men who loved their students and took a personal interest in us. One of those wonderful professors was Dr. Robert L. Thomas, the Chair of the Greek and New Testament department. I was blessed to have him for several classes and as a result, he kindly took me under his wing. Our friendship extended three decades until he went to heaven. One thing he shared with the students in an exegesis class that I will always remember was an application of Ephesians 4 that I rely on routinely to this day.
Skilled Bible Teachers: Christ’s Gift to the Church
In Ephesians 4, Paul said that after Christ ascended into heaven, He gave spiritual gifts to the Church to enable the body of Christ to grow spiritually. These gifts were abilities as well as offices. One of the office gifts was the role of teacher. Paul writes, “He gave…teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ” (4:11-12). Commenting on this passage, Dr. Thomas noted that these gifted teachers given to the church do not only include teachers who are alive today. They also include all the teachers of church history, including all the obedient, hard-working teachers of Scripture who labored to write down the fruits of their study in books and commentaries to leave behind as a permanent legacy and blessing for the saints who followed in their footsteps.
Dr. Thomas posed that we should regard solid biblical commentaries as gifts from God to help us grow in our knowledge of the Word, for they were written by gifted believers who met the status of Spirit-led “teachers” as mentioned by Paul in Ephesians 4:11. Since that day I have had a new perspective about good Bible commentaries. No longer are they just dry, academic books, but instead they serve as ongoing “teachers” to me as I seek to better understand Scripture, so I can live in obedience to it and teach it more skillfully to others. Hardly a day goes by when I am not consulting an exegetical commentary, reliable Bible dictionary, or study Bible in my devotional reading or my lesson prep for a seminary class or the Sunday sermon.
Every time I consult A. T. Robertson’s excellent Greek commentary on the New Testament, which is almost daily, I am being taught by one of the most gifted teachers of Greek in the past two centuries. No matter how much education I get or experience I gain as time goes on, I will always need the help of others, gifted teachers, to properly guide me in my study of the Bible. And reliable Bible study tools, such as good Bible commentaries, provide me much of that needed help. And some of the best commentaries are the older ones, many that are either forgotten or out of print. To me they are like precious jewels (Prov 3:15; 8:11). We all need a host of gifted Bible teachers, whether living (1 Thess 5:12-13) or in glory (Heb 13:7), to aid us in our understanding of Scripture. That is by God’s design.
Scripture Endorses the Need for Teachers
Scripture provides great examples showing how we all need the help of gifted teachers to understand God’s Word better. One such example is the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in the Book of Acts who was reading the book (scroll) of Isaiah. He was studying the section we know as chapter 53, which talks in prophetic and symbolic terms of a lamb being slaughtered. But the subject under discussion is not a literal lamb but of some unidentified personality.
The Eunuch could not on his own figure out what or whom Isaiah was talking about. God sent Philip to the Eunuch to aid him in his Bible reading. When Philip approached the Eunuch, he asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And the Eunuch answered honestly, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” (Acts 8:31). Philip, as a gifted Bible teacher, went on to explain the meaning of the passage for him and the Eunuch came to realize that Isaiah 53 was a prophecy about Jesus. When he came to understand its full implications, he got saved and was baptized. This real-life story shows how much we need gifted Bible teachers and it also illustrates how beneficial they can be as they help illuminate the glorious truths of Scripture for us.
In light of the above I would like to share some of the Bible study tools that have been most helpful to me the past forty years as I study God’s Word. In this day and age, since we have the internet, it’s easy to surf the web for study helps. The problem is, there are too many choices to choose from. This problem has been compounded by the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs on the internet. How do we know what resources or authors are reliable? Should we trust AI when seeking guidance on how to understand a Bible passage?
Better than the Internet
Many people are led astray today by following wrong teaching, as misguided Bible teachers are so readily available on the world-wide-web. Solid, reliable Bible teachers are actually rare and great discernment is required to vet the bad from the good and the best. Below are some of my favorite Bible study resources that have stood the test of time with respect to their faithfulness and fidelity to the inspiration, authority, and sufficiency of Scripture. Some of the best commentaries are the old ones! Newer is not always better. Many of the books listed below sit in front of me on my desk, an arms-length away, as I use them literally every day as I study God’s Word.
My Favorite General Bible Study Resources
Excellent Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Kregel Dictionary of the Bible & Theology (Henry Holloman…one of my favorites!)
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary
Wycliffe Bible Dictionary
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Edited by Walter Elwell)
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (5 Volumes)
New International Encyclopedia of Bible Words (Lawrence O. Richards)
Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Harris, Archer & Waltke)
Reliable General Commentaries on the Bible
The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 2 volumes (John Walvoord and Roy Zuck…I have been using this one every day since my college days in 1986!)
The MacArthur Study Bible
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary
The Moody Bible Commentary (Michael Rydelnik, editor)
Commentary on the New Testament (Robert Gundry)
The Expositors Bible Commentary, 12 volumes (Edited by Frank Gaebelein)
Word Pictures of the New Testament, 5 volumes (A. T. Robertson)
New Linguistic & Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Cleon Rogers)
The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (2 volumes)
MacArthur New Testament Commentaries (34 volumes)
Commentary on the Old Testament, 10 volumes (Keil & Delitzsch)
Talk Thru the Bible: A Basic Overview of all 66 Books (Bruce Wilkinson)
Nelson’s Complete Book of Maps & Charts: Old & New Testaments
Thru the Bible, 5 volumes (J. Vernon McGee)
My Favorite Individual Bible Commentaries
Old Testament
Genesis
Creation & Blessing (Allen Ross);
The Genesis Record (Henry Morris)
The Book of Genesis (Arnold Fruchtenbaum)
“Genesis” in The Moody Bible Commentary
The Battle for the Beginning: Genesis 1-3 (John MacArthur)
Paradise to Prison (John J Davis)
Exodus
“Exodus” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John Hannah)
“Exodus” in The Moody Bible Commentary (Kevin Zuber)
Leviticus
Leviticus: New American Commentary (Mark Rooker)
Leviticus: A Mentor Commentary (Robert I. Vasholz)
“Leviticus” in The Moody Bible Commentary (John Jelinek)
“Leviticus” in The New Bible Commentary (O. T. Allis; ed. F. Davidson)
Numbers
“Numbers” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Eugene Merrill)
“Numbers” in The Moody Bible Commentary (James Coakley)
Numbers (R. K. Harrison)
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy: New American Commentary (Eugene Merrill)
Deuteronomy (Douglas F. Kelly)
“Deuteronomy” in The Moody Bible Commentary (James Coakley)
Joshua
Joshua: New American Commentary (David Howard)
Joshua (Dale Ralph Davis)
Joshua (Kenneth A. Mathews)
Judges
Distressing Days of the Judges (Leon Wood)
Judges (Arnold Fruchtenbaum)
Judges (Robert Chisholm Jr.)
Judges: New American Commentary (Daniel Block);
“Judges” in The New Bible Commentary (F. F. Bruce)
Ruth
Ruth (Arnold Fruchtenbaum)
Ruth (Robert Chisholm Jr.)
Ruth (Daniel Block)
“Ruth” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John Reed)
1 Samuel
1 Samuel: Looking On the Heart (Dale Ralph Davis)
1 & 2 Samuel: Teaching the Text (Robert Chisholm Jr.)
“1 Samuel” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Eugene Merrill)
2 Samuel
2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity (Dale Ralph Davis)
“2 Samuel” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Eugene Merrill)
1 Kings
The Wisdom and the Folly (Dale Ralph Davis)
“1 Kings” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Thomas Constable)
“1 Kings” in The Moody Bible Commentary (Harry Shields)
2 Kings
“2 Kings” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Thomas Constable)
“2 Kings” in The Moody Bible Commentary (Harry Shields)
1 Chronicles
“1 Chronicles” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Eugene Merrill)
“1 Chronicles” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (J. Barton Payne)
“1 Chronicles” in The Moody Bible Commentary (Kevin Zuber)
2 Chronicles
“2 Chronicles” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Eugene Merrill)
“2 Chronicles” in the Moody Bible Commentary (Kevin Zuber)
Ezra
“Ezra” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Edwin Yamauchi)
“Ezra” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John Martin)
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Mervin Breneman)
Ezra and Nehemiah (FC Fensham)
Nehemiah
“Nehemiah” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Edwin Yamauchi)
“Nehemiah” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Gene Getz)
“Nehemiah” in The Moody Bible Commentary (Bryan O’Neal)
Esther
Esther & the Destiny of Israel (John C. Whitcomb)
“Esther” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John Martin)
“Esther” in The Moody Bible Commentary
Daniel & Esther (John MacArthur)
Job
“Job” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Roy Zuck)
The Message of Job (Walter C. Kaiser)
“Job” in The Moody Bible Commentary (Eugene Mayhew);
Psalms
Psalms, 3 volumes (Allen P. Ross)
“Psalms” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Willem VanGemeren)
“Psalms” in The Moody Bible Commentary
Psalm 119-The Word of God in the Child of God (George Zemek)
Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs, 2 volumes (Bruce Waltke)
Proverbs: Everyday Wisdom (Eric Lane)
“Proverbs” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Allen Ross)
“Proverbs” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Sid Buzzell)
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes (William Barrick)
Coping with Change: Ecclesiastes (Walter Kaiser)
A Commentary On Ecclesiastes (EW Hengstenberg)
Song of Solomon
“Song of Solomon” in The Moody Bible Commentary (M. Rydelnik)
“Song of Songs” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Jack Deere)
Exploring the Love Song of Solomon (John Phillips)
The Song of Solomon (G. Lloyd Carr)
Isaiah
“Isaiah” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Gleason Archer)
Isaiah: The Promise of the Messiah (John MacArthur)
The Prophecy of Isaiah (G. Campbell Morgan)
Isaiah (J. Alec Motyer)
Jeremiah
“Jeremiah” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Charles Dyer)
Jeremiah and Lamentations (Irving L. Jensen)
Jeremiah (Charles Feinberg)
Walking the Ancient Paths: Jeremiah (Walter Kaiser)
Jeremiah & Lamentations: Judgment & Grace (John MacArthur)
Lamentations
Jeremiah & Lamentations: Judgment & Grace (John MacArthur)
“Lamentations” in the The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Charles Dyer)
Lamentations (Walter Kaiser)
Ezekiel
The Prophecy of Ezekiel (Charles Feinberg)
“Ezekiel” in the The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Charles Dyer)
Ezekiel (Ralph Alexander)
Ezekiel (Paul Enns)
Daniel
Daniel (J. Paul Tanner)
Daniel and the Latter Days (Robert Culver)
Daniel (John C. Whitcomb)
Daniel: The Kingdom of the Lord (Charles Feinberg)
A Commentary On Daniel (Leon Wood)
“Daniel” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (J. Dwight Pentecost)
Daniel (John F Walvoord)
The Minor Prophets
The Preacher’s Commentary: Micah-Malachi (Walter Kaiser Jr.)
The Minor Prophets (Charles Feinberg)
Exploring the Minor Prophets (John Phillips)
Hosea
Love Beyond Degree (George Zemek & J. Todd Murray)
“Hosea” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Robert Chisholm)
Joel
Joel & Obadiah (Irvin Busenitz)
“Joel” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Robert Chisholm)
Amos
“Amos” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Donald Sunukjian)
“Amos” in The Moody Bible Commentary (John Jelinek)
Obadiah
Joel & Obadiah (Irvin Busenitz)
“Obadiah” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Walter Baker)
Obadiah (John MacArthur)
Jonah
“Jonah” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John Hannah)
Jonah & Nahum (John MacArthur)
Micah
“Micah” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John Martin)
Micah (John MacArthur)
“Micah” in The Minor Prophets, vol 2, (B. Waltke ed. by Thomas McComiskey)
Nahum
“Nahum” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Elliott Johnson)
Nahum (John MacArthur)
“Nahum” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Charles Feinberg)
Habakkuk
“Habakkuk” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (J. Ronald Blue)
“Habakkuk” in The Minor Prophets, vol 2, (F. F. Bruce ed. by Thomas McComiskey)
Zephaniah
“Zephaniah” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (John Hannah)
Zephaniah (John MacArthur)
Haggai
“Haggai” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (F. Duane Lindsey)
Haggai-Zechariah (Eugene Merrill)
“Haggai” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Charles Feinberg)
Zechariah
Zechariah (John MacArthur)
“Zechariah” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (F. Duane Lindsey)
Haggai-Zechariah (Eugene Merrill)
Malachi
“Malachi” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Craig Blaising)
Malachi Then & Now (Allen P. Ross)
The Preacher’s Commentary: Micah-Malachi (Walter Kaiser Jr.)
New Testament
Matthew
Matthew, 4 volumes (John MacArthur)
“Matthew” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Homer Kent)
Matthew (William Hendriksen)
Mark
The Gospel of Mark (D Edmond Hiebert)
“Mark” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Donald Burdick)
Studies In Mark (Homer Kent)
Luke
Luke, 4 volumes (John MacArthur)
Luke (David Garland)
Luke (John Phillips)
Luke, 2 volumes (Darrell Bock)
John
John (F. F. Bruce)
Light in the Darkness (Homer Kent)
John (Leon Morris)
John (D. A. Carson)
John, 2 volumes (John MacArthur)
Acts
The Book of Acts (F. F. Bruce)
Jerusalem to Rome (Homer Kent)
The Message of Acts (John Stott)
Exploring Acts (John Phillips)
Romans
Romans, 2 volumes (John MacArthur)
Romans (Thomas Schreiner)
The Epistle to the Romans (John Murray)
Romans (F. F. Bruce)
1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians (David E. Garland)
Called to Be Saints (Robert Gromacki)
The Interpretation of 1 & 2 Corinthians (R. H. Lenski)
First Corinthians (Richard B. Hays)
The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Gordon Fee)
“1 Corinthians” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary (S. Lewis Johnson)
2 Corinthians
Second Corinthians (John MacArthur)
The Interpretation of 1 & 2 Corinthians (R. H. Lenski)
Stand Firm In the Faith: 2 Corinthians (Robert Gromacki)
2 Corinthians (David Garland)
Insights On 1 & 2 Corinthians (Charles Swindoll)
2 Corinthians (R. Kent Hughes)
A Heart Opened Wide: 2 Corinthians (Homer Kent)
Galatians
The Freedom of God’s Sons: Galatians (Homer Kent)
Galatians (Thomas Schreiner)
The Epistle to the Galatians (F. F. Bruce)
Galatians (John MacArthur)
Stand Fast In Liberty (Robert Gromacki)
Ephesians
Ephesians (Harold Hoehner)
Ephesians: The Glory of the Church (Homer Kent)
Ephesians (John MacArthur)
Ephesians (John Stott)
Walk Worthy: Studies In Ephesians (Stephen Salinas)
Philippians
Stand United In Joy: Philippians (Robert Gromacki)
Paul’s Joy In Christ: Philippians (A. T. Robertson)
Philippians (John F Walvoord)
Philippians (William Varner)
Insights On Philippians (Charles Swindoll)
Colossians
Treasures of Wisdom: Colossians & Philemon (Homer Kent)
Stand Perfect In Wisdom: Colossians & Philemon (Robert Gromacki)
Colossians and Philemon (John MacArthur)
Colossians (Gordon H. Clark)
Philemon
Treasures of Wisdom: Colossians & Philemon (Homer Kent)
Stand Perfect In Wisdom: Colossians & Philemon (Robert Gromacki)
Colossians and Philemon (John MacArthur)
1 Thessalonians
“1 Thessalonians” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Robert Thomas)
1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. Edmond Hiebert)
1 & 2 Thessalonians (Richard Mayhue)
1 & 2 Thessalonians (John Walvoord & Mark Hitchcock)
2 Thessalonians
“2 Thessalonians” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Robert Thomas)
1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. Edmond Hiebert)
1 & 2 Thessalonians (Richard Mayhue)
1 Timothy
The Pastoral Epistles (Homer Kent)
Stand True to the Charge: 1 Timothy (Robert Gromacki)
1 Timothy (John MacArthur)
1-2 Timothy and Titus (R. Kent Hughes)
First Timothy (D. Edmond Hiebert)
First Timothy (R. H. Lenski)
2 Timothy
Second Timothy (D. Edmund Hiebert)
2 Timothy (John MacArthur)
The Pastoral Epistles (Homer Kent)
Titus
Titus (John MacArthur)
Exploring the Pastoral Epistles (John Phillips)
The Pastoral Epistles (Homer Kent)
Hebrews
The Epistle to the Hebrews (Homer Kent)
The Epistle to the Hebrews (F. F. Bruce)
Stand Bold In Grace: Hebrews (Robert Gromacki)
Commentary on Hebrews (Thomas Schreiner)
Hebrews (R. C. H. Lenski)
James
Faith that Works (Homer Kent)
James (D. Edmond Hiebert)
James (John MacArthur)
1 Peter
1 Peter (D. Edmond Hiebert)
1 Peter (John MacArthur)
1-2 Peter & Jude (Thomas Schreiner)
2 Peter
Second Peter and Jude (D. Edmond Hiebert)
2 Peter (John MacArthur)
Studies In 2 Peter (Herman A. Hoyt)
II Peter (Gordon H. Clark)
Jude
Second Peter and Jude (D. Edmond Hiebert)
Jude (John MacArthur)
1-2 Peter & Jude (Thomas Schreiner)
1-3 John
The Epistles of John (D Edmond Hiebert)
The Epistles of John (Raymond E. Brown)
1-3 John (John MacArthur)
Revelation
Revelation, 2 volumes (Robert L Thomas)
Revelation, 2 volumes (John MacArthur)
The Revelation of Jesus Christ (John Walvoord)
I could have listed many more commentaries that prove helpful, but I wanted to vet out those, while helpful here and there, that tend to be tainted with strains of liberal theology which is more common than many realize, or those works that have destructive higher-critical assumptions typical of the elite academics, and the many popular works wielding allegorical views of eschatology and ecclesiology that typify many Covenantal/Amillennial and Reformed commentators. I’m interested in commentators who use a consistent literal, grammatical-historical hermeneutic and believe prima facia that the Bible is true history and supernatural. No commentator is perfect, so we have to be discerning with all of them. (For those who may be interested in a more exhaustive list of biblical commentaries, consult the work of my late beloved seminary professor, James Rosscup, who wrote a helpful resource titled Commentaries for Biblical Expositors.)
Hold Fast to that Which is Good
As Paul exhorted us, “examine everything carefully and hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thess 5:19). And remember, when using these resources, the goal is to discover the meaning of the biblical text in its original context, not the modern author’s human opinion. May God bless you in your studies of God’s Word as you lean on His Holy Spirit for illumination that leads to a worshipping heart, practical application, and a godly life.
