The Best Commentary on the Bible

 

 Introduction

As Christians develop in their walk with God, a desire to do a deeper study comes along; with a group or alone. Some will turn to commentaries for assistance as previous scholars are known to write much on the various books and verses of the bible. But which is the best one and should I even bother with them at all?

 

Teaching Bible Class

In early 2018, I was given the task to teach the main bible class on Sunday morning. It was a chapter-by-chapter study on the book of Ezekiel. For a novice teacher, such as myself, this isn’t the book you want to start with.

However, at the time, I had previously done a personal study with a preacher and felt I had enough of an understanding of the book to be able to teach it to a class. In addition, gave me a bible software with featured bible dictionaries and commentaries from men like Matthew Henry, Albert Barnes, and others.

I managed to muddle through the class; skipping a handful of chapters that discussed other kingdoms (instead of Judah). The information I had from commentators was helpful and it even helped me to develop my own commentary for verses. Before you ask, No, I won’t be writing a commentary book. In the end, I felt that I grew as a Christian with the opportunity to teach being armed with this extra information.

 

A Warning about commentaries

First thing you must realize about commentaries is that they are written by men. They are NOT the word of God. They should NEVER be used as a substitution for the scriptures; more as an aid. If a preacher quotes more from a fellow preacher, or commentator, than he does from the bible he isn’t preaching God’s word. Jesus warned in Matthew 15:7-9, "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

Secondly, although these men are scholars in theology and “all things bible”, they are also denominationalist. This means that most will put a spin on what the scriptures that connect to their own beliefs. For example, I was taught that Matthew Henry is a Baptist; believing in “Once Saved, Always Saved.” His commentary on the Old Testament is solid but that of the New Testament should be largely ignored as it would have a denominational slant on salvation.

Thirdly, just because a commentator has a slew of degrees with letters after his name doesn’t make him better than someone who has no degrees. Remember, Jesus primarily fishermen as his disciples. He didn’t look for the most educated or the most qualified.

Lastly, when you study a passage, draw your own conclusions of what is being said; remembering to look at the entire context (don’t just isolate one verse) before you view the commentaries. Just because they say something different from your conclusion doesn’t make you wrong. You could be right and all of them wrong. When I studied baptism in depth, and knew it was through submersion, I read the commentaries and got a variety of differing opinions. Again, that doesn’t make me wrong; especially I know that Jesus and the apostles supported this belief. Just because they have the academics on their side, they are still wrong.

 

What is the Best Commentary?

The best commentary of the bible is the bible itself! It may seem disappointing to you but when dealing with the word of God, you want God’s word to verify itself.

One of the best things you can do for your study is to use the Center-column references; scripture references found in the middle of the page which will take you to other verses and passages that discuss the same subject.

Keep in mind, these are also created by men and sometimes they might just take you to a verse that uses the same word and declare it to be similar. But the more you study, the more you realize what’s worth reading and what isn’t.

Going back to what Jesus said in Mt. 15:7-9, Paul makes a similar statement in Colossians 2:18-22, Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men?

 

Conclusion

As we stated in a previous article, there is only ONE author who wrote the bible. And who better to do commentary on His work than the author himself. This is not to say you can’t learn from these educated men but, rather, be careful not to draw conclusions because So and So said it.

As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. If the bible has everything, then it needs to be our central focus.