I have updated my recommendations for commentaries, based on what has come out in the last five years.
One of my good friends thought I should post a single post recommendation of the five to ten best commentaries on each book of the Bible. Piper’s recommendations are good, but not always the best, in my opinion (I’m not trying to put myself above Piper by saying this: it is just a difference of opinion). Furthermore, I regard this list as a place to start. As Richard Phillips says in the comments, pastors should be willing and able to read as many commentaries as they can stuff into their schedule. See the comments for some great discussion on these issues. Here are my recommendations for commentaries (most are modern, but there are exceptions):
Whole Bible Commentary Sets: Calvin, Henry, REBC
Old Testament Sets: Keil and Delitzsch
Genesis: Currid (volumes 1 and 2), Waltke, Candlish, Mathews (volume 1 and volume 2), Ross, Greidanus, Duguid (volume1, volume 2, volume 3) ; Exodus: Currid (volumes 1 and 2), Enns, Hamilton, Stuart, Mackay, Ryken, Alexander, Carpenter (volume 1, volume 2), and Houtman (volume 1, volume 2, volume 3), Garrett; Leviticus: Currid, Kiuchi, Bonar, Ross, Wenham, Hess, Mathews, Kaiser, Milgrom (volume 1, volume 2, volume 3); Numbers: Duguid, Wenham, Currid, Cole, Ashley, Milgrom, Olson, Harrison; Deuteronomy: Currid, Craigie, Tigay, Block, Fernando, McConville, Wright; Joshua: Hess, Woudstra, Davis, Currid, Hubbard, Pitkänen, McConville/Williams; Judges: Block, Davis, Butler, Schwab, Chisholm, Younger, Webb, Webb; Ruth: Hubbard, Duguid, Ulrich, Block, Block, Hawk; Samuel: Tsumura, Arnold, Woodhouse, Woodhouse, Davis (volume 1, volume 2), Firth, Youngblood, Bergen, Auld, Phillips, Baldwin; Kings: Davis (volumes 1 and 2), Ryken, Sweeney, Provan, Wray Beal, Davies; Chronicles: Pratt, Hill, Dillard, Boda, Knoppers (volume 1, volume 2), Klein, Klein, Braun, Merrill, Williamson; Ezra-Nehemiah: Williamson, Throntveit, Rata, Kidner, Thomas, Brown; Esther: Duguid, Jobes, Firth, Reid, Gregory, Tomasino; Job: Clines volume 1 and volume 2 and volume 3, Andersen, Hartley, Jones, Jackson, Fyall, Thomas, Longman, Walton, Seow, Ash, Gray; Psalms: Van Gemeren, Grogan, Mays, Kidner (volume 1, volume 2), Spurgeon, Ross (volume 1, volume 2, volume 3), Declaisse-Walford/Jacobsen/Turner, Hossfeld/Zenger (volume 2, volume 3); Proverbs: Waltke (volume 1 and volume 2), Longman, Fox, volume 1 and volume 2, Ross, Kitchen; Ecclesiastes: Seow, Bartholomew, Enns, Bridges, Ryken, Greidanus, O’Donnell, Schoors; Song of Songs: Hess, Garrett, Bergant, Exum, Longman, Duguid, Duguid, O’Donnell, Hamilton; Isaiah: Motyer, Webb; Mackay, volume 1, volume 2, Oswalt volume 1 and volume 2, Smith, Williamson, Grogan; Jeremiah: Ryken, Dearman, Lundbom (volumes 1, 2, and 3), Mackay volume 1 and volume 2, Thompson; Lamentations: Renkema, Dobbs-Allsopp, Mackay, Salters, Parry, Berlin; Ezekiel: Duguid, Block (volumes 1 and 2), Greenberg volume 1 and volume 2, Hummel volume 1 and volume 2, Naylor, Wright, Greenhill; Daniel: Duguid, Longman, Ferguson, Schwab, Hill, Baldwin, Davis, Harman, Fyall; Minor Prophets (as a whole): McComskey, Nogalski, NAC, NIVAC, WBC, Tyndale; Hosea: Macintosh, Andersen/Freedman, Garrett, Dearman, Barrett, Kidner; Joel: Crenshaw, Garrett, Robertson, Busenitz, Allen; Amos: Andersen/Freedman, Paul, Smith, Motyer, Fyall; Obadiah: Raabe, Renkema, Busenitz, Block, Allen, Bridger; Jonah: Martin, Sasson, Mackay, Timmer, Phillips, Estelle, Youngblood, Nixon, Fairbairn, Lessing, Robertson; Micah: Waltke, Andersen/Freedman, Mackay, Davis, Phillips; Nahum: Robertson, Bruckner, Mackay, Christensen, Spronk, Bridger; Habakkuk: Andersen, Prior, Currid, Mackay, Robertson; Zephaniah: Sweeney, Vlaadingerbroek, Berlin, Mackay, Webber, Robertson; Haggai: Moore (Geneva series, op), Verhoef, Mackay Duguid, Fyall, Merrill, Petterson; Zechariah: Phillips, Kline, Mackay, Duguid, Gregory, Merrill, Petterson, Boda, Wolters, Webb; Malachi: Hill, Baker, Mackay, Duguid, Snyman, Merrill, Petterson;
New Testament Sets: Kistemaker and Hendriksen, Lenski, Meyer
Matthew: France, Garland, Carson, Chamblin volume 1 and volume 2, Davies/Allison volume 1 and volume 2 and volume 3, Ryle, Osborne, Doriani, Wilkins, O’Donnell, Sproul; Mark: France, Edwards, Stein, Cranfield, Collins, Ryle, Garland, Garland, Strauss; Luke: Bock, Bovon, Ryken, Stein, Green, Garland, Marshall, Ryle, Edwards; John: Carson, Köstenberger, Köstenberger’s Theology of John, Michaels, Bruner, Phillips, Ryle; Acts: Bock, Fitzmyer, Peterson, Witherington Barrett volume 1 and volume 2, Thomas, Pervo, Keener, Waters, Schnabel; Romans: Moo, Fitzmyer, Cranfield volume 1 and volume 2, Jewett, Kruse, Longenecker, Nygren, Boice, Shedd, Hodge, Haldane, Morris, Porter, Runge; 1 Corinthians: Thiselton, Garland, Bailey, Fitzmyer, Ciampa/Rosner, Naylor, Fee, Riddlebarger; 2 Corinthians: Harris, Garland, Barnett, Furnish, Thrall volume 1 and volume 2, Naylor (volume 1, volume 2), Seifrid, Guthrie; Galatians: Ryken, Longenecker, McWilliams, Pipa, Fesko, George, Schreiner, Barnes, Johnson, Moo, Wilson, Silva; Ephesians: O’Brien, Hoehner, Thielman, Best, Arnold, Baugh; Philippians: O’Brien, Silva, Fee, Hansen, Reumann, Martin-Hawthorne, Bockmuehl, Johnson, Holloway, Keown (volume 1, volume 2); Colossians: O’Brien, Garland, Moo, Harris, Wilson, Pao, Woodhouse; Thessalonians: Bruce, Green, Fee, Cara, Beale, Morris, Wanamaker, Phillips, Shogren, Weima; Pastoral Epistles: Ryken, Mounce, Knight, Towner, Marshall, Köstenberger, Barcley; Philemon (see also Colossians): Fitzmyer, Barth, Nordling, McKnight; Hebrews: Attridge, Ellingworth, O’Brien, France, Lane volume 1 and volume 2, Owen, Phillips, Schreiner; James: Moo, McCartney, Blomberg, Motyer, Allison, McKnight, Krabbendam, Varner; 1 Peter: Achtemeier, Jobes, Green, Schreiner, Guthrie, Doriani, Leighton; 2 Peter/Jude: Davids, Bauckham, Green, Schreiner, Moo, Bateman; Epistles of John: Marshall, Kruse, Yarbrough, Stott, Lieu, O’Donnell, Jobes, Derickson; Revelation: Beale, Smalley, Johnson, Poythress, Koester, Phillips, Resseguie, Kelly, Beeke, Hamilton
Please note that I do not agree with the viewpoint of all of these commentaries. These are simply the five-ten best commentaries on each book of the Bible with a link to where they can be found (with a few exceptions).
Further Update: On someone’s suggestion over at the Puritan Board, I am going to explain what I mean by “best.” The way I am using it here is that of the answer to this question: which commentaries have the most explaining power? Which commentaries give me the most number of “aha” moments? I am here assuming that the reader of commentaries will read critically. I am also assuming that the reader will apply the text himself. That is the teacher/preacher’s job, although pointers are often helpful.
David Gadbois
greenbaggins
paigebritton
Reed Here
reformedmusings
rfwhite
Ron Henzel
Green Baggins 
Commentaries for the Whole Bible
November 7, 2017 at 4:24 pm (Books (reviews and recommendations))
Tags: commentaries, commentary
I have updated my recommendations for commentaries, based on what has come out in the last five years.
One of my good friends thought I should post a single post recommendation of the five to ten best commentaries on each book of the Bible. Piper’s recommendations are good, but not always the best, in my opinion (I’m not trying to put myself above Piper by saying this: it is just a difference of opinion). Furthermore, I regard this list as a place to start. As Richard Phillips says in the comments, pastors should be willing and able to read as many commentaries as they can stuff into their schedule. See the comments for some great discussion on these issues. Here are my recommendations for commentaries (most are modern, but there are exceptions):
Whole Bible Commentary Sets: Calvin, Henry, REBC
Old Testament Sets: Keil and Delitzsch
Genesis: Currid (volumes 1 and 2), Waltke, Candlish, Mathews (volume 1 and volume 2), Ross, Greidanus, Duguid (volume1, volume 2, volume 3) ; Exodus: Currid (volumes 1 and 2), Enns, Hamilton, Stuart, Mackay, Ryken, Alexander, Carpenter (volume 1, volume 2), and Houtman (volume 1, volume 2, volume 3), Garrett; Leviticus: Currid, Kiuchi, Bonar, Ross, Wenham, Hess, Mathews, Kaiser, Milgrom (volume 1, volume 2, volume 3); Numbers: Duguid, Wenham, Currid, Cole, Ashley, Milgrom, Olson, Harrison; Deuteronomy: Currid, Craigie, Tigay, Block, Fernando, McConville, Wright; Joshua: Hess, Woudstra, Davis, Currid, Hubbard, Pitkänen, McConville/Williams; Judges: Block, Davis, Butler, Schwab, Chisholm, Younger, Webb, Webb; Ruth: Hubbard, Duguid, Ulrich, Block, Block, Hawk; Samuel: Tsumura, Arnold, Woodhouse, Woodhouse, Davis (volume 1, volume 2), Firth, Youngblood, Bergen, Auld, Phillips, Baldwin; Kings: Davis (volumes 1 and 2), Ryken, Sweeney, Provan, Wray Beal, Davies; Chronicles: Pratt, Hill, Dillard, Boda, Knoppers (volume 1, volume 2), Klein, Klein, Braun, Merrill, Williamson; Ezra-Nehemiah: Williamson, Throntveit, Rata, Kidner, Thomas, Brown; Esther: Duguid, Jobes, Firth, Reid, Gregory, Tomasino; Job: Clines volume 1 and volume 2 and volume 3, Andersen, Hartley, Jones, Jackson, Fyall, Thomas, Longman, Walton, Seow, Ash, Gray; Psalms: Van Gemeren, Grogan, Mays, Kidner (volume 1, volume 2), Spurgeon, Ross (volume 1, volume 2, volume 3), Declaisse-Walford/Jacobsen/Turner, Hossfeld/Zenger (volume 2, volume 3); Proverbs: Waltke (volume 1 and volume 2), Longman, Fox, volume 1 and volume 2, Ross, Kitchen; Ecclesiastes: Seow, Bartholomew, Enns, Bridges, Ryken, Greidanus, O’Donnell, Schoors; Song of Songs: Hess, Garrett, Bergant, Exum, Longman, Duguid, Duguid, O’Donnell, Hamilton; Isaiah: Motyer, Webb; Mackay, volume 1, volume 2, Oswalt volume 1 and volume 2, Smith, Williamson, Grogan; Jeremiah: Ryken, Dearman, Lundbom (volumes 1, 2, and 3), Mackay volume 1 and volume 2, Thompson; Lamentations: Renkema, Dobbs-Allsopp, Mackay, Salters, Parry, Berlin; Ezekiel: Duguid, Block (volumes 1 and 2), Greenberg volume 1 and volume 2, Hummel volume 1 and volume 2, Naylor, Wright, Greenhill; Daniel: Duguid, Longman, Ferguson, Schwab, Hill, Baldwin, Davis, Harman, Fyall; Minor Prophets (as a whole): McComskey, Nogalski, NAC, NIVAC, WBC, Tyndale; Hosea: Macintosh, Andersen/Freedman, Garrett, Dearman, Barrett, Kidner; Joel: Crenshaw, Garrett, Robertson, Busenitz, Allen; Amos: Andersen/Freedman, Paul, Smith, Motyer, Fyall; Obadiah: Raabe, Renkema, Busenitz, Block, Allen, Bridger; Jonah: Martin, Sasson, Mackay, Timmer, Phillips, Estelle, Youngblood, Nixon, Fairbairn, Lessing, Robertson; Micah: Waltke, Andersen/Freedman, Mackay, Davis, Phillips; Nahum: Robertson, Bruckner, Mackay, Christensen, Spronk, Bridger; Habakkuk: Andersen, Prior, Currid, Mackay, Robertson; Zephaniah: Sweeney, Vlaadingerbroek, Berlin, Mackay, Webber, Robertson; Haggai: Moore (Geneva series, op), Verhoef, Mackay Duguid, Fyall, Merrill, Petterson; Zechariah: Phillips, Kline, Mackay, Duguid, Gregory, Merrill, Petterson, Boda, Wolters, Webb; Malachi: Hill, Baker, Mackay, Duguid, Snyman, Merrill, Petterson;
New Testament Sets: Kistemaker and Hendriksen, Lenski, Meyer
Matthew: France, Garland, Carson, Chamblin volume 1 and volume 2, Davies/Allison volume 1 and volume 2 and volume 3, Ryle, Osborne, Doriani, Wilkins, O’Donnell, Sproul; Mark: France, Edwards, Stein, Cranfield, Collins, Ryle, Garland, Garland, Strauss; Luke: Bock, Bovon, Ryken, Stein, Green, Garland, Marshall, Ryle, Edwards; John: Carson, Köstenberger, Köstenberger’s Theology of John, Michaels, Bruner, Phillips, Ryle; Acts: Bock, Fitzmyer, Peterson, Witherington Barrett volume 1 and volume 2, Thomas, Pervo, Keener, Waters, Schnabel; Romans: Moo, Fitzmyer, Cranfield volume 1 and volume 2, Jewett, Kruse, Longenecker, Nygren, Boice, Shedd, Hodge, Haldane, Morris, Porter, Runge; 1 Corinthians: Thiselton, Garland, Bailey, Fitzmyer, Ciampa/Rosner, Naylor, Fee, Riddlebarger; 2 Corinthians: Harris, Garland, Barnett, Furnish, Thrall volume 1 and volume 2, Naylor (volume 1, volume 2), Seifrid, Guthrie; Galatians: Ryken, Longenecker, McWilliams, Pipa, Fesko, George, Schreiner, Barnes, Johnson, Moo, Wilson, Silva; Ephesians: O’Brien, Hoehner, Thielman, Best, Arnold, Baugh; Philippians: O’Brien, Silva, Fee, Hansen, Reumann, Martin-Hawthorne, Bockmuehl, Johnson, Holloway, Keown (volume 1, volume 2); Colossians: O’Brien, Garland, Moo, Harris, Wilson, Pao, Woodhouse; Thessalonians: Bruce, Green, Fee, Cara, Beale, Morris, Wanamaker, Phillips, Shogren, Weima; Pastoral Epistles: Ryken, Mounce, Knight, Towner, Marshall, Köstenberger, Barcley; Philemon (see also Colossians): Fitzmyer, Barth, Nordling, McKnight; Hebrews: Attridge, Ellingworth, O’Brien, France, Lane volume 1 and volume 2, Owen, Phillips, Schreiner; James: Moo, McCartney, Blomberg, Motyer, Allison, McKnight, Krabbendam, Varner; 1 Peter: Achtemeier, Jobes, Green, Schreiner, Guthrie, Doriani, Leighton; 2 Peter/Jude: Davids, Bauckham, Green, Schreiner, Moo, Bateman; Epistles of John: Marshall, Kruse, Yarbrough, Stott, Lieu, O’Donnell, Jobes, Derickson; Revelation: Beale, Smalley, Johnson, Poythress, Koester, Phillips, Resseguie, Kelly, Beeke, Hamilton
Please note that I do not agree with the viewpoint of all of these commentaries. These are simply the five-ten best commentaries on each book of the Bible with a link to where they can be found (with a few exceptions).
Further Update: On someone’s suggestion over at the Puritan Board, I am going to explain what I mean by “best.” The way I am using it here is that of the answer to this question: which commentaries have the most explaining power? Which commentaries give me the most number of “aha” moments? I am here assuming that the reader of commentaries will read critically. I am also assuming that the reader will apply the text himself. That is the teacher/preacher’s job, although pointers are often helpful.
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