Recommended Commentary List – New Testament

The goal of reading the Bible is worship – to see, know, and treasure God as He has revealed Himself; and in the process, for our lives to be transformed.  Bible study is hard work, but the returns are priceless (Psalm 19:7-11).  Thankfully God has given us His Spirit to be our Helper and Teacher (John 16:7, 13) and we also have the privilege of learning together in the community God calls the Church.  That community consists of our small groups and people we rub shoulders with right here in Chicago, but it also includes the godly men and women who are biblical scholars – from around the world today as well as those who have gone before us.

Commentaries are not a shortcut or excuse to not do the hard work of personal Bible study.  However, once we have wrestled with, prayed through, and studied the text, commentaries give us a chance to sit across the table with a group of scholars and compare our findings with theirs.  This can shed new light on the text we are looking at, confirm what we have found, or correct our misunderstanding.  Better yet, they help us see what was going on in the lives of the biblical writers and original readers to deepen our understanding of God’s word.

So, whether your small group is reading through the Gospel of John or you’re doing a personal study of 1 Peter, we’ve compiled a list of New Testament commentaries that can be helpful along the way.  Each commentary is hyperlinked to Amazon and we’ve included the author and approximate price for each one.  “Advanced” commentaries are those that use the Greek language in their discussion of the text and work through its more technical aspects.  Knowledge of the Greek language is not necessary, but, there may be times where it is challenging to follow.  “Intermediate” commentaries are ones that work through the various books of the Bible without bogging the reader down with Greek.  Both are helpful in our pursuit of the most accurate meaning of the text.

Matthew

Advanced

• Matthew – New American Commentary (Vol. 22), by Craig L. Blomberg; $24

 

• Matthew – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by David Turner; $35

Intermediate

• Matthew – Expositor’s Biblical Commentary (Vol. 8), by D.A. Carson; $16

 

• The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven, by Michael Green; $13

Mark

Advanced

• The Gospel According to Mark - Pillar New Testament Commentary, by James R. Edwards; $34

Intermediate

• Mark - Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by R. Alan Cole; $13
• Mark – NIV Application Commentary, by David E. Garland; $27

Luke

Advanced

• The Gospel of Luke - New International Commentary on the New Testament, by Joel B. Green; $26

Intermediate

• Luke-Acts – Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Vol.10), by Walter L. Liefeld & David W. Pao; $39
• Luke – NIV Application Commentary, by Darrell L. Bock; $23

John

Advanced

• John – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by Andreas Köstenberger; $32
• The Gospel According to John – Pillar New Testament Commentary, by D.A. Carson; $32

Intermediate

• John – NIV Application Commentary, by Gary M. Burge; $27
• The Gospel According to John – Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by Colin G. Kruse; $13

Acts

Advanced

• Acts – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by Darrell Bock; $35
• The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, by Ben Witherington, III; $35

Intermediate

• Acts of the Apostles – Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by I. Howard Marshall; $16
• Acts – NIV Application Commentary, by Ajith Fernando; $25
• The Message of Acts: The Spirit, the Church, and the World (Bible Speaks Today), by John R. W. Stott; $14
• Acts – IVP New Testament Commentary Series, by William J. Larkin, Jr.; $18

Romans

Advanced

• Romans – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by Thomas Schreiner; $35
• The Epistle to the Romans – New International Commentary on the New Testament, by Douglas J. Moo; $31

Intermediate

• Romans – NIV Application Commentary, by Douglas J. Moo; $24
• The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World (Bible Speaks Today), by John R. W. Stott; $14

1 Corinthians

Advanced

• 1 Corinthians – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by David Garland; $35
• The First Epistle to the Corinthians – New International Commentary on the New Testament, by Gordon Fee; $37

Intermediate

• First Corinthians: A Shorter Exegetical and Pastoral Commentary, by Anthony C. Thiselton; $21
• 1 Corinthians – NIV Application Commentary, by Craig A. Blomberg; $19
• 1 Corinthians – IVP New Testament Commentary, by Alan F. Johnson; $18

2 Corinthians

Advanced

• Second Epistle to the Corinthians – New International Greek Testament Commentary, by Murray J. Harris; $55
• 2 Corinthians – New American Commentary (Vol. 29), by David E. Garland; $20

Intermediate

• Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Galatians – Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Vol. 10), by Frank Gaebelein; $9
• 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary – Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by Colin G. Kruse; $13
• 2 Corinthians – NIV Application Commentary, by Scott J. Hafemann; $24

Galatians

Advanced

• Epistle to the Galatians – New International Greek Testament Commentary, by Frederick Fyvie Bruce; $31
• Galatians – World Biblical Commentary (Vol. 41), by Richard N. Longenecker; $32

Intermediate

• Galatians-Ephesians – Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by James Montgomery Boice; $16
• The Message of Galatians: Only One Way (Bible Speaks Today), by John R. W. Stott; $22
• Galatians – IVP New Testament Commentary Series, by G. Walter Hansen; $22

Ephesians

Advanced

• Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, by Harold Hoehner; $38
• Galatians – World Biblical Commentary (Vol. 42), by Andrew T. Lincoln; $35
• The Letter to the Ephesians – Pillar New Testament Commentary, by Peter T. O’Brien; $30

Intermediate

• Ephesians – NIV Application Commentary, by Klyne Snodgrass; $19
• The Message of Ephesians: God’s New Society (Bible Speaks Today), by John R. W. Stott; $17

Philippians

Advanced

• Epistle to the Philippians – New International Greek Testament Commentary, by Peter T. O’Brien; $35
• Paul’s Letter to the Philippians – New International Commentary on the New Testament, by Gordon D. Fee; $30

Intermediate

• Philippians – IVP New Testament Commentary, by Gordon D. Fee; $17
• Philippians – NIV Application Commentary, by Frank Thielman; $20

Colossians & Philemon

Advanced

• The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon – Pillar New Testament Commentary, by Douglas J. Moo; $30

Intermediate

• Colossians/Philemon – NIV Application Commentary, by D.E. Garland; $22
• Colossians and Philemon: An Introduction and Commentary, by NT Wright; $11
• Colossians and Philemon: The Supremacy of Christ, by Kent Hughes; $18

1, 2 Thessalonians

Advanced

• The Epistles to the Thessalonians – New International Greek Testament Commentary, by Charles Wanamaker; $33
• The Letters to the Thessalonians – Pillar New Testament Commentary, by Gene L. Green; $30

Intermediate

• 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An Introduction and Commentary – Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by Leon Morris; $12
• The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians: The Gospel & the End of Time (Bible Speaks Today), by John R. W. Stott; $12

Pastoral Letters (1, 2 Timothy & Titus)

Advanced

• Pastoral Epistles – World Biblical Commentary (Vol. 46), by William D. Mounce; $32
• The Letters to Timothy and Titus – New International Commentary on the New Testament, by Philip H. Towner; $37

Intermediate

• The Pastoral Epistles, by Donald Guthrie; $13
• 1-2 Timothy & Titus – IVP New Testament Commentary, by Philip H. Towner; $17

Hebrews

Advanced

• The Epistle to the Hebrews – New International Greek Testament Commentary, by Paul Ellingworth; $41
• Hebrews – World Biblical Commentary (Vol. 47a & Vol. 47b), by William Lane; $34 & $32

Intermediate

• Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary – Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by Donald Guthrie; $11
• The Letter to the Hebrews – New Daily Study Bible, by William Barclay; $12
• Hebrews – NIV Application Commentary, by George H. Guthrie; $23

James

Advanced

• The Epistle of James – New International Greek Testament, by Peter Davids; $24
• The Letter of James – Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries, by Luke Timothy Johnson; $40
• The Letter of James – Pillar New Testament Commentary, by Douglas J. Moo; $15

Intermediate

• James: An Introduction and Commentary – Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by Douglas J. Moo; $12
• The Message of James: The Tests of Faith, by J. A. Motyer; $12

1 Peter

Advanced

• 1 Peter – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by Karen Jobes; $26

Intermediate

• The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross (Bible Speaks Today), by Edmund P. Clowney; $17
• 1 Peter – IVP New Testament Commentary Series, by I. Howard Marshall; $17

2 Peter & Jude

Advanced

• 2 Peter and Jude – World Biblical Commentary (Vol. 50), by Richard J. Bauckham; $32
• Jude and 2 Peter – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by Gene Green; $26

Intermediate

• The Second Epistle of Peter and the Epistle of Jude – Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, by Michael Green; $14
• 2 Peter, Jude – NIV Application Commentary, by Douglas J. Moo; $21
• The Message of 2 Peter & Jude: The Promise of His Coming (Bible Speaks Today), by R. C. Lucas; $12

1, 2, 3 John

Advanced

• 1, 2, 3 John – World Biblical Commentary (Vol. 51), by Stephen S. Smalley, Ph.D.; $37
• The Letters of John – Pillar New Testament  Commentary, by Colin G. Kruse; $22
• The Epistles of John – New International Commentary on the New Testament, by I. Howard Marshall; $24

• 1-3 John – Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by Robert Yarbrough; $26

Intermediate

• The Letters of John, by John Stott; $11
• Be Real (1 John): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth, by Warren Wiersbe; $10
• The Letters of John – NIV Application Commentary, by Gary M. Burge; $20

Revelation

Advanced

• Revelation – Word Biblical Commentary (Vol. 52a, Vol. 52b, Vol. 52c), by David E. Aune; $32, $37, $37
• The Book of Revelation – New International Greek Testament Commentary, by G. K. Beale; $50
• The Book of Revelation – New International Commentary on the New Testament, by Robert H. Mounce; $32

Intermediate

• Revelation – New Cambridge Bible Commentary, by Ben Witherington III; $21
• Revelation – NIV Application Commentary, by Craig S. Keener; $23
• Revelation – IVP New Testament Commentary Series, by J. Ramsey Michaels; $17

Recommended One- Volume Commentary on the New Testament

• New Bible Commentary, Wenham, G.J., J.A. Motyer, D.A. Carson, and R.T. France, eds.; $30