Lesson 3: The Contextual Horizon (1)
What Is a Good Commentary?
Before you use a commentary, you need to find one!
The problem, of course, is not finding a commentary, since an endless cascade of commentaries is pouring from printing presses. The problem is finding a good commentary.
Before I explain what I mean, let me rake away some dead leaves that have accumulated around the word “good.”
The word “good” is not synonymous with “new.” You will miss out on some rich insights if you rely only on recently-written commentaries.
Nor is “good” synonymous with “in-which-the-commentator-agrees-with-my-theology-exactly.” Cutting yourself off from those who disagree with you is a recipe for sinful self-confidence. It is a slide into an affirmation loop where your preconceived conclusions are always approved. It is an escape route from the path of refinement.
So what is a “good” commentary?
A good commentary’s underlying presuppositions are biblical.
The commentator should presuppose the truth of the doctrines at the core of the Christian faith, such as the deity of Christ, substitutionary atonement, and the inerrancy of Scripture.
An exception can be made when researching linguistic and historical details in the text. Unbelieving commentators can help us learn a lot about the grammar and history of the text, even if we should not look to them to help us with the theology and application of the text.
For the purposes of this course, we’re going to focus almost exclusively on commentaries written by believers.
A good commentary matches your abilities.
If you don’t know anything about Hebrew, for example, you will be frustrated by a commentary that doesn’t transliterate Hebrew words and that relies on technical linguistic vocabulary to get its point across, no matter how excellent its quality is.
A good commentary helps you accomplish your purpose.
There is no one-size-fits-all commentary for every person and for every purpose.
Are you trying to write a sermon? You will be served by a variety of types of commentaries: academic, language-focused, expositional, as well as devotional.
Are you trying to teach a Sunday School class for teenagers? Academic commentaries won’t be much help compared to expositional commentaries.
Are you trying to write a paper in seminary? Academic commentaries will be extremely helpful, as well as other types.
The Series Preface of a commentary series will help you discern how fitting that series is for your skill set and purposes. Before you buy any single volume, I recommend reading this. (Try the Look Inside feature on Amazon, which should let you do this for free, since the Series Preface is at the beginning of each volume.)
When I was pastoring a small church and was preparing to preach through a book of the Bible, I worked hard to find good commentaries. Watch the video below to see what I did for my series on Ecclesiastes.
Various commentary series are known for different strengths: giving details about the historical setting, focusing on linguistic minutiae, emphasizing contemporary applications, and so forth. Choose commentaries that will complement each other and help you do the job you need to do.
Here are some helpful commentary series I have personally benefited from:
The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the OT and NT
Its strength is in showing the structure of the text, using a method similar to Phrasing.
New International Greek Testament Commentary
This series is quite scholarly in nature, requiring a knowledge of the original languages. But if you are able to use it, you will find thorough, faithful, and detailed verse-by-verse exegesis.
New International Commentary on the NT and OT
Also deeply scholarly, but more accessible to the layperson. Hebrew and Greek are transliterated. This series features thorough, verse-by-verse exposition.
Tyndale OT and NT Commentary
This series zooms out further from the text than the previous two, going section-by-section instead of verse-by-verse. It is still excellent and helpful.
NIV Application Commentary (OT and NT)
The strength of this series is its focus on the contemporary significance of the text.
A good commentary points you back to the text.
A good commentary points you to the text in at least seven ways:
- It discusses the outline and divisions of the text (though not infallibly).
- It illuminates the text by describing its historical context.
- It keeps the context of the larger passage and of the book as a whole in view, not losing the forest for the trees.
- It situates the text by zooming out to related passages.
- It interacts with several possible interpretations of a passage.
- It defines words and phrases that are difficult.
- It applies the text to the modern believer.
And in pointing you to the text in these ways, a good commentary will help you wrestle with the text yourself. It will challenge how well you really understand the text. It will model careful and godly interaction with Scripture. It won’t serve as a substitute for Scripture but a pointer to Scripture.
This is because a commentary should help you think, not do your thinking for you.
Having a good commentary to hand is like having a wise, scholarly friend who has mastered the book you are studying, whom you can sit down with and quiz about the text. And the more friends you have like this, the better. Imagine having an interview panel at TGC or Ligonier sitting around your desk helping you!
