What makes a good commentary?
Question 1052
Walk into any Christian bookshop or browse online, and you’ll find hundreds of commentaries on every book of the Bible. Some are slim paperbacks, others are multi-volume sets that could double as doorstops. Prices range from a few pounds to several hundred. How do you know which ones are actually worth your time and money? What separates a genuinely helpful commentary from one that will gather dust on your shelf?
The Purpose of a Commentary
Before we discuss what makes a commentary good, we need to be clear about what a commentary is for. A commentary exists to help you understand the biblical text better than you could on your own. That’s it. It’s a tool, not a replacement for Scripture itself. The moment you find yourself reading the commentary more than the Bible, something has gone wrong.
A good commentary serves the text. It illuminates what’s there, explains what’s difficult, and helps you see things you might have missed. It doesn’t impose ideas onto Scripture or use the Bible as a springboard for the author’s own hobby horses. The best commentators have a kind of humility—they know they’re servants of the Word, not masters of it.
Think of it like a tour guide at a museum. A good guide helps you see the painting more clearly, points out details you’d overlook, explains the historical context, and then steps back so you can appreciate the artwork yourself. A bad guide talks so much about their own opinions that you forget you came to see the paintings at all.
Theological Soundness
This has to come first. A commentary can be brilliantly written, packed with historical insights, and still lead you astray if its theological foundations are rotten. You need to know where the author stands.
Does the commentator believe the Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant Word? Or do they treat it as merely a human document, full of errors and contradictions to be explained away? Some commentaries spend more time telling you why you shouldn’t believe the text than helping you understand it. These are worse than useless—they’re spiritually dangerous.
Does the commentator share your basic theological framework? If you’re a dispensational premillennialist, a commentary written from a covenant amillennial perspective will interpret prophetic passages very differently than you would. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn from it, but you need to be aware of the lens through which the author is reading.
I’m not saying you should only read people who agree with you on everything. Iron sharpens iron, and engaging with different perspectives can strengthen your own understanding. But you need a solid foundation first. Build your library with commentators who hold to biblical authority and sound doctrine, then branch out as your discernment grows.
Engagement with the Original Languages
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew (with a bit of Aramaic), and the New Testament in Greek. A good commentary should engage with these original languages, because sometimes the English translation simply cannot capture everything that’s happening in the text.
This doesn’t mean a commentary needs to be written in Greek and Hebrew—that would make it inaccessible to most readers. But it should explain when a word has a particular nuance, when there’s a play on words, when the grammar affects the meaning, or when different translations have made different choices and why. A commentator who ignores the original languages is working with one hand tied behind their back.
The best commentaries make this accessible. They’ll transliterate Hebrew and Greek words so you can follow along even if you don’t know the alphabets. They’ll explain technical terms when they use them. They bridge the gap between the scholar’s study and the pastor’s sermon preparation.
Historical and Cultural Context
The Bible was written in specific times and places to specific people. Understanding that context often unlocks the meaning of passages that otherwise seem obscure or puzzling.
Why did Jesus wash the disciples’ feet? What was the significance of the woman with the alabaster jar? What did it mean in Roman society to be a slave? What were the temple practices Paul was addressing in Corinthians? A good commentary answers these questions, drawing on archaeology, ancient literature, Jewish traditions, and historical records to paint a picture of the world in which the text was written.
Be cautious, though, of commentaries that become so focused on background information that they lose the text itself. I’ve read commentaries where the author spends pages discussing first-century dining customs and barely mentions what Jesus actually said at the meal. Context serves the text; it doesn’t replace it.
Attention to Structure and Argument
Good commentators help you see how a passage fits together. They trace the flow of argument in an epistle, the narrative arc in a story, the parallelism in Hebrew poetry. They show you how verse 10 connects to verse 5 and how both relate to the chapter’s main point.
This is especially important in the epistles, where Paul and the other writers are building sustained theological arguments. If you only understand individual verses without seeing how they connect, you’ll miss the forest for the trees. A commentary that helps you see the structure will transform your understanding.
Similarly, in narrative portions, a good commentary will help you see the literary techniques the author is using—chiasm, inclusio, repetition, foreshadowing. These aren’t just academic curiosities; they’re clues to what the author wants you to notice and remember.
Practical Application
Some commentaries are purely academic—they explain what the text meant to its original audience but say nothing about what it means for us today. These have their place in the scholar’s library, but for most of us, we need help bridging the gap between the ancient world and our own.
A pastor preparing a sermon needs to know not just what Paul said but how to apply it to his congregation on Sunday morning. A small group leader needs discussion questions and practical takeaways. A Christian struggling with a difficult passage needs to see how it connects to their life.
The best commentaries do both: they’re exegetically rigorous, explaining what the text meant in its original context, and they’re pastorally sensitive, helping you see how it applies today. This is a rare combination, and commentaries that achieve it are treasures.
Clarity and Readability
A commentary can be theologically sound, linguistically informed, historically grounded, and structurally attentive—and still be unreadable. Some scholars write for other scholars, packing their pages with technical jargon, untranslated foreign phrases, and sentences that go on for half a page. Unless you’re doing postgraduate research, these commentaries will frustrate more than help.
Look for commentators who can explain complex ideas in accessible language. This is actually a sign of deep understanding—as the saying goes, if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. The best teachers are those who can take difficult concepts and make them clear without dumbing them down.
Reading a sample chapter before buying is always wise. Does the author’s style work for you? Can you follow the argument? Does it feel like a conversation or a lecture? Personal preference matters here—what clicks for one reader may not work for another.
Interaction with Other Scholars
No commentator has all the answers. A good commentary will acknowledge where there are genuine disagreements among scholars and present the options fairly. It will cite other works so you can dig deeper if you want. It will admit when a passage is genuinely difficult and resist the temptation to pretend everything is neat and tidy.
Be wary of commentators who seem unaware that anyone disagrees with them, or who dismiss alternative views with a wave of the hand rather than engaging them seriously. The best scholars are those who have wrestled with the hard questions and can articulate why they’ve landed where they have.
A Word on Commentary Series
Most commentaries are published as part of series—the New International Commentary on the New Testament, the Pillar series, the Bible Speaks Today series, Tyndale commentaries, and so on. Each series has a general character and target audience.
Some series are technical and aimed at scholars (Word Biblical Commentary, International Critical Commentary). Some are mid-level, suitable for pastors and serious students (NICNT, NIGTC, Pillar). Some are more devotional and accessible (Bible Speaks Today, NIV Application Commentary). Knowing which series suits your needs will help you navigate the options.
Within any series, quality varies. One volume might be excellent while another is mediocre—it depends on the individual author. Don’t assume that because you loved the commentary on Romans from a particular series, the commentary on James will be equally good. Check reviews, ask trusted pastors, and sample before committing.
Building Your Library
You don’t need to own every commentary ever written. Start with one or two reliable commentaries on the books you’re currently studying. As your library grows, aim to have commentaries representing different strengths—one that’s strong on Greek, one that’s pastorally warm, one that’s detailed on historical background.
For dispensational premillennial readers, look for commentators like John MacArthur, Charles Ryrie, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord, and Arnold Fruchtenbaum on prophetic books. For general New Testament work, D.A. Carson, Douglas Moo, and Leon Morris are consistently reliable. For Old Testament, commentators like Allen Ross, Eugene Merrill, and Walter Kaiser write from evangelical convictions with academic rigour.
Don’t neglect older commentaries either. Matthew Henry, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, and others from centuries past often have insights that modern commentators miss. Their language may feel dated, but their wisdom is timeless. Many are available free online.
Conclusion
A good commentary is theologically sound, engages the original languages, provides historical and cultural context, traces the structure and argument of the text, offers practical application, is clearly written, and interacts honestly with other scholarship. Finding commentaries that tick all these boxes isn’t easy, but they’re out there.
Remember, though, that even the best commentary is just a tool. The goal is not to become an expert on what scholars say about the Bible but to know the Bible itself—and through it, to know the God who inspired it. Use commentaries to deepen your understanding, but never let them replace your own prayerful, Spirit-dependent reading of Scripture. The Holy Spirit who inspired the Word is the same Spirit who illuminates it for those who seek Him.
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Psalm 119:18
