It would be great if Dr. Jacoby could recommend a book or commentary or two on each book in the Bible, plus some general dictionaries, etc. There are so many commentaries and books out there, and I have no idea whose is the most useful. -- Greg Moots
A commentary is a book which expounds on a book of the Bible, verse by verse, and considering all the significant possibilities when it comes to how to understand the verses. Few disciples I've met have ever read a commentary, though these are valuable tools for Bible study.
If you're starting out, the Daily Study Bible series by Barclay is not bad, and many Christians have enjoyed reading it. The volumes are inexpensive. Most commentaries are more costly. Perhaps the best commentary series available today is The Word Biblical Commentary. Expect to pay $25-30 per volume. This commentary includes translations by the writers directly from the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and is extremely thorough. A good website to visit for Christian books is www.cbd.com, where you will find a whole range of commentaries.
Another observation about commentary series is that they tend to be of uneven quality. Because a different scholar takes each book of the Bible, some are better written (and closer to the truth) than others. I would consider buying based on the writer, more than on the series itself. (Fun note: one series, not "serie," two series; series is both singular and plural.)
Finally, here are two books for selecting the right commentaries for you. They are, so to speak, "commentaries about commentaries"!
* D. A. Carson, A New Testament Commentary Survey, 4th Edition (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity, 1993).
* Tremper Longman III, Old Testament Commentary Survey, 2nd Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995)
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