Thousands of commentaries have been written about the Bible, and it’s easy to become confused because these resources are written to various audiences. Choosing the “best” will depend upon the kind of analysis you desire. Commentaries are often divided into three categories:

• Devotional/Introductory–the primary focus is application of the Word and growing in Christ. Lots of “how to” questions are answered.

• Pastoral/Intermediate–these commentaries also contain application but are more information oriented. Some go deep into the history or cultural background of the text, while others pay more attention to linguistics. Lots of “what does it mean” questions are answered. Useful for any Christ follower and especially helpful to those who teach.

• Technical/Advanced–primary value is to teachers and advanced students. Some technical commentaries focus on textual criticism (the reliability of the text), while others address linguistics (the text itself). Lots of minutiae. These commentaries contain Greek text (sometimes transliterated, sometimes not) and require familiarity with Koine Greek to extract their full benefit, but even those with no knowledge of Greek will find these commentaries useful.

My recommendations identify which category each book falls into. Some commentaries overlap; when they do, both categories will be noted (e.g., Pastoral/Technical). The recommendations are listed in order of their helpfulness to Bible students, teachers, and pastors.

The Gospel according to Matthew

There are a number of excellent commentaries on this gospel; below are six I consult regularly and recommend for your consideration (with a few caveats).

Bible Study Tools: Part 9

Building a library of helpful Bible study resources can cost a lot of money, and most of us have a limited budget. The good news is that there are many Bible commentaries for sale for ten dollars or less. The bad news is that most of these books offer little or no help. And some will even lead you astray.

There is, however, some wheat mingled with the chaff. Below is a list of commentaries that are both helpful and biblically sound. And (as of April, 2017), all are available online for less than ten dollars (new and used), and some sell for as little as a dollar.

Some names will appear again and again. The Tyndale series, for example, shows up in dozens of places, as does the Bible Speaks Today. Most of the volumes in these series are introductory and focus on explanation and application. A few of the recommendations are expensive commentaries that I found online recently for ten dollars or less (for example, Ben Witherington’s, 1 & 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary). These deals come and go, so get in the habit of visiting used book stores, garage sales, and your favorite online shopping places. You may be amazed at the bargains out there.

Bible Study Tools: Part 8

The task of the Bible teacher is to communicate the Scriptures in a way that sheds light on God and our relationship with him. Atlases, geography books, and language textbooks help (see part 6), but the heart of a library are the commentaries.

My recommendations are listed in order of their helpfulness, so if you can only afford one commentary on a particular book, consider my #1. But I encourage you to take the time to carefully check out samples of all the suggested books before making your purchase. Most high quality resources are expensive, so it’s better to acquire books that won’t need to be replaced later. Many can be previewed online at Amazon, Google, etc.

Bible Study Tools: Part 7

Our series on Bible study tools has looked at hundreds of resources. Some are designed for pastors and teachers, while others were written to help everyday Christians who want to better understand the Bible and how to live the Christian life.

Three criteria were used to create the basic library suggested below: the books chosen had to be concise, accurate, and easy to understand. My best advice is to take your time and do lots of research.

The first and most important tool to purchase is a primary Bible. This is the Bible you read everyday and use for study. Choose a word-for-word translation (read part 1 for more info). My preference is the English Standard Version (ESV).