Best Commentaries

Whether you are a laymen or church leader, God calls all of us to be students of his word. The central part of studying the word is to read it for yourself. Read the passage multiple times. Read it in different translations. Read it slowly. Read what comes before and after it. But if you could afford to do more study, I suggest consulting one or two good commentaries.

What makes a commentary good? I believe a good commentary does at least two things, (1) it gives you context and understanding of the background of the passage. And (2) it's a quick and easy way to identify meanings and/or possible meaning of difficult passages. These scholars have spent hours and hours studying a book of the Bible, so that we be better readers and students of God's word. Below is a list of websites I have recommended to people who are looking for a good commentary:

Tim Challies' Commentary List

This is a list of the most helpful contemporary commentaries.

Ligonier Ministries’ Top Commentaries

This is a list of the best commentaries from the reformed tradition.

Best Commentaries

This follows algorithms to show what is the most popular commentaries pastors and scholars purchase. It is also helpful in showing the types of commentaries that are out there (e.g., devotional, pastoral, technical, etc.).