Bible Commentary

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time.

Between 5 to 7 billion Bibles have been published.

Bible Commentaries are exegetical works concerning the Bible. There are numerous commentaries both modern and also in the public domain. Some cover single books of the Bible, while others cover an entire testament or the entire Bible. Most include verse-by-verse commentary, and many also include chapter and/or book-level commentary as well. Some Bibles were also published with accompanying commentary notes (such as the King James, and Geneva Bibles), which are sometimes found as stand-alone commentaries. The following is an overview of stand-alone commentaries.

Adam Clarke's Commentary. Adam Clarke (1762–1832) was an British Wesleyan scholar, most famous for his commentary on the Bible, which he worked on for 40 years and completed shortly before his death. Originally published in six volumes of about 1,000 pages each after his death. It served as a primary commentary used by Methodists for a century thereafter.

The Apocalypse by Joseph A. Seiss. A commentary on the book of Revelation published in 1865. This has a more modern/literal approach than many older commentaries.

Barne's Notes. Albert Barnes (1798-1870) was an American theologian and Presbyterian minister. His commentary on various books was published over his whole life with the complete set available by the end of his life.

A Bible commentary for English readers. By Charles John Ellicott (1819-1905), a distinguished biblical scholar and theologian.

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible. James Burton Coffman (1905-2006) was a distinguished minister and biblical scholar. A 37 volume commentary on the Bible, completed in 1992.

Commentary on Matthew. By John Albert Broadus (1827-1895).

Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. By Joseph Benson (1749-1821), who was an English Methodist minister and Methodist movement leader.

Exposition of the Whole Bible. By the Reverend Doctor George Campbell Morgan D.D. (1863-1945), who was a British evangelist, preacher and a leading Bible scholar.

Expository Notes on the Bible. By Dr. Thomas L. Constable, written over a 25-year period. The latest edition published in 2014. These notes provide commentary on all 66 books of the Bible, and contain more than 7,000 pages of material in 12 volumes.

The Genesis Account. By Dr Jonathan Sarfati. A commentary on the first eleven chapters of Genesis from a modern young-earth creationist perspective.

Illustrated New Testament. A commentary on the New Testament by John S. C. Abbott and Jacob Abbott, from 1878.

Ironside's Commentaries. By H.A. Ironside (1876—1951), a Canadian-American Bible expositor, pastor, theologian, and author. Published in 26 to 41 volumes (depending on printing).

IVP Bible Background Commentary. Published separately for Old Testament (by John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark Chavalas, 2012?) and New Testament (by Craig S. Keener, 1994). Provides historical and culture context.

The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary was originally published in 1871. 66 Books have commentaries by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown.

Jewish New Testament Commentary. By David H. Stern, 1992. Passages and expression explained in light of first century Jewish cultural context.

John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. John Gill (1697–1771) was an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian. A total of 9 volumes were published by 1763.

Key Word Commentary. By Mark Water. Each of the 1200 Bible chapters are analyzed and summarized in ten "key" categories. Published in 2002.

The MacArthur Bible Commentary by John MacArthur, a pastor-teacher, author, conference speaker, and president of The Master’s University and Seminary. 34 Volumes covering the New Testament.

Matthew Henry's Commentary is one of the most popular commentaries. It was originally published in six volumes (Henry completed the commentaries through the Book of Acts; his non-conformist supporters completed the remainder). A concise version in a single volume was also produced in 1706. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible — unabridged.

Meyer's Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. By Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer (1800-1873), a German Protestant pastor and biblical scholar born in Gotha.

A Poor Man's Commentary. Robert Hawker (1753-1827) was an influential figure in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, known for his profound contributions to evangelical Anglicanism and his enduring impact on Christian literature. Born in Exeter, England.

The Rational Bible. By Dennis Prager. Commentary on Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy from a modern Jewish perspective.

Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. Joseph Sutcliffe (d. 1856), M.A., was an English Wesleyan minister.

Synopsis of the Books of the Bible. By John N. Darby (1800-1882), a British-Irish theologian, an influential figure in the development of Christian fundamentalism, and a key founder of the Plymouth Brethren movement. Five volumes originally in French.

Targums

Targums are paraphrases or verbal glosses written by Jewish Scholars. Not commentaries in a modern sense, but served a similar purpose in the ancient world.

The Targum Yerushlemey contains a paraphrase, in corrupt Chaldee, on select parts of the five books of Moses.

The Targum ascribed to Jonathan ben Uzziel embraces the whole of the Pentateuch but, in the words of Adam Clarke, includes ridiculous and incredible fables.