7 Good Bible Commentaries for all levels and budgets

Something I am thankful for after spending four years studying theology and Biblical studies in an academic setting is the libraries! I miss them so much! This partly because I could access all the Bible commentaries on every book for free (if you don’t count my uni tuition fees that is…thank you Student Finance England) but also because they helped my get to grips with what commentaries are solid, respected, go-to resources.

Searching for which Bible commentaries to use can feel confusing and overwhelming so I hope this list of commentaries and my experience of them will be helpful to you in making a decision on which to invest in.

PLEASE NOTE: None of these are affiliate links, I am not sponsored or in partnership in any way. This is just my opinion and recommendation.

This list starts with the cheapest commentary (free!) and works up to the more expensive. They also get more 'academic’ as they go along - expect more Greek and Hebrew words and rabbit holes of in-depth, researched based observations written in a more formal tone. Thinking back to the first year of my degree, starting to read the more academic ones felt like being chucked into the deep end of an ice cold swimming pool! However, I learnt some incredible stuff once I got used to the water! They are fab but if you’re not used to that style of writing maybe start nearer the beginning of the list and work up to give yourself a more pleasurable experience of easing into them that I had!

  1. ENDURING WORD COMMENTARY/BLUE LETTER BIBLE

    The Enduring Word Commentary is available entirely for free and covers the whole Bible, just google it or use the Blue Letter Bible website. This is a fantastic resource if you are looking for an accessible commentary to guide you through your personal study. The commentary is written by David Guzik, a pastor in the Calvary Chapel movement. It’s worth keeping this in mind when using this commentary and the others on Blue Letter Bible because most of them seem to be from Calvary Chapel voices. It’s wonderful these guys are serving the church in this way, however if you are from another denomination or movement it might be helpful to read up on their beliefs. I have noticed that they do present some of commentary in a way that reflects those beliefs. Again, no problem, it is mostly secondary theological issues but it is just something to be aware of. It might be worth comparing this commentary with another if you are studying a passage that raises questions. You can read their beliefs here: https://calvarychapel.com/beliefs/

    Overall, an absolute gift of a free resource!

    Find it here: https://enduringword.com

  2. ‘FOR EVERYONE’ SERIES

    These little colourful books are the perfect first commentaries! John Goldingay covers the Old Testament and Tom Wright covers the New Testament, both respected Bible scholars. In each chapter you read an extract of scripture, a short explanation and description of it (these read like little sermons with helpful stories and illustrations from normal life) and then are given some response questions to consider. These work really well for personal study or in small groups. They are very affordable, around £5-10 on Eden or Amazon and a couple of pounds for second hand ones on eBay.

    Shop on Eden here: https://www.eden.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=for%20everyone

  3. TYNDALE SERIES

    The Tyndale series are the most affordable and accessible of the commentaries I used for academic essays at uni. These are usually my go-to for everyday study. They go through verse by verse and offer commentary that is in-depth but not long winded. Each book is written by a different scholar so it is helpful to look them up so you can be aware of what persuasions they hold that might influence their writing but that’s the way with any author isn’t it! Some really well known and respected evangelical scholars have written for this series including John Stott, Craig Keener and Tremper Longman III. They are £10-20 new on Eden and Amazon, but I always buy them from eBay where they usually cost me £4-15 depending on the length of the book. The second hand ones on eBay also have the cool retro 70s/80s cover design which I love the aesthetic of!

    Shop on Eden here: https://www.eden.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=tyndale

  4. IVP BIBLE BACKGROUND COMMENTARY

    If you have followed me for any length of time you probably will have heard me mention these commentaries because I am obsessed with them! I bought these for around £20 each but they are excellent value for money as you only need the two, one book for the whole Old Testament and one book for the whole New Testament. These commentaries go through verse by verse and give you information on any biblical or cultural context. They feel sort of like using a dictionary! They are exclusively about context so don’t expect much life application. I adore these though, I have learnt so so much from them and they always help me to read in context with ease! Once again, eBay is the place for a cheaper find, the old cover design tends to be half the price.

    Shop on Eden here: https://www.eden.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=bible%20background%20ivp

  5. NIV APPLICATION COMMENTARY

    I love the covers of these, there’s something very nostalgic about that 90s style! I’d recommend these as a bridge into the academic side of things. I used them for studies at uni but they also (as the name suggests) offer life application for the reader. They are the best of both worlds and will work well with personal study for people who like to learn some Bible nerd snippets without going fully into research mode! I’ve only ever seen them in hardback, which I assume is why they are a little more expensive, £17-35 on Eden, the Kindle versions on Amazon are about £12 which isn’t bad. £8-25 for used copies on eBay.

    Shop on Eden here: https://www.eden.co.uk/shop/search.php?q=niv%20application%20commentary

  6. WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY

    Ok, so here I where I would say we fully cross the line into the academic world. These commentaries were always recommended and held in high regard by my lecturers at uni. They were excellent to write essays with because they are very in-depth. If you want a proper geek out, these are fab, but might be a bit meaty for day-to-day quiet times. I need a morning coffee before getting my head around these that’s for sure! They are a little more pricey around £18-35 new and £10 upwards on eBay. These don’t seem to be on Eden but are available on Amazon and through second hand sites in the UK.

    Shop on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=word+biblical+commentary&crid=39MMGY4G494T9&sprefix=word+biblical+commentary%2Caps%2C61&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

  7. SCM THEOLOGICAL

    I remember one of my lecturers showing me the little logo of the lamb on these and telling me I couldn’t go wrong getting them out the library for essays, the little lamb was a seal of approval in the theological community. From what I can tell these seem to be academic commentaries for academics. If you have done academic study of theology you will cope but if you haven’t try the Word Biblical Commentary series first to get used to the style before using these! That said though, you will learn some incredible stuff with this series, the amount of work that goes into them really does shine through. From what I remember they cover some more niche and specific questions as well. Full price on Amazon is £20-35 but there seems to a sale on there and SCM Press website currently (August ‘22) so run don’t walk if that’s your kinda thing!

    Shop on SCM Press: https://scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/features/scm-theological-commentaries


These are just my opinions based upon experience so other people might say slightly different things, but I hope this has been a helpful read to give you a starting point!

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