Which commentaries are the best?...especially for upper-level undergrads and Graduate students? The top 2 to 4 commentaries for each book of the Bible are listed below. The "top" selections have been designated as such primarily by resource guides, such as Tremper Longman's Old Testament Commentary Survey, and by scholarly bibliographies, such as Raymond Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament. ** For complete listings, please refer to the guide shelved in REFERENCE (REF BS 491.2 .O57). The titles in each group are organized by author's last name and not by quality ranking.

Old Testament
New Testament

GENESIS
Brueggemann (Interpretation)
Von Rad (Old Testament Library)
Wenham (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes
Westermann (Continental Commentaries), 3 volumes

EXODUS
Childs (Old Testament Library)
Durham (Word Biblical Commentary)
Fretheim (Interpretation)

LEVITICUS
Hartley (Word Biblical Commentary)
Milgrom, chs. 1-16 (Anchor Bible)
Wenham (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)

NUMBERS
Ashley (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)
Budd (Word Biblical Commentary)
Wenham (Tyndale OT Commentaries)

DEUTERONOMY
Craigie (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)
Miller (Interpretation)
Weinfeld, chs. 1-11 (Anchor Bible)

[ BACK TO TOP ]

JOSHUA
Boling (Anchor Bible)
Butler (Word Biblical Commentary)
Woudstra (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)

JUDGES
Boling (Anchor Bible)
Cundall & Morris (Tyndale OT Commentaries)

RUTH
Campbell (Anchor Bible)
Hubbard (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)

SAMUEL
Anderson, 2nd Sam. (Word Biblical Commentary)
Brueggemann (Interpretation)
Klein, 1st Sam. (Word Biblical Commentary)
McCarter (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes

KINGS
Cogan & Tadmore, 2 Kings (Anchor Bible)
Hobbs, 2 Kings (Word Biblical Commentary)
Jones (New Century Bible Commentary)
Nelson (Interpretation)
Wiseman (Tyndale OT Commentaries)

CHRONICLES
Braun, 1 Chron. (Word Biblical Commentary)
Dillard, 2 Chron. (Word Biblical Commentary)
Japhet (Old Testament Library)
Williamson (New Century Bible Commentary)

[ BACK TO TOP ]

EZRA - NEHEMIAH
Blenkinsopp (Old Testament Library)
Williamson (Word Biblical Commentary)

ESTHER
Baldwin (Tyndale OT Commentaries)
Moore (Anchor Bible)

JOB
Clines, chs. 1-20 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Habel (Old Testament Library)

PSALMS
Allen, ps. 101-150 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Craigie, ps. 1-50 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Kidner (Tyndale OT Commentaries), 2 volumes
Tate, ps 51-100 (Word Biblical Commentary)

PROVERBS
Kidner (Tyndale OT Commentaries)
McKane (Old Testament Library)

ECCLESIASTES
Crenshaw (Old Testament Library)
Whybray (New Century Bible Commentary)

SONG OF SONGS
Keel (Continental Commentaries)
Murphy (Hermeneia)
Pope (Anchor Bible)

ISAIAH
Clements, chs. 1-39 (New Century Bible Commentary)
Oswalt, chs. 1-39 (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)
Seitz, chs. 1-39 (Interpretation)
Watts (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes

[ BACK TO TOP ]

JEREMIAH
Clements (Interpretation)
Holladay (Hermeneia), 2 volumes
Thompson (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)

LAMENTATIONS
Hillers (Anchor Bible)
Provan (New Century Bible Commentary)

EZEKIEL
Allen, chs. 20-48 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Brownlee, chs. 1-19 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Greenberg, chs. 1-20 (Anchor Bible)
Zimmerli (Hermeneia), 2 volumes

DANIEL
Collins (Hermeneia)
Goldingay (Word Biblical Commentary)
Towner (Interpretation)

MINOR PROPHETS
Achtemeier, Nah.-Mal. (Interpretation)
Allen, Joel, Ob., Jon., Micah (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)
Limburg, Hos.-Micah (Interpretation)
Stuart, Hos.-Jonah (Word Biblical Commentary)

HOSEA
Anderson & Freedman (Anchor Bible)
Mays (Old Testament Library)
Wolff (Hermeneia)

JOEL
Crenshaw (Anchor Bible)
Wolff (Hermeneia)

[ BACK TO TOP ]

AMOS
Mays (Old Testament Library)
Paul (Hermeneia)
Wolff (Hermeneia)

OBADIAH
Watts (Cambridge Bible Commentary)
Wolff (Continental Commentaries)

JONAH
Sasson (Anchor Bible)
Wolff (Continental Commentaries)

MICAH
Hillers (Hermeneia)
Mays (Old Testament Library)
Wolff (Continental Commentaries)

NAHUM, HABAKKUK, ZEPHANIAH
Berlin (Anchor Bible)
Roberts (Old Testament Library)
Robertson (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)

HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH, MALACHI
Meyers & Meyers (Anchor Bible)
Petersen (Old Testament Library)
Verhoef (New Intl. Commentary on the OT)

MATTHEW
Allison & Davies (International Critical Commentary), 3 volumes
Hagner (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes
Hill (New Century Bible Commentary)

[ BACK TO TOP ]

MARK
Cranfield (Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary)
Guelich, ch. 1-8 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hooker (Black's NT Commentary)
Lane (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)

LUKE
Danker (Jesus & the New Age)
Fitzmyer (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes
Johnson (Sacra Pagina)
Marshall (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary)

JOHN
Barrett (1978)
Beasley-Murray (Word Biblical Commentary)
Brown (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes
Morris (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)
Schnackenburg, 3 volumes

ACTS
Barrett (International Critical Commentary)
Bruce (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)
Haenchen (1971)
Marshall (Tyndale NT Commentaries)

ROMANS
Barrett (Black's NT Commentary)
Dunn (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes
Fitzmyer (Anchor Bible)
Moo (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)

1 CORINTHIANS
Fee (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)
Barrett (Black's NT Commentary)
Conzelmann (Hermeneia)

[ BACK TO TOP ]

2 CORINTHIANS
Barrett (Black's NT Commentary)
Furnish (Anchor Bible)
Martin (Word Biblical Commentary)
Thrall (International Critical Commentary), 2 volumes

GALATIANS
Betz (Hermeneia)
Bruce (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary)
Longenecker (Word Biblical Commentary)

EPHESIANS
Barth (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes
Lincoln (Word Biblical Commentary)

PHILIPPIANS
Hawthorne (Word Biblical Commentary)
O'Brien (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary)

COLOSSIANS & PHILEMON
Lohse (Hermeneia)
O'Brien (Word Biblical Commentary)
Schweizer (Colossians)

THESSALONIANS
Best (Harper's NT Commentary)
Bruce (Word Biblical Commentary)
Marshall (New Century Bible Commentary)
Wanamaker (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary)

PASTORAL EPISTLES
Dibelius & Conzelmann (Hermeneia)
Fee (New Intl. Bible Commentary)
Houlden (TPI New Testament Commentary)
Kelly (Black's NT Commentary)
Knight (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary)
Quinn, titus (Anchor Bible)

[ BACK TO TOP ]

HEBREWS
Attridge (Hermeneia)
Bruce (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)
Lane (Word Biblical Commentary)

JAMES
Davids (New Intl. Greet Testament Commentary)
Johnson (Anchor Bible)
Laws (Harper's NT Commentary)
Martin (Word Biblical Commentary)

1 PETER
Davids (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)
Goppelt (1978, 1993)
Kelly (Black's NT Commentary)
Michaels (Word Biblical Commentary)

2 PETER & JUDE
Bauckham (Word Biblical Commentary)
Green (Tyndale NT Commentaries)
Kelly (Harper's NT Commentary)
Neyrey (Anchor Bible)

LETTERS OF JOHN
Brown (Anchor Bible)
Marshall (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)
Smalley (Word Biblical Commentary)

REVELATION
Beasley-Murray (New Century Bible Commentary)
Caird (Harper's NT Commentary)
Mounce (New Intl. Commentary on the NT)

[ BACK TO TOP ]