Karen Engle
Bible commentaries are one of the best tools to have on hand when doing deeper Bible study, researching for a paper, or prepping for a sermon. They can bring clarity to language issues, affirm interpretation, bring deeper insight into what a book or passage is saying, identify overarching themes—and help you make connections between the Old and New Testaments you might otherwise miss.
But there are so many commentaries on the market, how do you know which ones are best?
Thankfully, Tim Challies has done the research for you.
Challies is a Christian blogger, book reviewer, pastor, noted speaker, and founder of Cruciform Press. Two of several books he’s authored include The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment and Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History—and over 20,000 people visit challies.com each day, making it one of the most widely read and recognized Christian blogs in the world.
This respected voice in the Christian world has carefully compiled a list of his favorite Old and New Testament commentaries from some of the premier scholarly evangelical works, so you don’t have to wonder if you’re investing in the right commentaries. Here are just 6—or you can explore them all here.
Tim Challies’ recommended Old Testament commentaries
1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly (Focus on the Bible Commentaries | FB)
Regular price: $8.99
The Book of Jeremiah (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament | NICOT)
Regular price: $50.99
Deuteronomy (Apollos Old Testament Commentary | AOT)
J. Gordon McConville argues in this commentary on Deuteronomy that in the context of the ancient world, Deuteronomy should be understood as the radical blueprint for the life of a people, at the same time both spiritual and political, and profoundly different from every other social, political and religious program.
1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly (Focus on the Bible Commentaries | FB)
In this Focus on the Bible commentary, using pastoral application and a dose of humor, Dale Ralph Davis helps readers see how they can apply the sometimes difficult stories and events 1 Kings to the contemporary settings of the twenty-first century.
The Book of Jeremiah (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament | NICOT)
Christianity Today says J. A. Thompson’s “highly competent treatment [of Jeremiah] lends itself to use by scholars and teachers as well as for sermon preparation and personal study,” and the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society calls it “An outstanding commentary that is bound to become a standard classic for English-speaking students.”
See all the Old Testament commentaries Tim Challies recommends.
Tim Challies’ recommended New Testament commentaries
Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament | NICNT)
Regular price: $40.99
The Pastoral Epistles (International Critical Commentary | ICC)
Scholars and students will find the commentary on the Pastoral Epistles by respected scholar I. Howard Marshall particularly helpful with its lexical information on the Greek words and its careful discussion of the syntactical problems. Alastair Campbell, Spurgeon’s College London, calls it “an essential component of every scholarly library.”
Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (The New International Commentary on the New Testament | NICNT)
New Testament scholar Gordon D. Fee’s commentary on Philippians is a scholarly yet thoroughly readable study of Paul’s letter to the suffering community of believers in Philippi. He works directly from the Greek text but bases his comments on the New International Version, and sets the letter squarely within the context of first-century “friendship” and “moral exhortation” to a church facing opposition because of its loyalty to Jesus Christ.
Hebrews (Reformed Expository Commentary | REC)
“Richard Phillips’ Hebrews is faithful to the text, cordially committed to confessional Reformed orthodoxy, and alert to practical implications for the life of the church. Phillips keeps the focus where it is for the writer of Hebrews: on God’s ‘last days’ speaking ‘in his Son.’” —Richard B. Gaffin Jr., professor of biblical and systematic theology, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
See all the New Testament commentaries Tim Challies recommends.
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The Challies Old and New Testament commentary bundles also include valuable resources like the Lexham English Septuagint, interlinears, and the Lexham Bible Dictionary. You can buy the Old Testament bundle, New Testament bundle, or both—no matter what you choose, you’re adding a wealth of wisdom to your theological library while getting the benefit of bundled pricing.
Plus, the Logos edition equips you for better study with cutting-edge functionality and features. Whether you are performing Bible word studies, preparing a sermon, or researching and writing a paper, Logos Bible Software gives you the tools you need to explore this digital commentary library effectively and efficiently.
Bundled together, these commentaries are 70% off their individual value. Explore the commentaries Tim Challies says are best for in-depth Bible study now.
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