Some people argue that there is no role for biblical commentaries. We should read the Bible and just let it speak for itself. There is a problem with that. The most recent parts of the Bible were written 2000 years ago, with much of it older than that. The cultures span the ancient near east, Egypt, Israel, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Asia Minor and Rome. The writers of the Bible assume that the readers are at least somewhat familiar with the context. We are separated from that context in a significant way.
How should we read the Bible? I would suggest that we start with the Bible. Read the text itself, including its surrounding passages. As Greg Koukl says, “Never read a Bible verse.” Read it slow and read it a number of times. Try to understand it yourself. Then pull out the commentaries to see what scholars have said. Be aware that there are different types of commentaries. There are commentaries by evangelicals, Christians and non-Christians. There are devotional, preaching and academic commentaries. Know what you are reading. Take what the commentaries say in mind, but they don’t have to have the final word. They are simply conversation partners, but they are very good conversation partners.
If you want to find some good commentaries, I would suggest you start here.
- Bible Commentaries
- Commentaries
- Understanding the Bible
