New Testament Commentaries

– Every commentary that Charles Spurgeon gave his top recommendation (3 stars *** ) and ‘good’ recommendation (2 stars ** ) to in his Commenting and Commentaries (1876);

– Every Reformed, Puritan or otherwise good commentary we could find on PRDL and EEBO that is in English;

– Every relevant commentary mentioned by Dr. Richard Muller in his survey of the major Reformation and Puritan era commentaries in McKim’s Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters Buy that is in English and online;

– Most all of the older New Testament commentaries that a Bible-believer would be interested in, that are free online (in the public domain, pre-1920’s);

– The best of the commentaries listed in Cyril J. Barber’s The Minister’s Library (1974), including his top recommendations;

– The major commentaries from the Early and Medieval Churches that have been translated into English;

– And many more.

Commentaries of New Testament books in Whole New Testament Commentaries (34), Whole Bible Commentaries (60+) and other larger subsections (such as The Four Gospels, the General Epistles, etc.) have not been reduplicated on the pages of the individual books, except as Spurgeon or Barber commented on them. Some of the best New Testament commentaries are on those pages, so be sure to check them as well.

In the days ahead (Deo volente) we hope to add much more to this collection, including works in Latin and a selection of the better contemporary commentaries (only a few are present as is).

While modern commentaries have their benefits (they are typically more uniform, focus on exegesis, bring in archaeology, have some updated research, etc.), they are, as a whole (with few exceptions), seriously deficient in deep, savory, godliness. They will feed you information, but not your eternal soul. On the other hand, not only do many 1800’s commentaries often have more thorough scholarship in them than many modern commentaries (for instance, see Jamieson-Fausset-Brown in Whole Bible Commentaries), but in reading older puritan commentaries from the Reformation age, one not only grows in knowledge, but finds depths of soul-stirring communion with our Eternal and Beloved God.

Spurgeon’s justly famous, helpful and often humorous comments and evaluations have been quoted under the titles where possible. His scale is as follows:

*** – ‘Heartily recommended’
** – ‘Good, but more ordinary’
* – ‘Least desirable’

Do note that Spurgeon’s recommendations were for whether a late-1800’s seminary student preparing to be a preacher should buy a certain commentary. As some commentaries were very pricey and scarce in Spurgeon’s day, he sometimes gave a lower rating to certain commentaries than what they otherwise deserve, and his emphasis is on whether a given work will be helpful to a preacher or not. By God’s grace, we have many more of these works available to us than what even Spurgeon and his readers had available to them in their own day.

Cyril J. Barber’s comments have been added where possible as well. He was a late-1900’s evangelical pastor and bibliophile who reprinted many of the best works he commends through (the now defunct) Klock & Klock Publishers (which commentaries should be purchased immediately if found).

Please also note, in relation to this collection, the words of Spurgeon:

‘It is to be specially noted, that in no case do we endorse all that any author has written in his commentary. We could not read the works through, it would have needed a Methuselah to do that; nor have we thought it needful to omit a book because it contains a measure of error, provided it is useful in its own way; for this catalog is for thoughtful, discerning men, and not for children.

We have not, however, knowingly mentioned works whose main drift is skeptical, or Socinian, except with a purpose; and where we have admitted comments by writers of doubtful doctrine, because of their superior scholarship and the correctness of their criticisms we have given hints which will be enough for the wise. It is sometimes very useful to know what our opponents have to say.’

While the theology of liberalism is in serious, unbelieving error, some of the better, more conservative, liberal works (usually noted as such) from the mid-late 1800’s and early 1900’s have been included on these pages as they often contain a wealth of information that can be found nowhere else (which is particularly valuable for the advanced student if one is looking for exhaustive information on a particular text). These works are usually in the advanced sections of the webpages (as liberals rarely wrote anything that fed anyone’s soul). Barber often relates why the particular work is useful. Needless to say: Beware of their presuppositions; eat the meat and spit out the bones.

The Best works are at the top of each page. More commentaries follow under the sub-sections: 1500’s, 1600’s, Simple & Practical, Intermediate, Advanced.

Many of the works on these pages can be bought on Amazon and BookFinder. A book in hand is worth two on the computer.

Please enjoy thoroughly to God’s glory, and tell your friends.

“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”

“I rejoice at thy word, as one that finds great spoil!”

Ps. 119:97, 162

Related Pages

Bible Commentaries

Old Testament Commentaries

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New Testament Commentaries