Commentaries on 2 Corinthians

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For more great commentaries on 2 Corinthians check:
Commentaries on the Epistles, Commentaries on the Whole New Testament
& Whole Bible Commentaries

Order of Contents

Best 6
Commentaries 15+
Early & Medieval 7
Chapters 6

The Best Commentaries on 2 Corinthians

Reformer

Calvin, John – Commentary on 2 Corinthians

*** – Spurgeon

1600’s

Dickson, David – An Expositon of all St. Paul’s Epistles together with an explanation of those other epistles of the apostles St. James, Peter, John & Jude, wherein the sense of every chapter and verse is analytically unfolded and the text enlightened (Romans-Jude) (1659)

Dickson was a prominent Scottish covenanter.

*** – ‘Dickson is a writer after our own heart. For preachers he is a great ally. There is nothing brilliant or profound; but everything is clear and well arranged, and the unction runs down like the oil from Aaron’s head. In this volume the observations are brief.’

Note that the Banner of Truth reprint contains Dickson’s commentary on less books than the original.

Intermediate

1800’s

Brown, David – Commentary on 2 Corinthians in A Popular Commentary on the New Testament, ed. Philip Schaff

Brown was a professor of the Free Church of Scotland, known as the ‘Brown’ in Jamieson-Fausset-Brown’s Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Hodge, Charles – An Exposition of 2 Corinthians Buy 1862 Reformed, Princeton

*** “The more we use Hodge, the more we value him. This applies to all his commentaries.” – Spurgeon

“A doctrinal commentary of considerable merit.” – Cyril J. Barber

Lange’s Commentary – Commentary on 2 Corinthians by C.F. Kluig

*** – Spurgeon

1900’s

Hughes, Philip E. – Paul’s Second Epistle to the Corinthians in The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Eerdmans, 1962) 540 pp. ToC

“May well be regarded as the finest conservative exposition of this epistle!” – Cyril J. Barber

Commentaries on 2 Corinthians

Simple, Brief & Devotional

Hughes, Philip E. – ‘2 Corinthians’ in ed. Carl Henry, The Biblical Expositor: The Living Theme of the Great Book with General and Introductory Essays & Exposition 1 vol. ed. (1960; A.J. Holman, 1973), pp. 1,063-75

This little known commentary set by leading evangelicals (many of which were reformed) is brief (think airplane view) but helpful.

Morgan, G. Campbell – 2 Corinthians ToC in The Corinthian Letters of Paul: an Exposition of 1 & 2 Corinthians (1947), pp. 225-75

Morgan, known for his reformed, exegetical preaching, was the predecessor of Martyn Lloyd Jones at Westminster Chapel.

“A renowned pulpiteer addresses himself to the problems which plague the church. His statements are timely and show a mastery of the subject matter.” – Cyril J. Barber

Bruce, F.F. – ‘The Second Letter to the Corinthians’ ToC in Paul & his Converts: the Letters to the Thessalonians, Corinthians & Philippians (Crowborough, England: Highland Books, 1985), pp. 95-119

Intermediate

1800’s

Beet, Joseph Agar – A Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians 1895 565 pp.

Beet was a liberal.

“A careful study based upon the Greek text.” – Cyril J. Barber

Lothian, W. – Expository Lectures on 2 Corinthians 1828 The volume is inscribed to Thomas Chalmers of the Free Church of Scotland

Lothian was a Scottish Congregationalist minister at St. Andrews.

** “This work must have done good service in its day, as in some degree an antidote to Macknight; it is good and sound; but the student need not distress himself if he cannot procure it, for it is not indispensable.” – Spurgeon

Olshausen, Hermann – Biblical Commentary on 2 Corinthians (1851)

Olshausen was a liberal.

** “Dr. Lindsay Alexander says that this comment is highly esteemed for its happy combinations of grammatico-historical exegesis, with spiritual insight into the meaning of the sacred writers.” – Spurgeon

Pridham, Arthur – Notes & Reflections on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians (1866; London: James Nisbet, 1869) 375 pp. ToC

** “We do not always agree with Mr. Pridham, but we always admire the quiet, candid, and unaffected manner in which he writes.”

Robertson, Frederick W. – Expository Lectures on St. Paul’s Epistles to the Corinthians (1872)

** “Robertson’s doctrinal vagaries are well known; yet he is a great thinker and a prompter of thought in other men. Read with discretion.” – Spurgeon

“Devotional and practical studies by an outstanding Anglican preacher of the last century.” – Cyril J. Barber

Stanley, Arthur P. – The Epistles of St. Paul to the Corinthians, with Critical Notes and Dissertations 4th ed. 1882

Stanley was a liberal.

** “We do not advise the purchase of these volumes; for although Dean Stanley is an instructive writer, our perusal of his notes does not impress us with any sense either of their value or soundness.” – Spurgeon

1900’s

Plummer, Alfred – The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians in The Cambridge Bible for Schools & Colleges (1903) 220 pp. ToC

“One of the best commentaries on the Greek text. However, the writer’s approach to the introductory matters of this epistle is weak.” – Cyril J. Barber

Tasker, R.V.G. – The Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: an Introduction & Commentary in Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (London: Tyndale Press, 1960) 190 pp. ToC

“A very brief treatment.” – Cyril J. Barber

Bruce, F.F. – 2 Corinthians ToC in 1 & 2 Corinthians in The New Century Bible Commentary (1971; Eerdmans, 1980), pp. 163-256

“A brief, perceptive study.“ – Cyril J. Barber

Advanced

1800’s

Billroth, Gustav – A Commentary on the Second Epistle to the Corinthians (1836)

Billroth was a professor of philosophy in Halle, Germany. The work was translated by W. Lindsay Alexander, a Scottish Congregationalist, somewhat conservative but not altogether orthodox.

** “To be prized for its criticism. The author tries to bring forth from each passage the sense which the Apostle intended to convey. Observations and reflections there are none; but we are not among those who throw away ‘the dry bones of criticism’–bones are as needful as meat though not so nourishing.” – Spurgeon

Stanley, Arthur P. – The Epistles of St. Paul to the Corinthians, with Critical Notes and Dissertations (1882) 625 pp.

Stanley was a liberal.

“A scholarly, critical study with numerous digressions on the theme of the epistle, paraphrases of the text, and dissertations on thoughts which have arisen in the writer’s mind as a result of this study.” – Cyril J. Barber

1900’s

Robertson, Archibald & Alfred Plummer – A Critical & Exegetical Commentary on the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians in The International Critical Commentary (1911) 520 pp.

The authors and the series were liberal.

“A monumental work which has earned for itself a deserved place on the Bible teacher’s bookshelf.” – Cyril J. Barber

Witherington III, Ben – 2 Corinthians in Conflict & Community in Corinth: a Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 & 2 Corinthians (Eerdmans, 1995), pp. 325-476

Witherington III is an American Wesleyan-Arminian New Testament scholar, having written many books, and has been a professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary, as well as a pastor in the United Methodist Church.

This commentary excells in in-depth historical info on the 1st century Corinthian setting.

The Early Church on 2 Corinthians

Compilation

ed. Bray, Gerald & Thomas Oden – Commentary on 2 Corinthians in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: 1 & 2 Corinthians Buy (IVP, 1999), pp. 189-311 ToC

Individuals

Ambrosiaster

Commentary on 2 Corinthians in Commentaries on Romans & 1 & 2 Corinthians trans. Gerald L. Bray in Ancient Christian Texts Pre Buy (IVP), pp. 207-66 ToC

Ambrosiaster (fl. 366-384)

Questions & Answers on 2 Cor. 5 at Patristic Bible Commentary

Chrysostom – Second Corinthians ToC Homilies on 1 & 2 Corinthians in NPNF1, vol. 12 (NY: Christian Literature Co., 1889), pp. 271-420 HTML

Chrysostom (c. 347 – 407)

** ‘Enough of solid truth and brilliant utterance will be found here to justify this father’s title of ‘Golden Mouth’; but still all is not gold which fell from his lips, and to modern readers Chrysostom is not so instructive as he was to his own age [A.D. 349-407].’ – Spurgeon

Cyril of Alexandria – Commentaries on Romans, 1-2 Corinthians & Hebrews trans. David R. Maxwell Pre (IVP Academic, 2022) 176 pp. ToC

Cyril (c. 376 – 444)

Theodoret of Cyrus – Commentary on The Letters of St Paul, vol. 1: Romans, 1-2 Corinthians Buy (Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2007) 330 pp.

Theodoret (c. 393 – c. 458/466) was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, biblical commentator and bishop of Cyrus.

The Medieval Church

Old Irish Gloss on 2 Corinthians at Patristic Bible Commentary

Aquinas, Thomas – Commentary on 2 Corinthians

Aquinas (1225 – 1274)

Chapters in the Corinthian Letters

“The writers on small portions of these Epistles are too numerous to be mentioned in our short Catalogue. Burgess, Branston, Thomas Fuller, Sibbes, Manton, Watson, and other masterly writers have all left a contribution to the expository stores of the Church of Christ.”

Spurgeon

2 Corinthians 1

Puritans

Burgess, Cornelius – An Expository Commentary, Doctrinal, Controversial and Practical upon 2 Corinthians 1 d. 1677 being 147 sermons

Sibbes, Richard – A Learned Commentary or Exposition upon 2 Corinthians 1 d. 1635

2 Corinthians 4

Sibbes, Richard – Exposition of 2 Cor. 4 d. 1635 180 pp. in Works, 4:307-488

2 Corinthians 5

Rollock, Robert – 5 Sermons on 2 Cor. 5:1-18 d. 1599

Manton, Thomas – 40 Sermons on 2 Cor. 5 d. 1677

2 Cor. 8-9

Bird, Samuel – Lectures upon the 8th & 9th Chapters of 2 Corinthians (1598)