This collection is a part of the best and largest
collection of Bible commentaries online:
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Subsections
Reformation & Puritan Commentaries on:
The Whole Bible, the Whole OT & Whole NT 25+
Old Testament
Historical Books 65+
Poetic Books 230+
The Prophets 75+
New Testament
The Epistles & Revelation 235+
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Introduction to This Collection
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“By all means read the Puritans, they are worth more than all the modern stuff put together.”
“…[This work] is of the critical and grammatical school, and bristles all over with the names of the German band. We prefer the Puritanic gold to the German silver which is now in fashion.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
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Why Read Reformation & Puritan Bible Commentaries?
While contemporary commentaries have their benefits (they are typically more uniform, focus on exegesis, bring in archaeology, have 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, 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.
This collection of 705+ Bible commentaries includes:
– Every Reformation age or puritan commentary that Charles Spurgeon mentioned in his book: Commenting and Commentaries (1876);
– Every relevant commentary referenced 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;
– Every Reformed, puritan or otherwise good commentary we could find in the 1500’s & 1600’s on PRDL and EEBO that is in English;
– Some works in English from early proto-reformers and other traditions as well (Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Jewish, etc.).
The commentaries are in the order of the books of the Bible, and then are ordered chronologically. All the works on this page are included in our larger collection of Bible Commentaries from the whole of Church history. If you find a commentary that we have missed, please send it over to us!
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.
To find more Reformation and Puritan Commentaries than what we have in our collection, see Bibliographies of Commentaries on the Books of the Bible.
We hope this collection will be a rich blessing to you.
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“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.”
Jn. 17:17
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Related Pages
Quotes on the Sincere Free Offer of the Gospel – 1500’s
Puritan Quotes on the Sincere Free Offer of the Gospel – 1600’s
The Westminster Assembly and Psalm Singing