USAGE NOTES:
Words in blue indicate active links

Comments: Assessment and/or recommendation of the work.

Bible software: Name of company that produces resource on software

Website: Site where the resource is available on the web at no charge.

NA = Not Available

Note: For Logos (Libronix) software titles the best resource is Logos.com. While you are on Logos.com be sure and check out their Pre-Publications and Community Pricing programs, which offer deep discounts.

If you are interested in "old fashioned" (paper!) books, I recommend searching Amazon.com where you can search for used copies available (usually only a fraction of the cost of the new book -- I have purchased up to 50 used Christian books from Amazon and have yet to be disappointed -- just be sure to read the seller's notes on the condition of the book.

Be aware that many of the Christian writings prior to the early 1900's are now available online at no charge. I have found the Archive.org invaluable in this regard. It takes some practice but you will be amazed at what is now online at Archive.org. For example, just to get some idea of the amount of material which is online enter Spurgeon and under media type select Texts (otherwise you will get audios, etc) to retrieve over 350 resources!

Comments: The College Press NIV Commentary series is a reasonably good commentary but I would recommend using it only as a secondary resource to supplement a more classic work such as Bible Knowledge Commentary

Bible software: Logos (Libronix), Wordsearch

Comments: Barclay's commentaries are not always theologically conservative (note) and/or evangelical but they do contain some of the best cultural and historical insights available as well as some excellent Greek word studies. Barclay did not hold orthodox views concerning such non-negotiable topics such as the virgin birth of Jesus, the deity of Jesus, the way of salvation, eternal judgment, et al. A balanced evaluation of Barclay's theological aberrations is found here and the cautious student is advised to read this review before utilizing his commentaries.

Bible software: The New Daily Study Bible New Testament - Logos

Comments: Notes on the Old and New Testament can be a useful supplemental resource. C H Spurgeon's comments that:

"Albert Barnes is a learned and able divine, but his productions are unequal in value, the gospels are of comparatively little worth, but his other comments are extremely useful for Sunday School teachers and persons with a narrow range of reading, endowed with enough good sense to discriminate between good and evil. If a controversial eye had been turned upon Barnes's Notes years ago, and his inaccuracies shown up by some unsparing hand, he would never have had the popularity which at one time set rival publishers advertising him in every direction. His Old Testament volumes are to be greatly commended as learned and laborious, and the epistles are useful as a valuable collection of the various opinions of learned men. Placed by the side of the great masters, Barnes is a lesser light, but taking his work for what it is and professes to be, no minister can afford to be without it, and this is no small praise for works which were only intended for Sunday School teachers. (from Commenting and Commentaries by CH Spurgeon)

Bible software: Available free from "e-sword". Barnes' Notes on the New Testament free from Wordsearch

Comments: Well done, conservative, evangelical and as you might gather from the name usually with good applications.

Bible software: Logos, Wordsearch,

Website: NA

Book Version: James. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers

Comments: This is a "modern classic" which is thoroughly conservative and evangelical. It is recommended as one of the basic commentaries for your library.

Bible software: Logos, Wordsearch, E-Sword

Comments: The College Press NIV Commentary series is a reasonably good commentary but I would recommend using it only as a secondary resource to supplement a more classic work such as Bible Knowledge Commentary

Bible software: Logos (Libronix), Wordsearch

Comments: Classic reformed commentary but be wary of his comments on prophetic passages in the Old Testament.

Bible software: Logos (Libronix), Wordsearch

Comments: Not good enough to be your primary single volume commentary on the entire Bible (see MacDonald's Believer's Bible Commentary or the Bible Knowledge Commentary, both of which are better commentaries on the entire Bible). This should be a secondary resource.

Bible software: Logos (Libronix);  Wordsearch

Comments: Adam Clarke (1760-1832) is the author of a commentary on the entire Bible that is found on many websites as well as computer Bible programs. Clarke was a Methodist, a Wesleyan, and an Arminian, (e.g., Clarke "suggested that although God can know all future events, He chooses not to know some events beforehand" Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, page 808). He did not always interpret Scripture literally and thus not surprisingly was amillennial (did not believe Messiah would reign 1000 years in His earthly Kingdom - he interpreted Revelation as a Historicist) which led him to misinterpret the church as fulfilling many Old Testament promises given to and yet to be fulfilled to Israel. He was influential in the development of the doctrine of entire sanctification. Although Clarke affirmed the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, thus holding to a belief of "plenary dynamic inspiration" (idea of every thought inspired), he fell short of a belief in the "plenary verbal inspiration" (every single word inspired) (Bibliotheca Sacra: Volume 125, p 163, 1968). Click for full discussion of Clarke's interpretative approach.

Bible software: E-sword as well as most commercial software programs

Comments: The College Press NIV Commentary series is a reasonably good commentary but I would recommend using it as a secondary resource to supplement an excellent commentary such as MacArthur's Commentary on Romans

Bible software: Logos (Libronix), Wordsearch

Comments: Interesting and well written commentary. The Daily Study Bible series on the Old Testament (the counterpart to William Barclay's Daily Study Bible Series on the New Testament) like the NT counterpart can have some useful discussions but is not conservative nor literal in interpretative approach and thus should be used with considerable discernment.

Bible software: Not available as of Feb, 2012.

Comments: The comments are brief but this is one of the best Study Bibles available because of Morris' stalwart adherence to a literal interpretation of the Scriptures. If you are not familiar with his work (e.g., commentaries such as The Genesis Record and The Revelation Record), you won't be disappointed if you are looking for a conservative resource that has short comments on the entire Bible. Note that there are not comments on every verse.

Comment from the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) website: "In 1995 Dr. Henry Morris, ICR's founder, released The Defender's Study Bible, a study Bible "defending" all Scripture passages which had come under attack, and presenting creation and inerrancy as foundational doctrines of Christianity. Many consider this his life's work, containing the results of 50 years of Bible study and belief. Over 6,400 explanatory notes and 18 appendices aid the reader in understanding even the difficult passages, especially those which deal with the vital doctrine of creation. Now he has added 3,000 more notes and two new appendices to increase its value and usability."

Bible software: The New Defender's Study Bible - printed version. Available on Quickverse but I would wait until it is available on another format. As discussed previously, Quickverse products will apparently be made available on Wordsearch, although they are not yet available as of February, 2012.

Comments: Practical articles on living out your Christian faith, calling us all to a walk of holiness. I would recommend buying one of the software versions which makes all 150 volumes fully searchable.

Bible software: Logos, Wordsearch - Be sure to purchase the "updated 25th anniversary version" which has 150 Issues (Note: The first version of the CD had only 120 issues of the journal).

Comments: Single volume commentary on the entire Bible. If you are considering buying a modern single volume, William MacDonald's Believer's Bible Commentary (below) is recommended.

Bible software: Logos, Wordsearch - Note that Wordsearch title is "Baker Commentary on the Bible" but this identical to the Logos version by a different name. Interesting!

Comments: Excellent study Bible. If you purchase the book, you have access to the web edition. 

Jerry Bridges writes "“The ESV Study Bible is the finest study tool I have seen in fifty years of Bible teaching. The notes, articles, maps, and illustrations are all of the highest quality. It is a great achievement!”

R Albert Mohler writes: "The ESV Study Bible is a treasure—a beautiful volume, filled with a wealth of resources. It will be just as useful for the seminarian and long-time pastor as it will be accessible to the brand-new Christian."

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: 55 Volume, 34,752 page work. If you do expositional preaching or teaching, you will definitely benefit from the many illustrative comments from multiple sources.

Bible software: Biblical Illustrator - 56 Volumes for E-sword - free

Comments: One of the better conservative, evangelical Bible commentaries covering both the Old and New Testament. It is more detailed than the two volume Bible Knowledge Commentary. A free alternative is David Guzik's commentary below.

Bible software: Logos;  Wordsearch; No longer available from Pradis which has been discontinued

Comments: Recommended for any serious study of the Revelation. Does a nice job of discussing alternative views but the main focus is verse by verse commentary from a conservative, futuristic (literal) viewpoint. A Testimony of Jesus Christ is one of the best commentaries that has ever been written on the Revelation. Garland's well researched, straightforward approach will help you unravel the truth of this wonderful book, which far too often has been confounded by commentaries that stray from a literal interpretative view of Scripture. See related topic Revelation Commentaries which includes listing of commentaries categorized by their interpretative approach:

Bible software: View the HTML version of the commentary online. Also available in printable Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format, as a Libronix Personal Book, as a module for use with e-Sword Bible Study programs.

Comments: Lengthy comments on Scripture using Scripture as the main source of the commentary. As with all "older vintage" commentaries, although Gill is conservative, his comments tend not to be literal (and futuristic) in his interpretation of Old Testament prophetic passages, which are better handled by modern commentaries (such as Guzik below). Spurgeon has this to say concerning Gill:

"Beyond all controversy, Gill was one of the most able Hebraists (interpreters of Hebrew resources) of his day, and in other matters no mean (no less) proficient...Probably no man since Gill's days has at all equaled him in the matter of Rabbinical learning. Say what you will about that lore, it has its value: of course, a man has to rake among perfect dunghills and dust heaps, but there are a few jewels which the world could not afford to miss. Gill was a master cinder sifter among the Targums, the Talmuds, the Mishna, and the Gemara...He was always at work; it is difficult to say when he slept, for he wrote 10,000 folio pages of theology...He is far from being so interesting and readable as Matthew Henry...For good, sound, massive, sober sense in commenting, who can excel Gill? Very seldom does he allow himself to be run away with by imagination, except now and then when he tries to open up a parable, and finds a meaning in every circumstance and minute detail; or when he falls upon a text which is not congenial with his creed, and hacks and hews terribly to bring the word of God into a more systematic shape."

Bible software: E-sword (free), Libronix (Personal Book)

Bible software: CD from Enduring Word Media; Free book for Libronix (not for Logos 4 as of Feb, 2012) at Stilltruth.com; Free download for E-sword

Comments: Classic commentary. Can be a bit wordy and often less practical than a more modern commentary such as John MacArthur's commentary on Romans.

Comments: This two volume set is one of the best resources available (along with that by Zodhiates below) for scholarly and yet not overly technical Hebrew word studies. There are more and better definitions than Vine's OT Lexicon.

Bible software: Logos;  Wordsearch

Comments: Well done classic, conservative and devotional comments on all of Scripture. As with all "older vintage" commentaries,  Henry's comments tend not to be literal (and futuristic) in his interpretation of Old Testament prophetic passages, which are better handled by modern commentaries (such as Guzik above). Henry occasionally misinterprets literal OT promises to Israel as fulfilled in the NT church.

Bible software: E-sword as well as most commercial software programs

Comments: Hiebert’s use of the Greek language and insightful comments make anything by this author of use for pastors, teachers or for anyone who studies the Word in depth. Hiebert has other works on Mark, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, James, epistles of John. In short, his commentaries are highly recommended!

John Walvoord - "While our generation has produced many notable scholars, few have achieved excellence in writing biblical commentaries from the standpoint of evangelical theology. The tendency has been in religious literature to discuss the views of men rather than the inspired Word of God. Dr. D. Edmond Hiebert has manifested extraordinary gifts as a leading scholar in the field of biblical exegesis. In his writings he has shown thorough research, a comprehensive review of pertinent literature, and, more importantly, a penetrating discernment of the precise meaning of the scriptural text. He has combined depth in scholarship with practical application and has manifested an ability to communicate the results of his study in an understandable way. His works have benefited both the scholar and the lay reader and have served to provide a solid basis for interpreting Scripture for a generation which has deviated more from biblical truth than any generation in the past. God has raised up men such as Dr. Hiebert to provide a sure word in an age that is groping for eternal truth."

Bible software:

Wordsearch has commentaries on - 1 Peter, James, 1, 2 Thessalonians
Logos has commentaries on - Gospel of Mark, 1–3 John, 2 Peter, Jude.
Logos has 2 titles from Everyman's Bible Commentary - 2Timothy; 1Timothy
Titus in Expositor's Bible Commentary (Zondervan)

Comments: Classic conservative commentary on Romans. Can be a bit wordy sometime and therefore often less practical than for example modern works such as John MacArthur's commentary on Romans (see below).

Bible software: Logos ; Wordsearch

Comments: Well written conservative commentary with frequent interesting illustrations and practical applications.

Bible software: Colossians = Logos; Wordsearch; Hebrews = Logos, Wordsearch; Romans = Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: Reasonably good commentary but tends to be wordy and sometimes hard to follow.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: Relatively brief verse by verse comments. As with all "older vintage" commentaries, although generally conservative, the comments  are not always literal (and futuristic) in interpretation of Old Testament prophetic passages, which are better handled by modern commentaries (such as Guzik above). That said, of the pre-1900 commentaries, JFB is probably one of the better in interpretation of prophetic writings.

C H Spurgeon wrote that JFB is...

Bible software: E-sword as well as most commercial software programs

Comments: Interesting background insights.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: A classic commentary covering the entire Old Testament, but not always conservative or literal.

James Rosscup writes that "This is the best older, overall treatment of a critical nature on the Old Testament Hebrew text verse by verse and is a good standard work to buy. The student can buy parts or the whole of this series. Sometimes it is evangelical, at other times liberal ideas enter." (Commentaries for Biblical Expositors: An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Works or Logos Format)

Bible software:  E-sword; Logos (Libronix); Biblesoft;

Comments: Well done notes on all Bible

Bible software: Logos

Comments: Well done notes on all Bible

Bible software: Logos

Comments: Well known, respected Lutheran commentator. Warren Wiersbe's favorite NT commentary.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: Classic commentary. Selectively useful

Bible software: Logos

Comments: Well done Greek lexicon which supplements a more complete lexicon like Zodhiates' (see below) or BDAG (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature or Wordsearch).

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: One of the leading expositors of the Scripture in the 21^st century. You will always be edified and equipped by Dr. MacArthur's sound Scripturally saturated exposition.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Website: NA

Comments: The best study Bible available in my opinion. Highly recommended.

Bible software: Logos;  Print version For some reason it is not available in Wordsearch (Feb, 2012).

Comments: Highly recommended. One of the best single volume commentaries available covering both the Old and New Testament. Thoroughly conservative, literal, evangelical, and devotional. This resource is an excellent companion to the MacArthur Study Bible.

John MacArthur says:

"...concise yet comprehensive - the most complete single-volume commentary I have seen."

Warren Wiersbe says that this commentary is

"...for the student who is serious about seeing Christ in the Word."

Bible software: Logos; E-Sword ($19.99) For some reason it is not available in Wordsearch (Feb, 2012).

Comments: Highly Recommended. Pithy, practical, conservative comments on every book of the Bible.

Bible software: Logos ($89.95) (Note: DiscountBible.com still has copies of the Libronix version of "The McGee Lifeworks Library" for $15. It has been discontinued, but the files are convertible to Logos 4);  Wordsearch ($99.95)

Bible software: Logos) ($249.95); Stilltruth.com has Maclaren free for Libronix (click here) and free for Logos 4 (click here); E-Sword (free); Wordsearch ($99.95)

Comments: The College Press NIV Commentary series is a reasonably good commentary but I would recommend using it only as a secondary resource to supplement a more classic work such as Bible Knowledge Commentary

Bible software: Logos

Comments: Devotional commentary.

Bible software: E-sword; see Stilltruth.com for free personal book files for Libronix. Not yet available for Logos 4 (Feb, 2012).

Comments: NA

Bible software: Logos (not available as individual book)

Comments: Conservative, evangelical. A reasonably good commentary but in my opinion not the best as it is often too verbose.

Bible software: Logos (Libronix); Wordsearch

Comments: These tend to be more technical notes on the New English Translation, but you will often discover some very useful insights. The NET Bible is synchronized with the NET Notes, Constable's Commentary and relevant articles on the Bible.org website. Very helpful!

Bible software: Logos (Libronix); e-Sword; Wordsearch

Comments: Recommended. An excellent, generally conservative, expositional and devotional commentary.

Bible software:  Free on Wordsearch

Comments: Brief comments on Greek word meanings. Knowledge of Greek is not a prerequisite. Occasionally you will find some real "treasures" in these short definitions.

Bible software: Only on the old Pradis as of June, 2010 (do a Google search - you might find an old Pradis copy for sale). Book on Amazon.com

Comments: One of the finest expositors of Scripture in the 20-21st Century. He is always worth consulting.

Bible software: Wordsearch; Logos

Comments: Well done theologically conservative resource covering the Old and New Testament in one volume. Named as one of the 850 Books for Biblical Expositors by the Master's Seminary.

Bible software: Logos (OT); Logos (NT); Wordsearch

Comments: Brief verse by verse comments plus homilies (sermons). Although the Pulpit Commentary (PC) is impressive in size, one must be discerning especially in interpretation of the Old Testament, as the PC frequently misinterprets the promises that were addressed primarily to Israel as promises that apply to the New Testament Church. E.g., in the PC's comments on Isaiah, the word "church" is mentioned 827 times despite the fact that the word "church" is not found once in the Old Testament! Paul's "commentary" accurately states that the "church" was "the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages [including the age of Isaiah]" (Colossians 1:26-note)! In another example, the PC has only a single mention of the "millennium" in Isaiah and even this comment is not accurate. By contrast,  the conservative, literal Bible Knowledge Commentary mentions the church 4 times and the millennium 52 times in its much more concise commentary on Isaiah. Click for a specific example of misinterpretation from the Pulpit Commentary.

Bible software: Logos; E-sword (free)

Comments: Brief well worded conservative comments.

Bible software: Logos

Comments: The Teacher's Commentary is reasonably good but comments are not on every verse nor do they tend to be very detailed. The entire Bible—Genesis 1 to Revelation 22—is divided into teachable units. There are many "link-to-life" ideas to help teach each unit to any age group.

BRC is reasonably good but comments are not on every verse nor do they tend to be very detailed. BRC does provide introductions and outlines, summaries, cross-references, definitions, explanations of difficult passages, archeological reports, Bible customs, charts, realistic art, and much more!

365 Day Devotional is reasonably good but comments are not on every verse nor do they tend to be very detailed. Each day you will find a core passage of scripture with devotional commentary, a personal application, and a quote from a well-known Christian.

Bible software: Logos;  Wordsearch

Comments: A classic test on the original Greek language covering all NT books. The comments are brief but occasionally give very useful insights into how a word was used in the original Greek language.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: Brief comments on select verses. Conservative. Evangelical. Especially good on prophetic passages (if you hold to the literal approach to interpretation of the Scriptures!)

Bible software: Wordsearch; Logos

Comments: If you are not familiar with Ray Stedman's material, now is the time. It is always conservative and filled with practical comments and applications. Highly recommended.

Bible software: The complete Ray C. Stedman Library plus 67 messages in MP3 format is available on a free CD from Firefighters for Christ

Comments: Excellent sermon illustrations indexed by topic and by Scripture.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: A classic resource for those doing in depth Greek word studies.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: An incredible product that gives you a veritable seminary library (including journals from multiple different seminaries) on your computer.

Bible software: Galaxie Software Theological Journals for Wordsearch; Wordsearch; Logos

Comments: This is the best resource available for the lay person who cannot read Hebrew. Highly Recommended for anyone interested in original word studies.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: Verse by verse analysis with emphasis on translation the original language into English. Often has some interesting insights but it is not strictly speaking a commentary.

Bible software: Logos - Old and New Testament

Comments: Greek Word Studies. A classic. Does not cover every NT book as does A T Robertson's Word Pictures. Often has insights found no where else.

Bible software: Logos;  E-sword; Wordsearch

Comments: This collection is a real "sleeper" because it includes Vine's well done commentaries (rich with Greek word study comments as one might expect). Here is a list of the included works and commentaries (many are verse by verse exposition) ---

Critique of W E Vine by F F Bruce (interesting!), Isaiah, The Leading Themes of the Gospels (10 chapters representing a series of papers-The Prologue of the Gospel, Christ as the Word, Christ as the Light, Christ as the Life, Christ the Sent One, The Subject of Believing, Witnesses to Christ, Divine Love, The Death of Christ, The Holy Spirit), John, Romans, 1Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, Outline Studies in the Epistle of James, 1, 2 and 3 John, The Person and Work of Christ, The Whole Gospel, The Church, Missions and Christian Service, The Second Coming and the Last Days, The Evolution Theory in the Light of Genesis, Spiritism Unmasked.

Bible software: Logos;

Website: NA

Comments: One of the classic lexicons and often quoted or paraphrased by commentators and pastors alike. Makes a good companion to the more exhaustive Zodhiates' dictionary. Add Wuest, Vincent's and A T Robertson and you have a nice group of books for performing Greek word studies.

Bible software: (see preceding note on "Collected Writings") Logos (Libronix) (Click Libronix for Vine plus many other resources); E-sword (Greek); Wordsearch

Comments: The College Press NIV Commentary series is a reasonably good commentary but I would recommend using it only as a secondary resource to supplement a more classic work such as Bible Knowledge Commentary

Bible software: Logos

Comments: One of the modern classics with separate single volumes on the Old and New Testaments. This belongs in every student's library, whether in print or on the computer.

Bible software:  Logos, Wordsearch

Website: Free Online works by Dr John Walvoord, including his complete books on Daniel, Revelation, etc - highly recommended if you are studying prophetic literature!

Comments: Excellent commentary on the NT books. If Wiersbe has written something on a given verse, his comments are always worth checking. The Expository Outlines offer brief but meaty comments that do not duplicate Wiersbe's Bible Exposition Commentary.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch
Bible Exposition Commentary - New Testament. 1989. Victor or Logos or Wordsearch

Comments: Detailed commentary but not always conservative, literal and evangelical. This is a secondary resource that must be used with discernment.

Bible software: Logos

Comments: One of the best Greek word studies tools available and also has an excellent commentary on select books. Highly recommended.

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch

Comments: This is a excellent Greek and Hebrew word study (along with TWOT).

Bible software: Logos; Wordsearch