Biblical Commentaries

One/Several Volume Commentaries.

A one volume commentary is a reference work that offers comments on each biblical book (Jewish or Christian Bible or section of such, e.g., Torah/Pentateuch). The entries on each biblical book usually offer introductory comments of a literary, historical, social scientific and/or theological nature. They then offer analysis on a section by section or verse by verse basis. There may also be additional general articles covering topics such as the history of the Ancient Near East or the formation of the canon. A good one volume commentary will make clear who the author of the commentary on each book is at the beginning or the end of an entry. Sometimes the author(s)'s full name appears.   Sometimes initials are given. If initials are given, the reader must look up the person's name in a list of contributors. This often includes scholarly or religious affiliations. A good one volume commentary will also provide bibliographical references. Again, at the beginning or ending of each article. One way to find out which works scholars consider important and are worth consulting for your own research is to compare the biblical book entry bibliographies from several one/two volume commentaries. If an article or book appears in more than one list, it is likely to be an important resource. In addition to one volume commentaries that include multiple books of the bible, there are also commentaries that focus on the books of the bible in multiple volumes and monographs (a single book) which covers a single biblical book.  Some commentaries are associated with a particular religious tradition and may reflect the history of interpretation or the concerns of that tradition. Others are produced solely for academic purposes and are non-denominational.  Although there may be differences associated with religious commitments, you should find a great deal of overlap in scholarly works. Reading several commentaries will give you an idea of where there is consensus in interpretation and where differences emerge. In comparing both entries and bibliographies you should keep in mind the publication date. A work from 1992, for example, will include references and scholarly developments through about 1991.

Ref BS491.3.E37 2003 Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eds. Dunn, James D. G. and John W. Rogerson. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003.  Focuses on sections rather than verse by verse commentary.   Uses the NSRV although some commentators refer to Hebrew and Greek. Commentators are biblical scholars from various traditions.  A number are British.  There are lists of contributors and abbreviations at the beginning of the commentary. Available for preview on googlebooks.

Ref BS1222.L54 2001 Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary.   Edited by  Rabbi David L. Lieber and  Jules Harlow.  Sponsored by Rabbinical Assembly / U.S.C., Philadelphia:   JPS, 2001.  According to the publisher this work features the "JPS 1985 translation of the Torah and features separate p'shat [plain sense] and d'rash [imaginative and traditional] commentary themes, showing two approaches to interpreting the Torah. There are also essays on key themes by prominent Conservative Movement rabbis and scholars; a special section, halakhah l'ma-aseh, that points out where Jewish laws are based on biblical passages;"

Ref BS491.2.H37 2000 HarperCollins Bible Commentary. Eds. James L. Mays, Beverly L. Gaventa et al. (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2000). This is the revised edition of Harper’s Bible Commentary, 1988 produced by the Society of Biblical Literature. Some of the commentaries are by different authors than in the earlier edition. The Society of Biblical Literature is the largest organization of academic biblical scholars in the world. It is non-sectarian.

Ref BS491.2.M47 1995  Mercer Commentary on the Bible, Watson E. Mills and Richard F. Wilson, eds. (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1995). This commentary was produced by the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion. It covers the Hebrew Bible, the Apocryphal and Deuterocanonical Books, and the New Testament. Available for preview on googlebooks.

Ref BS491.2.N485 1990  The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, S.J., and Roland E. Murphy, O.Carm., eds. (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1990). This commentary was produced by Roman Catholic scholars. It contains outstanding general articles as well as commentary on the books of the Hebrew Bible, the Deutero-canonical books (the Apocrypha), and the New Testament. It has a topical index. An earlier edition is called the Jerome Biblical Commentary. It is not as up-to-date as this edition.

Ref BS491.3.O94 2001 The Oxford Bible Commentary, John Barton and John Muddiman, eds. (Oxford:   Oxford University Press, 2001).  This is a very recent scholarly commentary.   Traditional historical critical method is used along with more recent methods. Editors and associate editors are all from British universities as are many of the contributors.

Ref BS2379.S43 1993  Searching the Scriptures: A Feminist Introduction. Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, ed., (1; New York: Crossroad/Continuum, 1993). Searching the Scriptures: A Commentary (2; New York: Crossroad/Continuum, 1994).These two volumes represent introductory articles and commentary on a number of biblical and related extra-canonical texts. Most of the articles reflect liberal feminist perspectives.

Ref BS1225.53.T67 2005    The Torah: A Modern Commentary,  W. Gunther Plaut, and David E. Stein. eds.  Rev. ed. New York:  Union for Reform Judaism, 2005.   W. Gunther Plaut commentary in the first edition.  Reform rabbis produced this commentary on the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. For each section of the biblical text it contains the text in Hebrew and English translation, commentary with focuses on textual details, essays, and a section called "Gleanings" for each section. "Gleanings" consists of brief excerpts from key commentators on the passage throughout history. Available for preview on googlebooks.

Ref BS1225.53.T675 2008 The Torah : A Women’s Commentary. New York : URJ Press, 2008.

Ref BS491.2.W66 1992 The Women's Bible Commentary Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe, eds. (Louisville: Westminster Press, 1992. This commentary covers the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Authors come from various religious traditions. It focuses on women and women's issues, often from a feminist scholarly perspective.  A later edition added the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonicals, but UI does not own it.  The later edition is available preview on googlebooks.

Ref BS491.2.N484 1994 The New Interpreter's Bible (Abingdon) - This twelve volume set is a very recent and entirely new set of commentaries from Abingdon, a Methodist publishing house.    Authors come from a number of religious traditions, however. It represents a mid-point between an exclusively academic and a religious commentary series.  It replaces the earlier Interpreter's Bible.

Multiple Volume Commentaries

Some multiple volume commentary sets will be found in the reference section of the library. Others which treat individual biblical books in separate volumes will be shelved on the 4th floor under the book they cover, usually under BS (for Biblical Studies). These commentaries give more detail than is available in a one volume commentary. After a general introduction, they often begin with a translation of a section of the biblical book and then comment on that section before moving on to the next section in order. Narrative commentaries and thematic commentaries may not proceed in a verse by verse format. Some examples of multiple volume commentary series are:

The JPS Torah Commentary . ( Jewish Publication Society) - 5 vols. Very thorough scholarly commentaries on the first five books of the Hebrew Bible by Jewish scholars. These are available in the library stacks.

BS1275.3.T54 1996 Tigay, Jeffrey H. Deuteronomy = Devarim (1996)

BS1245.3.S27 1991 Sarna, Nahum M. Exodus = Shemot (1991)

BS1265.3.M55 1990 Milgrom, Jacob Numbers = Ba-midbar (1990)

BS1255.3.L48 1989 Levine, Baruch A. Leviticus = Va-yikra (1989)

BS1235.3.S325 1989 Sarna, Nahum M. Genesis = Bereshit (1989)

Ref BS491.2.N484 1994 The New Interpreter's Bible (Abingdon) - This series is a very recent and entirely new set of commentaries from Abingdon, a Methodist publishing house.  It is a twelve volume work.  Authors come from a number of religious traditions, however. It represents a mid-point between an exclusively academic and a religious commentary series.

Anchor Bible - a series of commentaries on individual books including the apocryphal/deutero-canoncal books. These will be found by title of the biblical book or author and are located under BS in the library stacks.  UI owns this series.

Hermeneia - a series of commentaries on individual books. Highly academic and detailed. Most are translations of German commentaries. These will be found by title of the biblical book or author and are located under BS in the library stacks.  UI owns many volumes of this series.

Old Testament Library - a series of commentaries on individual books. Some are translations of German commentaries. These will be found by title of the biblical book or author and are located under BS in the library stacks.  UI owns many volumes of this series.

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