Believer's Bible Commentary [Hardcover]

William MacDonald (Author), Arthur L. Farstad (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1995

Make Bible study a part of your daily life with the thorough yet easy-to-use Believer's Bible Commentary. MacDonald tackles the controversial issues head-on, taking a theologically conservative stand, yet presenting alternate views with fairness. The Believer's Bible Commentary is a friendly guide to exploring the deeper meanings of every biblical book.

Features:

• Nelson's best-selling Bible commentary
• Balanced approach to linguistic studies and useful application
• Easy to understand
  

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur L. Farstad served as the Executive Editor of the New King James translation of the Bible. Dr. Farstad was a well-respected Greek scholar and theologian having taught at Dallas Theological Seminary in Greek studies. In addition to the NKJV, he served at consulting editor for the New Scofield Study Bible and co-editor of The New Greek Testament According to the Majority Text and served as Editor for the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society. Dr. Farstad went to be with our Lord in 1998.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2496 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0840719728
• ISBN-13: 978-0840719720
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 2.7 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 88 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding! Rich exposition and practical application! June 2, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

As a student of the Bible, Sunday school teacher, and ordained deacon, I can enthusiastically recommend the Believer's Bible Commentary as a must for every Christian's library! Mr. MacDonald has written a scholarly yet friendly commentary that is useful for both personal daily Bible study as well as Sunday school lesson and sermon preparation. Following the New King James Version of the Bible, the central focus of this commentary is on clear, concise, direct, and conservative exposition of Scripture; seeing the person and work of Jesus Christ throughout the entire Bible; and applying Christian principles to modern living. The book also possesses a highly devotional quality as well. All this is done from a devout and conservative position, and difficult or controversial biblical issues are tackled rationally in the overall light of Scripture rather than dogmatically. Both Old and New Testaments are covered, with the OT receiving a slightly more superficial exposition. Mr. MacDonald's rich expositions provide a lasting impression of the deeper meanings of scriptural passages, rather than the conveyance of mere fact after dry fact or superficial, uninteresting coverage found so often in one-volume commentaries. Yet his exegeses are skillfully worded and concise enough so as not to be overwhelming to the user seeking a book for daily devotional study. I would, however, like to have seen the OT covered with a little more depth of exposition; the finer points of the NT are "dissected out" a little more. Still, even though I have long enjoyed reading Matthew Henry's Commentary, my #1 Bible study help--for my personal studies as well as my Sunday school lesson preparations--is the Believer's Bible Commentary.... This book provides plenty of thorough and practical understanding of Christian theology, and I rarely prepare a lesson without it! Read more ›

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars single volume commentary March 17, 2007

By Mark A. Adams

Format:Hardcover

I have owned Believer's Bible Commentary for about 12 years. Before that, I had the N.T. Beleiver's Bible Commentary. For a single volume commentary it is probably the best I have used. I am not a fan of devotional type commentaries. I prefer ones that deal with what the text is actually stating. While this commentary is somewhat devotional it is not overly so (especially in the N.T.). Due to its limited size there is a sacrifice in how much depth the commentary can go into. While I appreciate how the N.T. is handled, it is not the commentary I would normally first reach for when studying an O.T. passage. When doing any in depth Bible study it is best to not limit your resources to just one commentary. It is better to consult several works to see if there is a consensus and to be exposed to alternate views. This is a good commentary to have in your religious library. This commentary would be especially good for a new believer or for a first commentary. Another good starter commentary set is the Bible Knowledge Commentary. Since this is a 2 volume set it is able to go into more depth. For the person interested in more in depth Bible study I would recommend the Expositor's Bible Commentary (12 vols) to use along with the previously mentioned commentaries. If you wish for more involvement with the Greek I recommend Wuest's Word Studies in the Greek New Testament or Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament. I have also found The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The New Testament by Rogers and Rogers to be helpful.

79 of 86 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good choice for general purpose commentary December 29, 2003

By Roy Massie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I have used this commentary for years and I own many others. It is well written and tends to stay close to the Bible with only minimal departures. I am a seminary student so I study different theological systems. This is not a technical or advanced commentary. It is very suitable for anyone trying to understand a particular set of verses. In some cases it goes verse by verse, but in the Old Testament especially it is often paragraph to paragraph. This works out well for most uses.

McFarland is a mainstream evangelical interpreter of the Bible. He takes the Bible very literally - commenting from a dispensational, pre-millennial theology perspective. This is the perspective of the Left Behind series of books. If you are Baptist, Pentecostal or from a similar congregational denomination you will probably be very comfortable with this commentary; it likely fits the teaching of your church very well. If you only plan to buy one full Bible commentary for your family this is a good choice.

Presbyterian, Lutheran and other Reformed backgrounds may want to consider something else if you plan to use it as a teaching resource. Though this is still a useful commentary on the key tenets of the faith, some important secondary doctrines do not agree with a Reformed view. Matthew Henry of course is always a great choice but he is by no means as easy to read or contemporary as this much newer commentary.

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, God-honoring resource! May 31, 2003

By D.W. Kittrell

Format:Hardcover

As a Sunday School teacher I was looking for a solid reference book from which I could base my lessons on and also do my personal devotions and study. I found just what I wanted with the Believer's Bible Commentary. It is packed with many articles on various topics including elders, divorce and remarriage, the concepts of the N.T. church, sin, the law, baptism, election, and much, much more. The summary article following the book of Acts is a must-read. There is a good amount of maps and tables depicting various themes. The author quotes from many other Christian writers so you are not getting the musings of just one man. The endnotes at the end of each bible book contain more details on certain verses and a bibliography for that book of the bible. There is a nice section of supplements at the end of the entire volume as well as a complete bibliography. MacDonald's writing is detailed, devotional and thought provoking. The editor notes that there is "a serious interaction with the details of the text... with no dodging of difficult passages or convicting applications." This is a commentary, systematic theology, general bible handbook, and practical guide all rolled into one package. And of course, the entire work speaks to the centrality of Jesus Christ in our lives. As the introduction reads, the aim of the Believer's Bible Commentary "is to help produce, not merely garden-variety, lowest-common-denominator Christians, but "disciples."" This central theme is expounded on time and again throughout the commentary. This is an excellent, God-honoring resource that I absolutely love.