Customer Reviews

The Expositor's Bible Commentary 5-Volume New Testament Set: Vols. 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 (Expositor's Bible Commentary, The)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

EBC is hands down the best Bible Commentary on the market. EBC is written by conservative scholars (who actually believe the Bible).

I've read a lot of Bible Commentaries, and NONE compare with this one. EBC goes verse by verse, and give you amazing exegetical insight that lets you see the passage much more illuminated than before. Not only do they give you their scholarly opinion, they are also kind enough to give you ALL the popular opposing view points of how other scholars interpret a given passage (even if they don't agree, they at least inform the reader of the other ways the verse has been interpreted).

If you're a student of the Bible, this is the #1 resource I would recommend you getting. When you compare this to commentaries by J vernon mcgee or barclay (and a TON of others), you will laugh at how much useless babble they give you compared to the depth of insight given by the EBC writers.

I've learned way more from the EBC commentary than all others commmentaries combined.

My advice, get EBC first, they give you EXCELLENT info, and they give you what's most important exegeticly, hermenuticly, theologicly, and text-critical etc. etc. They cut to the chase, so to speak.

If you still want more info on a certain book after reading EBC, hats off to you! You are a SERIOUS SEMINARY TYPE Bible student. But to buy some of these more expensive, more comprehensive commentaries before reading EBC would in my opinion be a foolish way to spend your money.

Anything less than EBC is a waste, anything more than EBC is for the WAY SERIOUS Seminary type Bible student.

EBC is exteremly readable, they explain the greek in very understanable terms. Cant say enough about the success of this Commentary Series!

The Expositor's Bible Commentary is an amazing resource for studying the Bible whether it is for private study or for sermon preparation. It uses the NIV translation of the Bible and is extremely readable. These books provide excellent background and are written from a conservative point of view. The commentary follows the text in a systematic manner and makes reference quick and easy. In my opinion, this is the best commentary set on the market and as a seminary student I have seen alot!

This commentary set was recommended during my seminary hermeneutics course. After purchasing a mixed selection of major scholarly commentaries, and a couple of more homiletically focused commentaries, the Expositor's Bible Commentary is quickly becoming the first source I go to for study and preparation.

The NT set does not come with the superb introductory volume that discusses scholarly topics, such as inerrancy, criticisms, hermeneutics and other topics by leading scholars in the field. This first volume in this 12 volume set is immensely valuable. But, the NT set does contain a detailed introduction specific for each of the 27 books. For instance, Matthew has a 60 page discussion on the introduction of the first Gospel that discusses Matthean-specific criticisms, history, authorship, date, purpose, themes (Christology, Law, Church, Eschatology and several others), genre and a detailed bibliography. Before moving to the text, an outline and set of maps rounds out the introduction. Each book has a similar introduction associated.

The text is based on the NIV, but those who are critical of the NIV should not necessarily be turned off by this, since the commentary relies more heavily on the Greek behind the text. For instance, in looking at the Great Commission, the crux of the discussion is on terminology that differs from the NIV. The text is taken in verse couplets and triplets based on contextual ties and complexity. Each section of text has a short title describing the theme, a brief discussion of the overall context, and then takes each verse in depth, discussing the key contextual, lexical and literary aspects. Greek is discussed, but the words are transliterated, making it accessible to those who have no Greek background. At the same time, the concepts discussed are deep enough to benefit scholars and exegetical preachers.

The only critique I have of this set is that it is twenty five years old. It could use some updating through addition of some topics that have cropped up in the last couple of decades. But, despite the commentary's age, it still deals with a wealth of topics that make it supremely valuable today. The theology expressed within is conservative in nature, but it does address other beliefs without being overly critical. Other sources that focus more on a topic are frequently cited for further study.

This commentary set can be of superior benefit to the budding student or the seasoned expositor, and is one of the few commentaries that can reach all levels of Christians while remaining very readable. This set gets my highest recommendation.

Though the EBC is not one of the most technical commentary series out there, it is still one of the best out there for pastors and students of Scripture. The perspective given is strongly evangelical. Many of the commentators come from different denominational backgrounds and theological traditions: Baptists, Presbyterians/Reformed (Calvinists), Methodists/Wesleyans, Dispensationalists, Anglican, etc. However, this still does not undermine the balance and even-handedness of the whole series.

Some of the more better commentaries in the series include Matthew (D.A. Carson), John (Merrill C. Tenney), Acts (Richard N. Longenecker), Hebrews (Leon Morris), and Revelation (Alan F. Johnson). Carson's commentary on Matthew has to be the best commentary in the whole series hands down. The depth, scholarship, and readability, make this commentary just spectacular. You get 600 pages (one of the longest in the series) of commentary on all 28 chapters of the gospel. Carson writes from a New Covenant Theology perspective and one can see this clearly when he discusses the role of the law in the Sermon on the Mount (a must read). Johnson's commentary is also very good. He writes from a moderately futurist premillenial position. His discussion of Revelation 20:1-6 is one of the best defenses of the premillennialist position ever written. Though not as detailed as other premillennialist commentators like Robert L. Thomas and Grant R. Osborne, he still does an excellent job advocating the premilliennial position while pretty much destroying the typical arguments of amillennialists and postmillennialists.

Having said that, there are some weaker commentaries in the series. Mark (Walter Wessel) and Luke (Walter Liefeld) were not that great. Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and Galatians were just so-so. Robert L. Thomas' commentaries on 1 and 2 Thessalonians could have been written better. On the other hand, the commentaries on the General Epistles were just standard evangelical fare from a Calvinistic perspective.

Overall, I would highly recommend this series. Pastors and students will find a rich source of information for sermon preparation and exegetical assignments. If you don't have the budget there is a CD-ROM version (OT and NT) that comes at a much cheaper price.

at first I was skeptical because it used the NIV which I am not against I just do not like using it for myself but I got the OT and NT for Christmas as a gift and oh I love it so much I use this for my school and for preparing Sermons and teaching Sunday school. It is not cheap but for all that you get it is worth it because you can go back to this time and time again. It is easy to understand yet has great detail so you do not miss out on anything. Out of all my commentary sets this set is probably near the top or tied for 1st. So if your a Preacher, Teacher, or student this is a must have also for Christians who want a greater understanding this is for all of you. I am sure you will not be disapointed unless you are KJV only then I would not recomend for you.

This is a good commentary set for those who want to be able to stay on target with the intent of the authors. There is great insight into some of the tougher passages that are discussed in these commentaries. A good help to anyone who desires to know more about the New Testament.

This is a great set of commentaries that is very easy to read for any level. I am using one of the volumes for class right now and the author of the commentary of the Gospel of John covers everything that I need for my exegetical paper. I received the set quickly and am very excited to get to read and use all five volumes.

Among the best conservative expositional set you're likely to need, if not the best! Read the other 5 star reviews for a rounded view, but as difficult as it can sometimes be to find this set do your best: you won't be disappointed.