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Bible Study Toolbox: Types of Commentaries
Bible Study Toolbox
Types of Commentaries
As with all books, commentaries are written with certain audiences in mind. Depending on the audience, the purpose of a commentary can change. There are three main types of commentaries.
A) Devotional
Devotional commentaries are typically shorter and less expensive. Their goal is to give a general overview of a text, then focus on practical application. Devotional commentaries are helpful, but if you’re looking for a detailed explanation of the text, you’ll need something more. They’re called devotional commentaries because they’re designed with personal devotion to God in mind. They aim to answer how a text applies to our spiritual life and relationship with God. That makes them great tools for personal reflection and for small group leaders looking to spark practical discussion about a text.
B) Standard/Pastoral
Standard commentaries strike a good balance between explaining a text and providing practical application. They’re longer and more detailed than devotional commentaries, but still explain how the text applies to our lives. They handle the more challenging questions in the text, more background and introductory information, and possibly even some textual critical issues. They’re sometimes called “pastoral” commentaries because the target audience is pastors and preachers. As preachers and pastors, we can’t just give the application without a deeper understanding of the text, and we can’t just explain the text without application. Both are necessary for teaching and standard commentaries are great tools for sound teaching.
C) Technical
Technical commentaries are advanced, scholarly, long, and tedious. They delve deep into translation issues, original language issues, redaction/scribal issues, and questions about naturalism vs. miracles. There won’t be much practical application in these commentaries. They’re all business. They might spend multiple paragraphs breaking down each word in the original language and sharing multiple positions on each side of a debate that exists over a text or even just a word in a text. These can be great reference tools, but I’m not picking one up for light reading. They’re called technical commentaries because their primary audience is the academic community.
When you visit www.bestbiblecommentaries.com to view ratings, you’ll see little gray circles next to the commentaries with the letters “D” “P” or “T.” Those stand for devotional, pastoral, and technical. Not all commentaries can be classified with just one of the three descriptions; some are a mix. Hopefully this article will help you know what you’re looking for as you seek out the right commentary for your needs.
