A Helpful Resource for Students of Scripture
The New Testament Commentary Guide
Nijay Gupta
Paperback: Lexham Press, 2020.
Buy Now: [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ]
As helpful as this guide is, it would be difficult to review in the traditional way that we do book reviews. So, I want to highlight a few sections of the book that I found particularly helpful, and then walk through the commentaries that Gupta recommends for one particular NT book (minus the explanatory text that Gupta offers for each commentary, you’ll have to read the book for that!).
The book’s introduction, consists of two parts, a brief guide on how to buy and use commentaries (which you can read for free in Amazon’s sample from the Kindle ebook), and an overview of the most important commentaries series. The first of these parts is extremely important, and I encourage you to read it, tackling such questions as how to use commentaries, and whether commentaries should be bought in sets.
At the heart of this guide, is a book-by-book tour of the New Testament with recommendations on commentaries that might be helpful for study of that book. (See the sample recommendations for Philippians below.)
The book wraps up with a concluding section that lists commentaries by women and people of color. I found this list to be especially helpful, although it will quickly become dated. I was surprised, for instance, that while this list contained several other volumes from the “Belief” series, it didn’t not include Willie Jennings’s commentary on Acts from that same series.
The New Testament Commentary Guide would make a great gift for your pastor or the seminary student on your Christmas list. (It is featured on our gift guide for Clergy Appreciation Month, which also could double as as Christmas gift guide for your pastor.)
Nijay Gupta’s Guide to
Philippians Commentaries:
Technical Commentaries:
- Gordon Fee (NICNT) ***Recommended to own
- Joseph Hellerman (EGGNT) *** Recommended to own
- Gerald Hawthorne and Ralph Martin (WBC)
- Paul Holloway (Hermeneia)
- John Reumann (AB)
Semi-Technical Commentaries:
- Markus Bockmuehl (BNTC) *** Recommended to own
- Stephen Fowl (THNTC)
- Morna Hooker (NIB) *** Recommended to own
- Moises Silva (BECNT)
- Todd Still (SHBC)
- Ben Witherington III (SR)
Non-Technical Commentaries:
- F.F. Bruce (NIBC)
- Lynn Cohick (SGBC) *** Recommended to own
- Fred Craddock (Interpretation)
- Gordon Fee (IVPNTC)
Hidden Gems:
- Dean Flemming (New Beacon BC)
- David Garland (REBC)

C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com
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