Using Commentaries in Bible Study
Hall Harris at the new, semi-official NET Bible Revolution blog has two posts about using commentaries in Bible study. The first post surveys the types of commentaries available and talks about why you might or might not want to use one:
Although some Bible students shy away from using commentaries, not wanting to be “influenced” by the teaching of others, commentaries provide a good way to check your own understanding of scripture and your own interpretations of passages. They help even the casual user to avoid misunderstandings and mistakes about the Bible. They can also help you get a better grasp of major Bible themes and topics and see the flow of the author’s argument better in a given passage of scripture. If you are concerned about being unduly influenced by a particular commentary, I recommend you read two or three on the same passage, which will serve as a “check and balance” on one another.
The second post provides tips on using commentaries, especially commentaries of a more technical nature.
February 1st, 2008 at 5:01 pm
The Use of Commentaries in Bible Study. Read it…
February 5th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Some people say that the Bible is our owner’s manual. I think it’s much more than that and it devalues what the Bible is. However I think of commentaries as owners’ manuals for the Bible. Not that they are a necessity….