Of the many tools for Bible study available today, commentaries are among the most familiar. A commentary might be a tool you associate with your pastor, but they should be used by every serious Bible student. But all commentaries are not the same.
There are basically three different kinds of commentaries: devotional, expositional, and scholarly. They have widely different aims. Here is a sampling of their attributes.
Devotional:
• English-only focus
• Surface-level observations that often repeat the English translation
• Usually not verse-by-verse
• Comments aimed at practical application
• Gives the reader an interpretation
• No analysis of other views
• Moderate cross-referencing
• May include advice for preaching or teaching
Expositional:
• Focus on the English text, but comments on the original languages
• Usually verse-by-verse
• Some attempt to take the reader through interpretive options
• Offers nontechnical background material
• Occasional discussion of variant manuscript readings
• Occasional discussion of literary features (e.g., parallelism, genre)
Scholarly:
• The writer includes his or her own translation
• Verse-by-verse, word-by-word
• Detailed discussion of original languages, parallel ancient literature, literary features, and manuscript variations
• Concerted effort at informing the reader of all interpretive options
The more you develop skills in Bible study, including either learning some Hebrew and Greek or mastering original language tools, you’ll be able to make use of all different types of commentaries.