THE ULTIMATE REFERENCE LIBRARY
AN UNFORTUNATE FELLOW ONCE QUIPPED, “If my ship ever comes in, there’s sure to be a dock strike.” This list gives my choices for a first-class exegetical library, were my ship ever to come in. Money is of no concern here, scholarship is. The emphasis is less on expositional helps and more on comprehensive and detailed technical works from a variety of perspectives which will appeal to, or stimulate, the scholarly pastor, advanced student, and specialist. I am concerned to put an evangelical treatment or two up front and will separate the conservative and critical works with a dash. Works are generally listed in order of preference within the divisions of conservative and critical works, but that’s not to say I don’t prefer the first critical work listed to the second or third evangelical work (e.g. I’d buy Milgrom on Numbers after getting Ashley). I have attempted to keep the number of works to 8 – 10 per book. I admit that this dream list has been inspired by Appendix B in Longman’s 1995 commentary survey. It’s fun to dream.
OLD TESTAMENT
| OLD TESTAMENT | Calvin, Keil & Delitzsch |
| GENESIS | Wenham, Hamilton, Mathews, Collins — Westermann, Sarna, Brueggemann, Day (From Creation to Babel) |
| EXODUS | Stuart, Hamilton, Enns — Childs, Houtman, Sarna, Fretheim, Propp, Dozeman |
| LEVITICUS | Hartley, Wenham, Sklar, Kiuchi, Hess, Gane — Milgrom, Gerstenberger, Levine, Watts, Balentine |
| NUMBERS | Ashley, Wenham, Cole, Harrison — Milgrom, Levine, Olson, Knierim-Coats |
| DEUTERONOMY | McConville, Wright, Block, Craigie, Christensen (2001) — Lundbom, Weinfeld, Miller, Tigay, Nelson, Driver |
| JOSHUA | Butler [ℳ], Howard, Hess, Hawk [ℳ], Hubbard, Pitkänen — Nelson, Dozeman, Rösel |
| JUDGES | Block, Butler, Webb — Sasson, Schneider, Lindars, O’Connell, Boling, Frolov, Niditch, Moore |
| RUTH | Block (ZECOT), Hubbard, Bush, McKeown, Hawk [ℳ] — CohnFrymer-Kensky, Campbell, Nielsen, Sakenfeld, LaCocque, Sasson |
| SAMUEL | Firth, Youngblood, Vannoy, Gordon, Tsumura, Bergen — Klein, McCarter, Auld, Anderson |
| KINGS | Wray Beal, Provan, House, Wiseman — Cogan-Tadmor, Hobbs [ℳ], Sweeney, Walsh, Long, Mulder, Brueggemann |
| CHRONICLES | Dillard, Boda, Williamson [ℳ], Merrill, Selman — Japhet [ℳ], Knoppers [ℳ], Klein, Johnstone, McKenzie |
| EZRA/NEHEMIAH | Williamson [ℳ], Fensham, Kidner, Breneman — Blenkinsopp, Klein, Clines |
| ESTHER | Tomasino, Bush, Jobes, Grossman, Laniak, Baldwin, Firth — Berlin, Levenson, Fox, Clines, Berg |
| JOB | Hartley, Longman, Wilson, Andersen — Clines, Seow, Habel, Gordis, Balentine, Janzen, Pope |
| PSALMS | Ross, Goldingay [ℳ], VanGemeren, NICOT [ℳ], Bullock, Craigie, Tate, Allen, Wilson — Hossfeld-Zenger, Kraus, Mays, Gerstenberger |
| PROVERBS | Waltke, Van Leeuwen, Longman — Fox, Murphy, Loader, Perdue, Clifford |
| ECCLESIASTES | Bartholomew, Longman, Enns, Kidner — Seow, Fox, Schoors, Murphy, Crenshaw, Krüger, Whybray |
| SONG OF SONGS | Hess, Garrett, Longman, Duguid, Estes — Murphy, Exum, Fishbane, Assis, Keel, Fox |
| ISAIAH | Smith, Motyer, Oswalt — Williamson, Wildberger, Goldingay/Payne, Goldingay (Message), Paul, Beuken, Childs, Baltzer, Seitz, Westermann, Sweeney, Koole |
| JEREMIAH | Lalleman, Mackay, Thompson, Wright — Lundbom [ℳ], Holladay, Fretheim, Allen, Stulman, McKane, Brueggemann |
| LAMENTATIONS | House, Parry, Provan, Wright, Allen [ℳ] — Berlin, Salters, Hillers, Renkema, Dobbs-Allsopp, Westermann |
| EZEKIEL | Block, Duguid, Hummel — Zimmerli, Greenberg, Joyce, Darr, Milgrom-Block, Allen, Hals, Cooke |
| DANIEL | Baldwin, Longman, Hill, Steinmann, Young — Goldingay, Collins, Newsom, Lucas [ℳ], Montgomery |
| THE TWELVE | Sweeney |
| HOSEA | Dearman, Stuart, McComiskey — Andersen/Freedman, Macintosh, Mays, Wolff, Ben Zvi |
| JOEL | Dillard, Stuart, Barker, Strazicich, Allen — Wolff, Crenshaw, Assis, Barton |
| AMOS | Smith, Stuart, Carroll R (2002), Lessing — Paul, Andersen/Freedman [ℳ], Wolff, Jeremias |
| OBADIAH | Raabe, Block, Stuart, Niehaus, Jenson [ℳ], Allen — Wolff, Renkema, Barton, Watts, Ben Zvi |
| JONAH | Youngblood, Stuart, Alexander, Jenson [ℳ], Nixon — Sasson, Wolff, Trible, Limburg |
| MICAH | Waltke (2007), Jenson [ℳ], Allen — Andersen/Freedman [ℳ], Wolff, Hillers, Mays, Ben Zvi |
| NAHUM | Longman, Robertson, Patterson, Christensen [ℳ] — Roberts, Spronk, Floyd |
| HABBAKUK | Robertson, Patterson — Andersen [ℳ], Roberts, Floyd |
| ZEPHANIAH | Robertson, Motyer, Patterson — Sweeney, Berlin, Vlaardingerbroek, Roberts, Ben Zvi, Floyd |
| HAGGAI | Meadowcroft, Motyer, Kessler, Taylor, Petterson, Verhoef, Merrill — Meyers, Wolff, Petersen, Floyd |
| ZECHARIAH | Boda, Wolters, Petterson, McComiskey, Klein, Merrill — Meyers, Petersen, Conrad, Floyd |
| MALACHI | Hill, Clendenen, Stuart, Petterson, Verhoef, Merrill — Petersen, Glazier-McDonald, Snyman, Floyd |
NEW TESTAMENT
| NEW TESTAMENT | Calvin’s Commentaries (Torrance Ed.) |
| MATTHEW | France, Carson, Nolland [ℳ], Keener, Hagner, Osborne, Turner — Davies/ Allison, Luz |
| SERMON ON MT. | Guelich, Lloyd-Jones (for theology) — Betz |
| MARK | Stein, France, Evans, Strauss, Guelich [ℳ], Edwards, Gundry, Bock, Witherington — Collins, Marcus, Boring, Focant, Moloney, Hooker, Cranfield [ℳ] |
| LUKE | Bock, Garland, Edwards, Green, Marshall [ℳ], Stein, Nolland [ℳ] — Fitzmyer, Bovon, Wolter (F), Carroll, Johnson |
| JOHN | Carson, Köstenberger, Keener, Michaels, Thompson, Ridderbos — Barrett, Brown, Schnackenburg, Lincoln, Smith |
| ACTS | Keener, Peterson, Schnabel, Walton (F), Bock, Witherington, Marshall — Barrett, Fitzmyer, Pervo, Johnson, Haenchen, Conzelmann |
| ROMANS | Moo, Longenecker [ℳ], Schreiner, Kruse, Murray, Osborne — Cranfield, Dunn, Jewett, Fitzmyer, Hultgren, Käsemann, Wright, Keck |
| 1 CORINTHIANS | Thiselton [ℳ], Garland, Fee (2014), Ciampa/Rosner, Witherington — Barrett, Fitzmyer, Hays, Collins, Robertson-Plummer, Conzelmann |
| 2 CORINTHIANS | Harris, Guthrie, Barnett, Seifrid, Witherington — Thrall, Martin (2014), Furnish, Barrett, Matera |
| GALATIANS | Moo, Schreiner, Longenecker, Bruce, Das — Martyn, Betz, de Boer, Dunn |
| EPHESIANS | Thielman, O’Brien, Arnold, Hoehner, Robinson — Lincoln, Best, Barth, Schnackenburg, Fowl, Muddiman |
| PHILIPPIANS | O’Brien, Fee (NICNT), Hansen, Silva, Bockmuehl [ℳ], Hawthorne (2004) — Reumann |
| COLOSSIANS | Moo, Pao, O’Brien, Thompson — Dunn, R.M. Wilson, Barth/Blanke, Schweizer, Sumney, Lohse |
| THESSALONIANS | Weima, Fee, Shogren, Wanamaker, Green, Beale, Marshall — Malherbe, Boring, Richard, Best |
| PASTORALS | Mounce, Towner (NICNT), Knight, Fee, Kelly — Marshall/Towner [ℳ], Johnson on Timothy (AB), Quinn on Titus, Quinn/Wacker on Timothy, Dibelius/Conzelmann |
| PHILEMON | Nordling — Fitzmyer, Barth/Blanke, Kreitzer |
| HEBREWS | Lane (WBC), O’Brien, Ellingworth, Cockerill, Hughes, deSilva, Bruce, Guthrie — Attridge, Koester, Johnson |
| JAMES | McCartney, McKnight, Moo (Pillar), Blomberg/Kamell, Davids (NIGTC) — Allison, Johnson (AB), Martin [ℳ], Laws, Mayor |
| 1 PETER | Jobes, Davids, Michaels, Selwyn, Schreiner, Grudem, Kelly — Achtemeier, Elliott, Horrell (F), Feldmeier, Donelson, Goppelt |
| 2 PETER/JUDE | Davids, G. Green, Moo, Reese (Jude) — Bauckham, Kelly, Neyrey, Donelson, Mayor |
| 1 – 3 JOHN | Yarbrough, Jobes, Kruse, Smalley (2007) [ℳ], Marshall, Stott — Brown, Schnackenburg, Lieu, Strecker |
| REVELATION | Beale, Osborne, Mounce, Smalley, D. Johnson, Hemer, Thomas40 — Koester, Aune, Caird, Boxall, Charles |
OMNIA IN GLORIAM DEI
40. I believe there is need to include at least one dispensational commentary (especially in light of how many millions follow that theological system), and Thomas is the most scholarly. We should all be looking forward, however, to Fanning (ZECNT).