When my nephew was a kindergartener, he was obsessed with BB-8. In case you don’t already know, that’s the ball-shaped, white and orange droid from the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
My nephew’s room seemed full of BB-8 action figures, storybooks, t-shirts and stuffies. His conversation was full of BB-8 too. He could accurately describe and draw the droid and spent much time speculating on BB-8’s imaginary preferences. Would BB-8 like pepperoni pizza? Probably, because pepperoni was round.
But here’s the thing. In kindergarten, my nephew was still too young to watch any of the full-length feature films. His only experience of BB-8 was secondhand — through the toys and other merch. He didn’t actually know anything about the droid’s bravery or starship piloting skills. He liked BB-8 because it was an animated soccer ball that beeped and hummed.
Which is a fine way to experience the Star Wars franchise at age five.
But “secondhand” is not a good way to read the Bible when you want to strengthen your faith.
Bible commentaries represent secondhand information about the Bible. In a sense, commentaries are like all the BB-8 stuff that isn’t the actual movie. They can provide excellent context and info (and are honestly fun to collect), but they should never take the place of the Bible itself.
Commentaries may supplement the Bible, not substitute it. To truly experience the Bible, you must read it.
If you are starting to build a Bible-reading habit and are ready to go deeper into God’s Word, you probably have questions about Bible commentaries. What exactly is a commentary? When should you use one? How can you tell if it’s any good? Do you even need commentaries?
Let’s cover some dos and don’ts for using Bible commentaries.
Ask the Holy Spirit for Insight
The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible. He also empowers believers to understand the Bible. His role is our wise teacher, loving guide and all-knowing interpreter. He leads us to Truth. He is Truth.
Before reading the Bible, we should pray for wisdom. We should also pray for discernment to hear God’s voice clearly and respond in obedient faith to what he says.
When I pray for help interpreting the Bible, it usually sounds close to what Paul wrote in Colossians 1:9: “God, I ask you to fill me with the knowledge of your will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that I may live a life worthy of you and pleasing to you.” You will be amazed what God teaches you when you ask to learn.
P.S.: That prayer applies in so many other circumstances, too!
Use a Study Bible
If you’ve never used a study Bible before, you may find it makes a real difference in your Bible reading. A study Bible is designed to supplement the Scripture with a variety of human-written resources. These might include:
One good thing about using a study Bible is that it helps you see how verses connect to each other. As a deeply unmusical person, I spent most Sunday mornings of my preteen and early teen years looking up cross references while others were singing. I probably shouldn’t have been doing this — it would have been more respectful to participate regardless of whether I can sing — but I sure did learn from the time I spent reading related verses. Did you know that Psalms is the Old Testament book most quoted in the New Testament?
Another benefit of a study Bible is that it provides pertinent, factual explanations right there on your page or screen: the height of a cubit, the value of a shekel, the date of a battle, the meaning of a proper name, the significance of a symbol and notes about translation.
All of this information provides context that we wouldn’t know just reading the Scriptures alone. The tools in a study Bible give us history, context and connections that help us see the full picture. They also open the door for the Holy Spirit to continue to lead and teach us, as one cross reference brings another passage, sermon or lesson to mind — like a springboard that accelerates our learning.
Use Commentaries Strategically
Commentaries are a helpful Bible study tool. Types of commentaries range from Bible study guides to theology books. A commentary is a more authoritative, analytical, comprehensive type of interpretation than, for example, a testimony.
So, when should you use a commentary? A few examples of when I’ve found commentaries helpful are:
Once when I was in a teaching rotation for my life group class, my Bible passage to teach happened to be Acts 15. It can be a challenging one, and I was worried about building an environment that would successfully foster openness and truth. I started studying weeks before my scheduled Sunday and prepared many pages of notes from commentaries I’d referenced.
But equally important, I prayed throughout my prep time and asked the Holy Spirit to teach and guide me (after all, he was there when it happened). The lesson went well, and I believe the person who learned the most was me.
Don’t Use Commentaries Without Assessing Them
Traditionally, commentaries are printed books, but they don’t all look like that anymore. Online commentaries, audiobooks and ebooks, reference websites, even podcasts — they exist in a variety of formats.
However, commentaries can vary in quality. Unlike the Bible, which was inspired by God, commentaries come from humans, who are imperfect. We should use commentaries with caution because not all commentaries are accurate. Ask these three questions to help evaluate whether a commentary seems like a trustworthy source of knowledge.
Does the commentary treat the Bible as the ultimate authority? A good commentary acknowledges that the Bible is complete and correct. We should not add anything to God’s Word or take anything away from it. If a commentary implies that even a part of the Bible isn’t God’s Word, stop using it. That’s a red flag for falsehood.
What are the author or authors’ credentials? Consider whether the authors have earned any academic degrees or belong to a community of experts. Usually, commentaries by more than one expert mean that they’re less likely to contain accidental errors or unconscious biases.
What evidence does the commentary use? Evaluate whether the commentary clearly states what is fact and what is opinion. Notice whether it presents information objectively. When something isn’t fully known, it ought to show several perspectives and explain the reasons for each. Basically, the commentary shouldn’t say, “Because that’s just what I think.” It should say something more like, “Here’s what many others have thought and why.”
Some of my favorite commentary book series are the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentaries from Holman Bible Publishers and the Tyndale Old and New Testament Commentaries from IVP Academic. In my opinion, they satisfy these questions in a way that makes me confident to rely on them.
Don’t Use Commentaries Instead of the Bible
Do commentaries ever replace the Bible? No.
Do you need to use commentaries at all? Also no.
Most of the time when I read the Bible, I don’t use any commentaries. They’re great to have on hand for certain occasions. But I find that a robust study Bible meets most of my day-to-day needs.
To put it another way, if I wanted to enjoy an epic narrative set in a galaxy far, far away (a.k.a. Star Wars), I wouldn’t buy a BB-8 building set made of plastic bricks instead. The two things aren’t remotely the same. One is the actual story. The other ... isn’t.
In my life, a commentary is just a reference book. I look something up, I find an answer and I go back to the Bible.
K.R. Ledbetter lives in North Texas with her teacher husband, teenage daughter, and rescue dog. A lifelong lover of literature, she can usually be found with a book in hand but also enjoys traveling, quilting, and playing board games. One of her favorite Bible verses is Psalm 145:8-9.
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