Explanation of Category Selection
The categories used to organize the resources in this guide are porous. Given their subject matter, for instance, all Biblical commentaries are of necessity theological.
And most commentators stand within a hermeneutical tradition, whether it be historical or emerging. So to some extent nearly all Biblical Commentaries are confessional, often representing well defined doctrinal and interpretive traditions.
So please be aware that some series easily fall within several categories.
Resources were categorized either on the basis of their editors' self-definitions (stated in the series prefaces) or because a given category was the best apparent fit for the series as a whole.
Multi-Volume Commentaries
Zondervan NIV Bible commentary by Call Number: Jones Ref BS491.2 .Z65 1994ISBN: 0310578507Publication Date: c19942 volume abridgement of Expositor's Bible Commentary (1st ed.). Each volume covers a testament (v. 1 OT; v. 2 NT). Provides condensed, summary coverage.
The expositor's Bible commentary by Call Number: Jones Ref BS2341.52 .E96 2006ISBN: 0310230829Publication Date: 2006-Designed as a commentary for "preachers, teachers and students of the Bible" (v. 1, p. 7), this series provides paragraph level analysis of the text, brief notes, the NIV translation of the passage and occasional reflections on particular passages.
The New Interpreter's BibleCall Number: Jones Ref BS491.2 .N484 1994ISBN: 0687278147Publication Date: c1994-c2004.The stated aim of this series is "to bring the best in contemporary biblical scholarship into the service of the church to enhance preaching, teaching, and study of the scriptures." (v. XI, p. xvii)
The organization reflects this with 2 contemporary translations of the text (NIV and NRSV), verse and paragraph level commentary, and a concluding reflections section for each passage.
Mercer commentary on the Bible by Call Number: Moody General Collection BS1225.3 .P37x 1998ISBN: 0865545065Publication Date: 1998
Africa Bible commentary by ISBN: 9966805419Successor to the single volume Africa Bible Commentary (c2006), the "main goal (of this series) is to relate the best biblical scholarship to the African context."
"...each commentary is divided into preaching units to help pastors develop a series of sermons on that particular book of the Bible." (ix, x Introduction to the Africa Bible Commentary series)
Pentecostal commentary. New TestamentPublication Date: 2004-
Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and PreachingISBN: 0664234372Publication Date: 1982-"This series ...is designed to meet the need of students, teachers, ministers, and priests for a contemporary expository commentary. These volumes will not replace the historical critical commentary or homiletical aids to preaching. The purpose of this series is rather to provide ...a commentary which presents the integrated result of historical and theological work with the biblical text." (Series preface)
Belief: A Theological Commentary on the BibleISBN: 0664232027Publication Date: 2010-This "is a series...(of) biblical commentaries written by theologians (rather than biblical scholars)."
"As theologians, the authors will be interested much less in the matters of form, authorship, historical setting, social context, and philology -- the very issues that are often of primary concern to critical biblical scholars. Instead, this series...will seek to explain the theological importance of the text for the church today, using biblical scholarship as needed for such explication but without any attempt to cover all of the topics of the usual modern biblical commentary."
(William C. Placher and Amy Platinga Pauw, Series Introduction)
Zondervan illustrated Bible backgrounds commentary by Call Number: Jones Ref BS2341.52 .Z66 2002ISBN: 0310217407Publication Date: c2002Illustrated 4 volume Bible commentary focused on the contextual backgrounds of the texts. Going by the layout, language and overall organization, it appears to be pitched at a high school and older readership.
The commentaries are surprisingly well referenced for the format. All commentaries conclude with an annotated bibliography and an extensive chapter notes section.
Ancient Christian TextsISBN: 0830829040Publication Date: 2009-"The task (of this series) is straightforward: to introduce full-length translations of key texts of early Christian teaching, homilies and commentaries on a particular book of Scripture. These are seminal documents that have decisively shaped the entire subsequent history of biblical exegesis, but in our time have been largely ignored."
(General Introduction)
Concordia commentary : a theological exposition of sacred scriptureISBN: 0570063876Publication Date: 1996-- Newport Commentary SeriesPublication Date: 2002-"We share the vision with brothers Gary W. Long and Terry Wolever of the (Particular Baptist) Press in making available to our generation these writings of Particular Baptists of the past."
(Don Preusch, Preface) 
Abingdon Old Testament commentariesISBN: 1426704453Publication Date: 2001-"These volumes are designed and written to provide compact, critical commentaries on the books of the Old Testament for the use of theological students and pastors. It is hoped that they may be of service also to upper-level college or university students and to those responsible for teaching in congregational settings."
Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture. New TestamentISBN: 0830814957Publication Date: 1998-This series "has three goals: (1) the renewal of Christian preaching based on classical Christian exegesis, (2) the intensified study of Scripture by lay persons who wish to think with the early church about the canonical text, and (3) the stimulation of Christian historical, biblical, theological and pastoral scholarship toward further inquiry into the scriptural interpretations of the ancient Christian writers." (General Introduction)
NIV application commentaryISBN: 031020934XPublication Date: 1995-"The primary goal of ...(this) series is to help...with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context." (series introduction, p. 7)
The church's BibleISBN: 080282577XPublication Date: 2003-This series is "designed to present the Holy Scriptures as understood and interpreted during the first millennium of Christian history." (series preface)
Zondervan King James Version commentary : a two-volume Bible commentary by Call Number: Moody General Collection BS491.3 .Z67 2010ISBN: 0310256828Publication Date: c2010
