Those who are serious about collecting commentaries will almost invariably say that it is better to think in terms of individual volumes than complete series. And I agree: it is generally better to focus on acquiring the top three or four commentaries on each book of the Bible than to focus on collecting complete series. The reason for this is simply that every series is uneven, so that some volumes are especially strong while others are comparatively weak. While a complete collection may look great on a shelf, it may not prove the most beneficial for study.
Yet I believe some commentary sets are worth owning in full. Among them is the ESV Expository Commentary, which is now complete at 12 volumes that cover the whole Old Testament and New Testament. I think it is the best series for any Christian to own, whether it is to be used to study for sermons, to prepare Bible studies, or for personal devotion, growth, and learning.
(Find it at Westminster Books or Amazon)
The situation in which I most commonly find myself using it is when I’d like to read something more thorough than the notes in my study Bible but less thorough than a full-length commentary. This series stands nicely between the two. It is easy to crack open the appropriate volume (or use the ESV app with a paid subscription) and find some reader-friendly guidance that will explain and apply the passage. Helpfully, it also contains the complete text of the ESV, so the passage is only ever a glance away.
The publisher describes it as being exegetically sound; robustly biblical-theological (focused on the unity of the biblical storyline); globally aware (suitable for readers in any location); broadly reformed (affirming the five solas of the Reformation); doctrinally conversant (drawing connections to current or past matters of theological importance); pastorally useful (intended for general readers rather than theologians); application minded (explaining how the text can be applied to Christians today); and efficient in expression (moving crisply instead of getting mired in minutiae). I have found it succeeds well in each of these ways.
The series is edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton, and Jay A. Sklar, each of whom is an eminently trustworthy theologian. It is published by Crossway, which is an eminently trustworthy publisher, and it is written by a long list of equally trustworthy theologians.
If you are an interested student of the Bible, this could easily be your only commentary series. If you are a Bible study leader or pastor, this could easily be one of your commentaries on each book of the Bible and perhaps the one you turn to first for a relatively brief overview of the passage. I can’t recommend it too strongly!
(Find it at Westminster Books or Amazon)
