Best Commentaries on 1 Corinthians

I can’t think of too many co-written commentaries. This entry in the Pillar series is relatively new but bound to be popular among pastors and scholars alike.

The Lectio Continua Expository Commentary on the New Testament is quite a new series but one that features some well-known and highly-regarded Reformed pastors and scholars.

The Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary is a growing series and offers some excellent volumes.

The clear consensus for the top commentary on 1 Corinthians is Anthony Thiselton’s volume in the NIGTC. This is a series for academics, so it will prove difficult for the casual reader. Carson says it is “well written, accessible (for readers of this sort of series!), and penetrating” and praises it for both detailed exegesis and for tracing lines of interpretation from the Church Fathers to the present.

Carson says that the best general commentary is a toss-up between Fee and Garland. Most experts appear to agree and have some difficulty with selecting one over the other. Both Carson and Derek Thomas regard this as a helpful volume while pointing out some weaknesses, and especially Fee’s treatment of 1 Corinthians 14:33b-35. His argument for the continuation of all gifts is said to be helpful and well-formed, whether or not that is your position.

Garland’s is widely praised and apparently represents a very competent handling of the text. It is relatively recent (2003, fully updated in 2025) which gives it an advantage in interacting with more recent scholarship. Thiselton says, “It offers reliable and constructive exegesis based on a wide interaction with scholarly literature. It retains an eye to theology and to pastoral application, with clear comments and often apt turns of phrase.”

The Tyndale series is targeted at a general audience, so this commentary is written at a basic level and is relatively short. Keith Mathison says it well: “Space limitations in the series preclude comprehensiveness, but Morris can usually say more in a few pages than most commentators can say in an entire book. This introductory level commentary will benefit any who take the time to read it.”

I found it very difficult to find a consensus choice for the fifth position. There were several options such as going with what I suspect will be true of the new volume in the Pillar series or going with a classic commentary on the passage. However, these would both be outside of the way I’ve positioned this series. In the end I went with Pratt’s volume which appeals to me primarily because of Derek Thomas’ praise for it: “A nice blend of exposition, theology, and application.” That sounds like a helpful volume for the preacher and casual reader alike.