Best Commentaries on Romans

There are few better or more trusted series than Pillar. We waited a while for the volume on Romans but it was worth the wait. It has been commended by D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo among others. This volume replaced Leon Morris’ earlier volume in the series.

Doriani has provided commentaries on many books of the Bible and there’s no doubt that his volume on Romans will prove helpful to pastors and general readers alike. Robert Yarbrough writes, “Among numerous recent Romans commentaries, this one stands out for its combining of scholarly rigor with pastoral experience and personal warmth.”

The NIGTC commentaries comment on the Greek text and are quite technical. This one will prove most useful to scholars and pastors who have at least some knowledge of Greek.

The EBTC is a relatively new series, but one that has gotten off to a strong start by featuring commentaries on key books written to top scholars. Constantine Campbell says it “stands out with its blend of carefully nuanced exegesis, overarching biblical theology, sensible interaction with contemporary scholarship, and pleasing concision and clarity.”

Not a full commentary but a trustworthy first companion to the letter, tracing Paul’s argument from start to finish. Both of the standard-bearing Romans commentators endorse it—Tom Schreiner calls it “a remarkably clear and faithful exposition of Romans,” and Douglas Moo commends it as “a brief and accessible overview of Paul’s great letter.” I was glad to endorse it myself.

There is no shortage of commentaries on the book of Romans! Not only that, but there is no shortage of excellent commentaries to choose from. Pride of place appears to go to Douglas Moo and his contribution to the NICNT series. D.A. Carson commends it and says, “Moo exhibits extraordinary sense in his exegesis. No less importantly, this is the first commentary to cull what is useful from the new perspective on Paul while nevertheless offering telling criticism of many of its exegetical and theological stances.”

Murray’s renowned commentary was part of the NICNT series until it was replaced by Moo’s volume. However, it is still sold as a standalone volume and remains a must-have for the serious student of Romans. Because of its age it will not interact with some of today’s challenges (such as the new perspective) but it is nevertheless an important resource. Derek Thomas praises Murray as “a master exegete and a brilliant systematician” and says that “every shelf should have a copy of this commentary.”

This volume is now in its second edition. Several commentators on the commentaries seem to treat Moo, Murray and Schreiner as a team or trio. For example, Derek Thomas says, “Coupled with Murray on the one hand and Moo on the other, you will gain a firm exegetical and theological grasp of a text.” Jim Rosscup praises it as “close to the best among recent and all-time thorough works for scholars and more seriously capable lay people.”

I always like to have at least one reader-friendly, lay-level commentary available. While Stott’s is also highly recommended, the best of these appears to be Bruce’s. It is necessarily too short and too light to be the basis of a sermon series, but the reader who appreciates it for what it is will enjoy it.

Romans is a book aptly highlighting that up-to-date commentaries do not represent historical arrogance as much as sheer necessity. A commentary written in the 70’s may still be useful, but it will not interact with the contemporary challenges such as the new perspective. Cranfield’s commentary is regarded as a classic. Carson says, “for thoughtful exegesis of the Greek text, with a careful weighing of alternative positions, there is nothing quite like it.” It will be a great commentary to have, but it may be insufficient on its own. Consider also the one-volume abbreviation .