Help deciding my next commentary set acquisition.

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Regi Addictissimus

Completely sold out to the King
I am torn on what commentary set to purchase next. The options are as follows:
John Gill
Keil & Delitzsch
John Lightfoot's NT Commentary
J. P. Lange
John Trapp
John Calvin (I have full access to my Church's set)
I am open to more suggestions. Here are the sets I have:
Matthew Poole, Matthew Henry, Johann Bengel's NT set, Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, IVP's New Bible Commentary, Chrysotom's homilies on the NT, various from IVP's Ancient Christian series, and a plethora of Commentaries ranging from old to new on various books of the Bible.

Which would you go with and why?
 
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Gotta go with Calvin on this one. You'll never regret it. On K&D, you really need to be able to read Hebrew to get the full benefit of it. After Calvin, it would be either Gill or Lange.
 
Thanks for the feedback thus far. I have been struggling between Gill and Calvin. The only reason Gill has been in the lead is because he fully expounded the Scriptures and I found a beautiful rebound set in library binding for an incredible price. This is tough.
 
Gill may cover the whole Bible, but Calvin is more incisive than Gill, in my opinion.
Going back to our discussion on my other thread. I just purchased a mint copy of Peter T O'Brien's commentary on Hebrews for cheaper than when it came out. I was shocked to find it for so cheap when people are trying to sell his books for up to $1300.
 
I have Trapp. He is exceedingly brief, most of the time. Too brief for my taste. However, he is colorful, and occasionally hits it just right. I pick Calvin over Trapp, however.

Good to know. I am looking for some season per se to throw onto my meatier commentary main dishes. I was thinking Trapp or Hawker. I am working through Calvin's commentary on Hebrews at the moment and to no surprise enjoying it. This is my first time reading through one of his commentaries. Although, I have Institutes and collections of his sermons. I absolutely love those.
 
Poole and Henry; not "or."

If you've got access to Calvin in your church library then spend the money on things you don't have. I've found Poole and Henry to be both devotional and pastoral, helpful for pulpit ministry.
 
Poole and Henry; not "or."

If you've got access to Calvin in your church library then spend the money on things you don't have. I've found Poole and Henry to be both devotional and pastoral, helpful for pulpit ministry.

I have both Poole and Henry already. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. I love and refer to both often. That is why I was leaning towards this rebound Gill set for a steal.
 
I firmly believe that if you have Calvin and Henry, you have everything you need. Even, and especially, for pastors.
 
Going back to our discussion on my other thread. I just purchased a mint copy of Peter T O'Brien's commentary on Hebrews for cheaper than when it came out. I was shocked to find it for so cheap when people are trying to sell his books for up to $1300.
I'm surprised you were able to find it. It is out of print and pulled off the shelves b/c of plagiarism.
 
I'm surprised you were able to find it. It is out of print and pulled off the shelves b/c of plagiarism.

I search high and low when I have a book in my aims. To top it off, I paid $30 for it mint. The previous one I saw was going for around $200, which is on the lower end. People exploit the plagiarism scandal to fetch astronomical prices. It's absurd.
 
I firmly believe that if you have Calvin and Henry, you have everything you need. Even, and especially, for pastors.
They are a beautiful combination, indeed. I am a bibliophile and have been painstakingly building out a large theological library. All glory goes to God for this endeavor.
 
I firmly believe that if you have Calvin and Henry, you have everything you need. Even, and especially, for pastors.

As highly as I esteem those two princes of commentators, I cannot agree with this assessment. While God's Word never changes, and thus God's truth never changes, language changes, and so do cultures. Some things stay the same (human nature, for example, is fairly constant, even as people are also different from each other). Other things change. There is never a time when we can say that everything has been said. God's Word is infinite. As deeply as Calvin and Henry plumbed the depths of divine truth, they could not possibly have gotten everything. Even over the course of two millennia, there is still more light to come from the pages of God's Word. Do we not believe that the Holy Spirit has given gifts of interpretation to every age? We can learn from John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, and the modern commentators. I can't imagine preaching from Samuel or Kings without Dale Ralph Davis, or Daniel without Iain Duguid. Now, maybe you were just exaggerating to prove a point, Daniel. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that there will never be a time this side of glory when commentary writing should cease.
 
As highly as I esteem those two princes of commentators, I cannot agree with this assessment. While God's Word never changes, and thus God's truth never changes, language changes, and so do cultures. Some things stay the same (human nature, for example, is fairly constant, even as people are also different from each other). Other things change. There is never a time when we can say that everything has been said. God's Word is infinite. As deeply as Calvin and Henry plumbed the depths of divine truth, they could not possibly have gotten everything. Even over the course of two millennia, there is still more light to come from the pages of God's Word. Do we not believe that the Holy Spirit has given gifts of interpretation to every age? We can learn from John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, and the modern commentators. I can't imagine preaching from Samuel or Kings without Dale Ralph Davis, or Daniel without Iain Duguid. Now, maybe you were just exaggerating to prove a point, Daniel. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that there will never be a time this side of glory when commentary writing should cease.

This is exactly what I needed to hear as I have been fighting discouragement with my endeavor to write a new book on Hebrews, as well as my other books I have planned. I ask myself once a day "what can I possibly add to the many great commentaries and books that have already been written over the years?" Thank God for God and my encouraging wife to keep me motivated. Anyhow, thanks for these words. It gives me encouragement to keep my project moving forward. Also, as great as Calvin and Henry are, I concur with Spurgeon when he says, "The best commentators, after all, are those who have written upon only one book. Few men can comment eminently well upon the whole Bible, there are sure to be some weak points in colossal works"
 
As highly as I esteem those two princes of commentators, I cannot agree with this assessment. While God's Word never changes, and thus God's truth never changes, language changes, and so do cultures. Some things stay the same (human nature, for example, is fairly constant, even as people are also different from each other). Other things change. There is never a time when we can say that everything has been said. God's Word is infinite. As deeply as Calvin and Henry plumbed the depths of divine truth, they could not possibly have gotten everything. Even over the course of two millennia, there is still more light to come from the pages of God's Word. Do we not believe that the Holy Spirit has given gifts of interpretation to every age? We can learn from John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, and the modern commentators. I can't imagine preaching from Samuel or Kings without Dale Ralph Davis, or Daniel without Iain Duguid. Now, maybe you were just exaggerating to prove a point, Daniel. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that there will never be a time this side of glory when commentary writing should cease.

Not hyperbole though I only meant to say that they were sufficient for one's needs, that is to say that others are not necessary. Though I personally have Davies and Duguid on my shelves and I have profited by them, I always go first to these dead brothers and prefer them before all others.
 
As highly as I esteem those two princes of commentators, I cannot agree with this assessment. While God's Word never changes, and thus God's truth never changes, language changes, and so do cultures. Some things stay the same (human nature, for example, is fairly constant, even as people are also different from each other). Other things change. There is never a time when we can say that everything has been said. God's Word is infinite. As deeply as Calvin and Henry plumbed the depths of divine truth, they could not possibly have gotten everything. Even over the course of two millennia, there is still more light to come from the pages of God's Word. Do we not believe that the Holy Spirit has given gifts of interpretation to every age? We can learn from John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, and the modern commentators. I can't imagine preaching from Samuel or Kings without Dale Ralph Davis, or Daniel without Iain Duguid. Now, maybe you were just exaggerating to prove a point, Daniel. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that there will never be a time this side of glory when commentary writing should cease.
God did not just give to the Church those gifted pastors/expositors/theologians at that time period, for He is continuing to give to us gifted men in the scriptures in every generation.
The more modern commentaries and theologies will be much more up to date in regards to objections to the Bible, and in historical and background information, and even in how the Greek/Hebrew was used.
 
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