Whare are the best commentaries for Ephesians & Colossians?

[3John2]

Which are considered the best commentaries for Ephesians & Colossians? Are MacArthurs's any good for these? I mention him as his style is easy to understand. Calvin?

 

[Herald]

Frank - Martin Lloyd Jones' commentary on Ephesians is a collection of his sermons and is a wealth of information. I believe it is a six volume set and is available in softcover.

 

[jsup]

I prefer MacArthur. I use his NASB study Bible. His notes are dead on and very insightful.

 

[py3ak]

Frank - Martin Lloyd Jones' commentary on Ephesians is a collection of his sermons and is a wealth of information. I believe it is a six volume set and is available in softcover.

You need John Davenant on Colossians. I don't have it with me, but I believe it is over 800 pages, published by Banner of Truth.

 

[3John2]

Thanks for the one on Colossians. I'll probably get the MacArthur ones as well. The 6 volume set is a bit too much. I'd prefer a 1 book volume on those particular books.

 

[Don Kistler]

Charles Hodge on Ephesians is quite good.

The Scottish commentator John Eadie is good on anything.

Puritan commentaries include Edward Elton on Colossians and Paul Bayne on Ephesians, along with Thomas Goodwin.

Don Kistler

 

[3John2]

Thanks about the Hodge. I'm going to have to check amazon for the 2 Puritan works.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

My list of preferred commentaries on Ephesians and Colossians is as follows:

Ephesians
Paul Baynes
Matthew Henry (Samuel Rosewell)
Matthew Poole (Edward Veale)
John Calvin
James Ferguson
David Dickson
Charles Hodge
John Eadie
Thomas Goodwin (see volumes 1 and 2 of his works)

Colossians
John Calvin
Matthew Henry (William Harris)
Matthew Poole (Richard Adams)
Jean Daille
Nicholas Byfield
John Davenant
James Ferguson
Thomas Cartwright
David Dickson

 

[toddpedlar]

You need John Davenant on Colossians. I don't have it with me, but I believe it is over 800 pages, published by Banner of Truth.

I'll second the Davenant suggestion - it's VERY readable, and full of good exposition. As for Ephesians, I only own Calvin's commentary, and Henry for that matter; I don't know about Hodge, though I expect it's sound.

 

[bookslover]

Frank - Martin Lloyd Jones' commentary on Ephesians is a collection of his sermons and is a wealth of information. I believe it is a six volume set and is available in softcover.

Lloyd-Jones's work is good, and interesting, but he was seriously in need of an editor. There's a lot of repetition, and sometimes you'll read a long way before you hit something that's cogent enough to remember. There are lots of gems, but you have to wade through oceans of text to find them. The same can be said for his Romans set (which is even longer).

 

[toddpedlar]

Lloyd-Jones's work is good, and interesting, but he was seriously in need of an editor. There's a lot of repetition, and sometimes you'll read a long way before you hit something that's cogent enough to remember. There are lots of gems, but you have to wade through oceans of text to find them. The same can be said for his Romans set (which is even longer).

I love Lloyd-Jones, but this kind of thing does happen at times - and his sets are too outrageously expensive for me to justify... at this point anyway.

 

[bookslover]

I love Lloyd-Jones, but this kind of thing does happen at times - and his sets are too outrageously expensive for me to justify... at this point anyway.

I think his best book is his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount (from sermons preached in the early 1950s). It's well done, and much more concise, length-wise, without losing any of its comprehensiveness. You don't have to wade through miles of text to get to the main points.

 

[Dieter Schneider]

Don't forget J Stott on Ephesians

 

[crhoades]

For some contemporary commentaries that I like:
F.F. Bruce NICNT on Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon
Peter T. O'Brien in Pillar

 

[KMK]

I second the motion of C. Hodge on Eph.

I also would like to get FF Bruce.

 

[Tirian]

What about a study book on Ephesians for a mid-week group study? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Matt

 

[elnwood]

Which are considered the best commentaries for Ephesians & Colossians? Are MacArthurs's any good for these? I mention him as his style is easy to understand. Calvin?

"Best" depends on what your purpose is. The best ones for scholar-pastors are the often ones that you have to know Greek, but that may not be the best for you.

I like the Denver Seminary commentary recommendations because they break up the recommendations by category based on difficulty.

http://www.denverseminary.edu/dj/articles2005/0200/0201