Thread: Good Commentaries on Romans

I'm about to do an in-depth study of the book of Romans for the next few weeks (or months). Can anyone recommend any good commentaries or resources?

Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by Clay7926

I'm about to do an in-depth study of the book of Romans for the next few weeks (or months). Can anyone recommend any good commentaries or resources?

Thanks in advance!

There are very many good ones on Romans but I find that John Murray's is my "go to book" on Romans.

William Hendricksen's would be good. Also Calvin.

Henry, for really in-depth you could get Martyn Lloyd-Jones 13 or so volume set, which I've been reading for years and can highly recommend. They are sermons he preached at his church in London over a ten year or so period and edited after he "retired". Sermons by the great preachers of the past are my favorite commentaries, in general. William S. Plumer wrote a one volume Commentary on Romans 150 or so years ago. I've only read parts of it, but can recommend his writings in general (which are very few). He is experimental and very practical. His commentary is 646 pages, so you can decide how in depth he could be in that much space.

I would go with Moo, in the New International Version Application Commentary; Haldane, in the Geneva series, and Boice's 4 volumes. Also, look up S. Lewis Johnson's lectures at Believer's Chapel.

Moo (probably best of the moderns)
Schreiner (close runner up among recent commentators)
Murray (thoroughly Reformed and no slouch as a scholar)
Haldane (great classic exposition)
Calvin (his first commentary written after the first edition of the Institutes)
Cranfield (either the ICC or the one voume less technical one)
Hendrisksen (not his best work, he was dying of cancer at the time of writing but soldiered on anyhow)

If our esteemed Greenbaggins ever finishes his doctoral work and happens to write on Romans, I would buy it in an instant!

Kregel prints William Swan Plumer on Romans. A paperback, but still very much worth having. After each discourse he has doctrinal, practical, and homiletical remarks.

Hard to beat John Murray--very good.

For us low-brows out there, there is Poole's complete commentary in three volumes. I always find it to be enough to bring clarity to the passge, and it even gets into the Greek here and there.

Moo.

Brother Henry,

In addition to those mentioned, I would recommend Dr. Martyn-Lloyd Jones series for a more pastoral commentary (they are based on his preaching). I do not agree with his view on Romans 7, but, otherwise they are a very helpful resource. I imagine your pastor or church library would have a copy - it is a 14 volume series.

Blessings

Charles Hodge is not hard to get a hold of, and is always worth consulting.

Am I correctly remembering that the Murray commentary was once in the NICNT series but has since been replaced? If so, who is the author of the current Romans volume in that series?

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

Am I correctly remembering that the Murray commentary was once in the NICNT series but has since been replaced? If so, who is the author of the current Romans volume in that series?

Moo is the NICNT author. Probably the best modern commentary on Romans.

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

Am I correctly remembering that the Murray commentary was once in the NICNT series but has since been replaced? If so, who is the author of the current Romans volume in that series?

That's correct. My version of Murray is NICNT.

Has the Murray commentary been republished apart from the NICNT series?

Karl Barf.

Or Calvin, Robert Haldane, Hodge, Murray, and Moo.

Romans, Geneva Commentary Series - By: Robert Haldane - Christianbook.com

Haldane would be my favorite

Anyone read Dr. Sproul's commentary?

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-God-R-C-Sproul/dp/1857924908"]Amazon.com: Gospel Of God: Romans (9781857924909): R. C. Sproul: Books[/ame]

Thoughts?

I have Sproul on my computer but have not had a chance to use it yet. He is good on everything he writes. However, it would be tough to top Moo, Murray, et. al.

AVOID Kasemann and Barth. I would also skip Dunn (too NPP for my taste). Barth is important, not as a commentary on Romans, but as an historical document of the beginning of a rebellion against liberalism and the rise of neo-orthodoxy.

John R. W. Stott's 1994 commentary is quite good, and available in paperback.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

Has the Murray commentary been republished apart from the NICNT series?

Yes. Mine is from Eerdman's and is in a similar "style" to my Eerdman's copy of the Institutes.

Originally Posted by Reformed Thomist

Anyone read Dr. Sproul's commentary?

Amazon.com: Gospel Of God: Romans (9781857924909): R. C. Sproul: Books

Thoughts?

R.C. Sproul seems to be coming out with another commentary on Romans based on his teachings at St. Andrew's chapel. Does anyone know the difference.

Romans

Agree with others on the excellence of Murray, Hendriksen, Calvin, Henry, and Poole. I've read that Murray used to be the standard until Moo. Some that prefer Moo point out they like everything except his work on Romans 7.

Incidentally, the Hendriksen/Kistemaker NT commentary is good all around and very affordable and available on Libronix: Baker?s New Testament Commentary, by Kistemaker and Hendriksen (12 Vols.)

Rich,

I agree with your post about Henriksen/Kistemaker.

For those using other formats . . .

WordSearch has it for $139.95 (yikes!)
eSword has it for $59.99 (wow!)

CBD has the Libronix version for $85.99 and the print version for $99.99.
All Products : kistemaker - Christianbook.com Search

I would encourage those who desire a good Reformed commentary on the NT to begin with Hendriksen/Kistemaker. It is worth $60 to have it in eSword at least. You can hardly find a better modern commentary for $60 that covers the entire NT, 12 large volumes in the print version.

I would second Lloyd-Jones, Moo, Murray, Haldine and Hodge. Lloyd Jones is 14 volumes but the Doctor was a great expository preacher and contributed much to the growth of Reformed theology. One is greatly blessed by his works.

I think it's a tribute to Murray's commentary that, although his commentary was replaced by Moo in the series, Eerdmans has elected to keep Murray in print, regardless.

I like Moo. He is a good response to the NPP interpretations.

So, Henry... Which commentary did you decide to go with?

Originally Posted by Grillsy

Moo.

Not surprising, but Dr. Carson says Moo's commentary is the best.

Thanks for the information, all!

To answer your question, Alex, I'm going to be using Stott, Murray, Calvin and McGee, and possibly Luther. My pastor has a copy of both the Stott and Murray that he is generously loaning me, and I have copies of Calvin's and McGee's commentaries (the latter of which was a generous gift from a friend). I also planned to use Matthew Henry's Commentary, as he was very helpful to me in my early days of Reforming.

I definitely am looking forward to the study, but more so re-reading the book of Romans again.

I went to my favorite local Christian bookstore today, but he didn't have either Moo or Murray on the shelf...

No way!
Man, do they want business?
Didn't they have "YourBestLifeNow"?
What about the LeftBehindSeries?

Hey, maybe you should just change your reading habits to what they DO have.
After all, if it isn't on the shelf of your local XnJunkSeller, it can't be worth buying...

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

I went to my favorite local Christian bookstore today, but he didn't have either Moo or Murray on the shelf...

<GASP!>

I haven't bought more than a handful of books over the past twenty years in "Christian" bookstores....

Oh, you guys -- you haven't been keeping up with my past posts!

We actually have a "real" Christian bookstore here in Louisville. Ask Randy -- I took him there when he came to visit me. It's called the Christian Booknook. The guy who owns it actually has a Banner of Truth bookcase! In his commentaries section, he had most volumes of the NICNT (and OT) series, but not the volume on Romans.

If you ever visit Louisville, I'll be glad to take you there. It's worth it.

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

Oh, you guys -- you haven't been keeping up with my past posts!

We actually have a "real" Christian bookstore here in Louisville. Ask Randy -- I took him there when he came to visit me. It's called the Christian Booknook. The guy who owns it actually has a Banner of Truth bookcase! In his commentaries section, he had most volumes of the NICNT (and OT) series, but not the volume on Romans.

If you ever visit Louisville, I'll be glad to take you there. It's worth it.

Off topic, but Pastor Phillips is right on the money.
I was in Louisville not too long ago and had a couple of hours of free time and got to visit the Christian Booknook. I came out with the new translation of Calvin's Sermons on Acts and The Valley of Vision (a collection of puritan prayers) bonded leather edition. If I lived in Louisville, I would be spending way too much time in that bookstore.

Originally Posted by Clay7926

To answer your question, Alex, I'm going to be using Stott, Murray, Calvin and McGee, and possibly Luther.

While desiring not to speak ill of the great teacher, I might suggest not spending the time with Luther's commentary on Romans -- Luther was great, but there are much better things you could spend your time reading than his exegesis of Romans. I would put Luther away, and spend twice as much time with Calvin and Murray. Also, beware of McGee (I'm assuming you are referring to J. Vernon); while I've never heard or read his teaching on Romans, he is certainly not the most reliable guide to the meaning of scripture. Read cautiously.

Originally Posted by Clay7926

I'm going to be using Stott, Murray, Calvin and McGee, and possibly Luther.

Well, that's a first. I've never seen that old fundamentalist dispy J. Vernon McGee (1904-1988) listed with such august company before.

Originally Posted by toddpedlar

Originally Posted by Marrow Man

I went to my favorite local Christian bookstore today, but he didn't have either Moo or Murray on the shelf...

<GASP!>

I haven't bought more than a handful of books over the past twenty years in "Christian" bookstores....

You mean they sell real books in Christian stores? I thought it was where you went for t-shirts, CDs by adulterous "Christian" artists, Joel Osteen stuff, bad paintings on religious themes, and such.

[Although, when I'm in Grand Rapids next month for the Calvin conference, it is my intention to spend some time in the Baker store (particularly its back room with used books! hmmmm hmmmm good!!!)].