13 Free Commentaries, You’ll be Surprised at the Best One

Don’t feel like you have to spend lots of money to find good Bible study resources because you don’t. There are tons of free Bible tools and commentaries that you can find online.

The best free Bible commentary is one that you find understandable and insightful. Not all free commentaries are created equal, some are academic, and some are for beginners. Some are older and others newer. Below are some popular free commentaries you can find online.

Feel free to check out these amazing free Bible commentaries below. But if you are looking to purchase a Bible commentary for your Bible Study Bookshelf, then be sure discover these great tips for choosing a Bible commentary.

Now, on to the ones you can read for free.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible remains one of the most popular Bible commentaries in existence. It was written by John Gill, a prominent English Baptist pastor and theologian.

This commentary is known for it’s detailed verse-by-verse approach to interpreting the Bible in a Reformed Baptist Perspective. Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:

• Depth and Detail
• Historical Significance
• Doctrinal Clarity

Cons:

• Older Language
• Doctrinal Bias
• Lack of Recent Scholarship

Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Matthew Henry’s Commentary is another classical biblical commentary and arguably the most popular. It was written by English pastor and teacher Matthew Henry. His commentary is known for its practical and devotional insights.

It is a great option for a first commentary. Though, it is older, so I would recommend finding one that has been updated into more contemporary English (if you want to purchase this commentary). Here are Pros and cons for Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

Pros:

• Clarity and Accessibility
• Wide Acceptance
• Practical and Devotional Focus
• Timeless Relevance

Cons:

• Lack of Scholarly Depth
• Not Focused on Historical and Cultural Context
• Dated

BibleRef.com

According to their website, BibleRef.com is, “BibleRef.com is an ongoing project aimed at creating a comprehensive, free, original, online commentary of the entire Bible.” BIbleRef.com is a great resource if you want just a little bit more context about a specific chapter or verse.

What I love most about this website that you can choose a Bible translation. Then when you click on that verse it will show you some commentary about it on the right hand side. It also provides sections about the surrounding context in that chapter and book of the Bible.

Pros:

• Accessible
• Built for the Common Person And Beginners
• Extra Features like surrounding context and Book Surveys
• Interactive

Cons:

• Incomplete
• Lacks Depth

Constable’s Expository Notes

Dr. Constable’s Expository Notes were written by a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, one of the most respected Seminaries in America. It aligns with a more conservative evangelical theology and offers practical insights for its readers.

This commentary covers the entire Bible provides a verse-by-verse analysis in a clear and accessible language. It is often used by Bible students, pastors, and scholars for its clear explanations of Scripture. It is a commentary that I frequently turned to in college while working on my Biblical Studies degree.

Pros:

• Verse-by-verse explanations
• Clear and Accessible
• More Modern

Cons:

• Single-Author Perspective
• Theological Bias
• Not User-Friendly/Interactive

Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible

Barnes’ Notes on the Whole Bible was written by American Presbyterian minister Albert Barnes in the 1800s. His work remains quite popular today and covers the entire Bible (Genesis-Revelation) verse-by-verse.

Pros:

• Historical Significane and Wide Acceptance
• Detailed verse-by-verse commentary
• Clear and Easy to Understand

Cons:

• Dated Language and Expressions
• Limited Historical and Cultural Context
• Theological Bia

NET Bible Notes

The NET (New English Translation) of the Bible comes with comprehensive set notes.While not exactly a commentary these notes provide in-depth translator, textual, and study notes that provide a peek behind the curtain of Bible translation and interpretation.

That said, these notes are not always easy to understand. There is frequent discussion about linguistic nuances in the original languages of Hebrew and Greek. So, these notes can quickly become overwhelming. That said, there are insightful little gems in their too.

Pros:

• Provides in-depths translator notes
• Transperancy about translation choices

Cons:

• Not beginner friendly
• limited verse-by verse commentary
• Requires textual criticism

Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible

This commentary was written by Protestant Theologian and preacher John Calvin. It provides a Reformed theological perspective in a verse-by-verse manner. Calvin’s commentary is also known for its depth theological emphasis.

Pros:

• Extensive theological insights
• reflects Reformed theology
• Clear and logical explanatians

Cons:

• Limited historical and cultural context
• may require some familiarity with Calvinistic thought
• may be doctrinally biased for some readers

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

The Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, sometimes called Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, is an in-depth verse-by-verse commentary on the whole Bible, full of historical context and insights.

I have tried to use this commentary but have found it extremely challenging due to the archaic language. There is one word that comes to my mind when I think about using this commentary again: monotony.

That said, it is still an extremely popular and valuable resource for Bible students. It’s just not for me. But hey, that doesn’t mean it’s not for you.

pros:

• Comprehensive verse-by-verse commentary
• historical insights and background information

Cons:

• Older and repetitive language
• difficult to follow
• not easy to navigate

Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible provide and invaluable commentary on Scripture. Charles Spurgeon is considered one of the greatest preachers to ever live and his notes are comprised of pieces from his sermons.

As such, his Expositions of the Bible offer readers profound practical and devotional insights to Scripture. Everything I’ve read from Spurgeon is full of wisdom and profound, but still stated in the most simple and beautiful way.

pros:

• Pastoral and devotional perspective
• Clear and engaging writing style
• valuable for sermon prep or a time of devotional meditation

Cons:

• Does not provide scholarly analysis
• limited historical and linguistic analysis

Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible

Coffman’s Commentaries were written by James Burton Coffman, a conservative evangelical American pastor, scholar, and author. His commentaries provide a verse-by-verse explanation of the entire Bible in a clear manner.

His commentaries provide both a thorough analysis and practical application, making them extremely useful for pastors, students, and anyone seeking a deeper study of God’s word.

Pros:

• Comprehensive coverage
• straightforward writing style
• suitable for personal study and/or sermon prep

Cons:

• Limited historical and cultural context
• Reflects a specific theological tradition

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

The Bridgeway Bible Commentary, by Donald Fleming, is unique in this list. Most commentaries on this list take a verse-by-verse approach to commenting on Scripture. This is not the case with the Bridgeway Bible Commentary.

The Bridgeway Bible Commentary rather provides a concise and easy to understand overview of a book of the Bible. This more free-flowing commentary helps readers see the meaning of the biblical text and practical application for today in more natural way.

Pros:

• Clear and Accessible language
• Suitable for Beginners
• Summaries of Each book of the Bible

Cons:

• Less detailed than some other commentaries
• Does not provide in-depth theological or historical analysis

Dummelow on the Bible

Dummelow on the Bible was compiled by multiple Bible scholars and edited by Dummelow and is known for its concise explanations and historical insights. Due to its wide number of compilers, Dummelow on the is been favorable by many Christian denominations.

Personally, I found Dummelow on the Bible to be extremely readable and insightful, a valuable resource for understanding the Bible and beginners in Bible study.

Speaking of beginners in Bible study, it helps to use a Bible study method when you are first starting out. So, check out these three Bible study methods and find one for you. Or if you’ve already done that here are some practical tips to help you start reading the Bible on your own.

Pros:

• Readable
• Provides historical and contextual information
• Suitable for personal study or beginners.

Cons:

• May lack depth of other commentaries
• May not be suitable for in-depth study

Expositor’s Bible Commentary

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary is a commentary series that features contributions from many different Bible scholars and provides and extensive scholarly analysis on the Bible. It is considered one of the most recognized standards of expository commentaries in the world.

An expository commentary is a nice middle of the road commentary that will provide verse-by-verse linguistic, cultural, and historical notes to the Bible. If you want to know more about expository commentaries or other types of commentaries I wrote an article that you should see.

Pros:

• Diverse scholarly perspectives
• In-depth analysis

Cons:

• Can be ovewhelming
• Requires some familiarity with academic scholarship

The Best Free Bible Commentary for Beginners

Whew! That is a lot of free Bibe commentaries. If you’ve stuck around this far I’m sure you are ready to know the best free Bible commentaries for beginners. Here is what I’d recommend to those who are getting into Bible Study for the first time (in order):

• Bridgeway Bible Commentary
• BibleRef.com
• Dummelow on the Bible
• An updated language version of Matthew Henry’s Commentary

You can find these free commentaries and others at websites such as biblehub.com and studylight.org.

Studying the Bible doesn’t have to break the bank. If you are interested in knowing what other Bible study tools I recommend then check out the complete list of tools, websites, and books at the Bible Study Bookshelf.