subject: Using Bible Study Commentary – Why You Should Put It Last [print this page] Using Bible Study Commentary Why You Should Put It Last
If I needed glasses, I would be foolish to grab the first pair I could get my hands on without going through the proper testing to determine which pair I needed. We're making the same mistake in studying the Bible when we just grab a commentary too soon to gain understanding about a Scripture passage.
The best Bible study process uses other tools first before checking with a commentary. Now, don't get me wrong. Bible commentaries are a blessing to the serious Bible student, but they can also rob us of what we might otherwise glean if we held off using them.
I am not saying don't use a commentary at all. However, I do suggest delaying the use of a commentary when studying a passage. Use it after you've done your homework.
Reason: the commentator's interpretations will color your own. Your goal early in your research is to remain as objective as possible. Do all your fact-finding first using other tools. I suggest starting with word studies of key words and then adding cross referencing research of related Scriptures.
After establishing your study plan and learning to work through Scripture on your own it's time to add a commentary.
When you're ready to pull in a commentary, use an expository commentary first. Not all commentaries are the same. Some are more devotional, or inspirational. Others are more, well, almost scientific in that they really try to focus on just the facts of grammatical and historical context.
Use a commentary to check your what you found in your own study. Glean your own insights first before allowing the interpretation of someone else to influence, or possibly skew, your perspective.
Don't rely on commentaries exclusively, but rather use it as one tool among many in your personal Bible study program. Keep this tip in mind and a commentary will fulfill its best purpose in your overall approach to studying the Bible.
