Hebrew Bible (O.T.) Research: Commentaries I

Bible Commentaries are line-by-line or section-by-section interpretations of the books of the Bible. Some are one-volume commentaries (the whole Bible covered in one book); some are commentaries on a particular book or books; and some very scholarly ones are commentaries on a few or only one chapter or even one pericope (story).

The commentaries on this and the following tab hould help you get an idea of how the particular passage, chapter or book of the Bible has been interpreted by scholars.

NOTE: Remember that some of the best commentaries may be  ON RESERVE for your class, on the Upper Level of the Library. Check LINUS's Reserves with your instructor's name to see which ones are there. Write down the call number, and bring it to the Media/Reserves desks to check one or more of them. In-Library Use ONLY!

More than a thousand first-year students will enter LMU every Fall. Most of them will be taking ENGL 110, and many will be taking an introductory Theology course as well. Be aware of the need to share our print resources.

Please remember these simple guidelines:

• Keep all Reference books in the Reference area. You can take a book up to make a photocopy, but please bring it back to Reference on your way out.
• Handle books with care. These resources are meant for all to use; many can't be replaced.
  
• Don't create "interference" with your neighbor's ability to see the text as it was printed. Highlighters and underlining are fine for books you purchase for yourself.  Shared books need to be clean and new for every student.
• Use thin paper bookmarks to mark your place. Pencils, pens and notebooks are not "bookmarks", and can damage any binding.

Thanks for keeping the Library alive!

These are one-volume commentaries on the WHOLE BIBLE, worthwhile for getting an overview and sense of a biblical book. See boxes below for volumes on a particular BOOK of the Bible, and Commentaries II tab for commentaries recommended for your assignment.

To find books on an individual book of the Bible, use LINUS, our online Catalog.

LINUS is in transition to a new system of cataloging (called 'RDA') which will eventually make for a more complete searching experience.  During this transitional period, most of the Biblical Subject Headings will be changing to the new, simpler system.  However, some materials (chiefly e-books) are placed in LINUS by vendors outside LMU; for these outside entries, only the older system (Bible.  O. T. ....  and Bible.  N.T.  ...) will work.

NOTE:  The LINK+ catalog is also in transition!  Use both the older O.T./N.T. formulas and the new wording when searching LINK+!

Try these formulas as SUBJECT HEADINGS in LINUS to see the difference:

Bible. Genesis - Commentaries   Gets you all of the books and most of the e-books that are formal commentaries on Genesis

Bible. O.T. - Genesis - Commentaries  Gets you some e-books not retrieved by the newer heading above, not all of them commentaries.

Bible. Amos - Commentaries  Gets you all of the books, almost all of the e-books...

Bible. O.T. Amos - Commentaries   Gets you an e-book or two ...

Bible. Psalms - Commentaries   Gets you all of the books, most of the e-books ....

Bible. O.T. Psalms - Commentaries  Gets you some e-books, some non-commentary e-books ...

Bible. Psalms I-LIX - Commentaries   Gets you a commentary focused on Psalms 1-59 (you can pick only one, or existing clusters).

Bible. O.T. Psalms I-LIX - Commentaries  Does not get you the one title focused on Psalms 1-59.

Bible. Ruth - Criticism, Interpretation, etc.  Gets you books and e-books on Ruth that are not strictly commentaries.

Bible. O.T. Ruth - Criticism, interpretation, etc  Gets you a couple of e-books on Ruth that are not strictly commentaries, and then finds Samuel!

With the dropdown menu set to Subject, try typing a search for your book of interest below, using one of the formulas above.

Search LINUS, the Catalog

Go to: Catalog | Advanced Search

Multivolume works like the New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible [REF BS 491.2 .N484 1994] cover one or more Biblical books per volume. There are several multivolume commentary sets in the Main Stacks. Check the Commentaries II tab for some good ones.  Ask us for help in finding them as needed.

If you'd like to physically browse the commentaries in the Main Stacks, take a look at the Theology: Commentaries .pdf below, which will give you the call number range for monograph commentaries on an individual book of the Bible (but not those combining different books, or multivolume commentaries).

Remember that some commentaries may be in the OVERSIZE stacks or BASEMENT STORAGE; you can browse them by call number in LINUS.

Note that, unless you are doing a historical or doctrinal study, some faculty for lower-division classes would prefer you avoid older commentaries, both those with the subject heading "Bible - Commentaries - Early Works to 1800" and the commentaries of the Church Fathers, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, etc.  Ask your teacher!  See the Commentaries II tab for some recommended sets.