What is a Bible commentary?

A few words only are needed to introduce the reader to the present publication. He is not to expect a commentary, nor, on the other hand, to suppose that he has a book which he can read without referring continually to the Word itself in the part treated of. The object of the book is to help a Christian, desirous of reading the Word of God with profit, in seizing the scope and connection of that which it contains. Though a commentary may doubtless aid the reader in many passages in which God has given to the commentator to understand in the main the intention of the Spirit of God, or to furnish philological principles and information, which facilitate to another the discovery of that intention; yet if it pretend to give the contents of Scripture, or if he who uses it seeks this in its remarks, such commentary can only mislead and impoverish the soul. A commentary, even if always right, can at most give what the commentator has himself learned from the passage. The fullest and wisest must be very far indeed from the living fulness of the divine Word. The Synopsis now presented has no pretension of the kind. Deeply convinced of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, given to us of God, and confirmed in this conviction by daily and growing discoveries of their fulness, depth, and perfectness; ever more sensible, through grace, of the admirable perfection of the parts, and the wonderful connection of the whole, the writer only hopes to help the reader in the study of them.

“Revelation” means just what it says. Though many symbols are used in the book, they are intended to be understood, to be revealed, not hidden. It follows that every believer should be concerned about learning it well. I therefore urge every reader to keep his Bible open and consult it constantly when reading this commentary. The commentary is not a substitute for the Bible, but merely a help in understanding it. God is not concerned that you should know what the commentary says, but what His Word says. If the commentary encourages you to learn His Word better, it will serve a useful purpose. The New King James Version will be used, except as otherwise noted.

It is not in the strictest sense a commentary. That is, it does not take up each verse and give grammatical and other elucidations, with practical remarks at the close. It is rather an enlargement of the thought of an outline, giving the scope and contents of each book with its divisions and sub-divisions, and going into the evident purpose of the Spirit of God in each portion, both as to its form and contents. There is always special reference to the spiritual significance, and where this is clearly grasped, it often offers a key to the literal interpretation of a passage. Mr. Grant is particularly rich and helpful in the typical portions of the Old Testament; the comments on the tabernacle in Exodus, on the sacrifices in Leviticus, the other ceremonial ordinances in Numbers and Deuteronomy, are most valuable and suggestive. Indeed, it is the peculiar charm of this book that it gives us clues for further study, rather than sating the mind with every possible thought upon a passage. The work is thus stimulating and enables one to pursue his own studies with greater liberty and confidence. Nor is the practical feature found wanting. Indeed who that is most engaged with the truly spiritual can handle it in a coldly intellectual manner? It is ever God's way to appeal to the heart and conscience as well as the intellect, and a mere mental enjoyment of Scripture is a dangerous thing.

We can imagine some of our readers lifting their eyebrows at this word, especially in the light of what we have already said about original work. We can only say, there are two kinds of commentaries and we must not be afraid of a word because it has been abused. What is our own little book, but an endeavor to throw light upon the truths of the precious word of God? What are these outlines which we have been commending, but elucidations of the great dispensations, etc. , of Scripture; and what the helpful "Notes," etc., which have been of such benefit to multitudes? These are but commentaries under another name, and we must not despise helps of this kind. Indeed, the student who gathers most by original work will be the last to despise helps of every kind.

We desire under this head to give no exhaustive list — an impossible thing; nor even to point out every helpful commentary, which would also be an impossibility; nor yet merely to repeat what we have said elsewhere, but simply to answer an inquiry that might be made by any one engaged in Bible study.

We have been speaking only of the text of Scripture and its divisions. When we come to the "Notes," which form quite a full commentary upon the text, we find not only the use of the divisions, but a most lucid and profound exposition of the Word of God. The scope of each book, its theme and main divisions, are stated in a few paragraphs. Then each portion is gone into with careful detail, and the results spread before the reader, opening up the entire passage. All is treated, as we have been saying, from a spiritual point of view. Every word has meaning, every allusion had a purpose in the mind of the Spirit. Thus the types of Exodus and Leviticus are handled with reverent particularity, and the whole book becomes luminous with divine meaning.

"Though a commentary may doubtless aid the reader in many passages in which God has given to the commentator to understand in the main the intention of the Spirit of God, or to furnish philological principles and information, which facilitate to another the discovery of that intention; yet if it pretend to give the contents of scripture, or if he who uses it seeks these in its remarks, such commentary can only mislead and impoverish the soul. A commentary, even if always right, can at most give what the commentator has himself learned from the passage. The fullest and wisest must be very far indeed from the living fulness of the divine word. The Synopsis now presented has no pretension of the kind. Deeply convinced of the divine inspiration of the scriptures, given to us of God, and confirmed in this conviction by daily and growing discoveries of their fulness, depth, and perfectness; even more sensible, through grace, of the admirable perfection of the parts, and the wonderful connection of the whole, the writer only hopes to help the reader in the study of them. … "

In his preface to The Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, which the Bishop of Gloucester, Dr. C. J. Ellicott, Editor of his well-known Commentary, recommended to the theological students of his diocese, Darby says: "The reader … is not to expect a commentary, nor, on the other hand, to suppose that he has a book which he can read without referring continually to the word itself in the part treated of. The object of the book is to help a Christian, desirous of reading the word of GOD with profit, in seizing the scope and connection of that which it contains. Though a commentary may doubtless aid the reader in many passages in which GOD has given to the commentator to understand in the main the intention of the SPIRIT of GOD, or to furnish philological principles and information, which facilitate to another the discovery of that intention; yet if it pretend to give the contents of scripture, or if he who uses it seeks these in its remarks, such commentary can only mislead and impoverish the soul. A commentary, even if always right, can at most give what the commentator has himself learned from the passage. The fullest and wisest must be very far indeed from the living fulness of the divine word. The Synopsis has no pretension of the kind. Deeply convinced of the divine inspiration of the scriptures, given to us of GOD, and confirmed in this conviction by daily and growing discoveries of their fulness, depth, and perfectness; ever more sensible, through grace, of the admirable perfection of the parts, and the wonderful connection of the whole, the writer only hopes to help the reader in the study of them.

But we may also help one another. If a young Christian meets with some passage that he cannot understand, let him ask some one of greater knowledge than himself. Then again, there are expository books that may be safely recommended to the young convert. But the Bible itself is the best commentary.

No doubt some men of marked piety and general learning, and many with little of either, have written on the book; but even when they were so, (marked by learning and piety), this is far from being all that is required to write competently and profitably on it. More than any other book, it openly presses into its service, or subtly refers to, almost every part of the Old Testament; yet is there a characteristically mystic use which is adapted to the New Testament and convicts the mere literalist of a wholly mistaken principle. Originality, after a divine sort, appears throughout; The most able and erudite of its expositors have been in no way distinguished for spiritual intelligence, and are often the devotees of a foregone conclusion, so that they can be entitled to little weight in such a question. And what is the object of alleging mere and evident extravaganzas, from whatever quarter they may come? Is it to commend truth? or to merge God's word in men's uncertainties? It is the opprobrium of commentators, and of none so much perhaps as the prophetic, that they search, not for God's mind, but for the support of their own preconceived ideas; and that the repute of some draws a long train of followers; as their transparent fallacies provoke another crowd of opponents. Yet the truth remains, sure and acceptable in God's grace to those who have faith to depend on the Lord for it.

Let us take care lest we fall into a similar snare. We may thankfully avail ourselves of the teachings of God's servants, but using them rightly we shall be led back to the fountain-head, even Scripture itself. It would not be difficult to turn the teachings of the best of God's servants into a kind of Talmud. Then we should have them as a sort of smoke screen, hiding from us the pure Word of God, just as the Talmud blinds the Jewish mind to the real force of the Old Testament.