Mercer Commentary on the Bible

Rating:
Summary: Excellent basic resource
Review: The Mercer Commentary is an excellent resource for studying the Bible. Each book of the Bible is introduced by giving information about the author, date of the book, setting, and basic themes. The books are then broken down a few verses at a time to give more of an explanation. Obviously, no one book can give adequate detail to every passage in the Bible, so the Commentary tends to give approximately two small paragraphs per chapter of the Bible on average.

The contributors generally approach the expositions from a moderate viewpoint focus on scholarship more than tradition. For example, although Ecclesiastes has often been ascribed to Solomon, the Commentary gives reasons why it is likely someone else. However, in instances like these the contributors to a good job of giving both points of view and not forcing one idea on the readers. Thus, I have found it to be an excellent source when open-mindedness is desired.