Which commentaries are the best...especially for upper-level Undergraduates and Graduate students? The top 2 to 4 commentaries for each book of the Bible are listed below. The "top" selections have been designated as such primarily by resource guides, such as Tremper Longman's Old Testament Commentary Survey, and by scholarly bibliographies, such as Raymond Brown's An Introduction to the New Testament.  For complete listings, please ask Wade Osburn (Reference & Theological Librarian) for a look at the printed list. The titles in each group are organized by author's last name and not by quality ranking.  Please note:  The views / positions expressed by the works below are not necessarily endorsed by representatives of the library staff.

GENESIS
Brueggemann (Interpretation).
Von Rad (Old Testament Library).
Wenham (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes.
Westermann (Continental Commentaries), 3 volumes.

EXODUS
Childs (Old Testament Library).
Durham (Word Biblical Commentary).
Fretheim (Interpretation).

LEVITICUS
Hartley (Word Biblical Commentary).
Milgrom, chs. 1-16 (Anchor Bible).
Wenham (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).

NUMBERS
Ashley (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).
Budd (Word Biblical Commentary).
Wenham (Tyndale OT Commentaries).

DEUTERONOMY
Craigie (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).
Miller (Interpretation).
Weinfeld, chs. 1-11 (Anchor Bible).

JOSHUA
Boling (Anchor Bible).
Butler (Word Biblical Commentary).
Woudstra (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).

JUDGES
Boling (Anchor Bible).
Cundall & Morris (Tyndale OT Commentaries).

RUTH
Campbell (Anchor Bible).
Hubbard (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).

SAMUEL
Anderson, 2nd Sam. (Word Biblical Commentary).
Brueggemann (Interpretation).
Klein, 1st Sam. (Word Biblical Commentary).
McCarter (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes.

KINGS
Cogan & Tadmore, 2 Kings (Anchor Bible).
Hobbs, 2 Kings (Word Biblical Commentary).
Jones (New Century Bible Commentary).
Nelson (Interpretation).
Wiseman (Tyndale OT Commentaries).

CHRONICLES
Braun, 1 Chron. (Word Biblical Commentary).
Dillard, 2 Chron. (Word Biblical Commentary).
Japhet (Old Testament Library).
Williamson (New Century Bible Commentary).

EZRA-NEHEMIAH
Blenkinsopp (Old Testament Library).
Williamson (Word Biblical Commentary).

ESTHER
Baldwin (Tyndale OT Commentaries).
Moore (Anchor Bible).

JOB
Clines, chs. 1-20 (Word Biblical Commentary).
Habel (Old Testament Library).

PSALMS
Allen, ps. 101-150 (Word Biblical Commentary).
Craigie, ps. 1-50 (Word Biblical Commentary).
Kidner (Tyndale OT Commentaries), 2 volumes.
Tate, ps 51-100 (Word Biblical Commentary).

PROVERBS
Kidner (Tyndale OT Commentaries).
McKane (Old Testament Library).

ECCLESIASTES
Crenshaw (Old Testament Library).
Whybray (New Century Bible Commentary).

SONG OF SONGS
Keel (Continental Commentaries).
Murphy (Hermeneia).
Pope (Anchor Bible).

ISAIAH
Clements, chs. 1-39 (New Century Bible Commentary).
Oswalt, chs. 1-39 (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).
Seitz, chs. 1-39 (Interpretation).
Watts (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes.

JEREMIAH
Clements (Interpretation).
Holladay (Hermeneia), 2 volumes.
Thompson (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).

LAMENTATIONS
Hillers (Anchor Bible).
Provan (New Century Bible Commentary).

EZEKIEL
Allen, chs. 20-48 (Word Biblical Commentary).
Brownlee, chs. 1-19 (Word Biblical Commentary).
Greenberg, chs. 1-20 (Anchor Bible).
Zimmerli (Hermeneia), 2 volumes.

DANIEL
Collins (Hermeneia).
Goldingay (Word Biblical Commentary).
Towner (Interpretation).

MINOR PROPHETS
Achtemeier, Nah.-Mal. (Interpretation).
Allen, Joel, Ob., Jon., Micah (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).
Limburg, Hos.-Micah (Interpretation).
Stuart, Hos.-Jonah (Word Biblical Commentary).

HOSEA
Anderson & Freedman (Anchor Bible).
Mays (Old Testament Library).
Wolff (Hermeneia).

JOEL
Crenshaw (Anchor Bible).
Wolff (Hermeneia).

AMOS
Mays (Old Testament Library).
Paul (Hermeneia).
Wolff (Hermeneia).

OBADIAH
Watts (Cambridge Bible Commentary).
Wolff (Continental Commentaries).

JONAH
Sasson (Anchor Bible).
Wolff (Continental Commentaries).

MICAH
Hillers (Hermeneia).
Mays (Old Testament Library).
Wolff (Continental Commentaries).

NAHUM, HABAKKUK, ZEPHANIAH
Berlin (Anchor Bible).
Roberts (Old Testament Library).
Robertson (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).

HAGGAI, ZECHARIAH, MALACHI
Meyers & Meyers (Anchor Bible).
Petersen (Old Testament Library).
Verhoef (New Intl. Commentary on the OT).

MATTHEW
Allison & Davies (International Critical Commentary), 3 volumes.
Hagner (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes.
Hill (New Century Bible Commentary).

MARK
Cranfield (Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary).
Guelich, ch. 1-8 (Word Biblical Commentary).
Hooker (Black's NT Commentary).
Lane (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).

LUKE
Fitzmyer (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes.
Green (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).
Johnson (Sacra Pagina).
Marshall (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).

JOHN
Barrett (1978).
Beasley-Murray (Word Biblical Commentary).
Brown (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes.
Morris (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).
Schnackenburg, 3 volumes.

ACTS
Barrett (International Critical Commentary).
Bruce (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).
Haenchen (1971).

Johnson (Sacra Pagina)

Marshall (Tyndale NT Commentaries).

ROMANS
Dunn (Word Biblical Commentary), 2 volumes.
Fitzmyer (Anchor Bible).

Kaseman, 1980.
Moo (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).

1 CORINTHIANS
Fee (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).
Barrett (Black's NT Commentary).
Conzelmann (Hermeneia).

Thiselton (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary)

2 CORINTHIANS
Barnett (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).

Barrett (Black's NT Commentary).
Furnish (Anchor Bible).
Martin (Word Biblical Commentary).
Thrall (International Critical Commentary), 2 volumes.

GALATIANS
Betz (Hermeneia).
Bruce (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).

Dunn (Black's NT Commentary).
Longenecker (Word Biblical Commentary).

EPHESIANS
Barth (Anchor Bible), 2 volumes.

Best (International Critical Commentary).
Lincoln (Word Biblical Commentary).

Schnackenburg, 1991.

PHILIPPIANS
Fee (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).

Hawthorne (Word Biblical Commentary).
O'Brien (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).

COLOSSIANS & PHILEMON
Dunn (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).

Lohse (Hermeneia).
O'Brien (Word Biblical Commentary).
Schweizer (Colossians).

THESSALONIANS
Best (Harper's NT Commentary).
Bruce (Word Biblical Commentary).
Marshall (New Century Bible Commentary).
Wanamaker (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).

PASTORAL EPISTLES
Dibelius & Conzelmann (Hermeneia).
Kelly (Black's NT Commentary).
Knight (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).

Marshall (International Critical Commentary).
Quinn, titus (Anchor Bible).

HEBREWS
Attridge (Hermeneia).
Bruce (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).

Ellingworth (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).
Lane (Word Biblical Commentary).

JAMES
Davids (New Intl. Greet Testament Commentary).
Johnson (Anchor Bible).
Laws (Harper's NT Commentary).
Martin (Word Biblical Commentary).

1 PETER
Achtemeier (Hermeneia).

Davids (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).
Goppelt (1978, 1993).
Kelly (Black's NT Commentary).
Michaels (Word Biblical Commentary).

2 PETER & JUDE
Bauckham (Word Biblical Commentary).
Green (Tyndale NT Commentaries).
Kelly (Harper's NT Commentary).
Neyrey (Anchor Bible).

LETTERS OF JOHN
Brown (Anchor Bible).
Marshall (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).

Schnackenburg, 1992.
Smalley (Word Biblical Commentary).

REVELATION
Aune (Word Biblical Commentary), 3 volumes.

Beale (New Intl. Greek Testament Commentary).
Caird (Harper's NT Commentary).
Mounce (New Intl. Commentary on the NT).