Believer's Bible Commentary

A staff recommendation; Brent can be found on and off in our Bible Department. He is a wonderful addition to the House of James family.

     My wife Jolanda and I prefer the Believer's Bible Commentary because of the richness and depth of it's over all content. There are some commentaries that emphasize a more scholarly type of presentation and investigation and these commentaries are also very popular and valuable.

     We have three Bible commentaries that we have bought from the House of James and I have also looked over some other commentaries that the House of James carries. We also look for a commentary that brings to light our Jewish roots so that context and depth of meaning in our interpretation of Scripture are not lost. The Bible is a complete whole as God intended and you must not divorce the Old Testament from the New Testament. Paul in I Corinthians 10:1-11 is a good example and there are many more New Testament examples.

     All the commentaries have their own good points, but the most consistent one for additional content that can help with personal Bible study or leading a Bible study group, for us has been the Believers Bible Commentary. I will use John 18:5-6 for the comparison and have also included the comments from the NLT study Bible. I bought one for Jolanda and liked it so much that I also bought one for myself. And I am a King James die-hard.

     Comparing John 18:5-6:

1. NLT Study Bible 2008 Second Edition

     "18:5
"literally I AM. Jesus identified himself by the divine name God had revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai."

     18:6
"The soldiers and guards all drew back before the Lord. Even Roman soldiers, who were trained not to fall, fell to the ground before the Christ."

2. The MacArthur Bible Commentary

     18:5-6
"When He spoke "I am He", a designation He had used before to declare Himself God, they were jolted backward and to the ground."

3. The Moody Bible Commentary

     18:5
"His reply 'I am He' ('He' is not in the Greek) recalls Jesus' use of the same term to claim deity."

     18.6
"Precisely when He said to them, I am He, his opponents fell to the ground. The collapse of the soldiers came in reaction to a small taste of the divine power of Jesus."

4. The Believer's Bible Commentary

      18:5
"They sought Jesus of Nazareth, little realizing that He was their Creator and their Sustainer- the best Friend they ever had. Jesus said "I am" (the "He" is not found in the original but needed for English). He meant not only that He was Jesus of Nazareth but that He was Jehovah as well. As mentioned previously, I AM is one of the Names of Jehovah in the Old Testament. Did this cause Judas to wonder afresh, as he stood with the others in the crowd?"

     18:6
"For a brief moment, the Lord Jesus had revealed Himself to them as the I AM, the Almighty God. The revelation was so overpowering that they drew back and fell to the ground."

Best Wishes,

Brent