Best Judges Commentaries for Bible Study, Preaching, and Teaching

The best Judges commentaries are listed below. There are exegetical commentaries, scholarly and technical commentaries, as well as commentaries that are easy to understand. The “Top 10” list is based on aggregate reviews.

This list of commentaries is intended to help the reader understand and apply the author’s message in the book of Judges. They are not suggested as a replacement for prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the reader’s own diligent study of Scripture.

It is hoped that these books will aid the Christian pastor, preacher, teacher, student, as well as any Bible reader that wants to understand more about Judges.

May each reader’s aim be to glorify God in Jesus Christ; to strengthen Christ’s bride, the Church; and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.

After browsing the commentaries below, please see Best Bible Commentaries: Top 50. Based on aggregate reviews.

10 Best Judges Commentaries

Please read: The “Top 10” list below is a starting point for learning about Judges commentaries. It is not intended to be the “final word” because of its limitations.

Nevertheless, a list based on aggregate reviews is likely to point many people in the right direction to find the right resource for their purposes.

#1

Judges, Ruth
New American Commentary
by Daniel I. Block

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Judges, Ruth Commentary by Daniel Block

Reviews and Accolades:

• Desiring God: #1 recommended commentary on Judges and Ruth

• Tremper Longman: 5 out 5 stars, “the best thing available on the book of Judges… particularly strong in literary and theological analysis”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “The most helpful of all commentaries on the book.”

• Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Judges and Ruth, “by far, the best intermediate-advanced level commentary on the book… highly recommended.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The New American Commentary is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.” This “series has been designed primarily to enable pastors, teachers, and students to read the Bible with clarity and proclaim it with power.”

See more about the New American Commentary series.

Also see the best one-volume bible commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.

#2

Judges, Ruth
NIV Application Commentary
by K. Lawson Younger Jr.

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Judges, Ruth commentary by K. Lawson Younger

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: “[Younger] does a good job in particular with the ‘original meaning’ section of the commentary”

• Keith Mathison: #3 ranked commentary on Judges, “This format tends to emphasize contemporary application, but Younger’s comments are just as helpful in the Original Meaning section as they are in the other two.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the General Editor: The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context.

The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the process of moving from the original meaning of a passage to its contemporary significance.”

See more about the NIV Application Commentary series.

#3

The Message of Judges
The Bible Speaks Today
by Michael Wilcock

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Judges commentary Wilcock

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: “derives moral and behavioral principles from the book”

• Keith Mathison: #5 ranked commentary on Judges, “Wilcock’s introductory level commentary on Judges is a helpful and practical exposition of the text. Preachers and teachers will find much of value within.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: The “the three distinctives of The Bible Speaks Today series are (1) “BST authors are committed to a serious study of the text in its own integrity,” (2) that “expositors should not be antiquarians, living only in the remote past” but suggest application for living, and (3) “each book is intended to be both readable in style and manageable in size.” 

See more about the Bible Speaks Today commentary series.

#4

Judges
Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised
by Mark J. Boda

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Ruth Judges commentary Expositor's

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 5 out 5 stars, “extremely helpful in unpacking the message of the book of Judges”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Written primarily by expositors for expositors… its stance is that of a scholarly evangelicalism committed to the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible… the chief principle followed in this commentary is the grammatico-historical.”

See more about the Expositor’s Bible Commentary series.

#5

Judges
Focus on the Bible
by Dale Ralph Davis

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Judges commentary Dale Ralph Davis

Reviews and Accolades:

• Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Judges, “Davis provides what most Christian readers of these books need — a concise and readable explanation of the text that sets each book within the larger context of biblical redemptive history all without ever becoming boring or trite.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “These commentaries are popular level commentaries especially useful for pastors and small group leaders. They are useful for personal devotions and spiritual growth.

Many of the authors of the commentaries are leading expositors of God’s Word on their specialty subjects. The series holds to the inerrancy of scripture and the uniqueness of Christ in salvation.”

See more about the Focus on the Bible commentary series.

#6

Judges
Word Biblical Commentary
by Trent C. Butler

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Judges commentary Butler

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 5 out 5 stars, “excellent sensitivity to to the theological significance of the book”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “WBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation.

It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.” 

See more about the Word Biblical Commentary series.

#7

Judges
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by Arthur E. Cundall

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Ruth Judges commentary Cundall Morris

Reviews and Accolades:

• Keith Mathison: #4 ranked commentary on Judges, “Like the other contributions to this series, it is written at an introductory level and is accessible to all readers.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.

It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”

See more about the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.

#8

The Book of Judges
New International Commentary on the Old Testament
by Barry G. Webb

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Judges commentary Barry Webb

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “All of the NICOT volumes combine superior scholarship, an evangelical view of Scripture as the Word of God, and concern for the life of faith today.

Each volume features an extensive introduction treating the biblical book’s authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology. The author’s own translation of the original Hebrew and verse-by-verse commentary follow.

The commentary itself carefully balances coverage of technical matters with exposition of the biblical text’s theology and implications.” 

See more about the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series.

#9

Judges and Ruth
Kregel Exegetical Library
by Robert B. Chisholm Jr.

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Ruth Judges commentary Robert Chisholm

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “This definitive commentary sheds exegetical and theological light on the books of Judges and Ruth for contemporary preachers and students of Scripture.

Listening closely to the text while interacting with the best of scholarship, Chisholm shows what the text mean for ancient Israel and what it means for us today.

In addition to its perceptive comments on the biblical text, it examines a host of themes such as covenants and the sovereignty of God in Judges and providence, redemption, loving-kindness, and Christological typology in Ruth.

Chisholm offers astute guidance to preachers and teachers wanting to do a series on Judges or Ruth by providing ‘homiletical trajectories’ after each exegetical unit.

These show how historical narrative can be presented in the pulpit and classroom, for rich, responsible sermons and lessons.”

See more about the Kregel Exegetical Library series.

#10

Judges
Brazos Theological Commentary
by Stephen E. Fowl

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Ruth Judges commentary Brazos

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible enlists leading theologians to read and interpret Scripture for the twenty-first century, just as the church fathers, the Reformers, and other Orthodox Christians did for their times and places. 

The commentaries are designed to serve the church — through aid in preaching, teaching, study groups, and so forth — and demonstrate the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible.”

See more about the Brazos Theological Commentary series.

More Book of Judges Commentaries for Christian Ministry

Please read: Why are the Judges commentaries below not in the “Top 10”? It’s not because they have received poor reviews or because people haven’t found them helpful. The reasons vary:

  • Some are relatively new and haven’t been widely reviewed, read, or used yet.
  • Others haven’t been widely distributed, so it is difficult to get enough information to aggregate.
  • Still others may be outdated in relation to biblical scholarship or out of print and difficult to acquire.

The “Top 10” list is reviewed annually. Readers are encouraged to consider the volumes in this section before making a purchase. These 10 are not in any particular order.


Judges
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by Mary J. Evans

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Ruth Judges commentary Mary Evans

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.

It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”


Judges
New Beacon Bible Commentary
by Robert Branson

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Judges commentary Branson

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The New Beacon Bible Commentary provides 21st-century scholars, pastors, theological students, and laity an academically competent, readable commentary in the Wesleyan theological tradition.

Each volume features: Contemporary Scholarship from notable experts in the Wesleyan theological tradition.

Convenient introductory material for each book of the Bible, which includes information on authorship, date, history, audience, sociological/cultural issues, purpose, literary features, theological themes, hermeneutical issues, and more.”

See more about New Beacon Bible Commentaries.


Judges
Understanding the Bible Commentary Series
by Cheryl A. Brown

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Ruth Judges commentary Understanding the Bible

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Each volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series breaks down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers.

They present a careful section-by-section exposition of the biblical books with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated.

Notes at the close of each chapter provide additional textual and technical comments for those who want to dig deeper.”

See more about the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series.


Judges
New Cambridge Bible Commentary
by Victor H. Mathews

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Ruth Judges commentary Victor Mathews

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The NCBC aims to elucidate the Hebrew and Christian scriptures for a wide range of intellectually curious individuals… [volumes] do not assume the reader has a great deal of specialized theological knowledge or an impressive command of the Hebrew, Aramaic, or biblical Greek…

Utilizing recent gains in rhetorical criticism, social scientific study of the scriptures, narrative criticism and other developing disciplines, this series intends to provide a fresh look at biblical texts, taking advantage of the growing edges in Biblical Studies.”

See more about New Cambridge Bible Commentaries.


Judges 1-12
The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
by Jack M. Sasson

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Judges commentary Sasson

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Anchor Yale Bible Series, previously the Anchor Bible Series, is a renowned publishing program that for more than 50 years has produced books devoted to the latest scholarship on the Bible and biblical topics.”

The series “vigorously pursues the goal of bringing to a wide audience the most important new ideas, the latest research findings, and the clearest possible analysis of the Bible.”

See more about the Anchor Bible Commentary series.


Judges
The Old Testament Library
by Susan Niditch

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Judges commentary

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.”

See more about the Old Testament Library commentary series.


Judges: A Critical and Rhetorical Commentary
by Richard Nelson

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Judges commentary Nelson

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “As a rhetorical commentary, the volume pays attention to the factors in the text that are being marshaled to influence the reader. Attention is paid to what the text does, and how it works when it is read closely.

This element of the commentary encompasses lexical and grammatical issues, organizing arrangements and patterns, the intentions of various literary genres, along with narrative plot and structure.

As a critical commentary, the volume deals with the history of the text’s formation and transmission.

It establishes the earliest recoverable text of Judges as a way of getting as close as possible to the producers of the text and its early audiences.

It provides a well-argued description of how Judges was brought together as a coherent document from earlier oral and written sources and how it was later modified and supplemented.”


Judges
The Forms of Old Testament Literature
by Serge Frolov

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Judges commentary

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (FOTL) is a series of volumes that seeks to present, according to a standard outline and methodology, a form-critical analysis of every book or unit of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible).

Fundamentally exegetical, each volume examines the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question.

The series also endeavors to study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and to expose the exegetical procedure in such a way as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation.”


Classic Judges Commentaries

Judges
Geneva Series of Commentaries
by Andrew R. Fausset

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Judges commentary Fausset

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “The author’s aim was to explain the text accurately, to clarify the geographical and historical references in Judges and to draw forth from the narrative and the inspired Word the spiritual lessons designed by the Divine Author.

He believed that ‘the histories in Holy Scripture are wonderfully framed by their Divine Author to set forth spiritual and everlasting truths for all ages, and especially to typify Him in whom all history, type, and prophecy find their center Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today, and for ever’ (Heb. 13:8).”


Judges
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
edited by John R. Franke

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Ruth Judges commentary Ancient Christian

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The vast array of writings from the church fathers — including much that is available only in the ancient languages — have been combed for their comment on Scripture.

From these results, scholars with a deep knowledge of the fathers and a heart for the church have hand selected material for each volume, shaping, annotating, and introducing it to today’s readers.

Each portion of commentary has been chosen for its salient insight, its rhetorical power, and its faithful representation of the consensual exegesis of the early church.”

See more about the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series.


Also see:

Compare 75 different commentary series on the Bible Commentary Series Comparison Chart

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