No one familiar with the Bible needs to be told that it is a truly remarkable work. But it takes help to understand this ancient collection of diverse forms of literature written by different people across many centuries. The "Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible" (ECB) is the finest, most up-to-date single-volume Bible handbook now available. Written by world-class Bible scholars, the ECB encapsulates in nontechnical language the best of modern scholarship on the sixty-six biblical books plus the Apocrypha.
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary is quite simply the best Catholic commentary available, to be used for studying the Scriptures. Aimed at anyone interested in religion and theology, lay or clergy, it is a single-volume containing verse-by-verse commentary on all the book of the Bible, complemented by topical articles. The articles present thoroughly up-to-date background information that is essential for full appreciation of the texts, at the same time offering the reader a wider perspective; articles, for example, on the historical Jesus and the early Church.
The Oxford Bible Commentary is an exciting new ecumenical verse-by-verse commentary on the whole Bible, including all the books of the Apocrypha, for use by Christians, Jews, and members of other religious traditions, or of none. 1.5 million words long, it has been written by a team of internationally respected biblical scholars chosen for their expertise and ability to communicate rather than for their adherence to any particular faith.
Most one-volume Bible commentaries focus on standard scholarly issues, answering questions such as, who wrote the book? who was addressed? and how is the book structured? In contrast, this is the first one-volume commentary to emphasize theological questions: what does each biblical book say about God? how does the book describe God and portray God's actions? and who is God in these biblical books? This volume meets the need for a resource that puts the best of scholarship in conversation with the theological claims of the biblical text.