The Hodder Bible Commentary is a 50-volume commentary series edited by Series editor Lee Gatiss and published by Hodder and Stoughton. It seeks to be accessible and insightful while remaining doctrinally sensitive and globally aware. It includes the NIV text. This series is available in Kindle and hardcover formats. I’m reviewing the hardcover editions. They were printed and bound in Great Britain.

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Hardcover and Paper

The hardcovers include dust jackets. The front covers include the book’s name at the top, the publisher’s logo, a photo, and the author’s name at the bottom. This is replaced on the spine with the image at the top with the logo, the book’s name in the center, and the publisher at the bottom. The back cover includes the description and bar code. Inside the jacket discusses the series, author, editor, and the NIV. The hardcover is a dark gray for the OT and tan for the NT. They’re cloth-over-board with text printed in silver on the spine. The overall size is 6.25 x 9.5 inches, and they range from .75-1.5 inches thick. The paper is an extra-thick rough textured paper with a cream tint that’s easy to turn and great for reading.

Layout

The NIV text is presented in a double-column paragraph layout with a line dividing the columns. Verse numbers are bold and easy to see. Translation footnotes appear under the last verse on each page. The commentary handles the text in passages, so they include multiple verses. The commentary follows the text, and it continues until all the verses are covered. The book of Luke includes verse numbers but the others do not. The page footer shows the bibliography of the resources mentioned on that page. The chapters for each book are presented as an outline.

I did find navigation to be a little difficult. If a page only has commentary, it might or might not have verse numbers. This means you’d have to turn a few more pages to find the chapter the commentary is for. It’s much easier to find your place by using the index in the front than browsing through the pages.

Commentaries

The commentaries I am reviewing are:

  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Ecclesiastes was written by Eric Ortlund.
  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Mark was written by Christopher K. W. Moore.
  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Luke was written by David G. Peterson.
  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Acts was written by Martin C. Salter.

The commentaries cover each verse and are good for basic information. They do have more information than what you’d find in a study Bible, but they don’t include a lot of depth or multiple views. They often ignore questions that could be raised by the comments or draw conclusions without providing examples from Scripture that clearly proclaim the statement made in the comment. Acts included non-English words within the sentences but never explained what the words meant. They use some extra-biblical texts to explain the culture, setting, or events. I found this interesting and helpful.

Ending Thoughts on The Hodder Bible Commentary

The Hodder Bible Commentary is a good basic commentary that covers every verse. I’d like to see more consistency between the volumes and have all include the verse numbers the commentary corresponds to. I’d also like to see the chapter and verse numbers in the header or footer so it’s easy to know where you are in the book. Another thing I’d like to see changed is the use of non-English words. They’re used in a sentence but they’re not explained.

I enjoyed using the Hodder Bible Commentary. I especially like the use of ancient extra-biblical resources. I don’t think it could be your only commentary since it doesn’t always answer the hard questions, but it would be a good addition to any library for students, preachers, and teachers.

Where to Purchase The Hodder Bible Commentary (affiliates)

  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Ecclesiastes
  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Mark 
  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Luke 
  • The Hodder Bible Commentary on Acts 

Hodder and Stoughton provided these commentaries in exchange for an honest review.