The MacArthur Bible Commentary: A Faithful, Focused Commentary on the Whole Bible

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

Faithful, Focused Commentary on the Whole Bible Serious students of Scripture can easily lose their focus among the many Bible commentaries available today, studying for hours yet discovering no meaningful application of God's eternal truth. This one-volume commentary on the entire Bible from one of America's foremost Bible expositors offers instead a minilibrary of understandable resources designed to convey the Bible's overarching message with historical and theological clarity. Pastor and teacher John MacArthur covers the complete Bible—every passage of the Old and New Testaments, phrase by phrase—in this valuable one-volume resource. Hundreds of additional study tools complement the commentary, such as Readers benefit from the coherence a single commentator provides, finding faithful, understandable, and relevant resources for any passage from the entire Bible. Consistent elements include exploring God's character; seeing Christ in all Scripture; and identifying key doctrines, vital people, and touchstone Scripture passages. The MacArthur Bible Commentary offers pastors, Bible teachers, serious Bible readers, and anyone seeking to read and understand the Scriptures a way to focus their studies while still seeing the entire Bible's application to the Christian life.

Genres: Reference, Christian, Theology, Christianity, Religion, Faith

2040 pages, Hardcover

First published May 9, 2005

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

One volume; infinite wisdom - The MacArthur Bible Commentary is a priceless book of prolific commentary, verse-by-verse, of MacArthur's expository genius. I cannot be more thankful to John MacArthur, and his deep love for the Scriptures, in his writing of this gemstone. I was thankful and blessed enough to have this gifted to me, almost brand new, from an old roommate who was not using it at the time.

This came at a time that I was just beginning to question the many heretical theological influences that had permeated my Christian walk hitherto. As I begin to use this commentary every day - as I used it alongside my daily Bible readings, both from the OT and NT respectively - I begin to see God's truth more clearly, as the Holy Spirit began to illuminate my mind through careful exegesis of the Word, and proper study of the Scriptures.

After a full year, I am proud to say that I have read this tome from cover-to-cover. I have never been more profoundly influenced by one resource as I have by 'The MacArthur Bible Commentary.' If there is one commentary I recommend, for those searching for a usable, eclectic, and versatile commentary that exposits the Bible verse-by-verse, it is MacArthur's one volume classic.

-Brent M McCulley (10/9/13)

[Kitty Gulick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing resource is easy to use and fantastic for new Bible nerds who are going deeper in their study.

[CalebA · Rating 3 out of 5]

John MacArthur is a very knowledgable scholar. His commentary is nice and lengthy and features a lot of historical background. This was my first commentary, but recently I've been using other commentaries and have noticed some trends in MacArthur's interpretations. I found him to be very black and white on grey issues. He makes you feel very convinced on things that simply aren't very clear in scripture. Good commentaries always present multiple interpretations and give you a recommended perspective. I felt his personal views were very strong where the evidence was not. This is still a great resource for comparing views, but I no longer use this as my only source. If you do choose this commentary, I'd recommend choosing another with multiple authors to complement your reading.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The MacArthur Bible Commentary by John F. MacArthur Jr.
Positives – abundance of cross-references and much historical context. It is one of my first commentaries to refer to. For that reason I rate this book 4 stars. (Cool cover, too)
Negatives – as is JMac’s way, he comes across dogmatic with a black/white, right vs wrong attitude to everything, filtered through his cessanionist Calvinist complimentarian Reformed worldview. Again, no surprises. Basically, I disagree with most of his doctrines. Shark infested waters, but eat the meat and spit out the bones.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent commentary.

[Evangelist Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good commentary for a personal study of the Bible. Highly recommend!!

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this cover to cover, but I use this often in my Bible study, and it is a very helpful resource to own.

[Tina Reitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't quite align with my Lutheran commentaries.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I haven’t read this front to back, but I have been using it for a while now as a companion to bible study. It’s a great quick reference commentary. I love JM’s NT commentaries, but I don’t always have time to read the entire sections. So this is perfect. Although I tend to use it more for OT reading and verse clarification. Generally there is enough information for me to know if I’m on the right track with my thinking for help me dig deeper.

[Kathy Afterbuffalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful.

John Macarthur did an excellent job to anyone who reads the Bible and would like a clear explanation. Salvation from this world of sin is shown step by step .Living a life after accepting Jesus as your Saviour is sometimes difficult, but simply put your eyes on His ways and you are learning.
This commentary gives clear understanding.

[Amanda C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-have commentary for personal Bible study

[Troy McGahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great one volume commentary. Affordable and very informative. Not technical at all but, a great resource.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Bible commentaries out there for the Christian deeply desiring to know and love God!

[Lone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best commentary for daily Bible reading. I use it all the time.

[Matthew S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I trustworthy handling of God's word.

[Justin Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best commentary

Loved this learned so much reading this. This was better than all of my study bibles. I recommend this for serious to beginner to help better understand the bible.

[Ryan Bibledingers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very concise. Tells you exactly what passages mean in as few words as possible. Very important reference.

[laurenpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enriching and Trustworthy; NOTE re Kindle edition

John MacArthur's commentary broadens my understanding of scripture and adds instructive historical perspective. At the same time, it helps me to focus on a passage's core spiritual truths and its applications to my life.

I love John MacArthur's sermons (I listen online), and am now thrilled to find this treasure-trove of exposition.

I have both the 2006 NASB "MacArthur Study Bible" and the 2005 "The MacArthur Bible Commentary." I've compared the two in terms of content (not exhaustively, but fairly extensively), and I believe the 2006 study bible DOES have all the same charts, maps and articles of the 2005 commentary, though several have been renamed and moved to a different section or location. Also, the commentary itself seems to be identical between these two works.

KINDLE edition warning: The charts and maps are too small to be legible. After attempting to read the commentary on my Kindle for a few weeks, I went ahead and bought the full study bible (hard copy, not Kindle) solely in order to view these charts and maps in larger print.

[Mark Uncommon Valor · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are differences in style between Revelation and John's other writings, but they are insignificant and do not preclude one man from writing both. In fact, there are some striking parallels between Revelation and John's other works. Only John's Gospel and Revelation refer to Jesus Christ as the WORD ( 19:13 ; John 1:1 ). Revelation ( 1:7 ) and John's Gospel (19:37 ) translate Zechariah 12:10 differently from the Septuagint, but in agreement with each other. Only Revelation and the Gospel of John describe Jesus as the Lamb ( 5:6, 8 ; John 1:29 ) ; both describe Jesus as a witness (cf. 1:5 ; John 5:31, 32 ).

An excerpt from : the Author and Date section of the Revelation of JESUS CHRIST. page 1989, paragraph two. commentary by John MacArthur.

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY REVIEW:

Do you want to update to a new Bible that has study notes and commentary included but don't want to let go of your notes and marks from the years past? An easy solution is to buy a single volume Bible commentary.

Regardless of the Bible you have - unless you have the MacArthur study Bible! - this whole Bible commentary is a valuable addition to your study as you dig into the Word of God. While thick and heavy physically, this book is thorough and easy to use and understand. MacArthur's verse-by-verse approach is very helpful to deeper study of any passage. There are also plenty of sidebars with topical notes and outlines as well as maps and timelines. This is a great resource for any home library and for all ages 10 and up.

[Danny]

Definitely a great commentary to augement your Bible study time. A very daunting task to read it when doing a one-year Bible reading plan. I've been thinking of reading it again though (maybe an updated version since I think it has been updated since 2005).
Btw, I love how he divides Genesis in his outline based on the toledoth phrases which indicate that Moses most like compiled accounts of the events in Genesis from each of the sources named in each toledoth statement.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An invaluable Bible study resource. I don't agree with all of MacArthur's theology but I deeply appreciate his succinct insight. The cross references alone make this commentary worthwhile - allowing scripture to explain scripture.

This is an excellent way to gain a cursory understanding of the Bible as a whole.

[Jared Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must have for those who want to study the Bible and theology. Never should commentaries shape what we believe, but help correct what errors we may bring to the discussion by reading other thoughts from men of God.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it wasn't so cumbersome and 'literal' on my Nook. MacArthur tends less toward interpretation and more toward definition. The introductory comments for each book are very helpful and help to identify and set the context but he does little to provide the context for reading God's word.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

An interpretation of the Bible through a calvinist lens...
Go read the Bible, and ask God to help you understand.
Don't read the Bible asking JMac to help you understand...

[Amanda Himes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read this commentary cover to cover (surprise!), but every time I consult it during my summer inductive Bible studies, I come away better informed about the Scriptures.

[Ryan M Marks]

Some cessationist and Calvinist views to watch out for but overall very helpful