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Thru the Bible Vol. 1: Genesis through Deuteronomy: Simple Teaching of the Whole Bible
A complete reference edition of the 60-volume Thru the Bible commentary series, this five-volume set is an excellent choice if you need a complete Bible commentary in durable hardcover bindings. It includes Dr. McGee's insightful study of each book of the Bible with in-depth, paragraph-by-paragraph discussions of key verses and passages. Purchase the entire five-volume set or collect them individually as your study progresses.
- GenresReferenceChristianity
640 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
12 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
J. Vernon McGee
484 books67 followersJohn Vernon McGee was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in 1904. Dr. McGee remarked, "When I was born and the doctor gave me the customary whack, my mother said that I let out a yell that could be heard on all four borders of Texas!" His Creator well knew that he would need a powerful voice to deliver a powerful message.
As a student pastor, Dr. McGee's first church was located on a red clay hill in Midway, Georgia. It was there that he received his greatest compliment: "It was from a country boy wearing high buttoned, yellow shoes. After a morning service he came to speak to me. He groped for words, then blurted out, 'I never knew Jesus was so wonderful!' He started to say more but choked up and hurried out of the church. As I watched him stride across the field, I prayed, 'Oh, God, help me to always preach so that it can be said, I never knew Jesus was so wonderful.'"
After completing his education (earning his A.B. from Southwestern University in Memphis, Tennessee; his B.D. from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia; his Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas), and after pastoring Presbyterian churches in Decatur, GA, Nashville, TN, and Cleburne, TX, he and his wife came west, settling in Pasadena, where he accepted a call to the Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church. He recalls this period as the happiest in his life, with a young family and a young congregation whom he loved.
Dr. McGee's greatest pastorate was at the historic, Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles, where he served from 1949 to 1970. There he began a daily radio broadcast called "High Noon Bible Class" on a single station.
Dr. McGee began teaching Thru the Bible in 1967. After retiring from the pastorate, he set up radio headquarters in Pasadena, and the radio ministry expanded rapidly. Today the program airs on over 400 stations each day in the United States and Canada, is heard in more than 100 languages around the world and is broadcast worldwide via the Internet.
As a student pastor, Dr. McGee's first church was located on a red clay hill in Midway, Georgia. It was there that he received his greatest compliment: "It was from a country boy wearing high buttoned, yellow shoes. After a morning service he came to speak to me. He groped for words, then blurted out, 'I never knew Jesus was so wonderful!' He started to say more but choked up and hurried out of the church. As I watched him stride across the field, I prayed, 'Oh, God, help me to always preach so that it can be said, I never knew Jesus was so wonderful.'"
After completing his education (earning his A.B. from Southwestern University in Memphis, Tennessee; his B.D. from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia; his Th.M. and Th.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas), and after pastoring Presbyterian churches in Decatur, GA, Nashville, TN, and Cleburne, TX, he and his wife came west, settling in Pasadena, where he accepted a call to the Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church. He recalls this period as the happiest in his life, with a young family and a young congregation whom he loved.
Dr. McGee's greatest pastorate was at the historic, Church of the Open Door in downtown Los Angeles, where he served from 1949 to 1970. There he began a daily radio broadcast called "High Noon Bible Class" on a single station.
Dr. McGee began teaching Thru the Bible in 1967. After retiring from the pastorate, he set up radio headquarters in Pasadena, and the radio ministry expanded rapidly. Today the program airs on over 400 stations each day in the United States and Canada, is heard in more than 100 languages around the world and is broadcast worldwide via the Internet.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 26, 2012
I originally purchased only volume 3 of McGee's commentary set because I wanted help reading the Old Testament prophetic books. I have had a great deal of exposure to the rest of the Bible at various churches but found my knowledge of the prophets to be lacking.
McGee is a very reliable commentator, although not particularly brilliant. He likes to interject little stories in between the discussions of the text which I found to be sometimes amusing and sometimes not. And sometimes the discussion is relevant to the verses and sometimes not at all. And like most old-time preachers he also likes to interject the basic message of salvation at every possible junction even when its relationship to the text at hand is extremely remote. I patiently waded on and forgave him these minor flaws because I came to appreciate his overall view and discussion of character traits of various OT greats.
So I eventually purchased all five volumes and am working on #2 a little each day. When I finish I will start again with another well-known commentator to get a different perspective.
McGee is a very reliable commentator, although not particularly brilliant. He likes to interject little stories in between the discussions of the text which I found to be sometimes amusing and sometimes not. And sometimes the discussion is relevant to the verses and sometimes not at all. And like most old-time preachers he also likes to interject the basic message of salvation at every possible junction even when its relationship to the text at hand is extremely remote. I patiently waded on and forgave him these minor flaws because I came to appreciate his overall view and discussion of character traits of various OT greats.
So I eventually purchased all five volumes and am working on #2 a little each day. When I finish I will start again with another well-known commentator to get a different perspective.
Currently reading
October 1, 2015J Vernon has been one of my great mentors on the Scriptures over the years. You can use his commentaries and grow incredibly
July 9, 2023
It's difficult to properly comment on volume 1 of Thru the Bible (collection of books 1-9 of the series). I've learned a great deal from McGee while reading this series, but I've also had several moments of frustration throughout multiple sections of commentary. McGee certainly knew the scriptures and was very gifted in shining a light of difficult to understand passages. At the same time, since this was originally transcribed from a radio program, much of his commentary comes 'off the cuff' and sometimes turns to rants and a bit of opinionated legalism.
Under no circumstance would I advise anyone not to read this. To the contrary, Thru the Bible has completely transformed the way I read scripture as a whole. For example, before McGee I had never heard anyone describe the bible like this: if it's God's word, inspired by God, then it must be God interpreted to understand. Whoa... Suddenly it's makes sense when the bible describes eyes and ears that are opened or shut. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to our hearts, not just hope for knowledge in our heads. These are things I've always known, but the way McGee described it completely drove the point home and I haven't read scripture the same way since
But it would be misleading if I didn't mention that not all of the commentary is of the scholarly kind. There are a number of anecdotal stories, personal biases, and even a few legalistic comments made by McGee (typically in relation to alcohol or similar vice-related topics). It's up to the reader to determine if these portions of the commentary are applicable to you. While I believe in the absolute authority of scripture, some of McGee's personal beliefs are sprinkled throughout and they are not 100% based in the Word. They are his personal opinions and should be presented as such, so there is a bit of discernment required when reading McGee's text.
Under no circumstance would I advise anyone not to read this. To the contrary, Thru the Bible has completely transformed the way I read scripture as a whole. For example, before McGee I had never heard anyone describe the bible like this: if it's God's word, inspired by God, then it must be God interpreted to understand. Whoa... Suddenly it's makes sense when the bible describes eyes and ears that are opened or shut. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to our hearts, not just hope for knowledge in our heads. These are things I've always known, but the way McGee described it completely drove the point home and I haven't read scripture the same way since
But it would be misleading if I didn't mention that not all of the commentary is of the scholarly kind. There are a number of anecdotal stories, personal biases, and even a few legalistic comments made by McGee (typically in relation to alcohol or similar vice-related topics). It's up to the reader to determine if these portions of the commentary are applicable to you. While I believe in the absolute authority of scripture, some of McGee's personal beliefs are sprinkled throughout and they are not 100% based in the Word. They are his personal opinions and should be presented as such, so there is a bit of discernment required when reading McGee's text.
December 31, 2019
My review of: Thru the Bible vol. I
October 18, 2020
I have read the Bible along side this commentary for years. J. Vernon McGee speaks in layman’s terms and has increased my understanding of the Word exponentially.
May 30, 2019
After reading John 'MacArthur's Daily Bible' over the last few years, & 'The Open Bible' for the years following my salvation 1979 through the early 2000's; I decided to study J Vernon McGees series, 'Thru The Bible', for my daily nourishment. It is so rich with depth & insight, every page is full of wisdom.
There are 5 Volumes in total. I'm moving to the New Testament Vol. IV for change of pace.
There are 5 Volumes in total. I'm moving to the New Testament Vol. IV for change of pace.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews