Many Christian young adults have the desire to understand the bible just like many older adults do. And just like older adults, some books of the bible, and many of the passages within them, are not immediately clear when they are first read ans studied.
Even when the stories, parables, prophecies, proverbs, and other literary forms are understandable, teens and young adults may need help applying those teachings to their lives, as most Christians do. Bible commentaries can help readers with all of these challenges.
Some people think of bible commentaries as being just for pastors, seminary professors, and bible scholars. This may have been true historically, but it is not true now. Today, there are excellent resources to help youth and teens understand and apply the bible.
Bible commentaries that would be helpful to young people come in three forms: (1) one-volume whole bible commentaries, (2) bible commentary series, and (3) study bibles designed especially for young adults.
Best One-Volume Commentaries for Youth
One-volume whole bible commentaries contain explanations on every book of the bible. They are great resources for young adults because they provide overviews that helps the reader understand the big picture of a particular section of Scripture. Since they are overviews, however, one-volume bible commentaries do not comment on every verse or word of Scripture.
| Title | Translation/ Approach | Why it’s good for young people | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary  | NIV/ broadly evangelical | This is a well-reviewed one-volume commentary that contains hundreds of color illustrations, maps, and photographs | Amazon |
| New International Bible Commentary  | NIV/ broadly evangelical | This one-volume commentary won the Gold Medallion Award when it was published. | Amazon |
| The MacArthur Commentary  | NKJV/ Reformed | This popular pastor’s one-volume commentary is easy to understand. | Amazon |
| NIV Bible Study Commentary  | NIV/ broadly evangelical | Basic information that gives the reader a general overview. | Amazon |
| The Tony Evans Bible Commentary  | CSB/ conservative evangelical | Evans’ comments are easy to understand, devotional in nature, and even humorous. | Amazon |
| Wiersbe Bible Commentary  | KJV/ Baptist | Combines all of Wiersbe’s “Be” commentaries. | Amazon |
| Zondervan Bible Commentary  | NIV/ broadly evangelical | Adds pictures to New International Bible Commentary. | Amazon |
Best Commentary Series for Teens
Commentary series often devote a single volume to one or two books of the bible. For example, in many of the series listed below, there is one volume on Genesis, one on Proverbs, one on John, and so on. Some volumes combine two biblical books, like 1-2 Kings or 1-2 Timothy.
The advantage of these commentaries is that they go more in-depth than one-volume commentaries. The challenge is that some young adults may not be ready to for a more intermediate or advanced bible resources.
It would be best to browse these volumes online ans read excerpts from them in order to know if its the right study level for a particular reader.
| Title | Translation/ Approach | Why it’s good for young people | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christ-Centered Exposition Commentaries  | HCSB; broadly evangelical | It explains the basic meaning of passages and gives applications. | Amazon |
| Focus on the Bible  | author’s own; Reformed | This series reads like a sermon, so youth will be able to follow it well. | Amazon |
| Living Insights: Chuck Swindoll Commentaries  | NASB; broadly evangelical | From a popular pastor known for stories. Volumes very user friendly. | Amazon |
| Thru the Bible: J. Vernon McGee  | KJV; Presbyterian | Easy to read, contains helpful illustrations. | Amazon |
| Wesleyan Bible Study  | NIV; evangelical | Designed as an introductory resource for bible studies. | Amazon |
| Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary  | NIV; broadly evangelical | Filled with color photos, charts, and illustrations. | Amazon |
Best Study Bible for Youth
Study bible can be considered introductory-level bible commentaries because their notes, summaries, and explanations help young adults understand the passages and verses of Scripture.
Many also help readers apply God’s Word as well, so they essentially function as commentaries.
| Title | Translation/ Approach | Why it’s good for young people | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bible for Teen Girls  | NIV/ broadly evangelical | Easy to read translation with application help for young women. | Amazon |
| Teen Study Bible  | NIV | Provides basic overviews and gives insight into difficult passages. | Amazon |
| Teen Life Application Study Bible  | NLT | Popular, accessible translation combined with application. | Amazon |
| Student Study Bible  | ESV | Well-reviewed translation, growing in popularity with helpful study notes. | Amazon |
| Bible for Teen Guys  | NIV | Aims to help young men grow and mature in their faith. | Amazon |
| Extreme Teen Study Bible  | NKJV | Well-liked translation with basic explanations on Scripture’s meaning. | Amazon |
| Girls Life Application Study Bible  | NLT | Accessible translation combined with application help for young women. | Amazon |
| Boys Life Application Study Bible  | NLT | Accessible translation combined with application help for young men. | Amazon |
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