Best Lamentations Commentaries for Bible Study, Preaching, and Teaching

The best Lamentations commentaries are listed below. There are exegetical commentaries, scholarly and technical commentaries, as well as commentaries that are easy to understand. The “Top 10” list is based on aggregate reviews.

This list of commentaries is intended to help the reader understand and apply the author’s message in the book of Lamentations. They are not suggested as a replacement for prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the reader’s own diligent study of Scripture.

It is hoped that these books will aid the Christian pastor, preacher, teacher, student, as well as any Bible reader that wants to understand more about Lamentations.

May each reader’s aim be to glorify God in Jesus Christ; to strengthen Christ’s bride, the Church; and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.

After browsing the commentaries below, please see Best Bible Commentaries: Top 50. Based on aggregate reviews.

10 Best Lamentations Commentaries

Please read: The “Top 10” list below is a starting point for learning about Lamentations commentaries. It is not intended to be the “final word” because of its limitations.

Nevertheless, a list based on aggregate reviews is likely to point many people in the right direction to find the right resource for their purposes.

#1

Song of Songs and Lamentations
Word Biblical Commentary
by Duane Garrett and Paul R. House

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Lamentations commentary Duane Garrett

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out 5 stars

• Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Lamentations, “[House] deals with every aspect of the text and digs into the theology of the book.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “WBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation.

It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence.

The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.” 

See more about the Word Biblical Commentary series.

Also see the best one-volume bible commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.

#2

Jeremiah, Lamentations
NIV Application Commentary
by J. Andrew Dearman

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Lamentations commentary by Andrew Dearman

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out 5 stars, “a very sensitive theological reading”

• Keith Mathison: #2 ranked commentary on Lamentations, “Dearman does an outstanding job showing the way in which this book remains very relevant 2500 years after the first destruction of Jerusalem. This commentary will be particularly helpful for pastors.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the General Editor: The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context.

The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the process of moving from the original meaning of a passage to its contemporary significance.”

See more about the NIV Application Commentary series.

#3

Lamentations
Old Testament Library
by Adele Berlin

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Lamentations commentary Berlin

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 5 out of 5 stars, “contains much substance and insight”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “Helpful discussion of the ancient Near Eastern literary background of the book.”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.”

See more about the Old Testament Library commentary series.

#4

Lamentations
Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary
by Robin A. Parry

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Lamentations commentary Parry

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 5 out of 5 stars, “wonderful theological reflection… a wonderful resource for pastors”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Two features distinguish The Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary series: theological exegesis and theological reflection…

The result is a paragraph-by-paragraph engagement with the text that is deliberately theological in focus.”

See more about the Two Horizons Bible commentary series.

#5

Jeremiah, Lamentations
Understanding the Bible Commentary Series
by Tremper Longman III

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Lamentations commentary Tremper Longman

Reviews and Accolades:

• Keith Mathison: #4 ranked commentary on Lamentations, “easily accessible, Longman provides numerous literary and theological insights into the book”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Each volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series breaks down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers.

They present a careful section-by-section exposition of the biblical books with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated.

Notes at the close of each chapter provide additional textual and technical comments for those who want to dig deeper.”

See more about the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series.

#6

Jeremiah and Lamentations
Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised
by Paul W. Ferris

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Lamentations commentary Expositor's

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Written primarily by expositors for expositors… its stance is that of a scholarly evangelicalism committed to the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible… the chief principle followed in this commentary is the grammatico-historical.”

See more about the Expositor’s Bible Commentary series.

#7

Jeremiah and Lamentations
Preaching the Word
by Philip Graham Ryken

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Lamentations commentary Ryken

Reviews and Accolades:

• Keith Mathison: #3 rated commentary on Lamentations, “a goldmine for preachers and teachers”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “For years, Crossway’s Preaching the Word commentary series has helped pastors, preachers, and anyone who teaches God’s Word to better interpret and apply the message of the Bible.

Under the careful editorial oversight of experienced pastor and best-selling author R. Kent Hughes, this series is known for its commitment to biblical authority, its pastoral tone and focus, and its overall accessibility.” 

See more about the Preaching the Word commentary series.

#8

Lamentations
A Mentor Commentary
by John MacKay

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Lamentations commentary Mackay

Reviews and Accolades:

• Keith Mathison: #5 ranked commentary on Lamentations, “especially helpful for Bible teachers and pastors who are looking for help with exposition of the text”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Mentor books are written at a level suitable for Bible College and seminary students, pastors, and other serious readers.” See more about the Mentor Bible Commentary series.

#9

Lamentations
The Forms of the Old Testament Literature
by Erhard S. Gerstenberger

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Lamentations commentary

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out 5 stars, “an excellent tool for scholars”

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (FOTL) is a series of volumes that seeks to present, according to a standard outline and methodology, a form-critical analysis of every book or unit of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible).

Fundamentally exegetical, each volume examines the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question.

The series also endeavors to study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and to expose the exegetical procedure in such a way as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation.”

#10

Lamentations
Cornerstone Biblical Commentary
by Elmer A. Martens

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Lamentations commentary Martens

Reviews and Accolades:

• Scored 4 out 5 stars by Tremper Longman

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Cornerstone Biblical Commentary series provides students, pastors, and laypeople with up-to-date, accessible evangelical scholarship on the Old and New Testaments.

Presenting the message of each passage, as well as an overview of other issues relevant to the text, each volume equips pastors and Christian leaders with exegetical and theological knowledge so they can better understand and apply God’s Word.”

See more about Cornerstone Biblical Commentaries.

More Book of Jeremiah Commentaries for Christian Ministry

Please read: Why are the Jeremiah commentaries below not in the “Top 10”? It’s not because they have received poor reviews or because people haven’t found them helpful. The reasons vary:

  • Some are relatively new and haven’t been widely reviewed, read, or used yet.
  • Others haven’t been widely distributed, so it is difficult to get enough information to aggregate.
  • Still others may be outdated in relation to biblical scholarship or out of print and difficult to acquire.

The “Top 10” list is reviewed annually. Readers are encouraged to consider the volumes in this section before making a purchase. These 10 are not in any particular order.


Jeremiah and Lamentations
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by R.K. Harrison

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Lamentations commentary by R.K. Harrison

Reviews and Accolades:

• Desiring God: #1 recommended commentary on Lamentations

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.

It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation.

The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”

See more about the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.


Lamentations
New Century Bible Commentary
by Iain Provan

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Lamentations commentary Provan

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 5 out 5 stars, “clearly written and cogent discussions of the book’s difficulties”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Scholarly and comprehensive in scope, The New Century Bible Commentary series has earned wide respect across theological traditions …

Based on the Revised Standard Version, the commentaries are at once accessible and informed, containing clear verse-by-verse exposition and reflecting contemporary debate.”

See more about New Century Bible Commentaries.


Lamentations
Interpretation
by F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp

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Lamentations commentary Interpretation

Reviews and Accolades:

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “Insightful application of the book’s message to the contemporary setting.”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “This series of commentaries offers an interpretation of the books of the Bible. It is designed to meet the need of students, teachers, ministers, and priests for a contemporary expository commentary.

These volumes will not replace the historical critical commentary or homiletical aids to preaching.

The purpose of this series is rather to provide a third kind of resource, a commentary which presents the integrated result of historical and theological work with the biblical text.”

See more about the Interpretation Bible commentary series.


Lamentations
The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
by Delbert R. Hillers

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Lamentations commentary Hillers

Reviews and Accolades:

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “Thorough introduction and commentary, probably the best volume currently available.”

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Anchor Yale Bible Series, previously the Anchor Bible Series, is a renowned publishing program that for more than 50 years has produced books devoted to the latest scholarship on the Bible and biblical topics.”

The series “vigorously pursues the goal of bringing to a wide audience the most important new ideas, the latest research findings, and the clearest possible analysis of the Bible.”

See more about the Anchor Bible Commentary series.


Jeremiah, Lamentations
New American Commentary
by F. B. Huey Jr.

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Lamentations commentary F.B. Huey

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The New American Commentary is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”

This “series has been designed primarily to enable pastors, teachers, and students to read the Bible with clarity and proclaim it with power.”

See more about the New American Commentary series.


The Message of Lamentations
The Bible Speaks Today
by Christopher J. H. Wright

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Lamentations commentary Wright

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: The “the three distinctives of The Bible Speaks Today series are (1) “BST authors are committed to a serious study of the text in its own integrity,” (2) that “expositors should not be antiquarians, living only in the remote past” but suggest application for living, and (3) “each book is intended to be both readable in style and manageable in size.” 

See more about the Bible Speaks Today commentary series.


Jeremiah and Lamentations
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by Hetty Lalleman

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Lamentations commentary Hetty Lalleman

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.

It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation.

The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”


Lamentations
Abingdon Commentary Series
by Diane Bergant

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Lamentations commentary Bergant

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries series offers compact, critical commentaries on all the books of the Old Testament.

In addition to providing fundamental information on and insights into Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful, critical exegesis so as to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed engagement of the biblical texts themselves.

These commentaries are written with special attention to the needs and interests of theology students, but they will also be useful for students in upper-level college or university settings, as well as for pastors and other church leaders.”

See more about Abingdon Commentaries.


Ecclesiastes and Lamentations
New Beacon Bible Commentary
by Stephen J. Bennett

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Lamentations commentary Bennet

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The New Beacon Bible Commentary provides 21st-century scholars, pastors, theological students, and laity an academically competent, readable commentary in the Wesleyan theological tradition.

Each volume features: Contemporary Scholarship from notable experts in the Wesleyan theological tradition.

Convenient introductory material for each book of the Bible, which includes information on authorship, date, history, audience, sociological/cultural issues, purpose, literary features, theological themes, hermeneutical issues, and more.”

See more about New Beacon Bible Commentaries.


Lamentations and Song of Solomon
Belief
by Harvey Cox

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Lamentations commentary Belief

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Building on a wide range of sources from biblical studies, the history of theology, the church’s liturgical and musical traditions, contemporary culture, and the Christian tradition, noted scholars focus less on traditional historical and literary angles in favor of a theologically focused commentary that considers the contemporary relevance of the texts.

This series is an invaluable resource for those who want to probe beyond the backgrounds and words of biblical texts to their deep theological and ethical meanings for the church today.”


Lamentations
International Critical Commentary
by R. B. Salters

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Lamentations commentary Salters

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: The ICC series has “sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis, linguistic and textual no less than archaeological, historical, literary and theological to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testaments…

No attempt has been made to secure a uniform theological or critical approach to the biblical text: contributors have been invited for their scholarly distinction, not for their adherence to any one school of thought.”

See more about the International Critical Commentary series.


Classic Lamentations Commentaries

Jeremiah and Lamentations
Ironside Expository Commentaries
by H.A. Ironside

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Lamentations commentary H.A. Ironside

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: H.A. Ironside (1876-1951) was an internationally acclaimed Bible teacher and preacher, as well as the author of more than sixty books.

His writings include addresses or commentaries on the entire New Testament, all of the Old Testament prophetic books, and a great many volumes on other biblical topics.

For eighteen of his fifty years of ministry, Dr. Ironside was pastor of the historic Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, Ill.


Also see:

Compare 75 different commentary series on the Bible Commentary Series Comparison Chart

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