Bible commentaries on the New Testament book of Romans are listed below. The commentaries listed first are those that have received the best reviews. You will also find options for commentaries on Romans that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the Bible, commentaries that approach the Scripture verse-by-verse, classic Christian commentaries, and much more. (See more about the scholars, pastors, ministries, and schools whose commentary reviews are being utilized.)
Best Reviewed Bible Commentaries on Romans
The Epistle to the Romans (New International Commentary on the New Testament) by Douglas Moo
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Accolades:
D. A Carson: a “best buy” on Romans; “the best Romans commentary for pastors available in English”
Desiring God: a Top 3 recommended commentary on Romans
Craig Blomberg, etal: a “priority” commentary on Romans
Tom Schreiner: recommended; “a careful and theologically astute exposition”
Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Romans; “in terms of intermediate-advanced level commentaries, this one is the best place to begin”
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Written for scholars, pastors, and lay readers alike…undertaken to provide earnest students of the New Testament with an exposition that is thorough and abreast of modern scholarship and at the same time loyal to the Scriptures as the infallible Word of God.” See more about the New International Commentary on the New Testament series.
The Epistle to the Romans (New Testament Commentary) by John Murray
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Accolades:
Desiring God: a Top 3 recommended commentary on Romans
Tom Schreiner: recommended; “worth reading today, especially for its theological depth”
Keith Mathison: #3 ranked commentary on Romans; “a valuable work well worth consulting”
D.A. Carson: “will guide you stolidly with the heavy tread of the proverbial village police officer”
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “In his introduction to the commentary proper, Murray discusses the authorship, occasion, purpose, and contents of Romans and provides important background information on the church at Rome. Murray then provides a verse-by-verse exposition of the text that takes into account key problems that have emerged in the older and newer literature.”
The Epistle to the Romans (International Critical Commentary: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary) by C.E.B. Cranfield
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Accolades:
D. A. Carson: a “best buy” on Romans; “undoubtedly important…provides students with an education in grammatical exegesis”
Craig Blomberg, etal: a “priority” commentary on Romans
Tom Schreiner: recommended: “technical but outstanding commentary,” “rich theological insights”
Keith Mathison: #5 ranked commentary on Romans; “one of the most thorough commentaries on this book”
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 Bible Commentary series.
Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) by Thomas R. Schreiner
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Accolades:
D. A. Carson: a “best buy” on Romans
Desiring God: a Top 3 recommended commentary on Romans
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the Publisher: “The chief concern of the Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (BECNT) is to provide, within the framework of informed evangelical thought, commentaries that blend scholarly depth with readability, exegetical detail with sensitivity to the whole, and attention to critical problems with theological awareness. We hope thereby to attract the interest of a fairly wide audience, from the scholar who is looking for a thoughtful and independent examination of the text to the motivated lay Christian who craves a solid but accessible exposition.” See more about the New International Greek Testament Commentary series.
Romans (Word Biblical Commentary) by James D.G. Dunn
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Accolades:
Tom Schreiner: recommended; “exponent of the ‘new perspective'”
D.A. Carson: “certainly worthy of diligent study”
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.
The Epistle to the Romans (The Pillar New Testament Commentary) by Leon Morris
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Accolades:
Keith Mathison: #4 ranked commentary on Romans; “careful and considered,” “highly recommended”
D.A. Carson: “its strength is the seriousness with which it takes the text”
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Designed for serious pastors and teachers of the Bible, the Pillar commentaries seek above all to make clear the text of Scripture as we have it…[the authors’] ideal is a blend of rigorous exegesis and exposition, with an eye alert both to biblical theology and the contemporary relevance of the Bible.” See more about the Pillar New Testament Commentary series.
Romans (New International Greek Testament Commentary) by Richard N. Longenecker
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Accolades:
Craig Blomberg, etal: a “priority” commentary on Romans
Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary
Purpose: From the publisher: “At a time when the study of Greek is curtailed in many schools of theology, we hope that the NIGTC will demonstrate the continuing value of studying the Greek New Testament… the volumes of the NIGTC are for students who want something less technical than a full-scale critical commentary… the supreme aim of this series is to serve those who are engaged in the ministry of the Word of God and thus glorify God’s name.” See more about the New International Greek Testament Commentary series.
The Message of Romans (The Bible Speaks Today) by John Stott
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Accolades:
Tom Schreiner: recommended; “a meaty exposition with application to today”
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: 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.
Romans (The Pillar New Testament Commentary) by Colin G. Kruse
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Accolades:
D.A. Carson: “Kruse writes with clarity, verve, and good judgment, making this work another favorite for pastors”
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Designed for serious pastors and teachers of the Bible, the Pillar commentaries seek above all to make clear the text of Scripture as we have it…[the authors’] ideal is a blend of rigorous exegesis and exposition, with an eye alert both to biblical theology and the contemporary relevance of the Bible.”
Romans (Crossway Classic Commentary) by Charles Hodge
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Accolades:
Keith Mathison: #2 ranked commentary on Romans; “rich in exegetical and theological insight”
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “For hundreds of years Christendom has been blessed with Bible commentaries written by great men of God highly respected for their godly walk and their insight into spiritual truth. The Crossway Classic Commentaries present the very best work on individual Bible books, carefully adapted for maximum understanding and usefulness for today’s believers.”
Paul’s Letter to the Romans: A Commentary by Peter Stuhlmacher
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Accolades:
Tom Schreiner: recommended; “a helpful brief exposition of Romans”
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “In this book, Peter Stuhlmacher stresses the Old Testament and postbiblical Jewish traditions as the primary backdrop to Paul’s thought, as these traditions were known by Paul himself or mediated to him through Jesus and the early church.”
Romans (The Story of God Bible Commentary) by Michael F. Bird
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Accolades:
Craig Blomberg, etal: a “priority” commentary on Romans
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Story of God Bible Commentary is a new commentary for today’s world. It’s the first commentary series to explain and illuminate each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible’s grand story. This “story-centric” approach makes SGBC a fruitful resource for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and everyday readers.” See more about the Story of God Bible Commentary series.
Romans (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries) by Joseph A. Fitzmyer
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Accolades:
Tom Schreiner: recommended; “a brief commentary, including interaction with the church fathers, by a famous Roman Catholic scholar”
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.
When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel according to Paul by Beverly Roberts Gaventa
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Accolades:
Craig Blomberg, etal: a “priority” commentary on Romans
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Leading New Testament scholar Beverly Roberts Gaventa invites us to linger in Romans. She asks that we stay with the letter long enough to see how Romans reframes our tidy categories and dramatically enlarges our sense of the gospel.”
More Expository Commentaries
Romans (New International Version Application Commentary) by Douglas J. Moo
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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. These are commentaries, not popular expositions. They are works of reference, not devotional literature.” See more about the NIV Application Commentary series.
Romans (For You) by Timothy Keller
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Purpose: From the publisher: “N.T. ‘Tom’ Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to include in them his own translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion, with background information, useful explanations and suggestions, and thoughts as to how the text can be relevant to our lives today. A glossary is included at the end of each volume.”
Romans (Tyndale New Testament Commentary) by F.F. Bruce
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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 New Testament Commentary series.
Romans (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series) by James R. Edwards
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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 series.
Romans (IVP New Testament Commentary) by Grant R. Osborne
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Purpose: From the publisher: “Each volume, informed by the best of up-to-date evangelical scholarship, presents passage-by-passage commentary based on the NIV along with background information on authorship, setting, theme and various interpretive issues… Preachers, teachers, students and other individuals who want to dig deep into the heart of the New Testament will find an indispensable companion in the IVP New Testament Commentary Series.” See more about the IVP New Testament Commentary series.
Romans (New American Commentary) by Robert H. Mounce
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Purpose: From the publisher: “The New American Commentary is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This new 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.
Romans (A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary) by Ben Witherington
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Purpose: From the publisher: “Using sociorhetorical criticism, the New Testament is interpreted within the context of the world in which it was written and read—the rhetorical method makes use of ancient or classical writings and strategies of communication, while the social science method notes issues of cultures and customs.” See more about the Socio-Rhetorical Commentary series.
Romans (Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary) by Everett Harrison and Donald Hagner
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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 – namely, that the primary aim of the exegete is to make clear the meaning of the text at the time and in the circumstances of its writing.” See more about the revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary series, original and revised.
Romans (The Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary) by Douglas Moo
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Purpose: From the publisher: Written especially for the informed layman, student, and scholar, all exegesis and exposition is based on the original languages of the Bible books. Translations used are those of the author. Textual criticism and word study are included where appropriate. This in-depth commentary also includes extended excursuses on important topics of theological, historical, and archaeological interest. The text is interpreted according to a historical, critical, grammatical hermeneutic and propounds a conservative, evangelical theology. But the reader will not get a narrow view of problem passages. This commentary interacts with a range of major views, both evangelical and nonevangelical.”
Technical Commentaries
Romans (Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament) by John D. Harvey
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Purpose: From the publisher: “The Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (EGGNT) closes the gap between the Greek text and the available lexical and grammatical tools, providing all the necessary information for greater understanding of the text. The series makes interpreting any given New Testament book easier, especially for those who are hard pressed for time but want to preach or teach with accuracy and authority… The body is devoted to paragraph-by-paragraph exegesis of the Greek text and includes homiletical helps and suggestions for further study.”
Romans (Paideia Commentary on the New Testament) by Frank J. Matera
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Purpose: From the publisher: “This commentary, like each in the series, approaches each text in its final, canonical form, proceeding by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Each sense unit is explored in three sections: (1) introductory matters, (2) tracing the train of thought, (3) key hermeneutical and theological questions. Graduate and seminary students, professors, and pastors will benefit from this readable commentary, as will theological libraries.”
Romans (Hermeneia) by Robert Jewett and Roy D. Kotansky
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Purpose: From the publisher: “The Hermeneia commentary series seeks to offer authoritative interpretation of the earliest texts of the biblical books… The name Hermeneia, from the Greek, has a rich background in the history of biblical interpretation as a term for the detailed, systematic exposition of a scriptural work. Hermeneia is designed for the serious student of the Bible…The editors of Hermeneia impose no systematic-theological perspective upon the series (directly, or indirectly by selection of authors).” See more about the Hermeneia Bible commentary series.
Classic Christian Commentaries
Commentary on Romans by Martin Luther
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Purpose: Luther’s Commentary on Romans presents the very earliest developments of Luther’s evangelical theology, which he described as “the theology of the Cross.” This popular edition, translated by Theodore Mueller, organizes Luther’s notes for modern readers, using explanatory subheadings and parenthetical comments to clarify the great Reformer’s thoughts. Some views, which Luther later modified or discarded, have been omitted in order to avoid confusion with his later works. The result is a text that is concise, practical, and devotional.
Romans (Geneva Series of Commentaries) by Robert Haldane
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Purpose: From the publisher: “Robert Haldane’s Exposition of Romans, both in its contents and in the power of its influence, stands among the foremost of the many treatments of the epistle. As a commentary, Thomas Chalmers ‘strongly recommended it’; Spurgeon put it in the front rank, and more recently, Martyn Lloyd-Jones owed ‘much profit and pleasure to it’, characterising its contents as unsurpassed in ‘warmth of spirit’ and ‘practical application.'”
Romans (Calvin’s New Testament Commentaries) by John Calvin
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Purpose: From the publisher: “The power of John Calvin’s study of Romans and of 1 and 2 Thessalonians is captured in this superb translation by R. Mackenzie. Precise and authoritative, yet lucid and very readable, this volume will enrich all who are interested in understanding the full breadth and depth of these important sections of Scripture.”
Romans (Ironside Expository Commentaries) by H.A. Ironside
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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.
Augustine on Romans
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Purpose: Propositions from the Epistle to the Romans and Unfinished Commentary on the Epistles to the Romans.
Also see:
- Best New Testament Commentaries – index
- Romans Commentaries for Pastors – focus on application