Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

Matthew Henry’s An Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, known more popularly as Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, has been widely known and used for centuries. This is not surprising, since it provides an exhaustive treatment of every verse of the Bible. Naturally, it his claim to fame. His entire reputation rests upon this renowned commentary, Though when Henry died in 1714, he had not quite finished it—he only made it through Acts—others who were well-acquainted with his line of thinking finished it for him.

Yet I have no recollection of hearing any references to this grand and impressive six-volume masterpiece during my entire tenure of seminary education.

This might have been due to the fact that Henry was not Lutheran. He was born in 1662, the son of a Puritan pastor, Philip Henry, until he entered the Thomas Doolittle academy from 1680-1682. He was himself ordained a Presbyterian pastor and served in this capacity from 1687 until his death. And his work was praised by Charles Spurgeon: "First among the mighty for general usefulness we are bound to mention the man whose name is a household word, Matthew Henry. He is most pious and pithy, sound and sensible, suggestive and sober, terse and trustworthy." But such approbation by the 19th century Baptist preacher is perhaps rightly seen among Lutheran scholars as a strike against it, not for.

There is also an abundance of pithy Matthew Henry quotes one can call upon in Pinterest, most of which are pretty good, but some of which tend to show is Calvinist colors.

Or maybe the silence of seminary educators about this resource was because the commentary is not as much a work in the genre of critical scholarship as it is a meditative and devotional reflection. We have, after all, Kretzmann and Lenski, among other Lutheran resources that provide academic helps in abundance.

But the fact that it’s more meditational than academic may be what I like so much about it. It’s certainly not at all lacking in scholarship, but it’s also reflective and devotional. The Sacred Scriptures do not belong in a laboratory or think-tank. Their home is the church, not the classroom.

There’s also the brilliance of Henry’s eighteenth-century English. This serves to bring out, in my estimation, the beauty embedded in the Sacred Scriptures themselves. (This is also one reason I happen to prefer the KJV, but that’s another story.)

Although of course pastors and scholars should take this, like any Reformed resource, with the proverbial grain of Lutheran salt, I am frankly quite pleased with the kind of commentary this is, particularly when it comes to sermon preparation.  Henry’s comprehensive knowledge of the Scriptures is especially impressive and helpful, as he routinely draws upon related passages not merely for other uses of words, as we expect in a concordance, but for other passages that would have a significant bearing on the import of a passage and its context, rather like the early fathers of the church so effortlessly did. Henry is at home in the word of God, the whole word of God. He blends scholarship and research with personal edification when dealing with the Bible, as it should be.

Matthew Henry’s commentary is a true treasure, notwithstanding the fact that Spurgeon would agree!

What’s more, you can either purchase the entire set for a mere $67, a steal, or, better still, use it online without paying a cent.  Among other sites is the most helpful Bible Gateway, where an abridged version is available for free. You can’t beat that.