There’s a brand-new title in the Bible Gateway Plus library—the Believer’s Bible Commentary (Thomas Nelson). This commentary tackles difficult passages head-on using a balanced approach. It offers a concise, yet thorough set of passage notes that cover every verse of the Bible, which you can open in Bible Gateway right alongside the passages you’re reading (see how Bible Gateway Plus works here).

Unlike other commentaries in the Bible Gateway Plus study library sidebar, the Believer’s Bible Commentary illuminates the meaning of Bible passages by bolding key words and phrases to make it easier to focus on the ways in which God moves through the text. Whereas other commentaries are exceptionally thorough—sometimes overwhelmingly so—Believer’s treats each verse to a comparatively shorter note that concisely explains one or two important points.

I’ve found this particularly helpful when reading poetic and wisdom books like Psalms and Proverbs. In the case of these books, too, the Believer’s Bible Commentary actually has more notes to offer than longer commentaries, such as the well-known Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Zondervan).

Just take a look at the 28 notes it offers on Proverbs 1. Every verse is annotated, most of which are treated to separate notes. This resource can make taking on a book of biblical wisdom far more rewarding. Walking through Proverbs unaided is often an exercise in endurance for those of us who are not Bible scholars—and, while preparing with a book overview is always helpful, once you get down to reading a book like Proverbs on a verse by verse basis, many of us still find it an opaque or monotonous experience.

Believer’s Bible Commentary doesn’t drag you through an essay’s worth of notes for each verse or chapter, and that’s why it’s such a boon when reading Scripture’s wisdom literature. The commentary is content with pointing out contrasts, drawing our attention to metaphors, themes, motifs. And, all the while, its preferred format is to bold the most important words or phrases to ease our way through the passages (especially helpful when navigating the galleries of Solomon’s mind!)

This is all to say that Bible Gateway Plus has such a variety of biblical resources for a reason. For wisdom literature, the Believer’s Bible Commentary is exceptional. Moving on to the prophets, and you may find that Expositor’s Bible Commentary is your go-to resource. It may take some time to discover what reference work makes the most sense to you in your own personal Bible studies, but there are plenty of options available—all of which are worth exploring.

While Bible Gateway Plus definitely makes it simpler to conduct an in-depth and inexpensive Bible study by putting so many resources in one place beside biblical text, it still takes time and effort to explore—we won’t pretend otherwise. After all, what better venture is there to put your time and effort into than in being a student of God’s Word? But don’t take our word for it. Get into Bible Gateway Plus and explore for yourself right now!