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Style Guide for Research Papers: Citing Commentaries

This is the style guide for assignments in courses offered by the departments of Bible & Theology, Practical Theology, and Intercultural Studies

Citing Commentaries

The examples below provide guidance for how to cite sources in footnotes (N), in shortened footnotes (SN), and in the bibliography (B). If you are using a program to help format your citations, set it to "Turabian" or "Chicago," "notes-bibliography," and then correct the result so that it follows the requirements in this guide. 

Commentaries that are not published as part of a series are cited like a regular book: author's name, commentary title, city of publication, publisher, are part of a series year.

Commentaries that are part of a series require the author’s name, commentary title, volume number (if applicable), commentary series name, editor (if it is an article is from a single-volume commentary), page range (if it is a section of a bigger volume), city of publication, publisher’s name, and year of publication.

If there is a volume number associated with a commentary, include it after the series name but do not include the words “volume” or “number.” If the series divides the number further include the subdivisions.

Some commentaries combine treatment of multiple books of the Bible into a single volume. Each chapter is usually written by a different author, so cite the author of the individual chapter that that you are citing. The editor will be noted in the middle of your citation, as follows: author's name, chapter title, italicized volume title, editor, publishing company, publisher, year of publication, page number. Note that the bibliography includes the whole page range for the chapter and includes it early in the citation.

Some commentaries combine treatment of multiple books of the Bible into more than one volume. Each chapter is usually written by a different author, so cite the author of the individual chapter that informs your writing. The editor has her or his own place in the middle of you citation. For multi-volume works, include the volume number in addition to the page number, separating them by a colon (Vol #:Page #). See "A Commentary Chapter within a Volume within a Multivolume Work" for an example.

Independent Commentary

N:                    1. Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002), 12.

SN:                  3. Hoehner, Ephesians, 29.

B:        Hoehner, Harold. Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.

A Commentary Chapter within a Single Volume

Some commentaries combine treatment of multiple books of the Bible into a single volume. Each chapter is usually written by a different author, so begin by citing the author of the individual chapter that you are citing. Cite the editor after the volume title, as in the following examples.

N:                    1. Paul John Isaak, “Luke,” in Africa Bible Commentary, ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 1210.

SN:                  3. Isaak, “Luke,” 1215.

B:        Isaak, Paul John. “Luke.” Pages 1203-1250 in Africa Bible Commentary. Edited by Tokunboh Adeyemo. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.

Commentary in a Series

N:                    1. Lynn H. Cohick, The Letter to the Ephesians, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020), 73.

SN:                  3. Cohick, Ephesians, NICNT, 73.

B:        Cohick, Lynn H. The Letter to the Ephesians. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020.

Numbered Commentary as Part of a Series

If there is a volume number associated with a commentary, include it after the series name but do not include the words “volume” or “number.” If the series divides the number further as in the second example, include the subdivisions.

N:                    1. Gerald L. Keown, Pamela J. Scalise, and Thomas G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52, Word 27 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 82.

SN:                  3. Keown, Scalise, and Smothers, Jeremiah, 96.

B:        Keown, Gerald L., Pamela J. Scalise, and Thomas G. Smothers. Jeremiah 26-52. Word 27. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

N:                    1. Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1-13, Word 33A (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 12.

SN:                  3. Hagner, Matthew 1-13, 26.

B:        Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1-13. Word 33A. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.

A Commentary Chapter within a Volume within a Multivolume Work

Some commentaries combine treatment of multiple books of the Bible into more than one volume. Each chapter is usually written by a different author, so cite the author of the individual chapter that informs your writing. The editor has her or his own place later on in the citation. Clarify the volume number in addition to the page number, separating them by a colon (:). In the first example, below, the Judith commentary is in volume three of the New Interpreter’s Bible. 

N:                    1. Laurence M. Wills, NIB 3:1154.

SN:                  3. Wills, NIB 3:1154.

B:        Wills, Lawrence M. “Judith.” Pages 1074-183 in 1 & 2 Kings; 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Tobit, Judith. Vol. 3 of New Interpreter’s Bible. Edited by Leander E. Keck. Nashville: Abingdon, 1999.


N:                    1. Walter L. Liefeld and David W. Pao, REBC 10:25.

SN:                  3. Liefeld and Pao, REBC 10:33.

B:        Liefeld, Walter L. and David W. Pao. “Luke.” Pages 19-356 in Luke-Acts. Vol. 10 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Rev. ed. Edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.