Philippians (2nd ed.)

For those who want a volume that’s less imposing than Keown yet still thorough, we recommend the second edition of Silva’s commentary. Silva provides an excellent treatment of the Greek in Philippians. The author writes concisely and charitably about positions to which he’s opposed, yet remains reliable both theologically and linguistically. Silva traces the flow of Paul’s argument, and supports his reading by giving technical attention to the letter’s syntax.

While working through Philippians, this commentary by Moisés Silva proved to be a very helpful resource. It is refreshingly succinct, so he doesn't get lost in secondary sources or prolonged discussions on the opinions of other commentators. Silva tries to get to the heart and intent of each pericope as quick as possible which is very helpful. This also means that he does not always comment on every single word, even though he includes a wealth of additional notes after each pericope which often discuss deeper lexical questions. It is welcomed that these discussions are kept out of the main commentary. Everyone who wants to study Philippians should have this commentary, but I recommend to supplement it with an additional resource that gives some more detailed discussion on each individual verse.

In terms of quality, I think Silva's commentary is the best one out there with Fee's as a close second and O'Brien as 3rd. He won't give you as much as Fee and O'Brien do, so definitely have them for reference, but if I had to recommend only one commentary on Philippians, it would be Silva's.

This is a very well-rounded commentary in an exceptional series written by a knowledgeable New Testament scholar and skilled exegete. Silva’s introduction to the letter is short(ish) but solid. Don’t miss his discussion of the “Exegetical History” of Philippians where he dives into a fascinating discussion on the expositions of Chrysostom, Aquinas, Calvin, and others. Silva’s strengths are his exegetical insights and along side that, his theological insights. [Full Review]

Still one of the very best commentaries on Philippians, by a well-known evangelical NT scholar. [Full Review]

This commentary is now in its second edition and this new edition is considered significantly stronger than the first. Keith Mathison says, “For those who would like something a little less technical, yet still very thorough, I would recommend the commentary by Moises Silva.” Its particular strength is in tracing the flow of Paul’s argument throughout the letter. [Full Review]

Silva’s commentary was one of the earliest in the Baker series, originally a reprint of the 1988 Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary. The second edition adds two sections to the introduction (“Literary Structure” and “Exegetical History”) and the footnotes are expanded to include scholarship since the first edition was printed. The commentary proceeds phrase-by-phrase, with Greek appearing along with transliteration. Text critical notes are included in “additional comments,” which strike me as longer than in other volumes of this series. In fact, at times these notes look more like a Greek-Text commentary than the main body of the work! [Full Review]

The length and format of this book is perfect. This was the first single-book commentary I read, and it was a pleasure reading Silva's commentary on Philippians. I agreed with his exegesis and interpretation at least 9 times out of 10, and my handful of disagreements with him spurred greater mental effort on my part when preparing sermons on Philippians. Silva was scholarly without being overly technical; I highly recommend this commentary to anyone who wishes to preach through Philippians. (However, if you are buying only one commentary on the Philippians, do not purchase this one. The NICNT commentary is a better choice if you wish only to purchase a single commentary.)

A decent expositional commentary. He assumes some knowledge of Greek, but otherwise quite readable.

Another excellent commentary on Philippians. This one has a very interesting introduction that explores the book from a wide variety of angles. The main focus is exegesis, but he gives space to the various theological issues raised, making this a good resource for preachers. Worth getting hold of even if you already have Fee's NICNT, since Silva doesn't always agree with his conclusions. [Full Review]

For those who would like something a little less technical, yet still very thorough, I would recommend the commentary by Moises Silva. This second edition is a great contribution to a growing series of commentaries by Baker. [Full Review]

Silva is sharp and insightful. However, O’Brien (NIGTC, 1991) is also very good. If you like the technical (and do not mind reading NIGTC), get O’Brien; but everyone would benefit from Silva, so he makes my list.

[Full Review]