Matthew

I think Carson's treatment of Matthew has been reprinted separately from the original volume that also included short commentaries on Mark and Luke. Even if not, don't even think about preaching through Matthew without Carson's work. I'm not persuaded by his interpretation of the Olivet Discourse, but aside from this it is indispensable. [Full Review]

This one seemed to be the best reviewed commentary on Matthew, and so I picked it up to prepare to teach through the book of Matthew, alongside France and Osborne. Of those three, I have found Carson to be the least helpful by far. To be sure, if you’re looking for information on all three of the synoptic gospels, this will definitely be helpful for you, as Carson will constantly compare the three. While this is helpful in some respects, it makes the Matthew section less of a commentary on Matthew itself, and more of a commentary on how the three relate. This causes a lot of information specific to a particular gospel, such as specific themes a particular author chooses to use, to be lost through the trees. In addition, Carson seems to spend a significant amount of print dealing with issues that are not very relevant to understanding the text (in my opinion) which is noteworthy for a commentary on Matthew that is around 600 pages (compared with France at over 1100!). I understand that France is the more technical of the two, but you wouldn’t always know it with all the side trails that Carson chooses to go off on. This was quite disappointing after reading Carson’s commentary on John, which I would call a masterpiece. Overall, I would only recommend this for someone doing a study of all three synoptic gospels concurrently. If you are specifically seeking to teach or understand Matthew, I would not use this commentary. My recommendation would be France.

Admittedly, I'm not a fan of the EBC series. Carson's Matthew section is among the better parts of the series. But with several better options, this one doesn't get much use.

Carson’s work, an older but recently-revised one, consistently ranks in the top one or two for most commentators on the commentaries. You will want to purchase the revised edition (in place of the older two-volume paperback) that is packaged with Mark as Volume 9 of the hardcover EBC series. Of all the commentators, Carson himself seems least impressed with his own work; others are far more lavish with their praise. It ranks as the top suggestion from John Piper and Desiring God among many others. [Full Review]

for an excellent critique of Carson's understanding of the Sermon on the Mount go here - http://www.proginosko.com/welty/carson.htm (written from a reformed perspective).

Excellent!

This award-winning commentary, now available in softcover, includes the full text of the NIV and details scholarly, technical notes and discussions, which provide insights to the Scriptures that are practical to everyday life. [Full Review]

I can’t tell whether this shiny new 2010 revision is much different from the 1984 edition (it doesn’t seem to be). 650 pages of sober, balanced, reasonable commentary. Carson at his best always manages to hit that sweet spot between details and readability. I also made good use of his earlier books, God with Us: Themes from Matthew, The Sermon on the Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5-7, and When Jesus Confronts the World: An Exposition of Matthew 8-10. [Full Review]

Carson once again has written one of the best commentaries on a particular book of the Bible. Clear, easy to read, great pastoral resource Carson's commentary on Matthew, maybe the best out of the Expositor's series. I would even say that his commentary on Matthew is on par with his Pillar commentary on John. With that said, I wish there had been a little more detail in certain areas, though he does deal with the many textual difficulties in Matthew in detail. Some of the theological debates that pop up he may not go into as much detail as I would have liked, Matthew 3:13-17 for example, the Baptism of Christ. All that being said though, one of the best out there on Matthew, especially for a pastor.

An outstanding commentary that perfectly fits the series goals by addressing all the issues that an expositor will be looking for. He addresses not just the meaning and theology of the text, but harmonization with the other gospel accounts, challenges to historicity, and engages with other commentator's interpretations. [Full Review]

Carson is dynamic and fantastic, complete and comprehensive in these volumes on Matthew. The work is a touch heavy on academic detail, but with Carson, this does not impede the general accessibility. A commentary must-have.

It is difficult to decide whether to place Carson or France in the number 1 position because both are such outstanding commentaries. Ultimately, I place France slightly ahead of Carson because of France's interpretation of Matthew 24. Carson's commentary, however, should not be neglected by anyone doing serious study of this Gospel. Carson's work is characterized by careful and sane exegesis and consideration of all interpretive options. His individual commentary in the series is also available separately as a two volume paperback [Full Review]

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