1 & 2 Timothy & Titus

This lay-level commentary is a concise version of Towner’s NICNT commentary. [Full Review]

Obviously not as thorough and technical as Towner's more recent PE commentary (NICNT) but still an excellent resource. Targeted at lay leaders, pastors, students, this is a good non-technical option. This is among the best volumes in this series, and a great option.

Towner’s recent commentary in the New International Commentary series is an excellent exegetical commentary. The body of the commentary proceeds through the text phrase-by-phrase, with Greek treated in the footnotes in detail. Towner has excellent exegetical notes and also demonstrates a expertise in Greco-Roman literature as well, especially in the virtue / vice lists. I also mention here his IVP volume, written more than ten years before the larger commentary. This series is designed for busy pastors who need a basic commentary, although an interested layman would find this a very readable commentary. His comments are on the English Bible and all references to Greek are in footnotes. [Full Review]

This commentary is huge, so I didn't get to read the whole thing yet. However, I did really enjoy the 86 page intro, and the commentary on 2 Timothy. Towner was very clear in his writing, focused on the text, sensitive to context, and using historical context in a helpful (and not annoying) way. He also occasionally moved his discussion beyond interpretation into a bit of application. Not often, but enough to help the text come alive. All in all, one of the most enjoyable commentaries I've read in a while.

[Full Review]