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Free Online Bible Commentary from the Early Church

What the first Christians wrote on each verse — not a modern commentary.

Bible commentary noun Writing that explains the Bible, book by book and verse by verse.

Where can I read a free Bible commentary online?

Short answer

Right here, free, with no sign-up. This is an early-church commentary: what Christians of the first 300 or so years, plus John Chrysostom, wrote about the Bible, verse by verse, in their own words. It is not a modern verse-by-verse commentary like Matthew Henry’s. Open any verse in the audio Bible and choose Early Church to see more than 5.4 million links on over 37,000 Bible verses.

Or tap a famous verse:

Read: pick a book Listen: audio commentary Learn: where to start

Behind the title: Papyrus 46, a page of Paul’s letters copied about AD 200. Chester Beatty Library; public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Free for everyone
  • No sign-up, no ads
  • Every book of the Bible
  • Read or listen on any phone

Start here

How do I find the commentary on my verse?

Pick a book, then a chapter. The chapter opens in the free audio Bible. Then press and hold the verse (phone) or right-click it (computer), and choose Early Church.

Under each book: its passage studies, audio course, Chrysostom’s homilies (to read) and the oldest commentaries.

The Law5 books · 22 passage studiesGenesis to Deuteronomy
History12 books · 9 passage studiesJoshua to Esther
Poetry and Wisdom5 books · 25 passage studiesJob to Song of Solomon
The Prophets17 books · 21 passage studiesIsaiah to Malachi
Gospels and Acts5 books · 55 passage studiesMatthew to Acts
The Letters21 books · 63 passage studiesRomans to Jude
Revelation1 book · 4 passage studiesThe last book

Good to know: if the audio Bible says it is busy, wait a minute and try again — or use the passage studies and the library, which always open.

What no other site has (that we know of)

What does this commentary have that others don’t?

The big commentary sites mostly carry commentaries from the Reformation to today. This one goes back to the first Christians, and much of it you can listen to. We know of no other site that has these things together.

  • 5.4 million+

    links

    The Early Church verse panel

    Open any verse and see what the early Christians wrote about it — more than 5.4 million links across over 37,000 verses.

    Try it on John 3:16

  • 640

    timed clips

    Romans: hear the comment on the verse

    In Romans, tap a verse and hear the early-church comment on it read aloud inside the lesson — 640 clips. We know of no other site that has this.

    Try it on Romans 8:28

  • 156

    works read aloud

    A narrated early-church library

    Listen free: 156 early Christian writings read aloud — over 300 hours.

    Open the library

  • 69

    audio lessons

    All of Romans, verse by verse

    All of Romans, verse by verse, in 69 free audio lessons (about 20 hours).

    Start Romans

  • 199

    passage studies

    What does this passage mean?

    199 passage studies: what the early Christians said a passage means, with their own words.

    Browse the studies

  • 25

    topic pages

    The Sermon on the Mount

    The Sermon on the Mount, passage by passage, in the words of 37 early Christian writers — about 15 hours you can listen to.

    Open the 25 topics

  • 200s

    AD

    The oldest commentaries

    Read or listen to the oldest Bible commentaries: Origen on John and Matthew, Victorinus on Revelation, and Hippolytus’s writings on Daniel.

    See the oldest

  • 17

    New Testament books

    Chrysostom’s homilies

    Read John Chrysostom’s sermons that walk verse by verse through 17 books of the New Testament.

    Read the homilies

Four ways in

Where would you like to start?

Read

Study one verse

Open the verse in the audio Bible. Press and hold it (phone) or right-click it (computer). Choose Early Church to see what they wrote.

Open John 3:16Pick another verse

Read and listen

Study a whole book

Take Romans: hear all 69 lessons, read Chrysostom’s homilies on Romans, then read its 12 passage studies.

Start with RomansSee every book

Listen

Listen while you drive

156 early-church works read aloud (over 300 hours), the Sermon on the Mount (about 15 hours) and Romans (about 20 hours). Press play and go.

Listen to the libraryAudio commentary

What is a Bible commentary?

Short answer

A Bible commentary explains the Bible passage by passage, often verse by verse. It tells you what the words meant, how a verse fits its chapter, and how the rest of Scripture sheds light on it. A study Bible gives short notes at the foot of the page; a commentary goes deeper.

Christians were writing commentaries by the early 200s (see the oldest commentary). Here you read those early comments next to the verse itself.

A verse, then a comment on it

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

“The success is not my own, but His, who has given me strength.”

John Chrysostom, Homilies on Philippians, Homily 15 · Read it

Go deeper

Chrysostom’s homilies on PhilippiansHow to use a commentary

How do I use a Bible commentary?

Short answer

Read the verse first, and if you can, listen to the whole chapter. Then read the comment. Ask what the writer saw in the verse, and check it against the verses around it and the cross references. Compare more than one writer. Where the early Christians agree, you are hearing a shared witness.

  1. 1Read or listen to the chapter in the audio Bible.
  2. 2Open Early Church on the verse you are asking about.
  3. 3Check the words with about 440,000 cross references, the Greek and Hebrew interlinear and Strong’s concordance.
  4. 4Compare writers, then pray over it. A daily devotional helps you keep going.

What is the best free Bible commentary?

Short answer

It depends on what you want. For a modern pastor’s or scholar’s explanation, the well-known classic commentaries are free on several large Bible sites. If you want to know how the earliest Christians understood a verse, in their own words and often read aloud, that is what this commentary gives you, free.

Many readers use both: a modern commentary for background, and the early church as a witness to what the apostles taught.

Pick by what you need

“I want a modern explanation.”
A classic verse-by-verse commentary. See the comparison.
“What did the first Christians say?”
The Early Church panel in the audio Bible.
“I would rather listen.”
The audio commentaries on Romans and Matthew.

Go deeper

Why is this commentary different? (short audio)Compare the kinds

What did the early Christians say about a verse?

Short answer

Open the chapter in the audio Bible. Press and hold the verse on a phone, or right-click it on a computer, then choose Early Church. You will see what early Christian writers said about that verse, each with a link to read the whole passage.

Try it on John 3:16Open the audio Bible
The audio Bible open at John 3 with the Early Church panel on verse 16: John Chrysostom, Homilies on John, chapter 27, with a Read in context button.
What you see: the Early Church panel on John 3:16, which has 204 passages linked to it.

Famous verses, as the first Christians explained them

Oldest first. Each comment is copied word for word from the writing on our site. Press Listen to hear it read aloud, or Read to see it in its place.

  1. 1st centuryc. AD 96

    Isaiah 53:3

    He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

    “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come with pride or arrogance, even though He could have, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared about Him.”

    Clement of Rome, 1 Clement, chapter 16 · Read it in context
    Listen: 1 Clement 16Read Isaiah 53

    Passage study: Isaiah 52:13–53:12

  2. 2nd centuryc. AD 155

    Matthew 5:44

    But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

    “We used to hate and destroy one another. Because of their different customs, we would not live with people from a different tribe. Now, since Christ came, we live closely with them. We pray for our enemies.”

    Justin Martyr, Sermon on the Mount: Love Your Enemies · Read it in context
    Listen: Love Your EnemiesRead Matthew 5

    Passage study: Matthew 5:38–48

  3. Turn of the 3rd centuryc. AD 200

    Matthew 6:9

    After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

    “In the Lord’s Prayer, there is a summary of the whole Gospel. The prayer begins with a witness about God and with the reward of faith when we say, ‘Our Father in the heavens.’”

    Tertullian, Sermon on the Mount: The Lord’s Prayer · Read it in context
    Listen: The Lord’s PrayerRead Matthew 6

  4. 3rd centuryc. AD 230

    John 1:1

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

    “The Word was always with the Father, and so it is said, ‘And the Word was with God.’ He did not come to God.”

    Origen, Commentary on John, Book II · Read it in context
    Listen: Origen on JohnRead John 1

    Passage study: John 1:1–18

  5. 3rd centuryc. AD 256

    1 Corinthians 13:13

    And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

    “Love is the bond of brotherhood, the foundation of peace, and the firm support and security of unity. It is greater than both hope and faith. It surpasses both good works and martyrdoms.”

    Cyprian of Carthage, On the Advantage of Patience · Read it in context
    Listen: Cyprian on patienceRead 1 Corinthians 13

    Passage study: 1 Corinthians 13

  6. 3rd centuryc. AD 260

    Revelation 21:12

    And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

    “We believe the twelve gates are the number of the apostles. They shine in the four virtues like precious stones.”

    Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse, ch. 19 · Read it in context
    Listen: Victorinus on RevelationRead Revelation 21

    Passage study: Revelation 21:1–8

  7. 4th centuryc. AD 390

    Romans 8:28

    And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

    “Now when he says ‘all things,’ he includes even the things that seem painful. Even if tribulation, poverty, imprisonment, famine, death, or anything else whatever comes upon us, God is able to turn all these things into their opposite.”

    John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans, Homily 15 · Read it in context
    Read: Homily 15 on RomansListen: the Romans 8:24–28 lesson

    Passage study: Romans 8:18–39

  8. 4th centuryc. AD 400

    Hebrews 11:1

    Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

    “For since the things hoped for seem to have no substance, faith gives them substance. Or rather, it does not give it, but is itself their substance.”

    John Chrysostom, Homilies on Hebrews, Homily 21 · Read it in context
    Read: Homily 21 on HebrewsListen to Hebrews 11

    Passage study: Hebrews 11

Meet the writers

45 early Christian writers have their own page in the library. Start with these:

What is the oldest Bible commentary?

Short answer

The oldest Christian Bible commentary that survives whole is usually said to be Hippolytus’s Commentary on Daniel, from the early 200s. Origen wrote the first known commentary on Matthew, and Victorinus of Pettau wrote the oldest commentary on Revelation that has come down to us, around AD 260. You can read and hear their work here.

Dates and “oldest” claims come from the sources under the timeline. Our library has Hippolytus’s writings on Daniel (fragments and Christ and Antichrist), the surviving books of Origen on John and on Matthew, and Victorinus’s commentary on Revelation.

A page of Papyrus 66, an early copy of the Gospel of John written in Greek capital letters on brown papyrus, about AD 200.
A page of John’s Gospel copied about AD 200 (Papyrus 66) — the same years the first commentaries were written. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
  1. c. 170s

    Heracleon on John a Gnostic teacher

    The first known commentary on a New Testament book. He was not a voice of the church; his comments survive only as quotes in Origen’s replies.1

  2. c. 202–211

    Hippolytus on Daniel

    Called the oldest Christian commentary that survives complete.2

    Read or listen Hippolytus’s fragments · Christ and Antichrist

  3. 200s

    Origen on John and on Matthew

    The first known commentary on Matthew.3

    Read or listen Origen on John (mostly John 1–2) · Origen on Matthew

  4. c. 260

    Victorinus on Revelation

    The oldest commentary on Revelation that has come down to us,4 written about 260.5

    Read or listen Commentary on the Apocalypse

  5. late 300s

    John Chrysostom

    Verse-by-verse sermons on 17 New Testament books.

    Read (text only) His homilies, book by book

Sources for these dates
  1. Wikipedia, “Heracleon” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleon). Back
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Commentary on Daniel” (britannica.com/topic/Commentary-on-Daniel). Back
  3. Oxford University Press, The Commentary of Origen on the Gospel of St Matthew (global.oup.com). Back
  4. Bart D. Ehrman, “Who Knew? Our Oldest Commentary on the Book of Revelation,” The Bart Ehrman Blog, October 12, 2021 (ehrmanblog.org). Back
  5. Wikipedia, “Victorinus of Pettau” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorinus_of_Pettau), for the date. Back

For the car, the kitchen, the walk

Is there an audio Bible commentary I can listen to?

Short answer

Yes. All of Romans is taught verse by verse in 69 free audio lessons, about 20 hours. Matthew chapters 1–13 has 16 audio lessons, about 9 hours, and the Sermon on the Mount has 25 topic pages you can listen to. You can also hear 156 early Christian writings read aloud, over 300 hours.

Free lessons by David Bercot that go through the text with the early Christians. No sign-up.

The Good Shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders, an early Christian wall painting in the Catacomb of Callixtus, Rome.
The Good Shepherd, Catacomb of Callixtus, Rome, 3rd century. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

69 audio lessons · about 20 hours

Romans, verse by verse

One lesson per passage, Romans 1:1 to 16:27, each with a transcript that follows the words.

Romans commentary, chapters 1–8Romans commentary, chapters 9–16

Start with a lesson

Wondering how this differs from other commentaries? Hear the teacher’s short answer.

Is this commentary verse by verse?

Short answer

Yes, in three ways. The Early Church panel works on single verses. John Chrysostom’s sermons walk verse by verse through 17 books of the New Testament. And the Romans course takes one passage per lesson, from Romans 1:1 to 16:27. The panel is strongest in the New Testament.

About 9 in 10 New Testament verses have a best-match or on-this-verse early-church passage. The Old Testament has fewer, but almost every verse still has links.

A sermon that walks verse by verse: John 1:1–2

“just as the words, ‘In the beginning was the Word,’ show His eternity, so the words, ‘was in the beginning with God,’ have declared to us His co-eternity”

John Chrysostom, Homilies on John, Homily 4 · Read it

Go deeper

All 199 passage studiesThe studies, book by book

Did John Chrysostom write a Bible commentary?

Short answer

Yes, in the form of sermons. John Chrysostom, a preacher of the late 300s, preached series of homilies that explain books of the Bible verse by verse. Our library has his homilies on 17 New Testament books to read, including Matthew (to chapter 18), John, Acts, Romans, the Corinthian letters and Hebrews.

Text only for now Chrysostom’s homilies are to read on this site; they are not narrated yet.

Chrysostom on Matthew 5:44

“For He did not say, do not hate, but love. He did not say, do not injure, but do good.”

John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew, Homily 18 · Read it

John Chrysostom’s homilies, book by book

Show all 17 booksShow fewer

Homilies on Matthew has Homilies 1–60, up to Matthew 18:15. All of his works: the John Chrysostom collection · about John Chrysostom.

An honest comparison

Free online Bible commentaries compared

Short answer

The classic verse-by-verse commentaries from the 1700s and 1800s, and modern teachers’ commentaries, are free on many Bible sites. Study Bibles add short notes. This page gives you something older: what the earliest Christians wrote about each verse, free to read and often to hear.

Kinds of free online Bible commentary
KindFor exampleWhen writtenWhat it gives youOn this site?
Classic verse-by-verse commentariesBarnes, Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown1700s–1800sOne author or team explaining every verseNo — free on many other Bible sites
Modern commentariesEnduring Word (David Guzik) and othersRecentA present-day teacher’s explanationNo — free on other sites
Early-church commentary This pageClement of Rome, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Hippolytus, Cyprian, John ChrysostomAbout AD 96 to the late 300sWhat the first Christians wrote about the verse, in their own words — plus audio lessonsYes, free, to read and often to hear
Study Bible notesAn editorial teamModernShort notes under the text, introductions, mapsNot our focus; we have cross references, Strong’s and an interlinear
Catena (“chain”)Later editors who gathered earlier writers’ commentsLater centuriesA chain of early comments, verse by verse6Our Early Church panel works in a similar way

Commentaries named in this table are listed only to explain the kinds; we do not host them. 6. Wikipedia, “Catena (biblical commentary).”

More short answers

Questions people ask about free Bible commentaries

Is this Bible commentary really free? Do I need an account?

Yes, it is free. You do not need an account, and there are no ads or paywalls. Open a verse and read or listen.

Is there a Bible commentary by the Church Fathers?

Yes. The early Christians did not write one book covering the whole Bible, but they wrote commentaries, sermons and letters that explain verse after verse. We gather them by verse in the audio Bible’s Early Church panel, and our Church Fathers commentary page shows how it works. The library holds Christians of the first 300 or so years, plus John Chrysostom. The panel also shows a few later writers.

Do you have the classic commentaries too?

No. The classic and modern commentaries in the comparison above are free on other Bible sites. This site gives you something older: what the early Christians wrote about the Bible, which you can use alongside any of them.

What is a catena?

A catena, Latin for “chain,” is a commentary built by gathering earlier writers’ comments, mostly the early Christians, verse by verse. The best known is Thomas Aquinas’s Catena Aurea on the four Gospels.

Is it Catholic, Protestant or Orthodox?

The early Christians wrote long before the church divided into Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant, and all of those traditions read them. We let them speak in their own words, as witnesses to what the apostles taught.

Which Bible translations can I read it with?

The audio Bible has the King James, New King James, English Standard and World English Bible narrated, and over 2,000 translations with audio. While you read, open Early Church on any verse.

What if the audio Bible says it is busy?

Wait a minute and try again. In the meantime, the passage studies, the library and the courses always open, and every book above has links to them.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. On a phone, press and hold a verse, then choose Early Church. The writings, lessons and devotionals all play on a phone, so you can listen while you drive or walk.

Why read commentary from the first 300 years?

These writers lived closest to the apostles. Some of them learned from people who had known the apostles. They are not Scripture, but they show how the first churches understood it, before later arguments shaped how we read it.

Why is your commentary different from other commentaries?

Most commentaries give one later author’s view. Ours sets the early Christians beside the verse, and our teacher explains it in light of what they wrote. Our teacher explains why in a short audio lesson.

Where to go next

More Bible commentary on The Historic Faith

Commentary by verse

Audio commentaries

The oldest commentaries

Study tools

All 199 passage studies, book by bookShow the list

The Law

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

History

Joshua

Judges

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

2 Chronicles

Poetry and Wisdom

Job

Psalms

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

The Prophets

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Daniel

Jonah

Micah

Gospels and Acts

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

The Letters

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

1 John

Jude

Revelation

Revelation

Coming soon

  • Early church commentary on John
  • Early church commentary on Revelation
  • The oldest Bible commentaries, a timeline
  • Audio Bible commentary

Updated · Bible text: King James Version (public domain). Early Christian quotes are copied word for word from the writings in our library. · Back to the top