So, you’re standing in a bookstore or scrolling through a digital library, and you see that thick, green-spined volume. It’s the New American Commentary (NAC). For decades, this has been the "meat and potatoes" for pastors, students, and anyone who actually wants to know what a Bible verse means without needing a PhD in Ancient Near Eastern dialects just to get through the first page.
But honestly? Things are changing. If you’ve been looking for a specific volume lately and noticed it’s out of stock or replaced by something called the Christian Standard Commentary (CSC), you aren't imagining things. The landscape of biblical study is shifting, and the NAC is right in the middle of that transition.
Why the New American Commentary still matters
Most people think of commentaries as dusty relics. They aren't. Not this one, anyway. The NAC was built on a very specific promise: that the Bible is 100% trustworthy and that scholarship shouldn't be a barrier to the average person sitting in a pew. It’s "mid-level." That basically means it’s deeper than a devotional but doesn’t get lost in the weeds of technical syntax like some of the more academic sets.
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B&H Publishing (the folks behind it) spent years curating a list of over 40 scholars to write these 43 volumes. We’re talking about big names in the evangelical world—guys like Thomas Schreiner, Craig Blomberg, and Timothy George. They didn't just write to hear themselves talk. They wrote to help people teach.
What’s kinda unique about the NAC is the "Theological Unity" approach. Instead of treating every verse like a floating island, the authors try to show how, say, a weird law in Leviticus actually connects to the bigger story of the whole Bible. It makes the text feel alive rather than just a collection of ancient rules.
The big switch: NAC vs. the Christian Standard Commentary
Here is the part most people get wrong. They think the NAC is just "dead" or "canceled."
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It’s not. It’s being evolved.
B&H has been slowly rolling out the Christian Standard Commentary. Some people see the new covers and assume it’s a totally different series. The reality is more nuanced. The CSC is actually a revision and expansion of the New American Commentary.
- Revision: About half of the volumes in the new CSC series are updated versions of the original NAC books.
- Replacement: The other half are brand new volumes written by different scholars to reflect more recent archaeological finds or linguistic research.
- The Translation Move: The original NAC was famously based on the NIV (New International Version). The new CSC, as you might guess from the name, is built around the CSB (Christian Standard Bible).
This matters because the way we read English changes. A commentary written in 1991 (like James Brooks’ volume on Mark) is still excellent, but it doesn’t address the specific cultural questions or linguistic shifts we’re seeing in 2026.
What really happened with the "New American" name?
Names are weird in the publishing world. When the series launched, "New American" was a brand that signaled a specific kind of conservative, evangelical, and largely Baptist-leaning scholarship. It was a response to the "Broadman Bible Commentary" controversy of the 1960s.
Basically, there was a huge dust-up in the Southern Baptist Convention because the older commentaries were seen as getting a bit too "liberal" for the base. The NAC was the "conservative resurgence" in book form. It was a statement.
Today, that "New American" label feels a bit dated. Most readers now associate the word "Standard" with the CSB translation, which is why the rebranding to CSC makes sense from a business and a clarity standpoint. But if you’re a collector, don't throw away those old NAC hardbacks. Many of them, like Douglas Stuart’s 1,200-page beast on Exodus, are still considered "gold standard" in the field.
Getting the most out of your study
If you're actually going to use these books, don't just read the verse-by-verse notes. The real treasure is in the Introduction section of each volume.
Most people skip the first 50 pages of a commentary. Don’t do that.
The NAC authors spend a ton of time explaining why a book was written and who the original audience was. If you don't understand that the book of Galatians was essentially a "theological rescue mission" for a group of confused churches, the individual verses won't make half as much sense.
Is it worth buying the old volumes now?
Yes, but be smart about it.
You can often find the original NAC volumes at a deep discount on sites like Logos, Accordance, or even used bookstores. Because the series is being "phased up" into the CSC, the older green-jacketed books are becoming bargains.
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If you are a student or a pastor, having the NAC on your shelf is a safe bet. You know you’re getting a perspective that respects the text. You know you aren't going to run into some wild, fringe theory that ignores 2,000 years of church history. It’s stable. It’s reliable.
Actionable steps for your library:
- Check the Translation: If you prefer the NIV, stick with the original NAC. If you’ve moved over to the CSB, start investing in the CSC volumes.
- Prioritize the "Heavy Hitters": If you only buy a few, get Mathews on Genesis, Stuart on Exodus, and Schreiner on 1, 2 Peter and Jude. These are widely regarded as the best in the series.
- Use the Digital Tools: If you use software like Olive Tree, the NAC is often bundled. This allows you to "link" the commentary to your Bible text, so it scrolls as you read. It’s a game-changer for speed.
- Look for the "NAC Studies" series: There is a side series called NAC Studies in Bible & Theology. These aren't verse-by-verse commentaries but deep dives into specific topics like "Believer’s Baptism" or "The Messianic Hope." They are perfect if you want to go beyond the basics.
The New American Commentary might be getting a facelift and a name change, but its DNA—serious study for the sake of the church—isn't going anywhere. Whether you call it NAC or CSC, the goal remains the same: helping you understand what on earth the text is actually saying.