Ross Woods, 2022
The purpose of critical commentaries is to examine the language of the original text, for example, specific meanings of words, different grammatical constructions, and comparison of different source texts. Consequently, they are best for studying the language of the original text. Critical commentaries often include an introduction to the Bible book, which is helpful.
The purpose of expository commentaries is to explain the meaning of the text. To this end, they often include comparisons of competing views of meaning and any relevant historical and cultural factors related to the text. They normally include an introduction to the Bible book, because introductions are necessary to interpreting the text.
These give personal applications, often with some exposition. They are only useful for personal devotions and are not useful for academic study. Matthew Henry’s commentary is the most well known.