On the book of James, Dan McCartney, now at Redeemer Theological Seminary in Dallas (formerly at Westminster), has written an accessible, theologically-alert, and exegetically sound commentary: James (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)
. McCartney uses an economy of expression — so though the commentary is not quite as long as some today, there’s plenty of exegetical depth. 

Alongside McCartney’s commentary I want to recommend Peter O’Brien’s brand new commentary on Hebrews in the Pillar series: The Letter to the Hebrews (The Pillar New Testament Commentary)
. Cautious, careful, thorough, and totally rooted in both a theological grip and careful attention to the Greek text. 

You can get folks to roll their eyes just mentioning the Book of Revelation, and mostly they do this because of the utter silliness of so much that is said and believed about the book these days — and, yes, that is a comment about the left behind series and similar observations. The Book of Revelation has been subjected to the highest level of serious scholarship, and I mention five really good commentaries, but before I mention that, here’s a good book on how the Revelation works:

David DeSilva, Seeing Things John’s Way: The Rhetoric of the Book of Revelation
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Now commentaries:

The most extensive, historically-oriented, but theologically disinterested commentary on Revelation is the three-volume set by D. Aune, Revelation 1-5 (Word Biblical Commentary 52a)
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At the other end of the spectrum because it always has its eye on the church and on the preacher and on theology, see G. Osborne, Revelation (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)
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A readable commentary by a life-time scholar on John’s writing is S. Smalley, The Revelation to John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse
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Now only slightly dated, but one of the first to which I turn is G. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich.).)
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This commentary took evangelicals away from silly speculation to a more serious interaction with the text of Revelation is R. Mounce, The Book of Revelation (The New International Commentary on the New Testament)
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No commentary is as complete as JH Elliott on 1 Peter, and it is the result of a career of studies on the letter: 1 Peter (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries).

PJ Achtemeier’s commentary is another landmark by a veteran NT scholar; complete, exegetical and theologically alert: 1 Peter: A Commentary on First Peter (Hermeneia: a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible)

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It feels like an injustice to postpone a commendation of J Ramsey Michaels’ exceptional commentary on 1 Peter to third place, but the competition is stiff; you can’t go wrong with Michaels: Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 49, 1 Peter
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Karen Jobes has a readable, exegetical and solid commentary: 1 Peter (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)
and JB Green, who is a master commentator, has a literary and theologically alert work on 1 Peter:  1 Peter (Two Horizons New Testament Commentary)
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R Bauckham’s commentary on 2 Peter and Jude was ground-breaking in completeness and sensitivity to the Jewish context, drawing these two letters out of worn down theological diatribes and back into original contexts: Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 50, 2 Peter, Jude.

The first time I taught 1 Peter I discovered the quality of insight (and prose) of JND Kelly’s commentary on 1-2 Peter and Jude, and I still turn to this commentary every time I consult commentaries on any of these letters: Epistles of Peter and Jude (NT in Context Commentaries)
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Two more commentaries: Jerome Neyrey 2 Peter, Jude (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)
, and Gene Green: Jude and 2 Peter (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament)
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Now a third for those doing exegesis in the Greek text: Peter Davids, 2 Peter and Jude: A Handbook on the Greek Text (Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament).

We don’t know who wrote Hebrews, but it surely wasn’t Paul even though some still contend he did. Anyway, no major commentary today argues that Paul wrote it, and these are the major ones I turn to … and, once again, there is an abundance of really fine commentaries. No one can suggest we are in serious need of a good commentary on Hebrews. I’m sure I’ve missed some good ones, so speak up if you think I have.

I begin with Harold Attridge, in part because I worked through it carefully with a class years back when it first appeared: Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible)
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After Attridge, I read W.L. Lane’s 2-volume Word commentary: Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 47a, Hebrews 1-8
and Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 47b, Hebrews 9-13
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Then Craig Koester’s more recent Anchor Bible: Hebrews: A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary
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Then Paul Ellingworth’s thoroughgoing commentary in the NIGTC series: The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary)
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And I check Luke Timothy Johnson: Hebrews: A Commentary (New Testament Library)
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When it comes to the Pastoral epistles of 1-2 Timothy and Titus, there is such an abundance of good commentaries that one might say it is is ridiculous. I’m not sure why there are so many top notch, career-shaped commentaries on the Pastorals, but that’s the way it is. Again, what do you find helpful on these letters?

And at the top of the heap, and the only one you need if you have it, is Phil Towner, The Letters to Timothy And Titus (New International Commentary on the New Testament)
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Then, from the evangelical side, I turn to (the incredibly expensive) commentary by I. Howard Marshall, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles (International Critical Commentary) , to William Mounce, Word Biblical Commentary Vol. 46, Pastoral Epistles
and to G.W. Knight III: The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text (New International Greek Testament Commentary)
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Then one can turn to Luke Timothy Johnson, The First and Second Letters to Timothy (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)
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Then to R.F. Collins, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus: A Commentary (New Testament Library)
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And finally to J.D. Quinn, The Letter to Titus (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)
and his never-going-to-end commentary on 1-2 Tim: The First and Second Letters to Timothy
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