Summary
We find Plumer offers a vast storehouse of doctrinal and practical help, keeping us close to the text while drawing out uses for prayer and praise. It is an older work, yet it repeatedly drives us back to Scripture, and it refuses to let us treat the passage as a set of religious slogans.
Because it is written for spiritual profit, it often pauses to press truth onto conscience, worship, and daily obedience. That makes it a helpful companion when we want our preaching to be both substantial and searching.
Why Should I Own This Commentary?
We should own this commentary when we want the kind of slow, text shaped reasoning that strengthens preaching over years, not just weeks. It is not built around modern debate, but around the steady labour of opening the passage and applying it to the heart.
We also benefit from its theological weight. It helps us see how doctrine lives in the text, and how the text trains the church to trust Christ, repent of sin, and endure with hope.
Closing Recommendation
We recommend this as a strong choice for pastors and serious readers who want historic Reformed exposition that feeds proclamation. It works best when we read it alongside our own close work in the passage, letting it sharpen our judgment and deepen our pastoral instincts.
As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.
William S Plummer
William Swan Plumer (1802 to 1880) was an American Presbyterian pastor and theologian of the nineteenth century, shaped by Old School Reformed convictions and a strong concern for practical godliness.
He served in parish ministry, edited Presbyterian periodicals, and taught theology, yet his widest influence came through his books. Plumer wrote extensively for the pulpit and for the pew, producing substantial commentaries and devotional works that aim to keep readers close to Scripture while pressing its truth into conscience and conduct.
He is still read because he blends doctrinal steadiness with plain, searching application. He is not interested in novelty. He aims to help us preach Christ, expose sin honestly, and strengthen believers in the ordinary disciplines of grace. Recommended titles include his Commentary on Romans, his Commentary on the Psalms, and Hints and Helps in Pastoral Theology.
Theological Perspective: Reformed