“I’m not sure why the Bible translation should make a difference in which commentary you should use. There are a number of good commentaries I would suggest such John Gill, Matthew Henry, John Calvin, or even John MacArthur. (Although MacArthur has only a commentary set for the New Testament.) None of these uses the NIV but they are some of the best commentaries I have found.
The NIV is a good translation. If you would like to try to be as accurate as possible in your translation, you might try Bible Gateway or e-Sword which often shows the Greek or Hebrew and provides you with the exact translation.”
I agree with you on this and would add that a few different translations sometimes help in understand the thrust or intent of the original Greek and Hebrew.
It is important to pick one translation and stick with reading it as your primary Bible. I have seen students that would get very mixed up quoting verses because they had not done this and they have mangled verses stuck in there head.
That is true for the most part. I remember I used the Revised Standard Versions for years and years until at a Bible study someone asked me to read a passage out loud. When I read it the leader said, "Er...thanks. Would someone else care to read it." I couldn't believe how much difference there was in the verses. I promptly stopped using the RSV.