Understanding Concordances: A Comprehensive Guide on When and How to Utilize Them
Understanding Concordances:
A Comprehensive Guide on When and How to Utilize Them
You may have already come across some information about the Concordance in our bi-monthly email Bible Study Tips. If you are not currently receiving those notifications and would like to be added to the list, please click the button.
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*If you already read it or want to skip it, click [here] and it will take you to the rest of the blog. If you are interested in delving into the nerdy side of the concordance and learning about its history, you can click [here]. I find it to be quite fascinating.
Hello there,
Welcome to our very first Bible Study Tips email. I've been wanting to do this for so long, and guess what? It's finally happening! Oh, I can feel the excitement! 2024 is definitely going to be OUR year! This year, let's promise to do three things together: (1) Study Scripture well and intentionally; (2) show up and be consistent; and (3) make Hell wish it never existed. Are you in?
If you're still reading this, you either said, "Yes, I'm in" or "I'll bite and see what she has to say." Either way, I knew I could count on you, sis! I thought I'd kick off this email with a story that you might find relatable. Jessica (who is entirely fictional) grabbed her Bible and began reading. She came across a popular and sometimes abused verse, which was Genesis 2:18. It says, “The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone.' I will make a helper suitable for him.” (NIV) She had heard that the Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the "helper" in other parts of Scripture, and she just wanted to verify if that was true. So, she grabbed her Strong's Concordance and realized that this verse wasn't listed under the index for "helper." She was really confused and frustrated. Have you ever gone through this before?
I am slightly embarrassed to say that I found myself in the same boat as Jessica before, but if I've learned anything, it's that I should be open about what I've learned and never assume it's common knowledge. For that reason, we wrote a blog all about Concordances so if you aren't familiar with it, you can get acquainted.
So what was it not there? The Strong's Concordance was commissioned to be used alongside the King James Version (KJV) under the direction of James Strong. She was reading from the New International Version (NIV). When you use this tool, you MUST make sure that your Bible translation matches the translation of the Concordance.
That's right, ladies, concordances ARE NOT one size fits all. There are also different types of concordances, but you can learn more about them on the blog.
And there you have it. I hope this has provided some insight that can be applied in the future. If you are interested in receiving more content similar to this, please refer to the P.S. section below and make sure to sign up for Bible Study Tips. You can expect to receive a “Tip” every first and third Tuesday of the month.
[welcome to the rest of the blog]
Let's start by discussing a few of our favorite reasons for using a concordance.
A concordance is a valuable tool for researching a particular word and its usage in other passages of Scripture.
Over the past few years, I have developed a keen interest in the geographical settings mentioned in Scripture. This experience has enhanced my familiarity with the text and deepened my understanding of the culture. While I was reading about Joshua and his spies near Jericho, I decided to take advantage of my Concordance to explore other instances where Jericho was mentioned in Scripture. In the book of Nehemiah, it is revealed that certain men from Jericho played a role in the construction of a portion of the sheep gate. (Nehemiah 3:2) Then, we see Jesus and His disciples make their way to Jericho, where they encounter Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1–10). This insight helped me gain a better understanding of the location and the people there.
A concordance is a useful tool for quickly determining the frequency of any word's usage in the Bible.
A concordance is helpful when you want to do a word study.
The initial step in conducting a word study is to discover the Greek or Hebrew translation of the word. Each word in the concordance is assigned a corresponding number. This number corresponds to the numbers found at the back of the index, which provide the Greek or Hebrew equivalents.
How to use a concordance
For this example, I am using Goodrick, Edward W., John R. Kohlenberger, and John R. Kohlenberger. The NIV Exhaustive Concordance. Zondervan Publishing Company, 1990.
Search for the word "Jericho." Next to it is a number in parentheses (62). This translation uses the word "Jericho" a total of 62 times. Below this word, you will find some verses. The word "Jericho" is located where the letter J appears in that verse. Next, you will be able to observe the number 3735. This number is associated with Jericho where it is mentioned in the Old Testament, indicating its connection to the Hebrew language. You will find the number 2637 towards the bottom. We can infer that this number is linked to Jericho in the New Testament, indicating that it corresponds to the Greek language.
Find the number 3735. In this concordance, Hebrew words have 1-4 digits, while Aramaic words have 5 digits.
To the right, you will see the word Jericho written in the Hebrew language.
Next to that is the part of speech. [noun, proper noun, location]
Then the frequency of this word in the Old Testament. [
Jericho is mentioned (57) times in the OT.]
The number of a word that is cognate to this one comes after that.
After that, the word is presented in English.
Then, this concordance lists how the word can also be used.
Finally, we see that this word is translated as “Jericho” in the Old Testament (56) times. It is translated as “there” (1). “There” has a little “s” next to it meaning it is a substitution word.
Every concordance will have a key that walks you through each of these.
Find the number 2637.
To the right, you will see the word Jericho written in the Greek language.
Next to that is the part of speech. [noun, proper noun]
Then the frequency of this word in the New Testament. [
Jericho is mentioned (7) times in the NT.]
Then, this concordance lists how the word can also be used.
Finally, we see that this word is translated as Jericho in the New Testament (6) times. It is untranslated (1) time.
Every concordance will have a key that walks you through each of these.
Now, let's discuss the three mistakes that people commonly commit when using a concordance.
They are not aligning the translation of Scripture they are using with the translation in the concordance.
They lack knowledge about the distinctions between Compact Concordance, Complete Concordance, and Exhaustive Concordance.
Determining the difference is not a straightforward task. Publishers have the authority to decide which name to include on the concordance. In general, compact concordances are smaller in size and exclude commonly used words such as "the," "and," and "but." There is no committee responsible for determining which concordance receives which title.
Instead of using concordances, they rely on searching words on Google. This is not necessarily a negative aspect, although it can occasionally become convoluted.
The history of the concordance
The first English-printed concordance only included the New Testament. It was created by a Cambridge-trained (and possibly Oxford too) doctor-turned-printer named Thomas Gibson. It was called The concordance of the new testament, most necessary to be had in the handes of all soche, as desire the communicacion of any place contayned in the new testament,’ London, 1535, 8vo. It was later reprinted in London in 1550. During Bloody Mary's reign, he fled to continental Europe with his wife and daughter and joined the English Protestant congregation at Geneva during the fall of 1557. For perspective, Martin Luther lived from 1483–1546, John Calvin lived from 1509–1564, and William Tyndale lived from between 1490. (or ‘94) —1536. Gibson returned upon the accession of Elizabeth. In 1559, he obtained a license from the University of Cambridge to practice medicine.
The first English-printed concordance of the Old and New Testament was created by John Marbeck. He was a notable English choral composer and theological writer. His musical arrangement of the early Anglican liturgy played a significant role in establishing the standard sung Anglican service, which remained in use until the late 20th century. He is also recognized today for his composition of the Mass, known as Missa Per arma justitiae. Here’s where it gets good. He was employed at St George's Chapel, Windsor in 1540 as an organist. Two years later, Marbeck was convicted of heresy and sentenced to be burned at the stake. Then, in a turn of events, the Bishop of Winchester, Stephen Gardiner, pardoned him because he was “but a musitian.” However, the concordance Marbeck had been working on did not get a pass, and it was taken and then destroyed. Not giving up, he published the very first English concordance in 1550 and dedicated it to Edward VI. The title of this concordance was A Concordãnce; that is to saie a worke wherein by the ordre of the letters of the A.B.C. ye maie redely find any worde conteigned in the whole Bible, so often as it is there expressed or mencioned. London, 1550. The first copy of this 1550 concordance can be yours for $20,000. Check it out here.
What came to be known as the Cambridge Concordance was hailed as superior to the first of its kind. The author, Samuel Newman, was originally from Oxfordshire, England. He graduated from Trinity College, Oxford, in 1620 and was subsequently ordained in the Church of England (Anglican Church). He faced persecution for his nonconformist beliefs and subsequently decided to emigrate to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Newman’s Concordance was first published in London in 1643. He reworked it, and the second edition was published in 1662 at Cambridge, which is how it obtained its name.
The most frequently reprinted concordance of all was initially published in 1737 by Alexander Cruden. He started working on his concordance in 1735 while he was working as a bookseller in London. Often working 19 hours a day (from 7 am - 1 am), Cruden was able to complete the majority of the project in just under a year, by himself. Because of his unwavering focus on this concordance, he failed to notice the lack of stock and customers in his bookstore. In his biography, Edith Olivier wrote, “"Was there ever, before or since the year 1737 another enthusiast for whom it was no drudgery, but a sustained passion of delight, to creep conscientiously word by word through every chapter of the Bible, and that not once only, but again and again?" During his lifetime, two editions of the Concordance were published: one in 1761 and another in 1769. It is still in print today.
Young’s Concordance becomes the largest to ever be printed. Robert Young was the one who carried it out. He grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, as the son of a bookbinder. While working as an apprentice, he taught himself foreign languages. In 1847, he started his own business, printing and selling books. In 1873, the first edition of his concordance was completed. It was called The Analytical Concordance to the Bible on an entirely new plan, containing every word in alphabetical order, arranged under its Hebrew or Greek original, with the literal meaning of each, and its pronunciation, with the latest information on Biblical Geography, Antiquities. This concordance boasted 311,000 references and had six editions within 20 years.
Stong’s Concordance was overseen by James Strong. After graduating as the valedictorian from Wesleyan University in 1844, he ran for local political office. In 1868, he assumed the position of Professor of Exegetical Theology at Drew Theological Seminary, where he worked for twenty-seven years. While serving as the professor of exegetical theology at Drew Theological Seminary, Strong published his concordance in 1890. For a very long time, "Strong's numbering" has dominated the numerical listing of Greek and Hebrew words in Bible study. Strong assigned a number to each Hebrew or Greek root word that was in the concordance. More recently, Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbering has also been used as a supplement.
It has been overlooked that concordances have a wide range of applications. Although there are instances when it is more expedient to Google the location of a term in the Bible or the number of times it was used, I strongly recommend that every student of the Bible add this reference tool to their collection of resources.
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