Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (2024)

A Bible concordance is simply a reference tool in which words from a particular translation of Scripture are arranged alphabetically in a kind of index—often accompanied by words from the immediate context of each use. Scripture references are listed in canonical order for each word, and entries sometimes include part of each sentence where the word occurs.

Here, for example, is a concordance generated by the Logos Bible Study App from the Christian Standard Bible New Testament:

Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (1)

Bible concordances are helpful for everyone interested in the Bible, from scholars to students to Bible study enthusiasts. Concordances can help you mine Scripture for more profound insights you otherwise would not have access to. Many Christians find that using a concordance transforms their Bible study. It did for me.

Keep reading to learn the many ways Bible concordances can aid your study of the Bible—and discover the top seven Bible concordances available today. Or skip to the sections below that interest you most:

  • Why use a Bible concordance?
  • What is a concordance in a Bible?
  • Types of Bible concordances
  • The history of Bible concordances
  • Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
  • What’s included in a Bible concordance entry?
  • How to use a Bible concordance
  • What’s the difference between a Bible dictionary and a concordance?
  • Top 7 Bible concordances
  • How to choose a Bible concordance
  • Benefits of digital Bible concordances
  • Unique Bible concordances

Why use a Bible concordance?

Using a concordance can enhance your study of the Bible by giving you basic access to the Hebrew and Greek from which the Bible was translated.

For example, if I look up the word “blessed” in a concordance, I find its definition in Hebrew (in the Old Testament) or Greek (in the New Testament), along with a list of every verse in the Bible that uses the word. A concordance makes it easy to find specific words and phrases that I can remember but can’t find. It helps me find parallels in meaning between Scripture passages. I can even use a concordance to find themes within a biblical book.

But there’s practical and personal benefits to using a concordance, too. Here are three:

1. A Bible concordance helps bridge language study and biblical interpretation.

Bible concordances can help you do in-depth word studies, even if you don’t know Hebrew or Greek. They can help you locate every place a word occurs in the Bible, even when you can’t remember the chapter or verse. Concordances define particular words, help you find translations of the original language word into English, and show which verses contain certain words (and how many times). Using one makes me feel—smart.

2. They can deepen personal reflection and meditation.

Most people wouldn’t say that personal reflection and meditation are top reasons to use concordances; yet, I find them to be some of the best aids in my devotional time with God. An in-depth study of just one Hebrew word can take me down another path that opens up a familiar passage in a whole new way, drawing me closer to God.

3. They’re invaluable for preparing sound sermons.

Concordances are also powerful resources for sermon prep. Preachers who lean on concordances are more confident that their sermons are thorough, contextually accurate, and rooted in biblical truth.

Regardless of your end goal, using a concordance alongside Bible study will give you a deeper level of understanding of God’s Word and uncover meaning you might have otherwise missed. Over time you’ll realize you have a more comprehensive understanding of Scripture and are better equipped to apply it to your life appropriately.

What is a concordance in a Bible?

Most Bible publishers include a concise concordance in the back of at least some of their Bible editions. Some editions even boast extensive concordances. Separate, more exhaustive concordances are helpful for more in-depth study.

Typically, a concordance in a Bible lists words alphabetically; and under the word, a short phrase pulled from the verse, often with the word in the verse bolded with only the letter. For example, let’s say I was sharing with someone about how believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee—but I can’t quite remember where that verse is in the Bible. I simply flip to the back of my New King James Version (NKJV) Bible, find “guarantee,” and look for the few words close to the verse I’m searching for. I find three options:

Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (3)

Often I see the one I’m looking for straightaway. But if I’m not sure, I can head to each verse until I find the exact one I’m looking for.

It’s true that I could look those words up on my smartphone and almost certainly find the verse I want. But I’ve found that when leading Bible studies or talking with someone about a concept in the Bible, flipping to the concordance in my Bible and showing how to find a word or topic in Scripture equips others to know how they can do the same on their own.

Types of Bible concordances

Though incredibly helpful for deepening Bible study, the concordances included in Bibles are pretty basic. However, stand-alone concordances are usually exhaustive, and understanding how back-of-the-Bible concordances differ from exhaustive ones will help you know which will aid you best in your personal study of God’s Word.

Exhaustive

Exhaustive concordances are beefy. They include every word in the Bible (minus words like a, the, and but) in alphabetical order, along with the book, chapter, and verse reference for every occurrence. But they also include Hebrew–Aramaic and Greek dictionaries (or “lexicons”). The most popular is Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, a concordance of the King James Version that was first published in 1890. Its numbering system remains the best known standard for English speakers wishing to identify Greek and Hebrew words (more on this below). Another example is the New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance, Updated Edition: Hebrew–Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries. It uses Strong’s numbering system and is based primarily on Brown, Driver, and Briggs English Lexicon of the Old Testament and Bauer’s Greek Lexicon.

Abridged

An abridged concordance displays only essential words along with representative Scripture references.

Topical

Topical concordances classify passages of Scripture by subject rather than by the use of specific words. The Holman Concise Topical Concordance, for example, contains more than six thousand such topical headings listed in alphabetical order accompanied by more than a hundred thousand Scripture references.

Complete

Complete Bible concordances contain primary words in the Bible but not conjunctions and prepositions, as would an exhaustive concordances.

Concise

These concordances list selective words. (They’re the kind of concordance found at the back of a Bible.)

Analytical

Analytical concordances like An Analytical Concordance to the Holy Scriptures arrange the entire Bible topically. They are still a concordance of words, but Scripture references are ordered by subject and grouped under headings and subheadings that help readers see the internal connection of topics within Scripture.

The history of Bible concordances

Jeffrey E. Miller writes:

The first concordance was developed by Dominican monks in Paris between AD 1230 and 1235—shortly after chapter divisions were incorporated into the Latin Bible (modern verse divisions were introduced AD 1551)—to assist priests in their sermon preparation. Because a concordance’s purpose is to provide the location of a word in the Bible, such a tool was unthinkable prior to universally-recognized Bible divisions.1

The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible was published in 1611, and the first concordance developed for that version came in 1879: Robert Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible—still used widely today. Though Young’s was a huge accomplishment (it took over forty years to finish!), when Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance was published in 1890, it quickly became a classic because of its unique numbering system that dramatically changed Bible word study.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is, as its name implies, an exhaustive (meaning “thorough” or “complete”) concordance specific to the King James Version of the Bible. It’s one of the most comprehensive concordances, and for many preachers and readers of Scripture, it’s their first stop when studying any word in the Bible. The first half of this massive word index lists every word in the Bible alphabetically in English. The second half lists every word alphabetically in the Bible’s original languages—Hebrew and Greek.

First published by Dr. James Strong in 1890, most print copies of Strong’s are beefy—some weigh over five pounds! Strong’s will tell you much of what you need to know about a word and related words, as well as where to find them in the Bible.

For example, if I wanted to study the concept of being “blessed,” I’d want to find every verse that uses the word. But I’d also want to compare those verses against others that use related words—and even opposite words, like “curse.” And I’d find all that in Strong’s.

It was Strong who first assigned every single word in the Bible a reference number corresponding to its original language word (Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek). For example, the number assigned to one use of “blessed” in Hebrew is 1288, and one in Greek is 3107. Those numbers are still used in other Bible study resources today. Searching those numbers will reveal all the different verses that use that word.

Strong’s is a historic and celebrated concordance that powerfully influenced the genre. However, it does have a few errors and there are better, more accurate concordances available today.

What’s included in a Bible concordance entry?

Most concordances will include the subject (often bolded), all the word forms, a list of occurrences according to the book title, chapter and verse location, a few words of context, and often the Strong’s reference number that corresponds with a Hebrew or Greek dictionary entry.

How to use a Bible concordance

Using a concordance is an easy, three-step process:

  1. Choose a word.
  2. Look up that word (words are listed alphabetically, so that’s easy), and scan the entry for the verse and reference number you’re looking for.
  3. Head to the dictionary to look up the reference number. (Old Testament words will be in the Hebrew–Aramaic dictionary, and New Testament words in the Greek.) Entries are listed numerically, not alphabetically, so don’t panic—you don’t have to learn a new language.

For example, let’s flesh out my example of the word “blessed” using my Strong’s concordance. (Keep in mind, it’s KJV.) I might remember something about the word “blessed” and God being our “rock,” but be unsure where to find that verse. If I look up “blessed,” I find a massive, two-page list of related verses that use it (with just the letter “b” to represent “blessed”):

Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (4)

A quick scan leads me to the entry:

The Lord liveth; and b˙ be my rock.

In just a few seconds, I know the verse I was looking for is Psalm 18:46.

Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (5)

Next to the verse I find the reference number: H1288. Because it’s an Old Testament passage, which is written primarily in Hebrew, I know I need to head next to the Hebrew–Aramaic dictionary. There I look for the reference number and find this:

Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (6)

I learn that the Hebrew word translated “blessed” in Psalm 18:46 is barak and that it originally meant “to kneel” before it came to mean “to bless God.”

What is the difference between a Bible dictionary and a concordance?

Though concordances often contain Bible dictionaries, they are two different resources. Both list words alphabetically, but a Bible concordance tells you where to find words in the Bible, while a Bible dictionary gives you the meaning of words. Dictionaries don’t list every word—like conjunctions (“but”) or articles (“the”), but some concordances do.

Top 7 Bible concordances

There are many options to meet your Bible study needs, but here are the top seven Bible concordances in 2023 according to Best Bible Commentaries:

  • The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
  • NIV Exhaustive Bible Concordance
  • The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Bible Concordance
  • ESV Exhaustive Concordance
  • KJV Super-Giant Print Dictionary & Concordance
  • The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
  • Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Bible

How to choose a Bible concordance

Once you’ve decided to invest in a Bible concordance, you’ll likely be surprised at the many options available. How do you know which one is best for your Bible study needs? Ask yourself the following:

What is my preferred Bible translation?

Concordances are based on translations of the Bible, and though there’s no right or wrong choice, you’ll probably prefer using the same translation for your concordance as your preferred Bible version. Plus, consistency between the two will help avoid confusion when doing word studies.

What non-negotiable features do I want?

Some Bible students want all the whistles and bells—meaning, they want an exhaustive concordance that includes every single word in the Bible. If you don’t want or need that breadth, an abridged version might be the best choice for you—though smaller, they still provide ample information for deep Bible study. Consider how much you’ll want to dig into original languages—some concordances include Greek and Hebrew dictionaries, so ensure your concordance has one if language study is important for you.

Do I prefer print or digital—or both?

Some people prefer print concordances and the ability to flip back and forth between different features, highlighting things they want to remember. Others prefer doing this on their desktop or mobile app. You can’t go wrong—both can help you reach a new level of Bible study. (But there are some pretty great perks to using a digital concordance!)

Benefits of digital Bible concordances

Though my print concordances hold a special place on my bookshelf, I tend to use a Bible study app to do my Bible research. There’s no comparison to the speed in which I can do word studies with Bible software as opposed to my print concordances—and they’re far more versatile than a static list. I’ve found the Logos Bible Study App to be incredibly user-friendly, and Logos gives me the same results as a print concordance, including chapter and verse references and context—but in seconds.

Finding Strong’s numbers in Logos is easy—my favorite is through the Context Menu. I can click any word in the Bible, like “blessed,” and a panel will pop up. There I see an option titled “Strong’s Greek.” When I click it, the right side of the window will display the Look up section with several resources. One click opens those resources for further study.

Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (7)

See how else you can access Strong’s numbers with Logos:

With Logos I can even build a browsable list of places where those words appear in my library or my own concordance from a commentary. The Concordance Tool feature in Logos makes this easy:

Unique Bible concordances

Beyond the standard concordances available today, other unique options might pique your interest, such as List of Septuagint Words Sharing Common Elements. You can also find concordances specific to the Old and New Testaments like Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies and A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament. There are even concordances for children!

Conclusion

Concordances are invaluable tools for Bible study—they’re one of the first resources I recommend to people wanting to take their study of God’s Word to the next level. Using them as an aid to Bible study will give you access to words and meanings of words that will lead to deeper Bible engagement and ultimately, a better understanding of what the author was communicating.

Related articles

  • 29 Bible Study Tools for Reading the Bible More Effectively3 Reasons to Use Better Bible Study Resources than Strong’s

Resources referred to in this article

Strong’s Concordance

Regular price: $9.99

Add to cart

Holman Concise Topical Concordance

Regular price: $14.99

Add to cart

The Complete Word Study Concordance: Old Testament

Regular price: $39.99

Add to cart

New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance, Updated Edition: Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries

Regular price: $30.99

Add to cart

A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament

Regular price: $19.99

Add to cart

The Poor Man’s Concordance and Dictionary to the Sacred Scriptures

Regular price: $14.99

Add to cart

List of Septuagint Words Sharing Common Elements

Regular price: $15.99

Add to cart

Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies

Regular price: $12.99

Add to cart

Lexham Bible Dictionary

Regular price: $0.00

Add to cart

  1. Jeffrey E. Miller, “Concordance,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

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Bible Concordances: What They Are + Top 7 Concordances for You (2024)

FAQs

Which Bible concordance is easy to understand? ›

The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is the most complete, easy-to-use, and understandable concordance for studying the original languages of the Bible.

What is the purpose of the concordance in the Bible? ›

A concordance lists words used in the Bible and gives references to the instances they are used throughout entire biblical text. Often, these are tied to specific translations, like NIV, NSRV, etc. Many study Bibles have concordances included. These tend not to be complete concordances which list every word.

What is the difference between Young's and Strong's concordance? ›

Young's is a complete concordance rather than an exhaustive one like Strong's in that it includes a complete list of all words with a substantive meaning leaving out the most common articles, conjunctions, prepositions and pronouns such as a, and, to, and he".

Which Bible version is the most accurate and easy to understand? ›

A more literal Bible translation is not necessarily more accurate, especially if it's difficult to understand, leading modern readers to misinterpret it. For daily reading and Bible study, we recommend using a Bible translation that emphasizes the importance of being both literal and readable, such as the CSB or NIV.

What is the simplest Bible to read and understand? ›

The New International Reader's Version (NIrV)

The NIrV is based on a popular version of the Bible called the NIV. It uses easier words than the NIV. It also explains harder words. This makes it a good beginner Bible for adults who find reading hard.

What is concordance in simple terms? ›

Concordance happens when everything agrees. It can refer to an agreement of opinions, or it can describe things that are in harmony. Your words may be in concordance with your actions — that means they're expressing the same thing.

What is the most commonly available concordance? ›

The early eighteenth century saw the publication of the most famous English concordance, Cruden's Concordance, by Alexander Cruden. First published in 1738, it reached several editions in his own lifetime and has been re-edited, abridged and reprinted repeatedly.

How do you use strong Bible concordance? ›

With Strong's, you have to look up each English rendering of the Greek word (all those words that followed the colon and dash) in the concordance, look for the verses that are assigned the Strong's number 2206, and then look up each of those verses.

Why is concordance important? ›

Caroline Kelham and Joanne Shaw The authors explain how concordance encourages shared decision-making and better use of medicines, leading to patients gaining more benefit from their treatment and reduced waste.

What is the human concordance? ›

In genetics, concordance is the probability that a pair of individuals will both have a certain characteristic (phenotypic trait) given that one of the pair has the characteristic. Concordance can be measured with concordance rates, reflecting the odds of one person having the trait if the other does.

What is the concordance to the Holy Scriptures? ›

A Bible concordance is an alphabetical listings of words and phrases found in the Holy Bible and shows where the terms occur throughout all books of Scripture. With cross-references for verses, concordances make it easy to understand the meaning of terms and the context in which those words are used.

What is the oldest Bible concordance? ›

The first Bible concordance was compiled for the Vulgate Bible by Hugh of St Cher (d. 1262), who employed 500 friars to assist him. In 1448, Rabbi Mordecai Nathan completed a concordance to the Hebrew Bible.

What does 24 mean in the Strong's concordance? ›

Strong's #24: 'abiyb (pronounced aw-beeb') from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, i.e. a young ear of grain; hence, the name of the month Abib or Nisan:--Abib, ear, green ears of corn (not maize).

What does Lord mean in Strong's concordance? ›

kurios. 1) he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord. 1a) the possessor and disposer of a thing. 1a1) the owner; one who has control of the person, the master. 1a2) in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor.

What version of the Bible does Strong's concordance use? ›

Strong's is a concordance of the words in the common English version, in other words, the translation then used by effectively all English speakers; namely, the King James (or Authorized) Version.

What is the easiest method of Bible study? ›

SOAP is a simple method for reading and applying God's word to our lives. SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer and involves four simple steps: Scripture – Read a short Bible passage out loud and/or write it out. Observation – What do you notice about the verses?

What's better than Strong's concordance? ›

Both Strong's and Young's are good concordances. It is important to remember that the definition of the word being researched in Strong's is always in italics. Other words are used for embellishment or to enhance understanding. We personally use both Strong's and Young's concordances when researching.

What is the difference between Strong's and Cruden's concordance? ›

Cruden's is usually the fastest in which to find a Bible text where an English word in it is known. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: For each English-Bible word all texts using it are listed in Biblical order of usage, along with a number for each text (for Greek words the number is italicized).

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