What is a Bible concordance, and how do I use it?

Viewed rightly, a concordance is a means of "redeeming the time." It enables you to find quickly texts of which you can recollect only a word or two. This form of usefulness was quaintly expressed in the title prefixed to the first concordance to the English version of the Bible, published in the year 1550. It was compiled by John Morbeck, and entitled:

"A Concordance, that is to saie, a Worke wherein by the order of the letters A, B, C, ye maie redely find any worde conteigned in the whole Bible, so often as it is there expressed or mentioned."

This concordance however was not so useful as the "Cruden's" with which, doubtless, you are all familiar, as the division of the chapters of the Bible into verses had then been barely introduced. At any rate Morbeck does not make any references to verses, using only the letters, A, B, and C, to indicate the beginning, middle and end of the chapters respectively. This arrangement was not a very precise one. If you were wanting to find the words, "Order my steps," you would be directed to Psalm 119: B, that is, the middle of a Psalm of 176 verses. This method is very indefinite compared with the existing system of reference by means of numbered verses. Cruden refers you at once to the exact spot — Psalm 119:133; and this means of ready reference is the principal use of a concordance.

Do not be induced by reasons of alleged economy to purchase for your use an abridged edition of a concordance, that is, one that only professes to contain the chief of the series of passages in which the words occur. Your probable experience will be that the text you are seeking on a particular occasion is almost sure to be the one that is omitted, and the concordance therefore becomes useless to you in that instance, and the time you have spent in consulting it is quite wasted. Full editions may be obtained very cheaply.

This brief reference to an important feature of scriptural study is only made to show you that the use of a concordance is as a guide to the position of a text in the scripture. Bible study only begins when you reach the particular place in the Bible which you are seeking. You have business in Manchester. A railway train will take you there speedily. But, having arrived, you must go to work. So when the concordance has directed you to Romans 5:5, 8, its service is over, and you must then prayerfully seek God's mind as therein revealed.

In selecting a concordance one should know exactly what he desires, as it is well nigh impossible to get every feature in one book. Of first importance for ordinary Bible students is one which gives every word in the Bible in alphabetic order with a reference to every passage in which it occurs, and a sufficient number of words to enable one to identify the reference. Of books which practically do this, perhaps the earliest was "Cruden's Concordance," which in its various editions still remains the one most commonly in use, with many excellent features to recommend it. It is not, however, strictly alphabetic, but the same word is sometimes divided into groups with characterizing words, so that two, three or more lists or groups of the same word are given, which are somewhat confusing to one merely looking for a passage.

"Walker's Concordance" is quite good, although possibly not so complete as Cruden's, but without the undesirable feature we have just mentioned.

The best of all verbal concordances with which we are acquainted is Strong's "Comprehensive Bible Concordance," which has the advantage of placing every English word used in the Scriptures, including all proper names, in exact alphabetic order. This excludes the articles "a" and "the" and a few pronouns and other particles constantly in use. The author, however, has even included these in an appendix, indicating an immense amount of labor for which, with all respect to his diligence, we do not see the need.

With this concordance, the English reader can select any word, except those just mentioned, and find its reference in the concordance. He will not be confused by a variety of lists, groupings, divisions or anything else. In addition to this, each word has a number, while different kinds of type indicate whether the word is Hebrew or Greek. These numbers are arranged in their order in two other appendices, in which the original Greek or Hebrew word is given, spelled also in English letters, with its meaning, and with the various English words which are used to translate it in our Bibles. We are thus quite completely in touch with the original tongues. Perhaps it is the best of all concordances for those who can have but one. Its great bulk, however, makes it unwieldy — a hindrance for some.

"Young's Analytical Concordance" differs in some respects from Strong's. It gives us the English words in their alphabetic order, and under each English word we have the various original words which are used to translate it. Here we have lost the thought of a reference concordance, but have gained greater accuracy in having the different original words which are translated by the one English word classified in separate lists under an English heading. "Young's Concordance" gives us, no doubt with a good degree of accuracy, all the original words translated by one English word. He fails, however — which seems a distinct blemish — to give us all the original words, whether translated by different English ones or not. In other words, he has made the English version the basis, instead of the original.

But sometimes a concordance is put to a use that is often imperfect and misleading in its result. I refer now to the notion, not at all uncommon, that in order to ascertain the teaching of scripture on any given subject, say, for example, on love, all that is necessary is to examine every passage in which that word occurs, looking them up by means of the concordance. Such a practice is, of course, bound to be generally helpful, but it leads to a very incomplete result, as you may easily see. An ordinary concordance would not afford a single reference to 1 Corinthians 13 to find anything concerning love; and yet the whole chapter is full of it, from the first verse to the last. Only in those passages the word in our ordinary version is not "love" but "charity," so that the concordance does not help you under the former word. "Charity," however, there, as well as in several other places means love, and nothing else. Further, you must refer to passages, where "beloved" occurs, and "dear," in order to complete your list of texts dealing with this subject.

One general direction may be given in these word studies. Many words are of so frequent use that were we to attempt to include them all, the very abundance of the material would confuse any clearness of thought. A very good way is to copy down from our concordance those passages which strike us as furnishing added features to the general subject. We may have as many, we will say, as twelve references. These now can be classified and grouped together, forming perhaps four or five main divisions.

These subjects should certainly be of deepest interest to the hearts of those who have known the redeeming grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are many diverse thoughts about them, so it is earnestly pressed upon every reader that he examine every occasion on which such words occur in Scripture, and the context of them. This will surely be a great help in clearing his thoughts about them. Such a search will be greatly simplified by consulting a Greek concordance, such as Wigram's which lists every occurrence of the original Greek word from which these works are derived. Vine's Dictionary will be found helpful in this also.

Some excellent persons regard the use of a concordance as a mark of great spiritual weakness on the part of those that use it, Any desired text, they say, may be found by searching the Bible itself — if you search long enough. But there really is no merit in taking two hours to do what may be accomplished twenty-four times over in the same time.

Any one tracing out even from a concordance the occurrences of the word "spirit" may find enlargement of mind upon the subject. But a concordance has been called, a "dunce's book." and reference to it turned aside from for the more excellent way of finding your passages in the page of Scripture; and there too you find their contexts. This is a far better way; and though we may at times be kept waiting till we find what we seek, that only tends to impress upon us our ignorance of the book, and the contents of the passage too, and then the value of searching; for they that seek shall find. To consult a living person about it might help on communion of saints one with the other.

We will speak of concordances first as being practically indispensable to those who are going to make progress in study. There are numbers of these, and it will not be understood that we are recommending one to the exclusion of others if we do not mention all.