Bible Study Reference Books

Here are some basic study tools you can get to "go deeper." It's important to find the right tools, those that closely match your level of expertise. I have tried to categorize the Bible dictionaries for you so that you will better know what you are getting. You can also generally tell by the price: the cheaper it is, the more elementary and the more pricey, the more advanced. I have added notes here and there to help you along in your decision-making process. All such notes will be in this same, navy-blue color and in bold. —Steve

• Concordances
• Introductions to Bible Study
• Bible dictionaries
1. Beginner-level dictionaries
2. One-volume dictionaries
3. Multi-volume dictionaries
4. Advanced-level dictionaries
• Word Study dictionaries
• Bible background
• Bible atlases & charts

Concordances

Where to Find It in the Bible
By Ken Anderson / Thomas Nelson / W

What does the Bible say about modern concerns such as stress, nutrition, or computers? Ordinary concordances aren't much help, but this offbeat topical concordance lets you find biblical answers to contemporary issues like these. In everyday, non-theological language, you can locate specific Bible references to over 3,700 subjects, circumstances, and situations from A to Z. 578 pages, soft cover from Nelson.

God's Word Complete Concordance
By William Mounce / World Publishing

From the publisher: A helpful tool that gives immediate access to important words in God's Word. Features: An alphabetical index of all the major words within God's Word; Each unique word, hyphenated word, or multiple word phrase is listed as an individual entry; Word frequencies are listed next to each word entry; Three column format; Traditional word appendix gives words and contemporary equivalents. 1248 pages, 6 1/8" x 9 1/8".

The New Thematic Concordance
By Geoffrey Stonier / Christian Focus Public

A concordance can be a really useful tool to help you, but most just list words--so what happens if the word you are looking for doesn't come from the translation that the concordance is for?

One answer to the problem is a topical Bible concordance. If you know the subject you want to study then a topical Bible concordance shows you where in the Bible that subject or theme is developed. Before long you will find that The New Thematic Concordance is an indispensable tool.

Quick-Ref Bible Concordance
By Ronald F. Youngblood / Thomas Nelson / W

Now you can get the most our of your Bible study time with this convenient and thorough concordance that lists over 40,000 of the most theologically crucial references.

The Layman's Quick Reference Concordance
By George Knight / Barbour & Co

You want to get the most from your Bible study. Whether you're leading a Sunday school class, participating in a small group discussion, or investigating a topic of personal importance, you need to find verses that speak to your particular need. This compact Bible concordance helps you do that. Here, in over 1,800 entries encompassing more than 10,000 verses, are directions to finding the most important people, places, things and ideas in the Bible. Many entries include a brief description of the person or place listed, making The Layman's Quick Reference Concordance a mini-library of essential biblical information. Practical, reliable, and understandable, here is the concordance every student of the Bible should have. 

Holman Concise Bible Concordance
By Broadman / Holman

You name the topic. The Hollman Concise Topical Concordance does the rest, steering you to Scriptures from one corner of the Bible to the other, adding balance and depth to your study and teaching. Unlike regular concordances, this book goes beyond specific Bible words to point out passages by themes and ideas arranged alphabetically in hundreds of choices, perfect for crafting Sunday School lessons on particular topics...no matter how contemporary!

Strong's Complete Word Study Concordance, Expanded Edition--Book and CD-ROM
By Edited by Warren Baker / Amg Publishers

Added "muscle" for your "workout" with God's Word! This indispensable resource offers you all the classic features of the popular reference---plus amplified word studies for key Greek and Hebrew words. This easy-to-read edition also includes a handy index of proper names that provides the meaning and first occurrence for each. Comes with a full-text CD-ROM! 2160 pages, hardcover from AMG.

Introduction to: A New Concordance of the Old Testament
By John H. Sailhamer / Baker

A guide for English-speaking readers who want to use Evan-Shoshan's A New Concordance of the Bible. This booklet explains terms and space-saving forms used in the concordance."

Greek - Concordance to the Septuagint Versions of the O.T. (including the Apocryphal Books) By Edwin Hatch / Baker

This indispensable tool for biblical scholars is new and improved. This classic reference is designed to be a complete concordance to the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, to the Greek text of the apocrypha books, and to the remains of the other versions that formed part of Origen's Hexapla. The objective aims at in the quotations for each word, as far as possible, to have enough of the context to show the grammatical construction of the word and the words with which it is ordinarily associated. Since the contexts are in Greek only, you must be able to read Greek to use this concordance. New features of this concordance include: the addition of a Hebrew/Aramaic Index to the Septuagint by Takamitsu Muraoka. This index identifies the various Greek words used to translate each Hebrew or Aramaic word, a new introductory essay by Robert A. Kraft and Emmanuel Tov that addresses the history and abiding value of the concordance while also providing suggestions for its use, and the additions and corrections, originally appearing in three separate locations, have been brought together and identified in the text of the concordance with symbols that alert the user to consult the list. Also, a comprehensive list of abbreviations used throughout the concordance has been compiled as an aid to the user.  

Greek - Synoptic Concordance, Volume 2
By Paul Hoffman / Walter Degruyter Pub.

A Greek Concordance to the First Three Gospels in Synoptic Arrangement, statisically evaluated, including occurrences in Acts.  

Greek - Synoptic Concordance, Volume 3
By Paul Hoffman / Walter Degruyter Pub.

A Greek Concordance to the First Three Gospels in Synoptic Arrangement, statistically evaluated, including occurrences in Acts.

Greek - Synoptic Concordance, Volume 4
By Paul Hoffman / Walter Degruyter Pub.

A Greek Concordance to the First Three Gospels in Synoptic Arrangement, statisically evaluated, including occurences in Acts.  

Greek/NIV - The Greek-English Concordance to the New Testament
By John Kohlenberger / Zondervan Corp.

The Greek-English Concordance to the New Testament is an exhaustive index to three Greek texts: United Bible Societies - 4th edition, Nestle-Aland - 26th edition, and the Greek text underlying the New International Version of the Bible. It replaces the venerable Englishman's Greek Concordance by George Wigram, published over 150 years ago. This concordance lists all occurrences of a given Greek word (even where there is not a direct English equivalent) in Greek alphabetical order, shows the interrelationship between the English and Greek texts, including redundant cognates and repeated Greek words, as well as multiple-word translations, uses the Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbering system (with cross-reference to Strong's numbers), allowing for accurate identification of Greek words and use with The Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance, is keyed to BAGD and NIDNTT, contains an exhaustive NIV-to-Greek index, and includes a phrase concordance for phrases such as Son of Man, kingdom of God, and others.  

Greek/KJV - Englishman's Greek Concordance
By George V. Wigram / Hendrickson Publishers

This is the Greek concordance for non-specialists! Every Greek word in the New Testament is listed in Greek alphabetical order, along with a brief rendering in English of every verse in which that word appears. One major improvement: each Greek word is defined so you can compare its various English translations. Entries are coded to Strong's Concordance for additional assistance. 1020 pages, hardcover from Hendrickson.

Hebrew/KJV - The Englishman's Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament
By George V. Wigram / Hendrickson Publishers

This concordance is an improved edition of The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the OT, the standard reference work first issued in 1843. Every Hebrew and Aramaic word of the OT is listed (in Hebrew) alphabetical order, along with a brief rendering in English of every verse in the OT in which that Hebrew or Aramaic word appears. Each word is coded to Strong's, thus allowing even those who do not know Hebrew the opportunity to use this work.  

Greek - The Exhaustive Concordance to the Greek New Testament
By John Kohlenberger / Zondervan Corp.

Get the most for the least! Now you can get the most complete concordance to the Greek New Testament at the lowest price! This exhaustive concordance covers every word in the Greek text and is based on the standard United Bible Societies' Greek text (UBS4). Frequency counts, including NIV variants, are included for each word. Context lines are meaningful and easy to use, and hundreds of frequently occurring phrases are noted. 1200 pages, hardcover from Zondervan.  

Greek/All versions - The Book Study Concordance of the Greek New Testament
By Andreas Kostenberger & Raymond Bouchoc / Broadman / Holman

This concordance has utilized recent technology breakthroughs to open a new venue of research. This is a collection of twenty-seven concordances listing every word used in alphabetical order book by book. Also provided are word totals, most-frequently-used words, and words set in relation to the New Testament as a whole. This places the words in the context of the author and is also useful in studying the terminology and theology of the New Testament books.  

ESV - Crossway Comprehensive Concordance of the Holy Bible, English Standard Version By William D. Mounce, comp. / Good News Publishing

A good concordance is the cornerstone of your reference library. And if you've recently discovered the word-for-word precision and literary excellence of the English Standard Version Bible, you'll want this corresponding tool! With more than 310,000 entries covering 13,430 individual words---listed alphabetically in order of appearance and occurrence---it's ideal for in-depth word studies. 1136 pages, hardcover. 

HCSB - HCSB Comprehensive Concordance of the Holy Bible
By Broadman / Holman

The Holman CSB. Comprehensive Concordance contains nearly 300,000 entries with only 263 common words omitted. All the rest of the words in the Holman CSB are completely listed ensuring that you can find the passage you are looking for, and it will be indispensable for your word studies and devotions. Because it is smaller than an exhaustive concordance, it can be kept handy at your desk or carried with you to church and Bible study. This comprehensive concordance is the first for the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

KJV - The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
By James Strong / Thomas Nelson / W

The Strong's Concordance is a complete list of every word in the King James Version Bible. Each word is followed by a complete list of references where the word can be found.

This exhaustive Strong's is enhanced with easy to read type, full Bible book names, definitions and pronunciations for proper names, the words of Christ shaded in gray, a complete topical index, and concise Hebrew & Aramaic and Greek dictionaries. The entries are subdivided and defined when words have more than one meaning. This commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible and is a great reference tool to have on your shelf!

Special Features include charts of:

• The Laws of the Bible
• The Teachings and Illustrations of Christ
• The Jewish Calendar
• List of the Jewish Feasts
• Monies and Weights
• Measures of Length, Dry and Liquid Measures
• Harmony of the Gospels
• Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
• The Parables and Miracles of Jesus Christ
• Prayers of the Bible
• Old Testament Chronology

KJV - The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance-damaged
By Thomas Nelson / W

This exhaustive Strong's is enhanced with easy to read type, full Bible book names, definitions and pronunciations for proper names, the words of Christ shaded in gray, a complete topical index, and concise Hebrew & Aramaic and Greek dictionaries. The entries are subdivided and defined when words have more than one meaning. This commentary is based on the King James Version of the Bible and is a great reference tool to have on your shelf!

Damage on these books vary and may consist of dented spines or corners, a few wrinkled pages, and the page edges may be a little dusty. On the whole they are in pretty good condition for the price.

KJV - New Strong's Concise Concordance of the Bible
By James Strong / Thomas Nelson / W

Your "find it fast" guide to any verse in the King James Bible---without the bulk! Space-saving design eliminates Hebrew, Greek, and unlikely search words. Features Fan Tab thumb index. 749 pages, softcover.

KJV - Cruden's Complete Concordance, Softcover
By Alexander Cruden / Hendrickson Publishers

Alexander Cruden's Concordance has consistently been one of the most popular KJV concordances (along with Strong's and Young's). Here are over 200,000 references in a portable size---5.75" x 8.5". 796 pages, economically priced softcover from Hendrickson. A super value!

KJV - The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Comfort-Print Edition
By John R. Kohlenberger III & James A. Swanson / Zondervan Corp.

This concordance is a larger print version of the the most accurate, truly exhaustive Strong's updated by John Kohlenberger along with James Swanson and compiled and verified by computer technology. In this edition, longstanding errors from the original have been corrected and omissions filled in as well as word studies have been simplified and special care has been taken to maximize the thoroughness and ease of use. The larger type makes this concordance easy to read.

Special features include:

• Strong's numbering system for word studies in Greek and Hebrew
• Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbers in the dictionary indexes
• The most up-to-date Hebrew and Greek dictionaries
• Includes Nave's Topical Bible Reference System
• Cross-references to places and names used in Bible translations besides the KJV
• Word counts of every word in the Bible
• Fast-Tab locators
• Smythe-sewn binding that opens fully, lays flat, and lasts longer
• Maps" 

KJV - King James New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
By James Strong / Thomas Nelson / W

Squint-free study with your favorite Bible reference! New enlarged type has been used throughout the text of this handbook-sized edition, including the Greek and Hebrew dictionaries---and the words of Christ are in bold type. Indexes every word of the KJV, and incorporates all the features of the original classic. 1902 pages, hardcover from Nelson.

KJV - New Strong's Concise Concordance of the Bible
By Thomas Nelson / W

The New Strong's ® Concise Concordance of the Bible is designed to serve the needs of the average Bible student. It delivers the trusted Strong's scholarship in a portable and manageable format, a is a complete concordance without the ancient languages. If you want a convenient Strong's concordance for finding Bible verses and studying the Bible in English, then this is the concordance for you. Note: Print is very small.

Special Features:

• Simple, intuitive guide to any verse in the Bible
• Definitions and pronunciation guides for all proper nouns
• Fan-Tab ® Thumb Index System

KJV - The New Strong's Expanded Concordance of the Bible
By James Strong / Thomas Nelson / W

This edition of a legendary classic puts biblical research at your fingertips. This expanded, red-letter edition is computer-generated for high accuracy. Also included are the following charts: Laws of the Bible, Teachings and Illustrations of Christ, The Jewish Calendar, Jewish Feasts, Monies and Weights, NT Monies, Measures of length, dry measures, liquid measures, OT chronology, harmony of the gospels, prophecies of the Messiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the parables of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus and the Prayers of the Bible.

Features:

• Incorporates the best of Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words
• Words of Christ highlighted in red
• Enhanced word studies drawn from standard dictionaries such as Vine's, Thayer's, Brown-Driver-Briggs
• Definitions of Hebrew and Greek primary roots greatly expanded; three times as much as before
• Frequency word counts for all English words in concordance proper and Hebrew and Greek words in the dictionaries
• Main concordance, with Strong's numbering system, fully retained
• Fan-Tab® Thumb-Index Reference System

KJV – New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
By James Strong / Thomas Nelson / W

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible has been the standard Bible concordance for pastors, scholars, and laypersons for over a century. This edition provides the classic Strong's features in a smaller, more convenient form. other smaller-sized editions, this portable version is truly exhaustive. It indexes every word of the King James Version, including articles, conjunctions, and prepositions. This concordance gives you the in-depth reference information you want, wherever you need it. Also features the Fan-Tab Thumb Index Reference System.

KJV – Cruden's Complete Concordance
By Alexander Cruden / Zondervan Corp.

For over 250 years, Cruden's Complete Concordance has been a standard tool for serious study of the Bible. This edition offers you the most accurate, comprehensive, and readable rendering of Alexander Cruden's masterwork. The straightforward, uncluttered style lets you select from over 220,000 Scripture references to swiftly locate the exact words, topics, verses, and passages you're looking for. Compact and easy to use, this concordance is a practical, convenient, eminently useful companion to the King James Version and other classic translations. This concordance features: definitions and commentaries where appropriate, a list of seldom-mentioned biblical names, an appendix of names in the Old and New Testaments, complete with their meanings, a list of the names and titles given to Jesus Christ, and a list of titles and descriptions given to the church. This concordance is part of the Zondervan Classic Reference Series.

KJV – Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible--with CD-ROM
By James Strong / Hendrickson Publishers

The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is an indispensable tool that all readers of the Bible will want to have as part of their basic library. It contains every word in the King James Version and allows the reader to easily find all biblical occurrences of a word. The Strong's numbering system is used and cross-referenced in most study tools today. This resource also includes complete Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, organized by the Strong's numbers, which give brief lexical definitions of each word of the original languages of the Bible. This is a complete concordance and dictionary in one sturdy and deluxe hardcover volume for use with the KJV. This also includes an expanded premium edition CD-ROM for PC or PDA, a $75.00 value, included with the hardcover at no additional cost.

The CD-ROM is the first in Hendrickson Publishers ScriptureLink series, and includes interactive, interlinked versions of Strong's and many other valuable reference works easily accessible with either a PC or PDA. The Strong's Expanded Premium Edition CD-ROM provides ready access to all of the Strong's information, including enhanced Strong's Hebrew and Greek dictionaries.

KJV – Young's Analytical Concordance
By Robert Young / Hendrickson Publishers

Young's is comprehensive, accurate, and exhaustive. It's often preferred for word studies because of its unique format: passages for the English words are arranged under the Greek or Hebrew words that they translate. This beautiful edition now includes the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries at the back. And, unlike other editions, this one is printed on high-quality paper. A super buy! 1205 pages, hardcover from Hendrickson.

KJV – Young's Analytical Concordance
By Robert Young / Hendrickson Publishers

With a deal like this, there's no excuse not to have your own copy of this standard! Young's unique treatment of original languages---passages for the English words are arranged under the Greek or Hebrew words they translate---allows you the most efficient and accurate analysis of language usage. This handsome volume includes more than 300,000 biblical references along with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, as well as a supplement article on the ''Canon of the Old Testament.'' 1228 pages, maroon hardcover with gold stamping, from Eerdmans.

Nelson's Compact Bible Concordance
By Thomas Nelson / W

This book has the power and classic features of Nelson's New Strong's in a concise and compact edition. It helps you access the references you need quickly and easily.

KJV – Cruden's Complete Concordance, hardcover
By Alexander Cruden / Hendrickson Publishers

Cruden's has consistently been one of the most popular KJV concordances (along with Strong's and Young's). Here are over 200,000 references in a portable size---5.75"x 8.5". 796 pages, hardcover from Hendrickson. A super value!

KJV – Layman's Bible Concordance Deluxe
By George Knight / Barbour & Co

Layman's Quick Reference Concordance combines the best features of a biblical concordance, a Bible dictionary, and a guide to the major events and key passages of the Bible into this handy book. Based on the familiar King James Version, its purpose is to provide essential biblical information to lay students of the Bible in a format that is compact, convenient, and easy to use and understand. Hardcover, 347 pages.

KJV – The New Combined Bible Dictionary and Concordance
By Baker

Two terrific resources merged into one convenient volume featuring over 10,000 entries! The concordance function lets you quickly identify the exact King James quotation you're looking for, while the dictionary entries provide clear definitions and explanations of Scripture terms---including people and places. Features an introductory article on "How to Study the Bible." 454 pages, softcover from Baker.

KJV - Critical Lexicon & Concordance to English & Greek New Testament
By E.W. Bullinger / Kregel Publications

Maximize your Bible study time with this classic reference. At a glance, you can find the Greek word with its literal and derivative meanings for every word in the English New Testament (KJV). Also valuable for its Greek-to-English index; concordance of proper names; appendix of biblical references to common pronouns, particles, and conjunctions; and more. 1056 pages, hardcover from Kregel. 

KJV - Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, The: 21st Century Edition By James Strong / Zondervan Corp.

The best, most accurate, and most up-to-date Strong's concordance on the market! Using the latest biblical scholarship and cutting-edge computer technology, this totally new edition fills in the many omissions and corrects the many errors found in the original Strong's and all the latest versions, which are little more than cosmetic patch-ups of the original. This twenty-first century edition is far more accurate and complete than any other Strong's on the market. In fact, it's the only truly exhaustive concordance to the KJV.  

KJV – New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Comfort Print Edition
By James Strong / Thomas Nelson / W

This edition of Strong's, concordance is larger print and allows you to study longer and avoid the eye strain. The words of Christ appear in boldface type for quick identification and Nelson's exclusive Fan-Tab Thumb-Index Reference System helps you locate any word quickly. This concordance is complete and unabridged listing every occurrence of every word as well as complete and unabridged Hebrew and Greek dictionaries.

NAB - The New American Bible Concise Concordance
By Oxford University Press

The New American Bible Concise Concordance is a useful word index to all 73 books of the New American Bible. Arranged in alphabetical order, it shows the book, chapter, and verse location of the most prominent words in the NAB and supplies several words of the context in which each word is found. The Concise Concordance is the perfect accompaniment for anyone studying the NAB. It provides helpful access to the most significant texts for personal and professional Scripture research, regardless of the reader's familiarity with this particular translation.

NASB - The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Concordance
By Zondervan Corp.

This concordance is based on the New American Standard updated Version of the bible. It contains over 400,000 entries that list every word in the NASB Updated Bible alphabetically, with each book, chapter, and verse where the word appears.

Features:

• Every word in the updated NASB listed alphabetically and referenced in order of appearance to every book, chapter, and verse of the Bible.
• Enhanced Strong's numbering system for use with updated NASB
• Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek dictionaries trace words in the NASB text to their equivalents in the original Bible languages for a better understanding of their meaning and application
• Clear instructions for use of the concordance and dictionaries
• Select bibliography  

KJV/NIV - Holman Bible Concordance for Children
By Tracy Wilson White, comp. / Broadman / Holman

No longer do kids have to wrestle with exhaustive concordances which are heavy and awkward. The Holman Bible Concordance for Kids is easy to handle and provides just the right amount of information. Bible study becomes an adventure as kids learn to pronounce Bible words, discover brief definitions, and explore key passages where that word appears. Unique. The First. The Only. That's what the HOLMAN BIBLE CONCORDANCE FOR KIDS is! No longer do children have to wrestle with exhaustive concordances which are heavy, awkward, and a little boring. THE HOLMAN BIBLE CONCORDANCE FOR KIDS is light, easy to handle, has just the right amount of information - attractively designed. Bible study becomes adventure rather than boredom as children learn to pronounce Bible words Discover brief definitions explore key passages where that word appears. The Scripture passages come mostly from the KJV supplemented in places by the NIV. Sunday school, Christian school, home school and family times around the Bible will never be the same with THE HOLMAN BIBLE CONCORDANCE FOR KIDS alongside the Bible. Tracye Wilson White has taught children in Sunday School for many years. She is also a curriculum writer for LIFEWAY Christian Resources

NIV - The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance
By Edward W. Goodrick & John R. Kohlenberger III / Zondervan Corp.

This is an exhaustive concordance based on the best-selling New International Version of the Bible. It gives complete access to every word of the NIV text as well as to the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek from which the NIV was translated. This Gold Medallion Award-winning volume is one of the most powerful NIV concordances available today. This is a great addition to your academic library.

Features:

• Complete alphabetical listings for every word in the NIV.
• Thorough dictionary-indexes define every Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek word in the Bible, including the possible meaning of every proper name.
• Exhaustive listing of every NIV translation for a given word; all related words shown in the original languages.
• Frequency counts given for each original-language word and each of its English translations.
• Special index of articles, conjunctions, particles, prepositions, and pronouns.
• All references listed in biblical order.
• All words cross-referenced to spelling variations and variant forms.
• More than 2,000 key words from the KJV cross-referenced to their NIV equivalents.
• Each word heading lists total number of occurrences in the NIV.
• Special typefaces indicate the word or words used in the NIV translation for all Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek terms.
• Unique numbering system developed by Goodrick and Kohlenberger (G/K) eliminates the inherent gaps, flaws, and inaccuracies of the old Strong's numbering system.
• Special indexes allow for easy cross-referencing between the G/K numbering system for those using reference books keyed to Strong's numbers

NIV - New International Bible Concordance
By Edward Goodrick / Zondervan Corp.

Bible scholars Edward Goodrick and John Kohlenberger present a concordance specially tailored to your NIV Bible. The New International Bible Concordance features more than 12,800 words found in the NIV text, with a quarter of a million biblical references. The words are arranged in alphabetical order and the references in biblical order. Lists every proper name, including the names and titles of God. Excludes insignificant words like prepositions, articles, and indefinite pronouns. Formerly The NIV Complete Concordance. 1044 pages, hardcover, Zondervan.

NIV – NIV Compact Concordance
By John Kohlenberger / Zondervan Corp.

A streamlined adaptation of the award-winning NIV Exhaustive Concordance that provides more than 50,000 references and over 2,000 exhaustive entries for practical and significant Bible study. 608 pages, softcover from Zondervan.  

NIV/Hebrew - The Hebrew-English Concordance to the Old Testament
By John Kohlenberger / Zondervan Corp.

The first complete resource (since the century-old Englishman's Hebrew Concordance) for those with little or no knowledge of biblical Hebrew! Created for use with the NIV, this companion resource is keyed to the Goodrick/Kohlenberger numbering system and cross-referenced to Strong's. It also features transliterations of Hebrew words and an exhaustive index to Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. 2192 pages, hardcover from Zondervan.

NLT – NLT Complete Concordance
By John Kohlenberger / Tyndale House

This concordance is an impressive volume that has a complete listing of all words in the New Living Translation, including a special index of conjunctions, prepositions, articles, pronouns, and particles. Each word is listed alphabetically, showing the number of times the word appears and its context and Scripture reference. One unique feature of the concordance is its list of words found in the King James Version but not in the New Living Translation.

NKJV – NKJV Bible Concordance
By Ronald F. Youngblood / Thomas Nelson / W

The NKJV Bible Concordance places the references that are the most theologically, doctrinally, and practically relevant to spiritual growth at your fingertips. This concordance is compact, portable, and the type is readable. It is based on the New King James Version of the Bible and the key references were chosen by noted Bible scholar Ronald F. Youngblood.

Features:

• Provides quick access to the Bible's key references: central doctrines, familiar verses and passages.
• Identifies the references scholars consider most important and useful.
• Much more extensive than the concordance included in Nelson's NKJV Study Bible.
• Compact and portable

NRSV – The Concise Concordance to the NRSV
By Oxford University Press

If you're using the New Revised Standard Version or the New Oxford Annotated Bible/NRSV, you'll appreciate this quick-reference guide. The first concordance available for this translation, it's larger and more comprehensive than earlier concise Bible concordances, and puts at your fingertips citations to key words. Now you can quit struggling with Strong's and find what you want a whole lot faster! Three columns of listings per page. 320 pages, hardcover from Oxford.

En español –Nueva Concordancia Exhaustiva de la Biblia Strong (New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible) By Editorial Caribe

The Strong's Concordance has been the favorite among pastors, scholars, and English speaking Bible students for over a century. Now through this Spanish version, not only can you find the verse where the word that you are searching for is, but you can also know the Hebrew or Greek word that it was translated from, as well as the many meanings of it in it's original use.

La Concordancia Strong ha sido la preferida de pastores, eruditos y estudiantes biblicos de habla inglesa durante mas de un siglo. Ahora a traves de esta version en espanol uno puede no solo encontrar el versiculo en que aparece la palabra que busca, sino tambien saber cual fue la palabra hebrea o griega que asi se tradujo y los diversos significados de la misma en su uso original.

Reina-Valera Version – Concordancia Exhaustiva de las Sagradas Escrituras, RVR 1960 / Exhaustive Concordance, RVR 1960 - Spanish By Carlos Denyer / Editorial Caribe

An indispensable tool for all who want to undertake a study of the most important themes of the Bible. Based on the 1960 Reina-Valera Version, its pages put into alphabetical order the Bible's most important words and indicate the exact verses where they are found. An exhaustive concordance, it covers "all the important words for study" of the Bible.

Una herramienta imprescindible para todo el que desee emprender un estudio sobre temas importantes de la Biblia. Basada en la Version Reina-Valera 1960, sus páginas recogen en orden alfabético las palabras más importantes de la Biblia e indican los versículos exactos donde se encuentran. Una concordancia exhaustiva, cubre "todas las palabras importantes para estudiar" de la Biblia. [TOP]

Introduction to Bible Study

Unleashing God's Word in Your Life: How to Effectively Study and Apply the Bible
By John MacArthur / Thomas Nelson / W

What do you look for when studying Scripture? What do you expect to gain? Best-selling author and pastor John MacArthur shares what he's discovered about Unleashing God's Word in Your Life, by unleashing God's truth one verse at a time and building a framework that yields the optimum result, a deeper relationship with the Savior. You will learn how the Bible is organized, what it means; how it reveals God's will, prepares you for spiritual battle, and sets you free.

The Bible Made Easy
By Mark Water / Hendrickson Publishers

An easy-to-use introduction to God's Word! This colorfully designed pocket guide is topically arranged to provide seekers, new Christians, and longtime believers with quick access to important Bible facts and subjects---including parables, prophecy, and miracles. Includes a foldout timeline that gives you a bird's-eye view of Bible history! 64 pages, 4" x 6.75" soft cover from Hendrickson. [TOP]

Bible dictionaries

1. Beginner-level dictionaries

The Three-In-One Bible Reference Companion
By Thomas Nelson / W

With an A-to-Z listing of every important word in the KJV, here's a complete set of study tools in one easy-to-use volume. The concordance lists words and their uses in biblical context; the topical index traces themes and concepts throughout Scripture; and the dictionary explains ideas, people, places, objects, customs, and events. Features a Fan Tab index. 811 pages, hardcover from Nelson.

1,001 Bible Questions Answered, 2 Books in 1
By William L. Pettingill & R.A. Torrey / World Publishing

Expand and enrich your knowledge of God's Word with this compendium of questions and answers! From "angels" to "Zion," this trusty tome delivers thoughtful, balanced, and easy-to-understand discussions. Chapters such as "Salvation," "Grace," "Christian Conduct," and "Roman Catholicism" present the most common questions posed by Christians and non-believers alike. Features topical and scriptural indexes. 491 pages, hardcover from Inspirational Press.

The Layman's Bible Dictionary
By Barbour Publishing

Perfect for beginning Bible students, this comprehensive resource is inexpensive, easy to use, and handy to carry. Based on the KJV, with cross-references from other major translations, it's packed with more than 2,500 entries explaining essential facts about biblical places, personalities, and doctrines. Includes 27 black-and-white photos. 352 pages, soft cover from Barbour.

Bible Personalities A Treasury of Insights for Personal Growth and Ministry
By Warren W. Wiersbe / Baker

From Aaron to Zedekiah, characters in the Bible struggled with the same obstacles members of today's congregations experience. They provide great lessons, but busy pastors often lack time for in-depth research. In this helpful resource Wiersbe provides the historical context of each character's story and selected quotes from respected scholars, so that you can get your character study off to a great start. This volume will be treasured by preachers, youth ministers and Bible teachers everywhere!

Illustrated Bible Handbook
By Lawrence O. Richards / Thomas Nelson / W

This book offers unparalleled value for students, pastors, and those who want to study or teach the Bible. It's a complete, practical, one-volume Bible companion. Including scores of maps, charts, photos, and illustrations, this is a visual guide to interpreting Scripture.

3,458 Bible People and Places: A Guide to Who's Who and Key Locations in the Bible
By World Publishing

Do you know the difference between Damascus and Damaris? Elijah and Eliada? Pontius and Pontus? This handy little reference lists people and places in the NKJV Scriptures alphabetically---along with brief descriptions, key references, variant spellings, and phonetic spellings---so you can set things straight in a snap! 373 pages, hardcover from Nelson.

3,012 Bible Questions and Answers: A Compendium of Bible Facts, History, Wisdom and Instruction
By World Publishing

Learning the Bible can be fun and easy! 3,012 Bible Questions and Answers is the perfect book to test and increase your knowledge of the Bible. Some of the stimulating questions include: How long did Jesus pray before choosing His 12 disciples? Who do the Gospels say saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove? What tribe of Israel was chosen to minister to the people in the name of the Lord? What nation defeated Judah and took the people into captivity? Who were the two missionaries who prayed and sang hymns in a Philippian jail? Each intriguing questions contains an answer, its Scripture reference, and an explanation when needed. Filled with thousands of facts, this handy collection will help build your understanding of the Bible, reaffirming your faith by comprehending its wisdom.

The Student Bible Dictionary
By Karen Dockrey / Barbour Publishing

Here is a concise, easy-to-use Bible reference book especially for students of all ages who seek to learn more about the Bible and its times. This dictionary features definitions and explanations of hundreds of Bible words, names, places, and concepts. Scores of full color charts, maps, photographs, and illustrations help to clarify the text, and add visual appeal. Special color coding, meanwhile, adds special emphasis to important topics-which feature additional information geared toward the student reader.

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
By Don Fleming / Amg Publishers

Cross the bridge between modern time and biblical culture! This readable and accurate resource, featuring almost 1,000 entries, covers all major areas of scriptural knowledge: theology, doctrine, people, history, geography, the life of Christ, and more. Enhance your Bible study with in-depth information, without technical jargon. Includes maps, charts, illustrations, and tables.

Who's Who and Where's Where in the Bible-An Illustrated A to Z Dictionary of the People and Places of Scripture
By Stephen M. Miller / Barbour Publishing

This handy reference serves as a Bible companion and tool written in everyday language, but also contains scholarly detail. Find out for yourself interesting facts such as: What grandmother murdered her family so she could rule the Jewish nation? Who had a bed more than thirteen feet long? This book answers these questions and is filled with over 500 entries and is illustrated in full color.

Where to Find It in the Bible, Abridged
By Ken Anderson / Thomas Nelson / W

What does the Bible say about modern concerns such as stress, nutrition, or computers? Ordinary concordances aren't much help, but this offbeat topical resource lets you find biblical answers to contemporary issues like these. Now you can locate specific Scripture references to hundreds of subjects, circumstances, and situations from A to Z---in everyday, non-theological language. 309 pages, 4.25" x 7" soft cover from Nelson. [TOP]

2. One-volume dictionaries

The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
By Edited by Allen C. Myers / Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Need a first-rate dictionary at a budget price? Look no further! Comprehensive, up-to-date, and reliable, this resource features 5,000 entries that identify people and places, examine biblical books and their backgrounds, describe the ancient physical and cultural world, and explain important aspects of biblical theology. Includes photos and maps.

New Unger's Bible Dictionary
By Edited by R.K. Harrison, H.F. Vos & C.J. Barber / Moody Publishers

From Aaron to the Zuzites this bible dictionary offers 6700 thoroughly researched entries including an outline of every book along with complete coverage of people and places of the Bible to help you understand the Bible. This revised edition boasts more than 200 new illustrations, 300 photographs with almost half in color, 50 maps, updated Greek and Hebrew transliterations, updated bibliographies and extensive cross-referencing for further study. This dictionary is compatible with the NAS, NIV, KJV, and NKJV Bible translations and also includes full-color, 16-page insert featuring the award-winning maps from The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands.

Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
By Thomas Nelson / W

A comprehensive one-volume Bible dictionary! With over 7,000 concise entries by the world's finest evangelical scholars, this handy reference will greatly enrich your Bible study. It features cross-references to six major Bible translations; The Visual Survey of the Bible; over 500 color photos and 3-D maps; outlines; articles; easy-to-read type; a Fan Tab thumb index; and more. 1346 pages, hardcover.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
By C. Brand, C.W. Draper & A. England / Broadman / Holman

The Holman Bible Dictionary edited by Trent C. Butler has become one of the best-selling Bible reference tools since its publication in 1991. Now this revised, updated and expanded edition called the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary offers even greater value to Bible students and teachers with over 250 new articles, new maps and charts, and 90 new contributors. This book is designed both for those who need information quickly and those who want in depth treatments of hundreds of topics. Each entry begins with a brief definition of the word followed by more detailed information. Through its more than 700 full-color graphics, this book brings readers right into the world of the Bible and enables them to better understand the Scriptures.

Features:

"Quicktabs"—marginal alphabetical guides for quick and easy location of information.

New Bible Dictionary – Third Edition
By Inter-varsity Press

This updated third edition of is a reference work ideally suited for people of all ages and backgrounds. Trusted for over 50 years, it now includes the latest research in biblical studies, ancient Near Eastern studies and archaeological finds. One hundred of the most important articles have been revised and rewritten. All of the bibliographies have been revised, taking into account the vast increase in publications since the second edition was released. Also included is essential background information on the history, geography, and customs of Israel and its Middle Eastern neighbors.
This third edition of the will increase the reader's knowledge and understanding of God's Word. It is a great reference book for schools and colleges, theological and Bible college students, ministers and laypeople, teachers and professional scholars--everyone who wants to know and understand the Bible better.

Features:

• Over 2,000 entries on the Bibles books, people, places key words, major doctrines
• Maps
• Family trees
• Line drawings
• Diagrams
• Charts
• Illustrations
• An index with 10,000 entries.

I have used the older edition for many years and have found it excellent. It is conservative and generally trustworthy. —Steve

Broadman & Holman Concise Bible Dictionary
By Broadman / Holman

The right resource when you just want the basics. The Holman Concise Bible Dictionary covers all the traditional topics you want in a Bible dictionary: summaries of books of the Bible, Bible characters, places, animals, plants, and precious stones. Plus, the Holman Concise Bible Dictionary contains over 2800 entries on a variety of contemporary topics, including: abortion, assisted suicide, AIDS, birth control, credit cards, and animal rights. Quick, convenient, and easy to understand.

Smith's Bible Dictionary
By F.N. & M.A. Peloubet, eds. / Hendrickson Publishers

This is a revision by F.N. and M.A. Peloubet of William Smith's classic Bible dictionary. Their edition preserves the theological substance of Smith's original work and illuminates it with the insights of more recent archaeological discoveries. It describes the more important people and places of the Bible and the major teachings of Scripture, and includes Smith's famous 4,000 questions & answers. 912 pages, hardcover from Hendrickson.

New International Bible Dictionary
By Zondervan Corp.

For nearly 25 years, the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary was an indispensable reference tool. Now it has been thoroughly revised, updated, and redesigned---so thoroughly that it deserves a new name! Based on the NIV, more than 5,400 entries in easy-to-read print cover every aspect of Bible inquiry: history, archaeology, geography, biography, theology, etc. Nearly 1,000 new illustrations, maps, charts and tables, and a unique Scripture index round out this vital resource. 1216 pages, hardcover.

This is another one I have used extensively over the years. Updating it can only make a good tool better! —Steve

HarperCollins Bible Dicti