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CONCORDANCE DEFINITIONS

I have found one interesting way God communicates is through concordance definitions. In studying or preparing a message to minister, I always use my Bible concordance to further my understanding of the subject. Hearing the voice of God through biblical resources is key to growing in your spiritual walk and relationship with God. A Bible concordance can be a helpful tool for studying the Word of God.

You may ask, “What is a concordance?” A concordance contains an alphabetical index of words used in the Bible and the main Bible references where the word occurs. A Bible concordance is useful in locating passages in the Bible. If you can remember just one word in a verse, you can often find what you’re looking for. If I am preparing a message on the subject of love, I will not just rely on a Bible verse speaking on love; I will look at the index in the back of my Bible to find the word love to getting a better understanding. There are also Bible concordances that you can find online or in bookstores to purchase.

Through this method, God leads and teaches us to utilize tools for enhancing our relationship and understanding of His original concept. We must keep in mind when studying the Word of God that Bible concordance definitions are translation-specific; that is, different concordances are based on different translations of the Bible. A concordance for the NASB will not help you find much in the ESV, simply because those two translations use different English words. A parallel Bible, such as the KJV/NIV, will usually have two concordances in the back—one for the KJV and one for the NIV.

A good concordance will also help a believer with learning and becoming acquainted with the original language. As I study the Word of God and use Strong’s Concordance, for example, each English word is assigned a number that corresponds to the original Greek or Hebrew word. The Old Testament (Hebrew) words are numbered 0001 through 8674; the New Testament (Greek) words are numbered 0001 through 5624. Strong’s includes Hebrew and Greek dictionaries at the back of the concordance, allowing you to easily look up the meaning of every original word in the Bible.

Why use a concordance?

A Bible concordance is a helpful tool when doing a word study. Using an exhaustive concordance like Strong’s, you can locate every occurrence of the word in the Bible and gain helpful insight into what it means.

A Bible concordance will assist you in learning various definitions of Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic words.

A Bible concordance is helpful when trying to locate a Bible verse, but you can’t remember the chapter and verse.

How does a Bible concordance work? Perhaps you remember a verse about Noah finding grace in the eyes of the Lord, but you can’t remember where it is found. You can look up grace in a concordance in order to discover the reference. Here is an excerpt from the entry for grace:

Genesis 6:8: But Noah found grace in the eyes of the… (H2580).

Genesis 19:19: Behold now, thy servant hath found grace (H2580).

Genesis 32:5: …my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight (H2580).

James 1:11: For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace… (G2143).

When you look up the word grace in the Old Testament Hebrew in the concordance you will see H2580 chen. That means “grace, favor, gracious, pleasant, precious, well-favored.” When you look up the word grace in the New Testament Greek in the concordance you will see G2143 εὐπρέπεια euprepeia— that means “grace.”

God will speak to you with regard to what grace means and how to apply it in your life. We can use the example in the life of Noah as we hear God through the eyes of grace in the sight of God. There are times when I study the Word of God and God speaks to me through one highlighted word that blesses me. It further blesses me when I see that specific word in the concordance and the meaning and Scripture references are provided. So when it comes to the word grace we notice the verse you’re looking for is Genesis 6:8, the one that mentions Noah. While you’re at it, you can look up other instances of the same Hebrew word translated “grace.” Notice that Genesis 19:19 and Genesis 32:5 have the same reference number in the right column. Those two verses use the same Hebrew word (H2580).

If I’m studying the word grace, I would look up the definition of the Hebrew word translated “grace” by using the reference number. At the back of the concordance, you will find this entry for H2580: “H2580 chēn from H2603 chanan; graciousness, i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty): favor, grace(-ious), pleasant, precious, (well-)favored.” Same with the Greek word translated “grace” by using the reference number G2143, euprepeia: “goodly appearance, shapeliness, beauty, and comeliness.”

A Bible concordance, whether online or in print, is a valuable resource for any student of the Bible. It is a basic tool and is often one of the most used in Bible study. I am amazed at the guidance God gives us. By learning from God’s wisdom and insight, we can live free from many problems that others experience simply because they don’t know His Word. It is through the Bible that we learn who God is, what He values, how to trust Him. I have found a remarkable way to listen to the voice of God through the Bible.