Bible Concordances: Balancing Readability and Completeness
When considering Bible study aids you want the best of the best. A good Bible concordance is helpful in diving deeper into the Bible. However, sometimes the best Bible concordances can be hard to use. So, it’s important to find the right balance between readability and completeness.
The most complete and easy to use Bible concordance is the New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. This concordance combines the familiarity of the Strong’s numbering system with the best of Vine’s Expository Dictionary, making it essentially two tools in one.
So, let’s take a closer look at what exactly makes a Bible concordance the best of the best.
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Overview of Bible Concordances
A Bible concordance is a reference tool that helps users locate and explore specific words or topics in the Bible by providing a list of verses where those words or topics can be found.
Typically, a bible concordance is used for word studies, thematic studies, or cross-referencing. It serves as a valuable resource for in-depth exploration of specific words, phrases, topics, and themes within the Bible. As such, a concordance is a helpful tool for in-depth Bible study.
Now, just because a Bible concordance can be a helpful tool does not mean that it is ideal for you. Check out this article to see whether or not a Bible concordance is really necessary.
There is a three step process to using a concordance.
- Choose a word that you are studying and want to know more about.
- Look up that word and verse in the concordance to get the Strong’s reference number.
- Use that reference number to look up the word in the dictionary to see the definition and other words that Hebrew/Greek word is frequently translated as.
If you want a more detailed explanation of how to use a concordance, then be sure to read this article. You’ll discover exactly how to use a concordance for both word studies and topical studies.
Now, that you know a little more about what a Bible concordance is its time to dive into their usability and completeness to discover why the New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible is the most complete and readable.
Understanding Readability of Bible Concordances
Given the fact that a Bible concordance is primarily a list of words and verses where that word is found, they are not difficult to read, per se. That said, there are some factors to consider that affect the usability of a Bible concordance. These could include things like,
- Layout and Formatting
- Font-Size
- Quality of Indexing
- Length of Definitions
- Other Helpful Tips
A lack of considering these factors can make you wind up with a concordance that you find too complex, too time consuming, and too overwhelming. In short, it will sit on your shelf and you’ll never use it. That’s what mine usually does.
So, let’s take a look at some common Bible concordances and see how these factors compare.
| Concordance | Font Size & Readability | Layout & Formatting | Quality Indexing | Concise Definitions | Helpful Appendices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance | Small; Complex | Complex | Comprehensive | Yes | Yes |
| The New Strong’s Expanded Concordance | Small; User-Friendly | User-Friendly | Comprehensive | Yes | Yes |
| Young’s Analytical Concordance | Small; User-Friendly | User-Friendly | Moderate | Yes | Limited |
| NIV Exhaustive Concordance | Medium; User-Friendly | User-Friendly | Comprehensive | Yes | Limited |
| NIV Concordance | Medium; User-Friendly | User-Friendly | Moderate | No | Limited |
| Cruden’s Complete Concordance | Small; User-Friendly | User-Friendly | Comprehensive | Yes | Limited |
You can see how most of these concordances are similar. That’s because they all serve a similar function. Though, the formatting is similar in all of them, I found the formatting of the Young’s Analytical Concordance, to be the most user friendly.
This is because it lists out the book name once, then lists every verse in that book where it mentions that word. The other commentaries will repeat the Book name for every entry. So, by only listing in once the Young’s Analytical Concordance is easier to navigate and use.
Another important thing to consider is what other helpful tools or appendices are in the concordance. Most of these concordances would have very little extra features. Almost all of them explain how to use a concordance.
What I do want to make mention of is the extra features in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the New Strong’s Expanded Concordance. These features include things like:
- Maps and additional Bible study aids
- Laws of the Bible
- Teachings and Illustrations of Jesus Christ
- The Jewish Calendar
- The Jewish Feasts
- Prayers in the Bible
- Parables of Jesus Christ
- Weights, Money, Measures
- etc.
It’s these extra features that really make these concordances stand out as some of the most usable and readable concordances available.
Assessing Completeness of Bible Concordances
Another important factor to consider when determining the best of the best Bible concordances is its completeness. There are three main types of Bible concordances. They are,
- Compact Concordance: A compact concordance will list only the most important words and only the most important references to those words.
- Complete Concordance: A complete concordance will list every important word and every reference for those important words.
- Exhaustive Concordance: An exhaustive concordance will list every single word, including “a”, “the” “and”, and every reference where they are found.
The following table categorizes these concordances by their level of completeness.
| Commentary | Type |
|---|---|
| Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance | Exhaustive |
| The New Strong’s Expanded Concordance | Complete |
| Young’s Analytical Concordance | Complete |
| NIV Exhaustive Concordance | Exhaustive |
| NIV Concordance | Complete |
| Cruden’s Complete Concordance | Complete |
You can see here that none of them are compact concordances. This is because these different concordances all have “compact” versions. These compact versions are great for beginners or people new to Bible study.
So, if you are wanting to a concordance but feel overwhelmed with the idea, consider getting a compact concordance of one of these. They provide a nice beginner friendly introduction to using a Bible concordance without getting overwhelmed.
That said, if you are wanting to do high quality research and word studies, then you may want to consider an exhaustive concordance. As they are the most complete in terms of number of words used and verses referenced.
Comparing Popular Bible Concordances
Now, that we’ve taken a look at the importance of readability/usability and completeness when it comes to Bible concordances, let’s compare some popular ones.
| Concordance | Completeness | Readability and Usability |
|---|---|---|
| Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance | Highly Comprehensive | Complex |
| The New Strong’s Expanded Concordance | Comprehensive | User-Friendly |
| Young’s Analytical Concordance | Moderate Completeness | User-Friendly |
| NIV Exhaustive Concordance | Comprehensive | User-Friendly (NIV Users) |
| NIV Concordance | Good Completeness | User-Friendly (NIV Users) |
| Cruden’s Complete Concordance | Comprehensive | Moderately Complex |
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance was first published in the late 19th century by James Strong. It took years of hard work, but quickly became an indispensable tool for Bible study. His unique numbering system remains a cornerstone to the field of Biblical studies today.
Though the font size can be small, the font type is extremely readable. The layout is comprehensive and can appear complex at first glance, though the edge tabs for each letter make this concordance easy to navigate and use.
The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is exhaustive. No surprise there. It contains every single occurrence of every single word in the King James Version (KJV) translation. It also includes over 14,000 dictionary entries for Greek and Hebrew words.
This concordance also features 5 large full colored maps, topical indexes, and other useful Bible study aids.
The New Strong’s Expanded Concordance
The New Strong’s Expanded Concordance is an updated version of the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. As such, it has many of the same features in terms of readability and completeness. However, it was updated to enhance accessibility and cater to a wider audience.
What makes this concordance unique is its extensive use of the Vine’s Expository Dictionary. The Hebrew and Greek dictionaries in the back, now contain not only more references, but also definitions from one of the best Expository dictionaries available today.
This concordance features even more helpful charts, maps, and articles, on topics like:
- Harmony of the Gospels
- Teachings and Illustrations of Christ
- The Parables of Jesus Christ
- The Miracles of Jesus Christ
- Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
- The Laws of the Bible
- Old Testament Chronology
This makes the New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance an extremely helpful tool for pastors and Bible students alike and is the #1 Bestseller in Christian Bible Language Studies on Amazon.
Young’s Analytical Concordance
Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible was created by Robert Young in 1879. It focuses on aiding readers in their experience and understanding of the Bible’s content and context. As such, it is a helpful and well-respected Bible study tool.
The font size and layout of Young’s Concordance is similar to other concordances. What stood out to me first in terms of its layout is that it doesn’t repeat mentioning the book of the Bible for every verse. I found this helpful in navigating and finding a verse in this concordance easier.
Young’s Concordance is not as exhaustive of Strong’s concordance, though it still covers a substantial number of words.
Overall, Young’s Concordance is more user-friendly and readable than Strong’s Concordance. As such, it is better for beginners.
The NIV Exhaustive Concordance is similar to Strong’s Exhaustive concordance except that it is designed to complement the translation choices of the New International Version (NIV).
The font size and layout of the NIV Exhaustive Concordance is comparable to other Bible concordances. Though, I would consider the font size a little better. This concordance also includes tabs on the side to ensure easy navigation.
Like the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the NIV Exhaustive Concordance contains every word in the NIV translation of the Bible. So, if you use the NIV translation consistently, then you may want to consider this concordance.
A unique feature of the NIV Exhaustive Concordance is the numbering system. This concordance uses a numbering system that was developed by Goodrick and Kohlenberger, called the G/K numbering system. It claims to eliminate the flaws of the Strong’s numbering system.
The NIV Concordance is similar to the NIV Exhaustive Concordance, only that it contains fewer words. As a result this concordance is designed to be portable and extremely helpful.
The NIV Concordance contains more than 2,000 entries, over 100 frequently used phrases, and 50,000 references. This means that the NIV Concordance is more than sufficient for your average Bible study and makes a great and portable resource for those new to Bible study.
Cruden’s Complete Concordance was written by Alexander Cruden and has a long history as a valuable resource tool. It was even used by Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers.
Cruden’s Complete Concordance is a handy and user-friendly portable concordance that is a great resource for doing quick word studies or looking up a verse quickly. It features over 200,000 references and a complete list of the names and titles for Jesus, the Church and more.
Consider Online Bible Concordances
With the rise of technology online Bible study resources are becoming more frequent and popular. As such, you may want to consider using an online Bible concordance.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Accessibility for a wide user base | Completeness may vary |
| Powerful search functions | Quality control needed |
| Readability customization | Internet dependency |
| Multilingual support | Limited offline access |
| Cross-referencing features | Potential distractions |
Online concordances can be a huge benefit to first time Bible study time. The powerful search functions make finding a word and learning more about its context quicker. That said, I have personally found many online concordances confusing and hard to navigate.
Perhaps, the best place for an online concordance is Blue Letter Bible. You can simply type in the English word you want to know more about, choose your translation, and hit search. That will pull up a list of every time that word is mentioned in that specific translation.
Choosing the Best Bible Concordance For You
Overall, the most readable and complete Bible Concordance is the New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance. But that doesn’t mean that it is ideal for you. So here are some quick tips to find the best concordance for you.
- Consider your Bible translation: Concordances are designed to pair with specific translations. For example, Strong’s Concordance typically uses KJV or NASB. So, see if you can find a concordance that pairs with your translation.
- Consider your experience level: If you are new to Bible study, then you may not want to get an exhaustive concordance right away. That’s what I did and it primarily sits on my shelf. Instead, consider a compact concordance when first starting out.
- Determine your Study Goals: Do you want to see what other verses use the same word? Or do you want to do in-depth word studies? This can help you determine what concordance is best for you.
- Ask Around: Ask your friends, pastor, Bible study group if they use a concordance and what kind. See what they like about it and what they may recommend for you.
For more tips on choosing the best concordance for you, consider reading this article. You’ll discover even more practical tips for finding the best Bible concordance.
Overall, choosing a Bible concordance that works best for you will mean finding one that helps you grow spiritually. Remember a concordance is a Bible study resource. As such, it is meant to be an aid in Bible study and not a hindrance. So, look for one that is not only complete but also readable.
