The Holy Bible is the source for all that we do as Christians and as a church.  We live in a country where there is so much information about the Bible, yet we seem to be less knowledgable about what it says and how it impacts our lives.  I hope that you will find the resources for Bible study and reading helpful in understanding and applying the Holy Bible in your lives.

Learn more about Bible study tools by scrolling down or clicking on the links below:
Concordances
Bible Dictionaries
Bible Atlases


Concordances

For the purposes of Bible study, a concordance is an alphabetical list of words in the Bible and the verses in which they appear.  Common words like "the," "a," "he," and so forth won't be in the concordance.  Concordances are specific to a specific Bible translation or paraphrase.

If you are interested in learning more about a topic, you can look up a word pertaining to the topic and read the passages around the verses listed.  For instance, if you wanted to learn about tithing, look up "tithe" in a NIV concordance.  You should find Deuteronomy 14:23 and Malachi 3:10 among the verses listed.  Below are some links to some online concordances.

This is Crosswalk.com's Bible search tool:
Search the Bible:


  HELP
BibleGateway.com's Keyword Search

Back to top


Bible Dictionary

At a minimum, Bible dictionaries have definitions of words found in the Bible, just like a regular dictionary.  Definitions will be tailored on how the word is used in the Bible.  For instance, the definition of "mint" in Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language, 1979 is "an aromatic plant whose leaves are used for flavoring."  In Easton's Bible Dictionary, it is defined "one of the garden herbs of which the Pharisees paid."

Some Bible dictionaries have more extensive entries that look like both a dictionary and an encyclopedia.  Here are some online links.

Easton's Bible Dictionary from Crosswalk.com
Bible Study References from Crosswalk.com

Back to top


Bible Atlas

Bible atlases are simply a collection of maps from Biblical times and events.  An atlas may contain a map of the Hebrews exodus from Egypt to Israel, or King David's kingdom.  One thing to note about maps in Bible atlases - names of places change over time; therefore, there is more uncertainty about the locations on the maps. 

Atlases are very useful when used side-by-side while reading a passage or story.  You can trace a journey or pinpoint the location of an event.  For instance, you can follow one of Paul's missionary journeys on a map as you're reading Acts.  Or you can follow the Israelites' settlement and military campaigns in Canaan while reading Joshua.

A list of Bible atlases from Godweb.org

Back to top