Bible Resource Tools & Helps

BIBLE RESOURCE

TOOLS

Bible Resource Tools
That Can Help You Understand The Bible

1. Concordance
2. Commentaries
3. Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
4. Maps & Bible Lands
5. Topical Bibles
6. Lexicons
7. Devotional Bibles
8. Study Bibles
9. Difference between a Devotional & Study Bible
10. What is the best Bible to use?
11. Bible Programs & Software

On downloading PDF's be patient as some files are large.

Concordance

This is a complete alphabetical listing of all the words in the Bible. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance or Young's Analytical Concordance are two popular editions. You can look up a keyword and find the passage that you want, and even others that expand on it. A concordance can be very helpful in clarifying word meanings as you look them up in their various contexts.

A concordance is like an extensive index to the Bible that lists the words in the Bible and where they can be found. They are very helpful in Bible study so that you can easily find all the verses on "money" or some other topic and find out all the Bible has to say about it. A good concordance is Strong's Exhaustive Concordances read online.

Commentaries

These are collections of explanatory notes on and interpretations of the text of a book or section of the Bible. They explore the meaning of the biblical message by analyzing words used, grammar and syntax, and a passage's relation to the rest of the Bible. The New Bible Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Halley's Bible Handbook, and NIV Bible Commentary are popular. Commentaries are designed to expand on biblical passages through original language study, historical information, context, and in-depth review by scholars with various viewpoints and biases.

These analyze passages of the Bible in-depth for mature Christians, Sunday School Teachers, and Pastors. The Tyndale commentary series is good enough for most people while pastors and Bible students might want to use the New International commentaries on the OT and NT. Some good one-volume commentaries that treat the whole Bible in one volume are available - ask at your Christian bookstore or buy online or you can read online here.

An excellent commentary is Matthew Henry's Commentary.

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary (Read online on our sister website)
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary (PDF Download)

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (Volume 1)
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (Volume 2)
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (Volume 3)
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (Volume 4)
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (Volume 5)
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (Volume 6)

Bible Commentary Bridgeway (PDF Download)
Jamieson Fausset & Brown Commentary (PDF Download)

The Greek New Testament - Westcott Hort (Read online on our sister website)
Barnes New Testament Notes by Albert Barnes (PDF Download)
The Bible Book By Book by Josiah Blake Tidwell (PDF Download)

Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

These Bible Dictionaries helps explain many of the Bible's words, topics, customs, geography, etc. They often work just like a standard dictionary or encyclopedia, except that all the words and topics are found in Scripture. They can be great tools for finding more information so you can understand what is being said or what is going on in the biblical text.

Titles such as Holman's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Nelson's Compact Bible Dictionary, and Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary are good. If you want a concordance and a dictionary in one book would recommend Strong's Concise Concordance and Vine's Concise Dictionary of the Bible.

To read online:
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary here
Easton's Bible Dictionary here (Read online on our sister website)

To read on online or download PDF:
Easton Bible Dictionary here
Smith's Bible Dictionary here
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary here

Encyclopedia
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (PDF Download)

Maps and Archaeology/Bible Lands

Use Bible reference books to increase your understanding of the Bible. Recommend buying a Bible map book with history and culture included to using with reading any book of the Bible. Example for under $12.00 here to put in back of your Bible or a Bible map atlas with the location then and now with Biblical background and culture for under $25.00. In any study method you choose, having a map, history, and culture of that time as you are reading makes God's journey through the Bible come alive.

Knowing a bit about the life and times, history and culture of people in Bible lands can be fascinating and very helpful. You can also for free use our maps, archaeology and Bible Lands online or download for free and print out and keep a copy in your Bible.
Smith Bible Atlas (Read online on our sister website)
Bible Times Maps (Read online on our sister website)
Biblical Times Maps (Read online on our sister website)

Topical Bibles

Is excellent for looking up topics of the Bible.
Torrey's New Topical Textbook by R. A. Torrey (Read Online)
Torrey's New Topical Textbook by R. A. Torrey (PDF Download)
Nave's Topical Bible by Orville J. Nave (PDF Download)

Lexicons

These are linguistic tools that help define word meanings and vocabulary. Even if you do not know the original Greek or Hebrew, these tools will help you understand word meanings and grammatical structure. Some give additional information about "morphological" variations, and some even provide references for where and how the words are used in other ancient literature. A concise dictionary of the words in The Hebrew Bible by James Strong here.

Devotional Bibles

The goal of a devotional Bible is to help readers apply biblical concepts to their daily lives. These Bibles do this by including inspiring stories, memorable anecdotes, clever analogies, relevant quotations and thought-provoking questions to get people thinking about what the Scripture means to them personally. Recommend giving NIV Devotional Bible to those new to the Bible. They are very useful and can be bought online here at Christian Book. Com. We have a suggested list of 16 Devotional Bibles and shipped for under $16.00 USD for those on a budget here.

Study Bibles

A study bible is a bible translation plus footnotes that explains the text and help the reader to grasp its message. An excellent study Bible can prove to be an invaluable companion as you dive into God's Word. These Bibles are designed to help you dig deeper into the text. They give background notes, a brief running commentary, maps, etc. Some popular editions are Life Application Study Bible and the NIV Study Bible. The NIV Study Bible can be bought online at Christian Book. Com here. The NIV translation is easy to read, quite accurate and the notes and helps in the NIV Study Bible are excellent. To buy a study Bible online here.

Difference Between a Devotional and Study Bible

Devotional and Study Bibles are both designed to help Christians better understand God's word in different ways. Both contain the entire text of the Bible and supplementary resources. A Study Bible helps clarify the meaning of the Scriptural text itself and the historical context. While a Devotional Bible may also do this, its primary focus is assisting readers to apply Scripture to their daily lives. For those new to the Bible or are a new Christians we highly recommend any of these Devotional Bibles here.

What Is The Best Bible To Use?

The most common Translation used by Pastors and folks is the New International Version (NIV), and I recommend giving to people when they are converted. As it is considered a dynamic translation but seeks to balance between word-for-word (Literal Translations) and thought–for thought translations styles (Dynamic Translations). New International Version (NIV) finds a balance from literal and dynamic as it is easy to read but is still very accurate.

You should use the most accurate version available in your language. It should also be sufficiently modern for you to read it easily. The King James or Authorized Version is a very accurate Bible but was written four centuries ago in a different form of English known as Elizabethan English. Many of the words it uses are now obsolete or have changed meaning, for instance, the word "prevent" means "to go before" in the King James Version and the word "handsome" means sly and tricky - not attractive. So because it can confuse people, I do not generally recommend the King James Version. The New King James Version is an equally accurate translation with more modern English.

Good translations include the NIV (New International Version), ESV ( English Standard Version), NASB (New American Standard Bible), and NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). Some easy to read but not so accurate translations include The Living Bible (LB), The New Living Bible (NLB), The Message (MSG), The Good News Bible (GNB) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV). Most Pastors use the New International Bible and easier to follow along on Sunday if you have the same translation.

Download Bible Resources at our sister website www.biblesnet.com to your electronic devices and use offline h ere.