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Study Tools
Have you ever wondered wonder how to go about studying the Bible? Have you wondered what tools were available? Have you wondered how to use them? We hope this information empowers you to dig a little deeper into God's Word, and that it enriches your study.
Concordance
A concordance is an alphabetical list of the frequently-used words in a book, with their immediate contexts. (For example, entries for Love might say: Rom 5:5 "because God has poured out his l" and Rom 5:8 "God demonstrates his own l for us in this".) Concordances are often used as a tool to aid in the study of a text, such as: comparing different usages of the same word, analysing keywords, analysing word frequencies, and finding and analysing phrases. In addition to the above mentioned uses, in the back of the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance one can find both a Hebrew & Greek Dictionary, which give a close English meaning (or "gloss") of the Hebrew/Greek word (for example, the Greek word “agathos” can mean “good”).
Bible Dictionary
A Bible Dictionary is a useful tool that provides background information regarding a variety of persons, places, things, customs of the Bible (for example, Moses, Egypt, The Book of Exodus). Depending on the technical level of the dictionary, it may be a single volume such as the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (available in the Logos Café) or may be multiple volumes such as the Anchor Bible Dictionary (which is six volumes).
Bible Atlas
A Bible Atlas is much like any other atlas in that there are various maps. The maps in a Bible Atlas, however, will relate to Biblical lands and topics. They may show where cities in ancient Israel were located, but also may show, for example, the routes of Paul's missionary journeys. And there's often more than just maps. There are often pictures of various sites, and information about the geography. Using a Bible Atlas can help provide a sense of context or background.
Bible Commentary
A Bible Commentary is a tool used to assist with issues surrounding biblical interpretation. When I read a passage, what does it mean? How does it relate to the passage before it? Depending on the how technical a commentary is, it may provide insights into the grammar or language of the original texts that may not translate well into English. Often a Commentary is used to provide a larger theological picture for a passage being read, and can be used to both deepen and broaden your study. There are various types of Bible commentary available:
Single-Volume Commentaries: These are typically non-technical, addressing issues of theology rather than grammar and the original languages.
Multi-Volume Commentaries: Each volume often addresses a single book or a small group of books from the Bible. Because there is more space available, there is usually more in-depth study than in a single-volume commentary. Each volume commentary may be written by a different author, and often discusses the original languages and grammatical issues surrounding a text.
Special Interest Commentaries: This type of commentary, by its very nature, limits itself to discussing certain issues surrounding a biblical text. Often this is a single volume commentary, with a specific method of biblical interpretation (such as Historical Criticism).
Bible Translations
Bible translations are often the product of years of discussion and work by a team of translators. The differences between the various Bible translations are often a result of methodology and theology. For example, when we say methodology, we mean how closely a version translates the original language word-for-word into English (or any other language for that matter). This methodology is known as “formal equivalence.” Examples might be the RSV (Revised Standard Version) or ESV (English Standard Version). Another methodology, known as "dynamic equivalence," attempts to translate thought-for-thought. In other words, instead of using the exact same words, in the exact same order, the translator “modifies” the translation to give the reader the “gist” of what the translator thinks the author was trying to say. Examples using this type of methodology might be the NIV (New International Version), or CEV (Contemporary English Version). Complicating the translation process is not just how confusing a language itself may be (does "cool" mean something about a temperature or is talking about a personal trait?!), but with any translation, a translator’s theology might influence any particular translation. For example, let's look at the Greek phrase, dikaiosynēs theou, or roughly “righteousness of God.” This can be correctly translated in two different ways: “the righteousness a person receives from God,” or “the righteousness that God possesses”. So does a particular passage talk about "righteousness from God" or "God's righteousness"? Since either translation is technically correct, a translator's theology might – consciously or unconsciously – determine how the passage appears in the final translation. It may be helpful for studying a passage to read it in more than one translation. Some of the nuances of language may become apparent, and you may gain different insights.
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