Concordance
What Is a Bible Concordance?
A Bible concordance is a reference tool that lists words found in Scripture in alphabetical order, along with every passage in which each word appears. If a reader remembers a phrase like "cast your burden upon the Lord" but cannot recall the reference, looking up the word "burden" or "cast" in a concordance will lead directly to Psalm 55:22. The value of a concordance lies in its exhaustiveness and clarity of arrangement. While abridged concordances list only the most important words and passages, fuller works have always proven more useful for serious study.
The History of Bible Concordances
The idea of a concordance was first conceived in the 13th century. Hugo de Saint-Cher, a Dominican friar and cardinal, is credited with producing the first concordance to the Latin Vulgate around 1230 AD. He employed a reported 500 monks in the massive task of indexing every word in the Bible. This work was refined and improved over the following centuries. The first concordance to the Hebrew Old Testament was produced by Rabbi Isaac Nathan in 1437-1445, a remarkable achievement that served scholars for centuries. For the Greek New Testament, early concordances appeared in the 16th century alongside the growth of classical scholarship during the Renaissance.
For English-speaking Bible readers, the most famous concordance is the one produced by Alexander Cruden in 1737. Cruden's Concordance became the standard reference for users of the King James Version and went through numerous editions. In the 19th century, James Strong produced his Exhaustive Concordance (1890), which not only indexed every word in the KJV but also provided numbering systems linking English words to their underlying Hebrew and Greek terms. Strong's numbering system remains widely used today in Bible software and study tools.
Types of Concordances
Concordances exist for the Bible in all its major languages and translations. Scholarly concordances cover the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek New Testament, the Greek Septuagint translation, and the Latin Vulgate. Each of these serves a different purpose in academic study. English concordances have been produced for the King James Version, the Revised Version, and virtually every major modern translation. The best concordances include not just word listings but also phrases, proper names with their meanings, and references to the original Hebrew or Greek words behind the English translation.
The development of textual criticism has required ongoing updates to concordances of the original languages, as scholars refine their understanding of the most accurate Hebrew and Greek texts. A concordance is only as reliable as the text it indexes.
The Concordance as a Bible Study Tool
The usefulness of a concordance for Bible study can hardly be overstated. It enables several essential practices. First, it helps readers locate half-remembered passages. Second, it allows the tracing of a single word or concept throughout the entire Bible, revealing patterns and connections that would otherwise remain hidden. For example, tracing the word "covenant" from Genesis through Revelation reveals the unifying thread of God's relationship with His people. Third, concordances that reference the original languages help readers distinguish between different Hebrew or Greek words that may be translated by the same English word, or conversely, discover when a single original word is translated differently in various contexts.
The psalmist declared, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105), and the concordance has served as one of the most practical tools for navigating that illuminating word. Paul's instruction to Timothy to be a worker who "correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15) implies careful, thorough engagement with Scripture, exactly the kind of study a concordance facilitates.
From Print to Digital
The advent of digital technology has transformed how concordance work is done. Bible software and online search tools now perform instantly what once required hours of page-turning. Every word, phrase, and reference can be searched across multiple translations simultaneously, with links to Hebrew and Greek lexicons. Strong's numbering system has been adapted for digital use, making it possible for readers without knowledge of biblical languages to study the original terms behind their English translations.
Yet the underlying principle remains the same as it was for Hugo de Saint-Cher in the 13th century: the Bible is best understood when its own words are allowed to interpret each other. Scripture interprets Scripture, and the concordance is the tool that makes this principle practical. As Jesus Himself demonstrated when He connected passages from across the Old Testament to reveal their fulfillment (Luke 24:27, 44-45), understanding the Bible requires seeing how its parts relate to the whole.
The Concordance and Biblical Theology
Beyond its practical utility, the concordance reflects a profound theological conviction: that the Bible is a unified book with coherent themes running from beginning to end. The ability to trace a word like "redeem" from Exodus through Ruth to Isaiah and into the letters of Paul reveals a continuous story of God's saving purposes. The concordance is not merely a reference tool but an instrument for discovering the deep unity of Scripture, what theologians call the analogy of faith, the principle that the Bible's message is internally consistent and mutually illuminating.
Biblical Context
While the concordance itself is not a biblical topic, it serves the study of every biblical text. Its purpose is rooted in the conviction that Scripture is unified and self-interpreting. Key passages supporting careful Bible study include Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 2:15, and Acts 17:11, where the Bereans are praised for examining the Scriptures daily. Jesus's own practice of connecting Old Testament passages (Luke 24:27) models the kind of cross-referencing a concordance enables.
Theological Significance
The concordance embodies the Protestant principle of sola scriptura by equipping ordinary believers to search the Scriptures for themselves. It reflects the theological conviction that the Bible is a unified revelation whose parts illuminate each other. By enabling word studies and cross-referencing, concordances help readers discover the coherence of biblical theology across testaments, genres, and centuries.
Historical Background
The first Bible concordance was created by Hugo de Saint-Cher around 1230 AD for the Latin Vulgate, employing some 500 monks. Rabbi Isaac Nathan produced the first Hebrew concordance in the 15th century. Alexander Cruden published his landmark English concordance in 1737, and James Strong's Exhaustive Concordance appeared in 1890 with its revolutionary numbering system linking English words to Hebrew and Greek originals. Digital Bible tools have now made concordance searching instantaneous and universally accessible.