Religion Courses & Research

A Bible concordance includes an alphabetical listing of words used throughout the Bible and where they are used. Such reference materials allow scholars to more effectively search a Bible for individual terms and then allows the researcher to examine the context used for the term for themselves. Many concordances are abridged meaning they may not contain every word of the Bible nor every instance of its use, but rather an overview of significant terms and contexts. An exhaustive concordance would include everything. 

Like traditional dictionaries, Bible dictionaries can be used to define terms used throughout the Bible. These are organized alphabetically and may refer you to other terms.

A Bible commentary is an interpretation of a specific area of text that provides spiritual, historical, and/or literary context. It may provide comparisons with other passages or between translations of a passage. They are often organized in the same order a passage appears in the Bible and may even have individual commentaries/editions for the individual books of the Bible. 

A Bible atlas provides maps or locations mentioned throughout the Bible and may include additional maps of what the same location looks in the present. An atlas may be organized in a variety of ways such as alphabetical or geographical so it is important to read any introduction or preface carefully to more easily use the resource.