TOOLS OF BIBLE STUDY
By George Card
There is no substitute for the plain word of God, but there are some tools that one can use in order to understand more clearly its precepts, stories and background. Over the course of many years I acquired most of these tools. I found some of the tools were more useful than others, so get the ones you feel will help you get the most of your biblical studies. You might notice that I have shied away from recommending any specific Bible or tool, the reason for that is that you must find the right tool that fits you. When deciding on which biblical tool to buy, I would advise against buying from a vendor or an author advocating for a particular denomination, but instead get the tool offered to the general Christian community. The cost of these tools vary, you might save some money if you buy them used or discounted. Ask a retiring minister or the family of a minister who has passed away. The following items have been of great value to Bible students like myself.
Different types of Bibles
o A digital Bible program (my favorite)
o A parallel Bible (contains different translations)
o A topical Bible (connected or arranged by topics)
o An interlinear Bible (a Hebrew & Greek Bible with English text)
o An expanded Bible (contains expanded, amplified, or alternative readings)
o A study Bible (Usually has many insights and extras aids added)
o A chronological Bible (arranged by historical sequence)
o An archeological Bible (Which shows archeological discoveries in context)
o A pictorial Bible (with pictures, drawings or photos)
o A bilingual Bible (if you understand another language)
Tools
These tools are free or almost free from sectarian doctrines or dogmas.
o A complete concordance (It helps you to find every instance of a word in the Bible)
o A Bible dictionary (It gives you the definition of a word in the Bible)
o A Greek Lexicon (It explains the meaning & syntax root of a word in the New Testament)
o A Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon (It explains the meaning & root of a word in the Old Testament)
o An atlas of the Bible (It provides geographic views of biblical eras and events)
o An almanac of the Bible (It provides photos and information of biblical eras and events)
o A Manners & customs book (It explains the manners and customs of biblical times)
o A pictorial encyclopedia of the bible (It shows visually the objects and settings of biblical lands)
o Chronological Charts & Timelines (It provides understanding of the duration of events)
o Genealogy Charts (It helps to understand the relationships of people and nations)
o Other biblical charts (Charts organize and clarify groupings)
o A book of Biographies (it helps to understand the complete life of biblical characters)
o A notebook (To write down your discoveries. Do not mark or write in your own Bible)
o A Regular Dictionary & Thesaurus (It helps while writing notes to use the proper word)
I know that some people like to write in their own Bible, for it makes it more personal, but I do not consider that a good way to conduct serious Bible studies, for pretty soon that Bible is one gigantic mess of unrelated notes. I am a strong advocate of writing in notebooks or in computer documents so everything is organized and neat.
**The following tools should only be used by advanced students who are able to discern what is truly consistent with the whole Bible and what is not, for these tools often are written by writers in order to promote their doctrinal views and often are biased. I have used these tools but I am not comfortable in recommending them for most of them have strong biases. Why am I so adamant about avoiding books that promote a particular denomination or theology? Because I want people to find out for themselves what the Bible teaches, not what some particular group, organization or person teaches.
o A dictionary of Theology (Get one that is broad in its appeal to multiple denominations)
o A couple of Commentaries (Get those with broad appeal to multiple denominations)