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Which Strong's concordance to use?


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I have been noticing the new "Strongest Strong's Concordance" for the 21st Century. I looked to see that Zondervan published it. I have a couple of the older ones. My question is: which one(s) are more true to the KJV? Or is there even a difference? I wanted to give my children concordances for gifts, but I want to purchase the right ones.

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We have the old Strong's and like it. I've heard from a lot of people that don't, though. My mom's pastor actually prefers Young's, saying that he believes it is more accurate. We don't have Young's, but I wouldn't mind having it for comparison sake.

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I prefer the Young's Analytical, always have found it to be "user friendly". It is keyed to the KJB whereas the Strong's is not (technically not), the Lexicon in the back has led me to some interesting cross references and aided me in some insights that I might have passed over if not for them.
I was told (like many other students) Strong's is for the strong and Youngs is for the weak, or some slight variation thereof.

Strong's is a "complete" concordance, the Young's is an "analytical", and is designed for a different purpose than the Strong's. Strong's is made to find a word, Young's is made to analyze the use of a word in the original language and see how it was translated by the KJB scholars. Thus, you'll find fewer entries in the Young's, in fact there are a few words that do not even appear that are in your KJB!

But in the end, a concordance should not be your" thinking cap". Some men just grab a "topical" word and run down a list of the verses where it's found and recite them with preachy quips along the way. Many times, cross references do not contain the same word, but the teaching worded differently.

A concordance is not inspired, though we should already know that, Strong's definitions are not inspired, Thayer's definitions are not scripture. Roberts, Mantey's and others were not what you and I would call "bible believer's". Their doctrine influenced their definitions many times in a bad way, and we need to let the scripture be compared to scripture.

My 2 cents is all...

God bless,
Calvary

Edited by Calvary
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But in the end, a concordance should not be your" thinking cap". Some men just grab a "topical" word and run down a list of the verses where it's found and recite them with preachy quips along the way. Many times, cross references do not contain the same word, but the teaching worded differently.

A concordance is not inspired, though we should already know that, Strong's definitions are not inspired, Thayer's definitions are not scripture. Roberts, Mantey's and others were not what you and I would call "bible believer's". Their doctrine influenced their definitions many times in a bad way, and we need to let the scripture be compared to scripture.

My 2 cents is all...

God bless,
Calvary


:amen: Excellent points!
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I have been noticing the new "Strongest Strong's Concordance" for the 21st Century. I looked to see that Zondervan published it. I have a couple of the older ones. My question is: which one(s) are more true to the KJV? Or is there even a difference? I wanted to give my children concordances for gifts, but I want to purchase the right ones.


I am a retired businessman who enjoys reading and studying the Word of God. I received my first concordance for Christmas when I was 18 years old. It was Cruden's Compact Concordance and came wrapped with a copy of Unger's Bible Dictionary. The font (type) was small, but readable. What impressed me was the handy Bible size of this concordance. I frequently used my Cruden's for the next 15 years. I do not remember much about my second concordance, except that it was a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and the font--while being larger than the font used in the Cruden's--was almost illegible because of poor printing. I purchased this concordance at a Christian book store because someone at church said I needed it. I soon got rid of it. I continued to use my Cruden's until I joined a Bible study group that studied word studies in the original languages. At that time, I purchased my third concordance, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance from Thomas Nelson with a readable font and a section in the back listing key verses and other Biblical features. Despite the Bible study group, I found that I used my third concordance because of the features in the back--not the Strong number system and dictionary. Currently, I am using my fourth Concordance, a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance from Zondervan with a large comfortable font.

The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Larger Pri
nt
Edition
(Zondervan, 2002, pages 1952, size 11 x 8.5 x 2.75, ISBN 0310246970), Christian Book Distributors (CBD) link:



I am afraid I am one of those spoken about in another post who enjoys reading word entries in a concordance, although I know reading a concordance is not the same as reading the Word of God. Here is the information and link to my current concordance. However, this Larger Print Edition, probably because of the size of the print, does not have all the features as the 21st Century Edition in your post, which is listed below.

The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 21st Ce
nt
ury Edition
(Zondervan, 2001, pages 1808, size 11 x 8.5 x 2, ISBN 0310233437) CBD link:



At the time of my purchase, I chose the Larger Print Edition because the regular font of my Nelson concordance grew tiresome to my aging eyes.

CONSIDERATIONS

Size
The Larger Print Edition is easy to read, but awkward to handle. A regular font edition would be much easier for your children to use, depending upon their ages. Most concordances sold these days use a sans serif font, which is not as easy to read as the traditional serif font used in Bibles.

Number System
Will your children use the Strong number system? This is a great technical feature, if you use it. But some people do not use the number system in a concordance (or use one online or in a Bible software program). Instead, these people prefer a smaller concordance with the definition close to the word entry; something easy to take to church, lunch, or study groups. I remember I was on my third concordance (in my 40s) before I started using the Strong number system. Now, in my retirement since I have more time for Bible study, I use the Strong number system when consulting other Biblical reference aids. Recently, some reference aids also make use of the Goodrick/Kohlenberger or G/K number system developed by Zondervan for their word study products. The Strongest Strong's concordances list the Strong numbers in the indexes, and both Strong and G/K numbers in the dictionary at the back of the concordances. If Bible students are more interested in the English words of the King James Bible--and not interested in the original Greek or Hebrew words--they may prefer a concordance that omits a number system.

Cruden's Concordance
Cruden's Complete Concordance is considered user-friendly--

  • No numbers (Strong or G/K)
  • Definitions are close to the entry, not in a technical dictionary in the back
  • Serif font is used, a font that resembles the font of most Bibles
  • Concordance is a handy Bible size

Here is the information on an edition of Cruden's Concordance from Hendrickson.

Cruden's Complete Concordance
(Hendrickson, 1990, pages 800, size 8.5 x 5.75 x 2, ISBN 1565638182). CBD link:



While covering the needs of most Bible readers, Cruden's Complete Concordance is avoided in some Bible study situations because it is not exhaustive, as the following rounded numbers illustrate.

Feature.......................Strong's....................Cruden's
Main index...................260,000.....................220,000
ACPN* index................530,000............................-0-
ACPN index = Index of articles, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns, etc.

. . .

I hope this helps.

...Bob

Edited by BobinKy
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I am a retired businessman who enjoys reading and studying the Word of God. I received my first concordance for Christmas when I was 18 years old. It was Cruden's Compact Concordance and came wrapped with a copy of Unger's Bible Dictionary. The font (type) was small, but readable. What impressed me was the handy Bible size of this concordance. I frequently used my Cruden's for the next 15 years. I do not remember much about my second concordance, except that it was a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and the font--while being larger than the font used in the Cruden's--was almost illegible because of poor printing. I purchased this concordance at a Christian book store because someone at church said I needed it. I soon got rid of it. I continued to use my Cruden's until I joined a Bible study group that studied word studies in the original languages. At that time, I purchased my third concordance, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance from Thomas Nelson with a readable font and a section in the back listing key verses and other Biblical features. Despite the Bible study group, I found that I used my third concordance because of the features in the back--not the Strong number system and dictionary. Currently, I am using my fourth Concordance, a Strong's Exhaustive Concordance from Zondervan with a large comfortable font.

The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Larger Pri
nt
Edition
(Zondervan, 2002, pages 1952, size 11 x 8.5 x 2.75, ISBN 0310246970), Christian Book Distributors (CBD) link:



I am afraid I am one of those spoken about in another post who enjoys reading word entries in a concordance, although I know reading a concordance is not the same as reading the Word of God. Here is the information and link to my current concordance. However, this Larger Print Edition, probably because of the size of the print, does not have all the features as the 21st Century Edition in your post, which is listed below.

The Strongest Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 21st Ce
nt
ury Edition
(Zondervan, 2001, pages 1808, size 11 x 8.5 x 2, ISBN 0310233437) CBD link:



At the time of my purchase, I chose the Larger Print Edition because the regular font of my Nelson concordance grew tiresome to my aging eyes.

CONSIDERATIONS

Size
The Larger Print Edition is easy to read, but awkward to handle. A regular font edition would be much easier for your children to use, depending upon their ages. Most concordances sold these days use a sans serif font, which is not as easy to read as the traditional serif font used in Bibles.

Number System
Will your children use the Strong number system? This is a great technical feature, if you use it. But some people do not use the number system in a concordance (or use one online or in a Bible software program). Instead, these people prefer a smaller concordance with the definition close to the word entry; something easy to take to church, lunch, or study groups. I remember I was on my third concordance (in my 40s) before I started using the Strong number system. Now, in my retirement since I have more time for Bible study, I use the Strong number system when consulting other Biblical reference aids. Recently, some reference aids also make use of the Goodrick/Kohlenberger or G/K number system developed by Zondervan for their word study products. The Strongest Strong's concordances list the Strong numbers in the indexes, and both Strong and G/K numbers in the dictionary at the back of the concordances. If Bible students are more interested in the English words of the King James Bible--and not interested in the original Greek or Hebrew words--they may prefer a concordance that omits a number system.

Cruden's Concordance
Cruden's Complete Concordance is considered user-friendly--

  • No numbers (Strong or G/K)
  • Definitions are close to the entry, not in a technical dictionary in the back
  • Serif font is used, a font that resembles the font of most Bibles
  • Concordance is a handy Bible size

Here is the information on an edition of Cruden's Concordance from Hendrickson.

Cruden's Complete Concordance
(Hendrickson, 1990, pages 800, size 8.5 x 5.75 x 2, ISBN 1565638182). CBD link:



While covering the needs of most Bible readers, Cruden's Complete Concordance is avoided in some Bible study situations because it is not exhaustive, as the following rounded numbers illustrate.

Feature.......................Strong's....................Cruden's
Main index...................260,000.....................220,000
ACPN* index................530,000............................-0-
ACPN index = Index of articles, conjunctions, prepositions, pronouns, etc.

. . .

I hope this helps.


...Bob

__________________

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good . . . For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh" (Luke 6:45).



:goodpost: Welcome to OB Bob! :th_tiphat:
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MORE CONSIDERATIONS

Strong's Concordances from Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson recently published a series of Strong's Concordances. These appear to be quality concordances with added features not found in the Zondervan Strongest Strong's series. The last two are paperback editions and not exhaustive (no numbers), but should be great grab-n-go concordances to take to church, lunch, or anywhere.

The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
(Thomas Nelson, 2009, pages 2000, size 11.25 x 8.75 x 2.25, ISBN 1418541680), Christian Book Distributors (CBD) link:



The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Large-Pri
nt
Edition
(Thomas Nelson, 2009, pages 1968, size 11.25 X 8.75 X 2.38, ISBN 1418541699), CBD link:



The New Strong's Concise Concordance of the Bible, Paperback Edition
(Thomas Nelson, 2005, pages 768, size 9.25 X 6.38, ISBN 1418501484), CBD link:



The New Strong's Compact Concordance of the Bible, Paperback Edition
(Thomas Nelson, 2004, pages 768, size 7 x 4.50, ISBN 0785252509), CBD link:



I hope this helps.


...Bob

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I have Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (Updated Edition) by Hendrickson Publishers for the KJV Bible. It's ISBN is : 978-1-59856-378-8

The first edition of this version was 2007 and I have a third printing 2009. Has served me well so far and every word of the Bible is in there compared to one whose name escapes me now that I used before this. But it was small and seemingly barely larger than the concordance in the back of my Bible!

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