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Which Strong's concordance to use?


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Hi, sorry if this is a stupid question but I have only been saved a month and still learning. People around me keep going on about concordances, what are they exactly?


Not a stupid question at all!

Basically, a concordance is a book that lists (should list!) every word in the Bible and every occurrence of each word, and it will tell you where that word is located in the Bible (book and verse).

Mind you, some basic words like a, the, that, etc. aren't listed. A concordance is helpful when you want to find a verse but don't know exactly where to find it; therefore, if you know one of the main words of the verse, you can look that word up in the concordance, and it will tell you where the verse is located.

The concordances being referred to in this thread also link each word to its Hebrew or Greek definition.
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Sort of off topic, but as concerns Young's...
One advantage of Young's is that when you look up a Greek or Hebrew word in the back, it gives the different ways, and specific number of times, each word is translated into English. For example, pneuma is translated into various English words (usually as spirit, but not always), and one can see what other words to look up to find all uses of the word pneuma.

Another NT only concordance is "The Word Study Concordance". This is an excellent reference/study set (2 volumes). This does not give definitions.

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Young was someone who was in favour of the critical text. I might be wrong on this part - but I think his concordance was based on his own Bible, which "corrected" and changed the KJV.

The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance or Comprehensive Concordance (same as the other without all the "the's" "and's", and some other small words not listed is the best Bible study tool you could ever find and use. The Strongest Strongs is actually an attempt to bridge the KJV with the NKJV and perhaps some other modern versions. There are definitions and articles that make reference to them. For example, there are definitions that are based on the NKJV and that try to make it seem that the KJV and NKJV are the same.

The Strong's Exhaustive/Compehensive Concordance will help you understand your King James Bible, and help you trace the words used within it. The Strongest Strongs, and some other modern concordances, will actually cause you to question the wording of the KJV if you take their articles and definitions at face value.

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One advantage of Young's is that when you look up a Greek or Hebrew word in the back, it gives the different ways, and specific number of times, each word is translated into English. For example, pneuma is translated into various English words (usually as spirit, but not always), and one can see what other words to look up to find all uses of the word pneuma.


Strong's Concordance does that as well. First each number leads you to the specific Hebrew or Greek word in the back, the basic definition, then all the ways that Hebrew or Greek word is translated into English. The only thing Strong's doesn't do that Young's does in this regard, is give you the number of times a Hebrew or Greek word is translated into a particular English word or phrase.
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There are differences in the various Strong's Concordances out there.

On my Bibleworks Software, the Larry Pierce Englishmen's Strongs is used. It is different than the Strongs used on my Swordsearcher Software. For instance:

The word winebibber on my Bibleworks is defined thusly:

3630 oivnopo,thj oinopotes {oy-nop-ot'-ace}
Meaning: 1) a winebibber, given to wine, a wino
Origin: from 3631 and a derivative of the alternate of 4095;; n m
Usage: AV - winebibber 2; 2


For Swordsearcher's Strongs, it is:
Strong's Greek Dictionary

3630. oinopotes
Search for G3630 in KJVSL oinopothV oinopotes oy-nop-ot'-ace
from 3631 and a derivative of the alternate of 4095; a tippler:--winebibber.
See Greek 3631
See Greek 4095


The former presents a problem. "oinopotes" is never translated as "given to wine" in the SwordSearcher's Strongs... "paroinos" is. 'paroinos" is translated as "given to wine" in both versions in 1 Timothy 3:3. Edited by Standing Firm In Christ
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The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is by James Strong. The Englishman's Concordance is something else entirely. Had it on one Bible program, but don't know how good it is.

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The Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is by James Strong. The Englishman's Concordance is something else entirely. Had it on one Bible program, but don't know how good it is.
Right.

According to Bibleworks, the Englishman's is another version of Strong's....they use the Strong's numbering system
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It is not a Strong's Concordance. There are various resources that use Strong's numbering system, for study purposes, but that does not make them a Strong's Concordance. It is a convenient way of cross-referencing definitions.

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Here's something interesting...

The talk of different editions of the Strong's Concordance caused me to get my wife's Strong's (Hendrickson Publishers) off the bookshelf and look for any changes.

Proverbs 18:24 (KJV) A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

The Strong's on the bookshelf, and also the Strongs in my SwordSearcher Software, record "friendly" thusly"


Strong's Hebrew Dictionary
7489. ra`a`
Search for H7489 in KJVSL eer ra`a` raw-ah'
a primitive root; properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good for nothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally):--afflict, associate selves (by mistake for 7462), break (down, in pieces), + displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat, man), show self friendly (by mistake for 7462), do harm, (do) hurt, (behave self, deal) ill, X indeed, do mischief, punish, still, vex, (do) wicked (doer, -ly), be (deal, do) worse.
See Hebrew 7462
See Hebrew 7462

Where is the word "friendly" in that definition?

Can someone explain who "ra'a" means friendly?

*edited to add: I know the KJV is not wrong. It would make no sense to say "A man that hath friends must shew himself spoiled." Nor does it make sense to say show friendly by mistake. Edited by Standing Firm In Christ
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I think the King James Translators knew what they were doing - including understanding the context of the surrounding words in Hebrew and knew it was best to translate that word as "friendly" there and even "associate themselves" in another passage (as the definition states). Perhaps there is a negative prefix or suffix to one of the words (all his definitions shows is the root forms of the words) or a negative pronoun (or something - don't remember all the terms) in the surrounding passage. I know for a fact that Greek does this, so it is very possible the Hebrew language does too.

So I would disagree with Strong's in the few places where he says a word was mistaken for something else - BUT he is right on the basic definition of his words (including when it may be a negative form of the word), and he lists all the ways that Hebrew or Greek word or phrase is translated into English.

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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.


Strong's is not KJB keyed, Young's Analytical Concordance is in my opinion the best Concordance available. It has a great lexicon in the back that allows you to find cross refs that otherwise you wouldn't have found. By listing the verses in the KJB that a Greek or Hebrew word is found, you can find verses that shed light on other verses although they do not carry the exact English word. The Young's is keyed to the KJB. The Young's does not carry every article, therefore it is not a concise Concordance as is Strong's, but Young's Concordance was designed to be a pastor's Concordance who is using the Concordance for BIBLE study, NOT WORD studies. I have always thought that Vincent's Word Studies was about the most boring work I ever had the displeasure of using. Word studies bore down, down and then down until there is no where to go. Young's was designed for the pastor, not the layman.

God bless,
calvary
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Strong's is not KJV keyed - what is that supposed to mean? It is a tool made for studying the KJV.


It's like this:
"New editions of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible are still in print (in 2007). Additionally, other authors have used Strong's numbers in concordances of other Bible translations, such as the New International Version and American Standard Version. These are often also referred to as Strong's Concordances.
New editions of Strong's may exclude the comparative section (1611 KJV to 1614) and the asterisks that denote differential definitions of the same Hebrew or Greek words; due perhaps to denominational considerations, definitions may also be altered."

"Not every distinct word is assigned a number, but only the root words."

I am referring to the apparatus, not the listing.

God bless,
calvary
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