Resources for Bible Study
1. Searchable Bibles
Some people have already discovered that the World Wide Web contains many sites that feature the Bible in various translations. One of the better sites is Bible Gateway. It features a passage lookup and also a keyword search for concordance-type study. The home page address is http://www.biblegateway.com/
2. Bible Dictionaries
When it comes to studying the Scriptures, nothing is more helpful than a good Bible dictionary. The web addresses for the following two dictionaries are found at the end of each description:
A. Part of the ad for the Holman Bible Dictionary reads as follows: “The product of over 6 years of work by hundreds of people, the Holman Bible Dictionary manages to be readable and easy to use, yet take advantage of the finest modern Bible scholarship without heavy technical language.” Not only that, it’s thorough. For example, there are 606 entries under the letter “A.”
B. Published in 1996, the Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology was produced by an impressive group of conservative Bible scholars. The print edition of this resource runs to nearly 1000 pages packed with some deep, helpful articles.
When using these two dictionaries, it is important to understand their differences. The first will provide definitions for most people and places named in the Bible. For example, Zebedee was the father of two Apostles, James and John (Mark 1:19). And you will find an entry under “Zebedee” in the Holman Bible Dictionary. On the other hand, the Evangelical Dictionary does not contain an article for “Zebedee” because it is a dictionary of Biblical Theology. Here the focus is on biblical concepts and doctrines. So in this dictionary you will find lengthy articles on subjects like “Faith” and “Salvation” and “Day of Judgment,” but, again, nothing on “Zebedee.”
3. Bible Encyclopedia
The older International Standard Bible Encyclopedia is available on the web. No, this is not the updated, much-newer one. (Both sets are available in the ABC library). But the original ISBE is loaded with a lot of still-good stuff for the Bible student. One of the finest multi-volume works of biblical scholarship from the early 20th century, it features articles by some of the best teachers and writers of that day including Benjamin B. Warfield and A. T. Robertson. You can find it at the following:
4. Photos and Captions
One of my new favorite websites is Dr. Carl Rasmussen’s “Holy Land Photos.” This site currently contains some 2638 photos from a total of 257 biblical sites. It is regularly updated with additional photos. Each photo is accompanied by notes written, apparently, by the scholar-photographer. The explanations are clear and accurate.
5. Digging Deeper
You will also find a lot of great study resources at the site organized by another Old Testament scholar, Dr. Ralph W. Klein. This site organizes links into several categories including “Old Testament” and “Ancient Near East.”
