Richard E. Whitaker

It wouldn't be a concordance without fine print, would it?

With this particular one, you won't know. Although it covers only the New Testament, this is quite a big book -- as large as some of my full-Bible concordances. That allows for the use of unusually large type. So it is unusually easy to use -- if all you care about is the New Testament. Which strikes me as a pretty big "if."

But if that truly is the case for you, this is a highly useful book -- a sort of a New Revised Standard update to Strong's Concordance. For each English word, there is a list of Greek words which it translates, with these words organized by Strong Numbers. Then comes the concordance entry proper. The passages are usually seven to twelve words long, so you get enough context to truly find the passage you want. And then a key number leads you to the Strong's entry. Then, at the back, there is a list of Strong's numbers with the English words translating them. Who would have guessed, e.g., that δυνατος, dynatos, which means something like "mighty" or "capable," would once be translated "well-versed"? This is adds significantly to the value of the work, or so it seems to me.

So if you have room for a big book with relatively small content, and if you don't mind that it's New Testament only, this should serve you well. If you want a concordance to the full NRSV, of course, it has a big hole, as in, all the book that aren't part of the New Testament.… (més)