Roget's Thesaurus of the Bible

Helps you find stuff quickly and easily. Read the other reviews, they explain the process well. But I had to take the time to recommend it, as you will not be disappointed.

Because most people stick to a favorite version of the Bible, they tend to limit their universe of study tools. That poses a problem for a reference book that aims to be a definitive work. Should the author use the Revised Standard, NIV or New American Standard version? Should he use something else? Colin Day, who also writes computer books, found what a programmer would call an elegant solution: He chose "all of the above" and "none of the above." Using multiple English translations in addition to Greek and Hebrew texts, he paraphrases. Thus, he really opens up the market for the text. What sets this apart from a concordance is the Roget's system: Instead of listing every appearance of a word, the focus here is on subjects. Thus, a broad category name like "vision" is broken out into 16 side-headings, such as "dreams," "God seeing," and "Oracles." The value of this approach is that it suggests things at the edges of what you had in mind, and then slightly beyond. Thus, "Carefulness" includes "taking care," but also "watchmen," which you might not immediately have associated had you simply let your fingers do the walking through a concordance for every instance of, say, "care" and "heed." All of this makes the book excellent for browsers (as does text that is agreeably readable), as well as a powerful complement to your favorite concordance. Make no mistake: this is not a substitute concordance, but a concordance enhancer. What keeps the book 927 pages instead of 3,000 is Day's facility with paraphrasing. It obviates the need for an entire verse of context when a few words suffice to jog your memory. This lets you turn more quickly to the Bible. Recommended for browsers who want to become power browsers.

The Roget's Thesaurus of the Bible is a very helpful tool for pastors and Sunday School teachers. Since I bought this book, it becomes a must when preparing my sermons. It helps me to look up biblical verses easily, to look at biblical verses thematically, and to look into biblical verses deeply. Incomparable!

If you vaguely remember a Bible passage, but can't recall the exact text or location, this is the one book that will find it for you. It goes way, way beyond that standard concordance in the back of your Bible. And of course, like any good thesaurus, you'll be fascinated at the connections that it makes between different verses by showing how they deal with similar concepts. Each entry includes a short phrase from the actual verse, so you can quickly zero in on exactly the concept you're seeking. I have used this reference extensively as a lay liturgist and in developing youth group curricula for teenagers, as well as for personal study.

Rogets Thesaurus of the BibleI find this book most helpful in meeting my needs for study, for answering questions, for writing, and for sharing the gospel. This book is of great value and I feel that every library ought to have it. As much as it is a book filled with knowledge, it has also been an encouragment to me, and has help me to keep my enthusiasim for research- and has greatly helped my research to be productive and quick. I own concordances and encyclopedias of the bible, and handbooks of the bible, etc... but when I am looking for that specific scripture on a subject, and unsure what exactly it is... I turn to the Roget's Thesaurus of the Bible first and find just what I need. Because of it's availability, and its easy use, I have been able to bless others with the Word of God with the references that are at my fingertips. Sincerely, Debra [email protected]