How To Search For A Bible Verse?

Last updated on: June 20, 2016 at 7:55 pm by Jack Wellman

How To Search For A Bible Verse? 2016-06-20T19:55:45-05:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here’s how to make a thorough search for a Bible verse.

Use the Index or Concordance

If you are new to the faith, I hope this can show you where to start in your study of the Bible. You may have interests in certain areas and have a lot of questions, but it is my hope that the resources mentioned here can help you have a better understand of the Bible and of God but particularly on topics that you are interested in. The first place I try to search for a Bible verse is in my Bible. I hope I know it well enough to know where to begin looking, without using the index, however that doesn’t always work, so I turn to my index with and begin looking at the various verses that were provided for a key word I’m using. If I remember a certain word in the Bible verse I’m searching for, I look at the index or in the concordance to find that word and then look over and turn to the dozens of Scriptures that are related to the subject or person. My index or concordance gives Scriptures chronologically so you can narrow down your search by knowing the time period you think the Bible took place in. Sometimes you can go to that chapter and verse and then look at the cross referenced verses from that verse. For example, I went to John 3:16 and John 3:18, 3:36, and 6:40 all came up. I found what I was looking for, so following this method allows you to look these other verses up to see if you can find the actual Bible verse you’re searching for.

Internet Search

I use my search engine for a lot of things but especially when it comes to searching for a Bible verse. I was just now searching for the verse that says “study to show yourself approved unto God,” then I hit “Enter” and dozens of biblical references came up from several different websites and nearly all of them had the reference to 2nd Timothy 2:15 in the search results. I was close enough to get the right verse and then was able to find the correct verse which says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” I had part of it right but I wanted all of it right. Internet searches can fill in the blanks of the rest of the words of a verse you can’t remember. You can use grace + saved + works and you come up with Ephesians 2:8-9 which says we’re saved by grace alone and not by works. If all you can remember are one or two words, that’s a start. That should be enough in most cases to bring you to the Bible verse you are searching for. One last thing; it’s quicker using an Internet search engine than I can be in thumbing through a concordance, Bible Dictionary, or my own Bible. Of course the speed of your search depends on your Internet speed and provider.

Bible Gateway

BibleGateway is a great resource when looking for key words in a verse. Sometimes that’s all you’ve got in searching for a verse. If you only know one word about searching for a Bible verse, then simply type in the word or their home page and it will show you all the places in the Bible that you can find them plus how many in total in the entire Bible. I was looking for a verse on the ark and so I typed in “ark” and it showed me over 202 verses. Then I expanded the search by using the words “ark” + “covenant” and found that the 202 Bible verses I found with the word “ark” was now narrowed down to 48 Bible verses. Finally, I added “David” to the search and found that there are seven Bible verses that mention David, the ark, and the covenant. That took less than 2 minutes. I found what I was looking for. BibleGateway also has a keyword search page to refine your search and the search box has a Bible book list just below the search box so you can go straight to that book in the Bible. BlueletterBible.org is also an outstanding search resource with many more search options.

Concordances and Dictionaries

Many Bibles come with a concordance or an index but buying a Bible concordance is even better because it’s like a Bible index but far more comprehensive as it comes in a book. There are often illustrated pictures and categories where you search the left and right columns and find several verse references and many have footnotes and commentaries. Much the same can be said for Bible dictionaries. They also have several Scriptural references. Searching in a Bible dictionary and a concordance can provide more than enough Bible verses to check out in searching for a Bible verse. I would also suggest to a new believer that using a good study Bible like John Mac Arthur’s Study Bible or the Reformation Study Bible (both ESV) with Dr. R.C. Sprouls as editor.

Conclusion

This is only a glance at the many tools and resources that are available and there are apps that make it easy on any wireless device to have access to any of the Internet resources or download your own. There are so many places where you can download an audiobook of the Bible that it’s ridiculous and most Christian Bible sites have their own apps. This means you can take your Bible with you, wherever you go…and have it read to you on top of that.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

June 20, 2016

7 Questions To Ask An Atheist?

Next Post

June 21, 2016 How To Study For A Bible Test?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the king of Babylon during the exile of the Israelites?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Nebuchadnezzar Cyrus Belshazzar Darius