How do I use a bible concordance and distinguish laws in the OT?

Anonymous0210 said:

I'm trying to get into using an nasb 95 bible concordance and I'm just curious how exactly do you use it? Like do I literally just go through every single time the word is used in the entire bible to compare it? How is it beneficial and what does it reveal? Also how do I distinguish between moral laws and ceremonial laws in the OT? Thanks.

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The NASB already is a pretty good English translation - for personal reading and basic study already very helpful. How detailed are you intending to check the Hebrew/Greek? These days online you can check the interlinear, e.g.:

Bible Hub interlinear

That's easier than manually lookup words. When you study a particular verse in detail a concordance or online tools like the one mentioned allow you to have a look at the Greek text and check what actual words were used - and how e.g. a particular Greek word is used at other places in the NT. That creates a better understanding of the meaning of such a Greek word. For detailed study it is risky to rely on just a translation - because translators have to make choices and sometimes suffer from too much interpretation.

Also free desktop software exists for that purpose:e-Sword: Free Bible Study for the PC or Scripture4All - Greek/Hebrew interlinear Bible software

Do you have particular themes or subjects or sections in mind or a specific interest?

Anonymous0210 said:

I'm trying to get into using an nasb 95 bible concordance and I'm just curious how exactly do you use it? Like do I literally just go through every single time the word is used in the entire bible to compare it? How is it beneficial and what does it reveal? Also how do I distinguish between moral laws and ceremonial laws in the OT? Thanks.

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There are 613 Mitzvot. They are listed here as well as where you can find them in the Old Testament.

Anonymous0210 said:

I'm trying to get into using an nasb 95 bible concordance and I'm just curious how exactly do you use it? Like do I literally just go through every single time the word is used in the entire bible to compare it? How is it beneficial and what does it reveal? Also how do I distinguish between moral laws and ceremonial laws in the OT? Thanks.

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What drives the need to distinguish between moral laws and ceremonial laws?

Anonymous0210 said:

So I don't burden myself with something that doesn't apply to me.

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That is a very interesting reply. I think you will find over time that every law, no matter the type, represents a burden too heavy to bear if approached in the wrong way. The book of Galatians was written to address this very issue. The punchline is, "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Ga 5:13).

Anonymous0210 said:

I'm trying to get into using an nasb 95 bible concordance and I'm just curious how exactly do you use it? Like do I literally just go through every single time the word is used in the entire bible to compare it? How is it beneficial and what does it reveal? Also how do I distinguish between moral laws and ceremonial laws in the OT? Thanks.

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I chiefly use a concordance 1) to find a passage when I've forgotten where it is; 2) for cross-referencing; and 3) to get some sense of the varieties of meanings of a Greek or Hebrew word.

For (1), I've now mostly replaced it with Google. Where is the parable of the Good Samaritan? If I've forgotten, a quick Google search will usually find it.

(2) is for questions like "What are all the laws in the Pentateuch that list what Jews aren't allowed to do on the Sabbath?" Or, "What are all the things the Bible has to say about the first and second Temples?" Looking up "Sabbath" or "temple" will give some good references to explore.

For (3), I have to note that there's no substitute for learning the original languages. But it can be useful to take an English word in a verse, find the underlying Greek/Hebrew word, and then look at all the English words that are used elsewhere to translate that Greek/Hebrew word, to get a better sense of the variety of meanings that attach to that original-language word.

On moral vs. ceremonial laws, I know that's a common distinction made in the Reformed tradition, but I don't find it a helpful set of categories. The Jerusalem Council in Acts decided that Gentiles don't have to follow the Jewish Law in order to be Christians, and Paul's letters seem to agree with that. If the categories are helpful to you, there might be a Reformed theologian or teacher who has a good set of criteria to use.

Anonymous0210 said:

I'm trying to get into using an nasb 95 bible concordance and I'm just curious how exactly do you use it?

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I haven't seen one. But I use a Strong's Concordance which is for the King James Bible.

This one lists all the words in the Bible, and next to each word is the scripture where it is. So, I can look up "love" and see all the verses which have "love" in them. Plus, there is a Hebrew dictionary in the back and a Greek dictionary. And there is a number code next to each word; I can use this number code to look up the Hebrew or Greek word and its meaning in the back dictionary. The same word in different verses can have different meanings; so you will find different number codes, sometimes, for the same word. And each number tells you which word to look up for its Greek or Hebrew meaning.

"Love", for example can have different meanings in the Greek. And so, when you look up the list of all the verses with "love" in them, you will find different numbers next to different listings for "love". So, you then can look up the dictionary definition in order to find what "love" is supposed to mean, in each verse.