Strong's numbers

Strong's numbers come from Strong's Bible Concordance, a Bible study tool developed by the nineteenth-century American theologian James Strong. To facilitate the analysis of biblical texts, he supervised a team of more than 100 collaborators to publish his concordance of Hebrew and Greek words in 1890.

Each root word (without taking all verb inflections into account) is numbered, from 1 to 8674 for Hebrew (Old Testament) and from 1 to 5523 for Greek (New Testament). The concordance also provides grammatical details and additional information.

For each word, the concordance presents the word in its original language (Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek), its transliteration (converted into the Latin alphabet), its origin, pronunciation (in phonetic form), lexical category (noun, verb, etc.), its various French translations in the Louis Segond 1910 — show definition INF076 Bible (LSG), and the definitions it can take according to context.

Strong's numbers have been incorporated into the Bible: it is possible to read the Segond Bible with Strong's numbers (LSGS), in which each term is followed by one or more Strong's numbers referring to the original terms used and, where necessary, their grammar. This makes it possible to determine which original word was used to translate a particular French word and to learn all the meanings the biblical term originally carries.

This in-depth study broadens our understanding of the biblical text, which, like any translation, may lose some depth by omitting broader or slightly different meanings.

James Strong based his concordance on the English King James Version (KJV). The French Louis Segond 1910 — show definition INF076 translation (LSG) was used to adapt Strong's Concordance into French. Both translations are very literal, making it possible to establish correspondences between terms. However, the source texts used for the two translations are not identical, which may produce some differences.

A zero is added to Hebrew references in our French Strong's Bibles to make it easy to distinguish between Old and New Testament numbers.

Indeed, using Strong's numbers to interpret a biblical text has certain limitations. Here are some points to consider:

1. Literal translation: Strong's numbers are associated with specific words in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the Bible's original languages. However, a word's meaning may vary with context, and a literal translation does not always capture these nuances.

2. Word forms: Not all word forms are listed as they stand; instead, they are identified by their roots or lexical bases. For example, the Hebrew word אֱנוֹשׁ ĕnōš, which can be translated as ‘human being’ or as the proper name ‘Enosh’, is listed under number 582. Under this same number we find, among others, the forms אֲנָשָׁ֔יו ănāšāw (‘who’), אֱנֽוֹשׁ ĕnōwōš (‘it is the man’) and וְאַנְשֵׁיהֶֽם wə'anšêhem (‘and his men’). Reference 0583 is now used for the proper name, but the Hebrew word is the same. In the Old Testament, reference 0582 occurs 563 times in 529 verses across 32 books. It is translated as: man 325 times, people 178 times, husbands, male, merchants, servants, brothers, those, soldiers, spies, inhabitants, archers, sailors. This information is available on the website Lueur, shedding light on faith.

3. Personal interpretation: Using Strong's numbers may lead to a personal interpretation of the text that may not agree with traditional or academic interpretation.

It is therefore crucial to understand these limitations when using Strong's numbers for Bible study. Although they are a valuable tool, they do not replace in-depth study and contextual understanding of Scripture. Using them alongside other Bible study resources may help achieve a fuller and more accurate understanding of the biblical text. For our part, we use various translations.

We have a range of translations available, in both French and English, making it easier to compare different sentence structures. In this context, studying a word through its Strong's number can provide useful additional information for a better understanding of a particular biblical text.

It is important to observe that, in many cases, the original word may have several meanings. Consequently, when translating, it is common to select the meaning most appropriate to the context. Under these circumstances, it seems difficult to translate the same Greek or Hebrew word consistently with the same French word.

Comparing translations remains an effective way to better understand certain difficult passages, as 2 Peter 3.16 points out. Strong's numbers are a valuable tool for providing additional information to those who do not know Greek and Hebrew.

However, it must be emphasised that, although some knowledge of these ancient languages is very useful, it can also lead us into error. Indeed, a thorough knowledge of the language and historical context is essential for a reliable translation.

These Strong's references can be used on various websites, but they are particularly useful with suitable software such as ‘Online Bible’ or ‘Logos Bible’, which we use ourselves.

When the Strong's feature is enabled, the Bible text appears with a number following the French word. Clicking this number gives us the term's various characteristics, its occurrences and the different renderings used by the translator. Together, this information provides a solid foundation for in-depth study.

It should be observed that Strong's Bibles are special editions, often sold separately from the original version. Personally, we consider this investment to offer unparalleled convenience for interpreting passages in our Bibles. The financial investment is small compared with the considerable work done by James Strong and his teams and by those who annotated the biblical text—in our case, the Logos Bible teams, to whom we wish to express our gratitude.