The Bible is mentioned in various contexts. If you want to know how to consult the sources of these quotes, you need to understand how the Bible is structured. It is also possible to consult them without knowing exactly where they are located. To locate a verse, you just need to know a couple of words, if you know how.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Finding a Verse by Number
Step 1. Identify the name of the book that contains the verse
In the list of Bible verses, the first thing you read is the name of a book. To locate that specific book, use the index of the Bible. The index is at the very beginning. Find the book in the index and go to its home page. The book name can be abbreviated or quoted in full. Here are some of the main books that make up the Bible:
- Exodus (Ex)
- Genesis (Ge)
- Numbers (Nu)
Step 2. Identify the chapter
Next to the book name you will see two numbers: the first is the chapter. For example, in "John 3:16", 3 is the chapter number. Search for the verse and identify the chapter of the book in which it is found.
- Some quote the Bible using abbreviations and Roman numerals. For example, Le. xx: 13 is equivalent to "Leviticus, chapter 20, verse 13".
- Find the chapter in the book. You may find the chapter location already in the index. If not, flip through the pages of the book until you find the chapter.
- As with other books, "Chapter _" should be clearly written at the beginning of the chapter.
Step 3. Identify the verse number
The second number that appears after the book name is the verse number, which is separated from the chapter number by a colon (:). In the case of the quote "John 3:16", 16 represents the number of the verse.
If you are looking for a longer song, there may be two numbers separated by a hyphen (-). For example, the quote "John 3: 16-18" refers to verses 16, 17 and 18
Step 4. Locate the verse within the chapter
Once you find the chapter, flip through the pages until you find the verse. The verses are in ascending numerical order, as are the chapters. At the beginning of each sentence (or a series of sentences) there should be a number written in small print: this is the number of the verse. If you are looking for more than one, as in "John 3: 16-18", the 17th and 18th directly follow the 16th.
Method 2 of 3: Find a Verse by Concordance
Step 1. Choose a match
A concordance is a book that lists all the times a term is mentioned in the Bible. It is a great research tool if you remember the content of the verse, or part of it, but have no idea what book or chapter it is from.
The book of biblical concordances can be purchased in bookstores specializing in religious texts, or online. Your parish is likely to have one too, which you can borrow
Step 2. Choose a word from the verse
Try to remember an important term that appears in the text of the verse. Look up this word in the concordance book as you would a dictionary. The concordances are in alphabetical order.
Try to find a particular word of relatively rare use, such as "flood", "mountain" or "rubies". If you search for an inflated term like "love" or "evil", you risk being overwhelmed by an avalanche of results
Step 3. If necessary, find other words
If you get too many hits, or if you can't find the verse you're looking for, try focusing on a different word. For example, if you remember the phrase "Love must be sincere" and you get too many results when searching for "love", try searching for "sincere" instead.
Step 4. Find the verse in the concordance list
The search will produce a list of all the places in the Bible where that word was quoted. A complete concordance list also cites part of the text in which the term is placed: this gives you a way to be sure that it is the exact verse you are looking for.
Use the location that the concordance gives you (for example, "Romans 12: 9") to locate the complete verse in the Bible
Step 5. If necessary, consult the Bible in a different translation:
concordances refer to a specific translation. If you can't find the verse you're looking for, try a match for a different translation. For example, if the Bible you are looking at contains a term translated to the English word "praise", but your concordance list refers to a version of the Bible that translates the same term as "adoration", you will never be able to locate the word. verse.
Method 3 of 3: Finding a Verse with an Online Search
Step 1. Search for the verse number online
Choose a search engine, or go to a site dedicated to Bible studies. Type in the search window the name of the book and the numbers of the chapter and verse.
If possible, enter the verse number in the standard format. For example, typing "John 3:16" will give you more accurate results than "Chapter 3 16 John"
Step 2. Try to remember as much of the text of the verse as possible
Can you remember a certain phrase? Maybe you remember a word or two and the name of the book it belongs to. Even if the memory doesn't help you, you will probably come up with something to be able to set up a search.
Step 3. Type what you know in the search window
Type in everything you can remember. To make sure you get consistent and relevant results, you should also mention the words "Bible" and "verse".
The text entered can be something like "Bible verse in Psalms about wives", or "Bible verse chapter 7 desert"
Step 4. Use a site dedicated to Bible research
There are many sites with online catalogs of Bible verses, indexed by subject or by book. To search for the verse you can refer to one of these sites. Type in a keyword or subject. In this context you may also be able to do a complex search by book or by chapter.
These online tools can be very useful for identifying other verses that you consider relevant and for further information and prayers in general
Step 5. Look for similar words by concept
If you can't remember exactly one word of the verse, or if your search didn't go well, try searching for similar words by concept. For example, if you searched for the word "stars" with no results, you can search for the words "night" or "sky" or "heavens" and see if the verse finally pops up. It may be that you are using a different translation, or that you have a bad memory of the details of the verse.
Advice
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It may happen that a Biblical commentary wishes to draw attention to only one part of a verse. In this case, a letter is used to indicate the section of the verse of interest.
- If you use an "a" (as in "John 3: 16a") you want to bring attention to the initial part of the verse: "God in fact loved the world so much …"
- If you use a "b" (as in "John 3: 16b"), instead, you want to bring attention to the final part or to another section of the verse: "… so that whoever believes in him may not die, but have eternal life ".
