Biblical Studies Tools: Reference Material

Concordances  list words used in the bible and gives references to the instances they are used throughout entire biblical text. Often, these are tied to specific translations, like NIV, NSRV, etc. 

Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias define biblical words or concepts, explaining their meanings as used specifically in the bible. Encyclopedias tend to have longer entries, though there is no firm line between them and publishers sometimes use the terms interchangeably. They are good places to start for overviews of concepts.

Bible Handbooks Illuminate particular aspects of the bible for greater understanding (for example, the bible and ecology, the bible in American popular culture, postcolonial criticism of the bible). They may include short Bible commentaries, maps, historical backgrounds, archaeological background, tables and lists.

Commentaries provides explanation and interpretation of the Bible, typically by book, chapter and verse. They may cover one book of the Bible, several books (e.g. gospels, prophets, epistles, etc.) or all books of the Bible in one volume or set. The readership level of commentaries varies from the very scholarly, well-researched ones to others that are designed for the lay person with non-academic language.