Dive In: Resources I

Your bookshelf is now going to be front and center in our discussion. You may wonder what my delay has been.

In diving deeper in the Bible, the first text you have to use is the Bible. You have to read it, ask questions, see patterns, look for the context and big picture. You have to begin to identify the design of the pericope. Several translations are very helpful.

The second thing you should open, after a Bible, is not a commentary. Commentaries are written by scholars with bias. They can’t help it, any more than you can help your bias. Commentaries are often helpful but never the final word. There is no commentary that can replace thoughtful reading of the biblical text. (We'll discuss them more later because I have some specific advice for them.)

In fact, the first extra-biblical text I’d suggest for your bookshelf is a good Bible dictionary. Don’t buy the two-nine-five paperback at the grocery store. Save up some money, ask for it as a birthday gift, have a yard sale. Do what it takes (short of breaking the law or selling a child) to get a good dictionary

Here are my suggestions for a helpful Bible dictionary:

Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Edited by Leland Ryken, Jim Wilhoit, Tremper Longman, Colin Duriez, Douglas Penney and Daniel G. Reid. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1998.

Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation. Edited by John H. Hayes. 2 vols. Nashville: Abingdon, 1999.

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Edited by David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers and Astrid B. Beck. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.

HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Edited by Paul J. Achtemeier. Rev. ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996.

Holman Bible Dictionary. Edited by Trent C. Butler. Nashville: Holman, 1991.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995. (ISBE)

Remember: always always always read a reference book like you eat a fish: keep the meat and spit out the bones. There are no perfect reference materials. You may be biased or the author may be biased, but the final word comes from the Bible. What does the Bible say about a particular topic?

Dictionaries are helpful in showing us cultural background and context, reminding us of locales and genealogies, identifying people and history. I like to keep one close when I’m reading.

My favorite book in the above list is the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, although I use it together with the ISBE.

Here’s an example of the help I get from the DBI.

I’ve been puzzling over the Sodom and Gomorrah account. Here’s something I read that gave me a toehold on meaning:

The contrasting of Lot and Sodom with Abraham is highlighted by parallels in the hospitality extended toward the divine messengers (Gen 18:1-8, 19:1-3). But the story in Genesis 19 quickly degenerates into a spiral of sin. The attempt at sexual violation by the entire male population, the offer of Lot’s daughters in the messengers' stead, the mocking of his future sons-in-laws, Lot’s hesitation to leave Sodom and his plea not to have to flee far away, and the fateful backward glance of his wife fill out this portrait of rejection of God’s ways (Gen 19:4-26). All Abraham sees afterward is the smoke of the judgment (Gen 19:27-28).

—Dictionary of Biblical Imagery

Suddenly I was comparing Gen 18 and Gen 19, looking for parallels and for contrasts. The dictionary didn’t give me the meaning, but helped provide information to pry loose the intent of the author. It’s a resource that helps me see comparisons across time and history when I might otherwise miss them.

Another entry tells me that salt is a sign of barrenness or sterility. Lot’s wife becomes a pillar of salt, although she had earlier had children, while Abraham’s wife, who earlier was without child, became the mother of the nation. That certainly gives traction to some ideas in the text.

Would you tell me what dictionary you like and use? Or what other resources you’d like me to discuss in coming weeks?

Keep reading and diving in.