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Blog / Dictionary of Bible Themes: A New Study Tool Now Online at Bible Gateway

Dictionary of Bible Themes: A New Study Tool Now Online at Bible Gateway

We’re pleased to announce the addition of a brand new resource to Bible Gateway’s library: the Dictionary of Bible Themes! Edited by Martin H. Manser, Alister McGrath, J. I. Packer, and Donald Wiseman, the Dictionary of Bible Themes is an extremely useful resource for your Bible study.

Most of the new texts we add to Bible Gateway are Bible translations. The Dictionary of Bible Themes, however, is a study tool you can use alongside your Bible reading, no matter which Bible version or translation you use. It’s a massive compilation of themes and topics in the Bible (over 2,000), carefully organized to make it as easy as possible to find the specific subject you’re interested in. It’s extremely helpful for assembling a Bible study, researching Biblical teachings on a particular person or topic, or just exploring the Bible for your own benefit.

The simplest way is to see relevant entries from the Dictionary is to click the Show resources link next to the Bible text you’re reading. Doing so will open a window alongside Scripture that includes Dictionary topics related to the text. Here’s what it looks like alongside John 3 (click the image to enlarge):

Just click on a topic to view its entry in the Dictionary of Bible Themes.

(For more information about using the Show resources feature to display relevant Bible commentaries and study tools, see our tutorial.)

You can also access the Dictionary by going straight to the Dictionary of Bible Themes page on Bible Gateway, or by visiting the Topical Index and scrolling down until you see the Dictionary listed.

At the main Dictionary page, you’ll see a list of major Bible themes laid out in outline form. The nine topics on this page—”God,” “Jesus Christ,” “Humanity,” etc.—represent very broad topics you can explore in more detail. For example:

Clicking on one of those theme brings up a more detailed list of topics within that theme. For example, clicking on “Human relationships” brings up this list:

Clicking further brings you to a very detailed page listing out all the instances (including verse references) of that theme in the Bible. There’s a truly impressive range of topics to explore. Take a look at just a few examples:

Take a few minutes to browse through the different themes. No matter how obscure the topic, the Dictionary will show you what the Bible has to say about it!

We’re very grateful to Martin H. Manser for making this valuable resource available on Bible Gateway. Manser has written and edited many other useful Christian books and resources that are worth investigating as well. We hope you find the Dictionary useful in your Bible reading and study!

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