{"id":68581,"date":"2022-06-07T06:52:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T10:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/?p=68581"},"modified":"2022-06-07T15:51:23","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T19:51:23","slug":"how-to-use-the-thompson-chain-reference-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/how-to-use-the-thompson-chain-reference-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use the Thompson\u00ae Chain-Reference\u00ae Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/store.faithgateway.com\/collections\/thompson-chain-reference-bible?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bookpromo\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"alignright\" title=\"Buy your copy of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible in the FaithGateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" alt=\"Buy your copy of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible in the FaithGateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19144859\/Thompson-Chain-Reference-Bible-shelf.jpg\" width=\"65%\"><\/a>The <a href=\"https:\/\/store.faithgateway.com\/collections\/thompson-chain-reference-bible?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bookpromo\" title=\"Buy your copy of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible in the FaithGateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Thompson Chain-Reference Bible<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (Zondervan) (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.zondervan.com\/p\/thompsonchainreferenceblog-home\/\" title=\"Thompson Chain-Reference Bible website\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a>), first published in 1908, is one of the oldest and most widely used study Bibles available today. Since its first publication, it has been refined and expanded upon several times to create a robust, single-volume library of Bible study tools.<\/p>\n<p>The TCR stands apart from other study Bibles in that it doesn\u2019t include verse-by-verse commentary. Instead, it combines a 100,000-entry topical chain-reference system with an extensive topical index that connects over 8,000 topics. This system allows Scripture to interpret Scripture, making it an excellent, unbiased study Bible for anyone in any denomination.<\/p>\n<p>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/2022\/05\/thompson-chain-reference-bible-updated-and-on-bible-gateway-plus\/\" title=\"Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Thompson Chain-Reference Bible Updated and On Bible Gateway Plus\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, <em>Thompson Chain-Reference Bible Updated and On Bible Gateway Plus<\/em><\/a>]<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><center><strong>The <em>Thompson\u00ae Chain-Reference\u00ae Bible<\/em> is one of the more than 50 Bible study references conveniently available to members of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bible Gateway Plus<\/a>.<\/strong> Learn how you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">try it right now!<\/a><\/center><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In this article we\u2019ll discuss the Thompson chain-reference system, indexes, and some of its main study tools, and explore how they work together to create a one-of-a-kind study system that\u2019s as easy to use as it is in-depth.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DlaeB5e9Y58\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<h3>Thompson\u2019s Topical Chain-Reference System<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19145840\/Thompson-Topical-Chain-Reference-System.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to enlarge this image\" alt=\"Click to enlarge this image\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19145840\/Thompson-Topical-Chain-Reference-System.png\" width=\"95%\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As you can see in the illustration above, the TCR chain-reference system lists topics that pertain to each verse in the Bible. Each one of these topics includes a topic number that corresponds to a number in the Numerical Index of Topics. They also point forward through the Bible to other references to the same topic. Each of these topics is  placed neatly in the margins next to the verses to which they correspond.<\/p>\n<p>As an example, let\u2019s look at the topic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke+1%3A2&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/witnesses-3855a&amp;tab=study\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference note for Luke 1:2 with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cWitnesses (2)\u201d<\/a> that is in the margin next to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke+1%3A2&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/witnesses-3855a&amp;tab=study\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference note for Luke 1:2 with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Luke 1:2<\/a>, above. Next to the topic name you\u2019ll see its topic number (3855a), which corresponds to a listing to the Numerical Index of Topics in the back of the Bible. Finally, this entry points you to the next verse in the topic chain, which in this case is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke+24%3A48&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/witnesses-3855a&amp;tab=study\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference note for Luke 24:48 with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Luke 24:48<\/a>. There you&#8217;ll find the same topic with the same topic number, and you&#8217;ll be able to follow that topic to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=John%201%3A7&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/witnesses-3855a&amp;tab=study\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference note for John 1:7 with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the next applicable verse in that chain<\/a> and all the succeeding verses until the last, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=1%20John%201%3A1&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/witnesses-3855a&amp;tab=studyy\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference note for 1 John 1:1 with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">1 John 1:1<\/a>. Here&#8217;s a screenshot of what you&#8217;ll see online with your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bible Gateway Plus<\/a> membership:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/login\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to log in to your Bible Gateway Plus membership account\" alt=\"Click to log in to your Bible Gateway Plus membership account\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/07154413\/Thompson-Chain-Reference-Bible-screenshot.jpg\" border=\"1\" width=\"85%\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Using this system, you can easily trace a topic through the Bible one verse at a time based on what you\u2019re reading in the Bible. Or, if you want a broader overview of any particular topic, you can search the references in two major indexes to find what you\u2019re looking for (see the following).<\/p>\n<p>[<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/2021\/06\/the-thompson-chain-reference-bible-where-it-came-from-how-to-use-it-and-where-its-going\/\" title=\"Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, The Thompson\u00ae Chain-Reference\u00ae Bible: Where It Came From, How to Use It, and Where It\u2019s Going\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, <em>The Thompson\u00ae Chain-Reference\u00ae Bible: Where It Came From, How to Use It, and Where It\u2019s Going<\/em><\/a>]<\/p>\n<h3>Alphabetical Index of Topics<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01162935\/Alphabetical-Index-of-Topics.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to enlarge this image\" alt=\"Click to enlarge this image\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01162935\/Alphabetical-Index-of-Topics.png\" width=\"95%\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe Alphabetical Index of Topics is the first major index in the back of every TCR Bible. This lists all the topics found in the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible and provides their topic numbers so they can be found in the other study tools. This is a great place for you to start when you\u2019re interested in studying a topic, since each topic is listed here alphabetically.<\/p>\n<p>To find any topic in the Bible, you only need to search the Alphabetical Index of Topics for the topic name, which leads you toward your next step: studying the topic in a more in-depth way via the next major index.<\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<p><center><em>It only takes a minute to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/login\/\" title=\"Create your own Bible Gateway free personal account to upgrade your Bible Gateway experience\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>create your own Bible Gateway free personal account<\/strong><\/a> and you\u2019ll immediately upgrade your Bible Gateway experience. Do it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/login\/\" title=\"Create your own Bible Gateway free personal account to upgrade your Bible Gateway experience\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">right now!<\/a><\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Numerical Index of Topics<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163101\/Numerical-Index-of-Topics.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to enlarge this image\" alt=\"Click to enlarge this image\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163101\/Numerical-Index-of-Topics.png\" width=\"95%\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe Numerical Index of Topics is the second major index in the back of each TCR Bible. This is a large, multifaceted  index that lists over 4,200 topics and their related subtopics. The index first provides a short description of each topic and then provides a list of Scripture references that are helpful in studying this particular topic. See, for example, APPAREL, which is topic number 53 above. The recommended verses to study this topic are listed first, with the most applicable references for this topic printed in red. To speed along the overview, the first few of those most important verses are printed in full within the topic category (for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=2+Chronicles+5%3A12&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/apparel-53&amp;tab=study\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference note for 2 Chronicles 5:12 with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">2 Chronicles 5:12<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Many topics also include the names and numbers of related topics for further study. Each of the topic numbers match those in the topical chain-reference system found in the margins next to the Bible text.<\/p>\n<p>Once you identify a topic you want to research, either from looking at the marginal references or through searching the Alphabetical Index of Topics, you&#8217;ll then turn to the Numerical Index of Topics to see the helpful list of Scriptures, references, and related topics that will deepen your study.<\/p>\n<p>This Numerical Index of Topics is a powerful study tool and the central resource of this topical cross-reference Bible. As it features Bible verses printed out in full, you can get a quick, entry-level overview of how Scripture interprets Scripture for that particular topic, broadening your perspective on the topic studied. Then, using the other robust offerings under that topic, you can explore related topics, each of which likely leads to more related topics. Using this unique, multifaceted tool will yield great opportunities for exploration and discovery as studying the interconnected passages of the Bible opens up new levels of understanding.<\/p>\n<h3>Other Tools: Condensed Outline of the Bible<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163222\/Condensed-Outline-of-the-Bible.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to enlarge this image\" alt=\"Click to enlarge this image\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163222\/Condensed-Outline-of-the-Bible.png\" width=\"95%\"><\/a><br \/>\nThe Condensed Outline of the Bible gives a brief overview of each Bible book. Biblical books are separated into the Old Testament and New Testament, and then further divided into sections that form the traditional literary divisions within the Bible. The Old Testament divisions include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> the Pentateuch<\/li>\n<li> Historical Books<\/li>\n<li> Prophetical Books and<\/li>\n<li> Minor Prophets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The New Testament divisions include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> the Gospels<\/li>\n<li> the NT\u2019s one Historical Book (The Acts of the Apostles)<\/li>\n<li> the Epistles of Paul<\/li>\n<li> the General Epistles and<\/li>\n<li> the NT\u2019s one Prophetical Book (Revelation).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This brief overview includes a table that outlines periods of biblical history. This chart covers Old Testament history, the interval between the testaments, and New Testament history. The table also shows how the biblical events overlap in time with secular historical events.<\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<p><center><em>Sign up to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/landing\/know-the-bible\/\" title=\"Sign up to get the Know the Bible free email lesson series from Bible Gateway\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">get the<\/a><\/strong><\/em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/landing\/know-the-bible\/\" title=\"Sign up to get the Know the Bible free email lesson series from Bible Gateway\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"> Know the Bible <em>free email lesson series<\/em><\/a><\/strong><em> from Bible Gateway.<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<blockquote><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Book Introductions<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163323\/Book-Introductions.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to enlarge this image\" alt=\"Click to enlarge this image\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163323\/Book-Introductions.png\" width=\"95%\"><\/a><br \/>\nBook introductions for each book of the Bible list key information related to each book. This includes information on prominent characters of the Bible, key ideas and concepts to look for, a sampling of major chains to follow within each book, and short synopsis of key topics (for example, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Luke+1&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/intro-to-luke-4261&amp;tab=study\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference book introduction for the Gospel of Luke with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Gospel of Luke<\/a>).<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><center><strong>The <em>Thompson\u00ae Chain-Reference\u00ae Bible<\/em> is one of the more than 50 Bible study references conveniently available to members of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bible Gateway Plus<\/a>.<\/strong> Learn how you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">try it right now!<\/a><\/center><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Bible Character Studies<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163412\/Bible-Character-Studies.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to enlarge this image\" alt=\"Click to enlarge this image\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163412\/Bible-Character-Studies.png\" width=\"95%\"><\/a><br \/>\nBible Character Studies provide biographical sketches and outline studies of some of the Bible\u2019s most prominent characters that includes detailed information about each characters, their families, and descriptions of key events in their lives (for example, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Judges+6%3A12&amp;version=NIV&amp;resource_entry=niv-thompson-chain\/gideon-the-mighty-man-of-valor-4291&amp;tab=study\" title=\"See the Thompson Chain-Reference character study on the life of Gideon with your Bible Gateway Plus membership\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">life of Gideon<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3>Bible Harmonies and Illustrated Studies<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163514\/Bible-Harmonies-and-Illustrated-Studies.png\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Click to enlarge this image\" alt=\"Click to enlarge this image\" src=\"https:\/\/bg3-blog.s3.amazonaws.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/01163514\/Bible-Harmonies-and-Illustrated-Studies.png\" width=\"95%\"><\/a><br \/>\nBible Harmonies and Illustrated Studies include life overviews of Moses, Jesus, and Paul. These overviews include maps and detailed descriptions of the lives of these three major biblical characters. Also included in the larger section are maps and other features that detail important events in biblical history. It also includes many helps for Christian workers.<\/p>\n<p>Tools in this study resource section include<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li> an Outline History of the Early Church<\/li>\n<li> a chart detailing the Distance in Miles Between Old Testament Cities<\/li>\n<li> a Topical Treasury of concepts and their related verses<\/li>\n<li> a helpful listing of Christian Worker\u2019s Texts<\/li>\n<li> some notable Memory Verses and Aids to Memorization<\/li>\n<li> a listing of Places of Religious Worship and Religious Leaders and finally<\/li>\n<li> a helpful description and table that outlines Hebrew Times, Seasons, and Festivals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But there\u2019s also much more to explore in this resource section.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/store.faithgateway.com\/collections\/thompson-chain-reference-bible?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bookpromo\" title=\"Buy your copy of the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible in the FaithGateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Thompson Chain-Reference Bible<\/em><\/strong><\/a> is one of the most helpful and in-depth study Bibles available today. Since its first publication in 1908 it has become a beloved study resource for generations of readers. Its topical tools are designed specifically to help you study any biblical topic, biblical character, event, concept, or idea. The study tools direct you toward deeper study that comes straight from Scripture itself.<\/p>\n<p>Each of the available tools in this Bible allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, which opens up new levels of understanding for you while also ensuring that the tools are unbiased. New updated and revised editions of the TCR are now available in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/versions\/New-International-Version-NIV-Bible\/#booklist\" title=\"Read the New International Version (NIV) Bible translation on Bible Gateway\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">New International Version (NIV)<\/a>, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/versions\/King-James-Version-KJV-Bible\/#booklist\" title=\"Read the King James Version (KJV) Bible translation on Bible Gateway\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">King James Version (KJV)<\/a> to be released in November 2022.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><center>Upgrade your Bible study experience using our valuable library of more than 50 top resources, including the <em>Thompson Chain-Reference Bible<\/em>, by becoming a member of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bible Gateway Plus<\/a><\/strong>. Get biblically wise and spiritually fit. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/plus\/?utm_source=bg&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bgplus\" title=\"Try Bible Gateway Plus during a FREE trial period starting right now\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Try it free right now!<\/em><\/a><\/center><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible (Zondervan) (website), first published in 1908, is one of the oldest and most widely used study Bibles available today. Since its first publication, it has been refined and expanded upon several times to create a robust, single-volume library of Bible study tools. The TCR stands apart from other study Bibles in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[87,983,514],"tags":[97,631,1623],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v17.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Use the Thompson\u00ae Chain-Reference\u00ae Bible - Bible Gateway Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/how-to-use-the-thompson-chain-reference-bible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Use the Thompson\u00ae Chain-Reference\u00ae Bible - Bible Gateway Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible (Zondervan) (website), first published in 1908, is one of the oldest and most widely used study Bibles available today. Since its first publication, it has been refined and expanded upon several times to create a robust, single-volume library of Bible study tools. 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