Article
What Is Strong’s Concordance?
James Strong’s concordance indexes every word of the common English Bible and assigns a number to each Hebrew or Greek word. This site’s Greek and Hebrew pages use those numbers. The numbers are not a code.
On This Page
Strong’s Concordance is James Strong’s index of the common English Bible. Every English word is listed, and each Hebrew or Greek word behind it receives a number. The Internet Archive record of the 1990 Hendrickson reprint names him as James Strong, 1822–1894, and it includes his concise dictionary of the Hebrew Bible and his concise dictionary of the Greek Testament. (1) On this site those numbers are the G and H numbers on the Greek word pages and the Hebrew word pages. A number is an index entry. It is not a mystical code.
Key Points
- The book indexes the common English text and adds dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek words. The Archive copy is a 1990 Hendrickson reprint. It is not labeled an 1890 first edition.
- Greek Strong’s numbers on this site come from the STEP Bible Translators’ Amalgamated Greek New Testament, CC BY 4.0. The gloss on a Greek card is the Dodson lexicon, which is public domain. (2)
- Hebrew definitions on this site are James Strong, A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Hebrew Bible (1894), public domain. The short gloss and the longer definition can differ. The word page prints both.
- θεός (G2316), χριστός (G5547), and λόγος (G3056) are ordinary index entries for God, Christ, and word.
- Strong’s G666 is ἀπουσία, “absence, deficiency, waste.” The beast’s number in Revelation 13:18Revelation 13:18 · King James Version
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 13:18 · King James VersionOpen source is six hundred threescore and six, filed here as χξϛ (G5516). - Hebrew H666 is אֵפֶר. The short gloss is “ashes.” The longer dictionary line is “a turban.” The King James renderings listed for that entry say “ashes.”
What the Book Is
The Archive title is: “The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order, together with dictionaries of the Hebrew and Greek words of the original, with references to the English words.” The publication line is Peabody, Mass., Hendrickson Publishers, 1990. The contents line names the main concordance, an appendix, A Concise dictionary of the words in the Hebrew Bible, and A Concise dictionary of the words in the Greek Testament, both by James Strong. (1)
The concordance is a finding tool. A reader who has an English word can see where that word occurs, and a reader who has a Hebrew or Greek word can see the number Strong assigned. The number does not add a meaning the dictionary line does not already state.
How This Site Uses Strong’s Numbers
Credits (2) states the split. Greek Strong’s numbers, and the Textus Receptus words the SBL text does not contain, come from STEP Bible TAGNT. Definitions on the Greek cards are the Dodson Greek Lexicon. If Dodson has no entry, the card says so. Hebrew words are the Westminster Leningrad Codex text from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. The definitions are the 1894 concise Hebrew dictionary. A gloss was not invented for this site.
A few entries the articles on this site already use:
- χάραγμα (G5480), “sculpture; engraving, a stamp, sign,” is the mark in What Is the Mark of the Beast?.
- ἀντίχριστος (G500) is the word in Who Is the Antichrist?.
- ὀρθοτομέω (G3718), “I cut straight,” is the verb in What Does “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth” Mean?.
- עֶבֶד (H5650) is “servant,” the word in Who Is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53?.
- שׁוּלַמִּית (H7759) is “Shulamite.” The longer line calls her “the Shulammith, an epithet of Solomon’s queen.” Who Was the Shulamite Woman? says what the Song itself names.
- אֱלֹהִים (H430) and יְהֹוָה (H3068) are the two Hebrew entries readers meet first for God and the divine name.
Which Bible Translation Is Most Accurate? is a different question. A concordance is not a translation. It points at the words a translation already chose.
Is Strong’s Concordance Accurate?
The concordance is accurate when it lists the English word where that word stands, and when the number points at the Hebrew or Greek entry the editor assigned. This site does not treat the 1894 dictionary line as a newer lexicon. The Greek card uses Dodson’s gloss, and it says when Dodson has no entry. The Hebrew card prints Strong’s short gloss, his longer line, and the King James renderings of that entry. Where the short gloss and the longer line disagree, as they do at H666, the page shows both. A reader can open the word and see the line. The number does not certify a sermon someone later built on it.
What 333, 444, 666, and 777 Mean in Strong’s
The same digits can be a Greek number or a Hebrew number. They are four different words.
| Number | Greek entry | Hebrew entry |
|---|---|---|
| 333 | ἀναθεωρέω (G333): “I look at attentively, gaze at, consider.” | אָטֵר (H333): “Ater, the name of three Israelites.” |
| 444 | ἄνθρωπος (G444): “a man, one of the human race.” | אָלַח (H444): “to muddle,” and figuratively “to turn (morally) corrupt.” The short gloss is “become filthy.” |
| 666 | ἀπουσία (G666): “absence, deficiency, waste.” | אֵפֶר (H666): short gloss “ashes,” longer line “a turban,” King James renderings “ashes.” |
| 777 | ἄσιτος (G777): “fasting, without eating.” | אַרְצָא (H777): “Artsa, an Israelite.” The short gloss is “Arza.” |
Revelation 13:18Revelation 13:18 · King James VersionHere is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 13:18 · King James VersionOpen source (3): “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” That count is the Greek numeral χξϛ, G5516. Dodson has no gloss for G5516. The headword is the numeral. It is not G666, and it is not H666.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does 333 Mean in Strong’s Concordance?
G333 is a verb for looking attentively. H333 is the personal name Ater. The number 333 is the slot in each list. It is not a message hidden in the digits.
What Does 444 Mean in Strong’s Concordance?
G444 is the common Greek word for a human being. H444 is a Hebrew verb whose short gloss is “become filthy.” The two entries share a number because Strong numbered each language from 1. They are not the same word.
What Is 666 in Strong’s Concordance?
G666 means absence. H666 is the word whose King James renderings on this site are “ashes,” while the longer dictionary line says “a turban.” The beast’s number in Revelation 13:18 is a different entry, G5516.
What Does 777 Mean in Strong’s Concordance?
G777 means fasting, without eating. H777 is the name Artsa, short gloss “Arza.” Neither line says the number is holy.
What Is the Holiest Number in the Bible?
Strong’s list does not rank its numbers by holiness. Revelation 4:8Revelation 4:8 · King James VersionAnd the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Revelation 4:8 · King James VersionOpen source (4) has the four living creatures say, “Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty.” That is a threefold word in a sentence of praise. It is not an index number, and the concordance does not mark it as a winning digit.
Keep Reading
References
- The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Internet Archive record of the 1990 Hendrickson reprint. James Strong, 1822–1894. The volume includes his concise dictionaries of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Testament.)
- Credits. King James Version (How this site attaches Strong’s numbers. Greek numbers are STEP Bible TAGNT. Hebrew definitions are Strong’s concise dictionary of 1894. Greek glosses on the cards are Dodson.)
- Book of Revelation, 13:18Revelation 13:18 · King James Version
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 13:18 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Book of Revelation, 4:8Revelation 4:8 · King James Version
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Revelation 4:8 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version
See Also
- What Does Grace Mean in the Bible? — Grace in the New Testament is the Greek word charis, God’s favor given freely in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8–9 says salvation is that gift, not a wage.
- Does Archaeology Confirm the Bible? — The Pilate stone, the Tel Dan stele, Hezekiah’s tribute on the Taylor Prism, the Siloam tunnel inscription, and the Cyrus Cylinder name people and events the Bible also names. Each find has a limit.
- Does the Bible Contradict Itself? — Some Bible passages look as if they cannot both be true. Judas, the census numbers, and Matthew’s naming of Jeremy are real differences in the text. A contradiction is two claims that cannot both be true in the same way.
- How Many New Testament Manuscripts Are There? — On 29 September 2023 the Münster Liste had 5,700 Greek New Testament entries, and the editors called that number a snapshot. Codex Sinaiticus is a fourth-century copy of the whole New Testament.
- How Many Times Does the New Testament Quote the Old Testament? — Published counts run from Easton’s 283 to the UBS figure of 343 quotations, with thousands of allusions. This site’s own list is a smaller, sourced set.