“This page was last edited on January 10, 2010 at 5:54 pm.” That must mean that is when this site began!
This site, Real Bible Study dot Com, has been written by me, Jerome Smith, to help everyone learn how to get the most out of reading the Bible.
This site is meant to be read, even studied. You won’t benefit much if you only stop by and read for two or three minutes. Do stop by often, and read as much as you can. I read it myself, and I spend half an hour or more to carefully read what I wrote!
There is much to learn posted here. You can get a quite complete education in how to study the Bible, apologetics, theology, Bible doctrine, Bible prophecy, and hermeneutics (how to interpret the Bible and know for sure you have the correct interpretation), by reading both the articles I have posted, and my answers to questions and comments submitted by others. Check out the Categories listed on the right-hand side of this page and explore the topics that interest you most.
To get the very most possible benefit from this site, I suggest that you read the oldest material first, and progress in order to the current postings. You can easily do this by going to the Archives listed at the right hand side of any page, and start with January 2010 and read those articles first.
Do you have a question or comment of your own? Feel free to post it. So long as you have written what you post in your own words, and it pertains to the Bible or anything on this site, your comment will be accepted. If you have a question, I will be eager to provide you an answer. If you disagree with me, that is good. It shows you are thinking. I might offer an answer to your position. Or, if you turn out to be correct, I might even change my mind and agree with you!
Though I am simply a retired English teacher from Detroit, where I taught from 1962 until I retired in 2001, I have spent much time in studying the Bible.
One could almost say I have not only read the Bible through, I have done the equivalent of typing it through. I typed the text of my Bible study tool, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, using an Apple 2+ computer equipped with CP/M WordStar, using hundreds of 5 1/4″ floppy disks to store the results. It took me five full years to type it up, working full time, seven days a week, after twenty-six years of research. I am thankful to George Mott (the founder of Mott Media, where I served for a short time as editor, following Leonard Goss) and his family for giving me my first computer, the Apple Computer, back about 1983. Mr. Mott went home to be with the Lord about the time I finished typing my manuscript. I am thankful to Mr. Phil Stoner who brought my project to Thomas Nelson Publishers, where my work was published in 1992 as The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is no longer available in printed book form, but it is available from Nelson or from Logos in software form.
[The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is now (as of February, 2023) permanently back in print. Many thanks to the new people now in charge at Nelson who recognized the enduring value and usefulness of this Bible study tool and were shocked that the Publisher under its previous administration had allowed it to go out of print. I spent several months helping in the preparation of this new edition. I entered hundreds of corrections in the references for typos and other errors I found since 1992 and vastly improved the Figure of Speech Index to make it more complete. This resource is available on Amazon, CBD (Christian Book Distributors) and from many other sources, including your local Christian or secular bookstore.]
I went through the whole Bible again in 2006 and 2007 to prepare my second Bible study resource, Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible. The Cross Reference Guide actually has more cross references than the New Treasury does. It has all the cross references that the New Treasury has, but in consolidated form. I eliminated the duplication of references at verses on the same subject by keying them all to one main reference point or verse for that subject or theme. I did that for nearly 2000 different subjects and themes. That means the main reference point where all the references found elsewhere are collected now has more references than it originally did. That made the book shorter, which is what the publisher had requested, without sacrificing any of the cross reference links. Just follow the + sign to find the main reference points. The + symbol means “find more here.” To make the book shorter, I also eliminated almost all the notes and all the chapter headings. This resource is no longer in print.
I am now on my third time through the Bible, adding even more cross references than ever before. I am also adding back the chapter headings and all the notes present in the New Treasury.
I am also adding all the notes from the Comprehensive Bible, the source of both the notes and references found in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
Many of the notes in the Comprehensive Bible were left out of the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, probably because there was not enough space to keep them.
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is matched, page for page, with Bagster’s Polyglot Bible in English. When there were many more cross references furnished for a chapter, to keep the pages matched, the typesetters used smaller type, as in the Psalms, where many references are cramped into three columns per page of very tiny print in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
My current project is a much longer work than The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, and may prove to be too long for a single volume book. But length is no problem in Bible software, so I expect my project will appear in software format. It is already a delight for me to consult these new, more complete references. Perhaps in a year or two (I’m writing this on Sunday, December 4, 2011) my material will be ready for everyone to use in their study of God’s inspired Word, the Bible.
[Well, here it is August 10, 2016, and I received just yesterday a notice that my new work of Bible cross references is now available. It is “Exclusive & New for e-Sword.” My new Bible study tool will not work with previous versions of the e-Sword Bible study software; it requires the new Version 11 or later to work. To get my new Bible study resource, you must download the free e-Sword Bible software from http://www.e-Sword.net and then click on the “downloads” button at the top of the program. You will see a listing of available modules for e-Sword. Scroll down to the “Premium Modules,” and in that list in its alphabetical position you will see my work, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury, listed. Clicking on that title will take you to where this Bible software module can be purchased. I did this myself just today (August 10, 2016), and the whole process worked beautifully, and now I have my own book in its new, professional software format for my use in Bible study. I’m looking forward to using it myself, and I know that some of you who read here will be eager to get this resource I’ve worked so long to create.]
Thank you for visiting my site. Please “Follow” this Real Bible Study site and tell others about it. Bookmark it, and come back often!
Tim (he’s awesome) sent me in your direction and I love what you are doing. It is very encouraging. I’ve been kicked out of a church for teaching the Teens about the Bible, especially Genesis. Now I am onto another series with adults at the same time my church (Central Christian of Arizona) is teaching from Hebrews 11.
My church is not sure where they stand on the Word, and at 10,000 reg attenders, I am scared that I am taking this stand with my small group. I will be sending them in the direction of your website at what I am sure is quite a risk.
I am also writing a “novel” about the wife of one of the son’s of Noah from her perspective. I look forward to publishing it and helping people to see the difference in the culture and how people lived at that glutenous time in the history of our God’s Creation.
Thank you again for everything!
Dear Jill,
It is most encouraging to hear from you.
You mean I’m not the only one who has been uninvited from church because of standing on the Bible?
You might suggest for any who visit my site here at your invitation to read my posts in the order they were written by going to the Archives to read the oldest posts first.
I hope you will visit and comment again. I would have responded sooner, but we had a bad storm here and power was unstable so I turned the computers off. Then I began reading a book titled Grace by Lewis Sperry Chafer. It was published in 1947. I’ve had it in my collection a long time. It is a most helpful book, over 300 pages long. So I did not use the computers for yet two more days or so. We were also checking on what impact my computer usage has on our electric usage. Apparently the computer is using two or three Kw a day.
I download and listen to at work bible talk wlqv am in detroit. Pastor emory moss is the host. Fridays show the gentleman who started this site was on the show. I guess he taught pastor moss when he was a teenager. Pastor moss’s show has been a blessing in my life. As the gentleman who started this site has been to pastor moss. God bless you sir.
Thank you, Santino, for visiting my website! May the Lord bless you. Pastor Moss has helped many listeners understand the Bible better. I am thankful I had a small part in helping Pastor Moss when he was a student in my English class at Cass Technical High School. I remember him well. He was a very good student. He won’t tell you that he won a Scholastic Award for a play he wrote and submitted. I presented his award back to him perhaps thirty years later when he asked me to speak at his church. He was surprised I would still have it. He doesn’t know that I have all his English compositions too! I hope you will come back to visit again, and read my posts from the oldest ones to the newest ones, in that order, for them to make the most sense.
hello jerry just a note to say thank your for your bible study tools you developed i am glad and i purchased the ntsk in 1992 and crgb best investment i ever made looking forward to your new word! act 17/11 ken
i pe 2/1-2 wherefore,laying aside all malice,and all guile, and hypocrisies,and envies,and all evil speakings, vs 2 as new born babes,desire the pure milk of the word, thay ye may grow by it, these 2 vs empasize a important point to the believer the lord is very concerned that we grow to maturity in our christian walk. col 1/28. studying the word of god is essential.the crgb and ntsk will help us grow spiritually more than any other bible study tools available. outside my bible they are my favorite because they take you to the word of god and help you feed on it jer 15/16.
Jerry, first let me say it is an honor to speak with you. Many years ago someone gave me a used paper copy of the NTSK. Besides my Bible, it is the most valuable book in my ever growing collection. Seriously. I have carried that book to at least 5 countries with me as I have traveled, including the ancient city of Ur. It has been my most recommended Bible study aid to my friends. I have not seen it on the shelves of any bookstore and have treated my copy as if it is the last existing one. I just discovered your site tonight, actually, as I was searching around to learn more of the original TSK (since the title says “New”) and to find out of more of it’s author. I will investigate your other works and this site in more detail. From the absolute bottom of my heart, thank you for that book and it has made my walk with Jesus so much intimate. – Steve (www.galatianhope.com)
Hi Jerome,
I am a Roman Catholic who is born again and have come to the realization that the dogma of papal infallibility and the Marian dogmas cannot be supported biblically, patristically, or historically.
I read almost exclusively out of the KJV (with the “Apocrypha”, of course) and I am interested in deepening my Bible study. I have narrowed down my study tools to the Strongest Strong’s from Zondervan and either the New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge or Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible. My only concern for the two latter resources are the possible bias that you may have injected in compiling the references (no offense). For example, in John 6, my understanding of Christ’s statement to eat his flesh and drink his blood is that he is referring to the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper). If someone compiling a list of references does not hold this interpretation, then he would not include references to other passages that deal with the Eucharist. So, I guess what I’m trying to ask is, how “neutral” are these references? Would you ever consider adding references to the “Apocrypha”?
In Christ,
J L
Dear J L,
Thank you for your fine comment and question.
I have furnished references in John 6 to all the pertinent passages found elsewhere in the 66 books of the Bible. I have placed only a very few cross references to the Apocrypha in the New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. I do not think any of these have been retained in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, since that study tool does not include the notes I provided in the New Treasury.
My cross references in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible have been in some fashion approved by some scholars in the Roman Catholic Church, for my book is on a list of recommended resources for parish libraries.
As for how “neutral” are the references I have compiled? Considering the method I have used to compile them, they are about as neutral as one can get. I have made use of standard resources of a now bygone age, the early nineteenth century, when cross reference Bible study was more encouraged and perhaps popular than it is now. The references come from Bagster’s Comprehensive Bible, and then contemporary sources which I have in my personal library. I made use of Young’s Concise Critical Comments, particularly for the Old Testament. I made use of The New Testament with Fuller References done by the scholars who provided the cross references for the Bibles published by the Oxford University Press. I made use of The Commentary Wholly Biblical for the entire Bible. I made use of original language resources, particularly The Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance and The Englishman’s Greek Concordance, both of which are published by Bagster in London.
I have added additional references pertaining to Bible prophecy gained from my thorough study of George N. H. Peters’ work in three large volumes titled The Theocratic Kingdom.
The standard sources I used made a point of the fact that they were created with the intention of letting the Bible interpret itself apart from denominational bias.
A careful reading of John 6 in context will demonstrate that Jesus could not possibly have been making reference to the Holy Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper, for it had not been introduced yet, and was not introduced until the final day of his ministry before he was betrayed and ultimately crucified, a good while after the miraculous feeding of the five thousand reflected in the immediate context of John 6.
Please forgive my lack of timely response to your question. My son has not yet fixed the way I am notified of new posts to my site, so I catch them when I take a break from my Bible research and see if anyone has posted a question!
If you have further questions or would like to engage in more discussion, please respond and I will get back to you.
Dear Steve,
I hope you have had the chance to come back and visit this site since you made your wonderfully kind comment back on January 14, 2013.
I have been working on creating a new Bible study tool for cross reference Bible study. I work on it all day, every day. I finished Ephesians chapter two earlier this evening, so I thought I would snoop around on my site and see if there were any new posts. I see you made two posts, and I have now “approved” them.
If you have a copy of The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge you are very blessed. The book has been out of print and very expensive to buy used. It went out of print before even I as its author knew of it, so I never had the chance to stock up myself on extra copies!
The original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is still in print, but it is not nearly as complete as my revision of it.
My second book, Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible, is a kind of simplified and more portable edition of the references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. The material is presented in a much clearer format. There are actually more cross references in the CRG than the NTSK.
I am encouraged to learn you have found using cross reference Bible study to be of great spiritual benefit to you.
Hello , I have a small old bible with the name Dorothy Shaw on it. It says for Church use?
Do you know anything about this?
Dear Jerry,
Thanks for your reply. I decided to obtain a copy of the Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible. I am very grateful for this resource that you have provided for Christians. As a Roman Catholic (who is currently attending an Orthodox church), I recommend this as an essential Bible study tool for all Christians, regardless of which tradition they are part of. This resource, along with a good concordance, are the only tools you need to start studying God’s Word in depth. As St. Jerome said, “To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.”
In Christ,
J L
The Dorothy Shaw I knew in connection with church and Bible study was my pastor’s wife at Military UP Church in Detroit before 1974. But there may be many Dorothy Shaw’s in the world; I may have had a student by that name in the past, too. Now, make good use of that Bible or another one in your possession and feed yourself spiritually as you read it!
Dear J L,
Thank you for your comment. I have a number of Roman Catholic friends who have and use Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible. A man who was formerly a neighbor to me out here in the country moved to town. He bought a copy of the CRG and I autographed it for him. The next time I saw him he told me his daughter has it, and is using it to teach students in a Roman Catholic high school, as I recall, and he says she values it highly.
I heard a most interesting caller, a lady, on a popular national radio talk show. She called in to the program (and was the first caller of the day) and said she was Roman Catholic, and had begun serious reading of the Bible in 1992 and that her reading and study has entirely changed her life. She commented regarding the new Pope, saying she hopes he will stress the value for Roman Catholics and all Christians of serious Bible reading and study. I share her hope. Such is a much needed emphasis.
Your quotation from St. Jerome is much appreciated, and certainly true. Thank you for sharing it.
Dear Jerry,
I’m a PhD student working on a thesis about practices of stewardship in central texas. I just recently got really interested in cross references after attending a bible study that made some creative use of them. After making some searches your site seems to have the best description available about the history of cross references. What came to my mind was that it would be really interesting to find out how the cross references included in some important editions of the bible have changed over time. This might be a way to identify some of the passages that have been most controversial or to identify some of the broad shifts in interpretation. This could be done by looking at what passages have increased or decreased in the frequency that they are cited as appropriate cross references, or by finding the passages for which there have been most of such changes. If there is information about the cross references available in systematic digital format, it wouldn’t be too difficult to write some software to do this.
My questions are: Do you have any thoughts on this? And are any of the bible editions you mention in your history article available in a digital format that would allow me to build a database of the cross references?
Thanks and very best wishes,
Aleksi
Dear Aleksi,
The cross reference sources I refer to that I personally have are all hard copy, not digital. The closest I come to having seen anything digital is at Googlebooks, where resources are available in PDF and in ePub format. The ePub format, though digital, is not altogether accurate. The digitizing process used did not go through the proofreading step!
I have used and compared the sources from different periods that I have, and I have not discerned any particular rhyme or reason for the selection of additional references. The standard sources are pretty even-handed for the most part, and do not reflect any identifiable doctrinal biases that I can see. The one exception which is pretty general is that the compilers of cross references in years past were not very astute on prophetic subjects in Scripture. There is at least one expression used by Paul which he takes from the OT and none of the cross reference sources I have from the 19th century or earlier note the connection in the NT.
Our generally available collections of references are quite accurate and scholarly. I find some of the references to OT passages taken as types to be somewhat obscure at times, but if I go to the OT passage and consult the cross references given there the intention is generally clarified. References to the Song of Solomon, and those given in the Song of Solomon, are problematical for me but I have left them as is. Were I to create references “from scratch” I would not likely come up with the connections scholars and Bible students from the nineteenth century and before did.
I have been very surprised that the cross references given in the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are valid, and do not reflect or emphasize the doctrinal aberrations of that group, particularly with reference to their materialist theology.
Horne’s Introduction which I cited in my post on the history of cross references contains the best leads to sources and gives a table showing the reference count of the number of cross references present in printed editions of the Bible for early nineteenth century and before.
I can’t help you regarding the stewardship practices in central Texas, but if you use the New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge starting at any verse in the Bible that pertains to the issue, say for example, Matthew 23:23, I have placed notes and cross references to the subject as presented in the Bible, notes and references likely more complete than you can find anywhere else.
Thank you for visiting this site and leaving a comment!
Are you acquainted with Malcolm Lavender and if so, do you know if his web site (crisispub.com) will be back up?
Dear Rod,
Going to the site just now I get a page that says “down for maintenance.” I’ll check with Malcolm to see what the story is. I know that he mentioned to me that he was going to try to change where his site is hosted to make it easier for him to post updates to it.
Hi Jerry,
My name is Sam Varghese. I am well acquainted with your brother (who I will leave unnamed for now). It is nice to connect with you! I was wondering if there are any plans of allowing your TSK to be published on e-sword. I have no affiliation with them, but I am an avid user of it and would be really blessed (along with several several other people) to see it in that format. Should you need help doing so, I would love to do the necessary research to make it work.
In him,
Sam
Dear Sam,
There are indeed plans to have my edition of the TSK available for e-Sword.
I have been working on the project since February 21, 2010. I am currently expanding the number of cross references available. I am as far as 1 John chapter 5 at the present time. It may take yet another year to finish my research. I don’t know what to expect when I do the book of Revelation.
Do you know how to convert Word docx files for use in e-Sword? I have some software on my computer that will do it, but it looks like a tedious process to me. I worked with it only a little, and do not understand how the software would work to compile the complete work into a single file for e-Sword. I have select chapters done for Genesis, created at an early stage of my project.
Thank you for posting a comment on my site. I hope you get a chance to read what I have posted here. The cross references as I have expanded them are what I have posted in the section of each Daily Bible Nugget called “Digging Deeper.”
Jerome, is it possible to enter the sheepfold by another ‘way’ & not by the door which the ‘porter’ opens? What does faith have to do with hermenuetics? If by artificial means (art or science) of interpretation can I expect to rightly divide the (eternal uncreated Word) or does the Word rightly divide eternal reality for temporal application? It is my testimony that one tactic of the enemy (beautiful evil) is to misrepresent by omission the whole truth. When scribes & scholars talk of HERMEnuetics why the conspicuous omission regarding the namesake Hermes for the study of interpreting scripture? Why would a Christian by default honor a false god?
John 5:39,40. God speed, Bo
Dear Bo McDanirl,
There is only one door to the sheepfold. There is only one door which the porter opens. Jesus said of himself, “I am the door” (John 10:7). The “door” is not a denomination; it is not any so-called “One True Church,” but a person. To be accounted as having entered the sheepfold, a person must have come through the only “door” that God has provided–and that “door” is His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said of all other ways, “He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up by some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).
Jesus proclaimed the same truth on a later occasion when He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).
Peter proclaimed the same truth in Acts 4:12.
We learn elsewhere in Scripture that thieves and robbers do not enter heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 as well as Revelation 21:8).
As for the validity of hermeneutics itself, that word is a term from the Greek New Testament! See the interesting study and cross references I have placed at Mark 5:41,
Mark 5:41. took. Mt 8:3. by the hand. +Mk 1:31. 9:27. Mt 8:15. 9:25. 14:31. Ac 3:6, 7. 9:40, 41. Re 1:17, 18. and said. Mk 7:4. Talitha cumi. *S#5008g, only here. Note: This is pure Syriac, the same as in the Syriac version, the proper translation of which is given by the evangelist. Compare *S#2924h, taleh, 1 S 7:9 (lamb). Is 65:25 (lamb). interpreted. FS95, +Ps 7:13. *S#3177g, methermēneuomai. Mk 15:22, 34. Mt 1:23. Jn 1:41. Ac 4:36. 13:8. Compare the related words *S#1329g, diermēneuō, +Lk 24:27; *S#2058g, hermēnia, +1 Cor 12:10; *S#2059g, hermēnuō, +Jn 1:38. Damsel. ver. Mk 5:42. Mk 1:41. 6:22, 28. Ge 1:3. *Ps 33:9. Mt 8:8. 9:24, 25. 11:5. 14:11. Lk 7:14, 15, 22. 8:54, 55. *Jn 5:25, 28, 29. *Jn 11:43, 44. Ac 9:40. Ro 4:17. *Phil 3:21.
Notice particularly the entries for the keyword interpreted.
First, notice the FS95, Ps 7:13. That connects you with an explanation of the Figure of Speech given as follows:
Psalm 7:12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
Psalm 7:13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
Psalm 7:12. If. Ps 85:4. **Is 55:6, 7. Je 31:18, 19. *Ezk 18:30. 33:11. *Mt 3:10. 18:3. Ac 3:19. he will. *Dt 32:41. Is 27:1. 34:5. Ezk 21:9-11, 23. Re 19:15.
Psalm 7:13. He hath. FS95. Hermeneia; or, Interpretation F/S 402. Repetition for the purpose of interpreting what has been already said. Here, ver. Ps 7:13 explains ver. Ps 7:12. For other instances of this figure see Ps 77:19. Is 1:23. 34:6. 44:3. Is 51:1, 2. Ho 7:8, 9. Am 3:8. Mt 1:23. *Mt 6:24. Mk 5:41. 15:22, 34. Lk 16:13. Jn 1:38, 41, 42. 7:39. 9:7. Ac 4:36. 9:36. 13:8. 2 Tim 4:6. He 7:2. prepared. Is 33:11. ordaineth. Ps 11:2. 45:5. 64:3, 7. 144:6. Dt 32:23, 41, 42. Jb 6:4. La 3:12, 13. Hab 3:11, 13. persecutors. Ac 9:4, 5. 2 Th 1:6. Re 6:10. 16:6.
Notice that in the New Testament, God used four different but related words (which I have listed at Mark 5:41) that all have to do with the very word hermeneutics. That is a most important word in the Bible, a word chosen by divine inspiration to convey God’s concern with this subject. These words make for a very profitable Bible study, a study which can be easily done using the information in my book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. God even employed an identifiable figure of speech throughout the Bible which demonstrates hermeneutics in action in the very text of the Bible, where the Bible explains itself. You cannot logically fault my emphasis here upon Biblical Hermeneutics when that is the safeguard God has provided us to check up on the accuracy of either our own or anyone else’s interpretation of the Bible.
Forgive the initial disjointedness of my response to your comment. When I read your welcome comment in the “Dashboard” feature of this site, only the first part of your comment was displayed. When I came to this page directly after approving your comment, only then did I see your reference to hermeneutics, faulted on your part for the relationship to Hermes. The word’s etymology does trace back to Hermes, because he was the mythical messenger of the gods, but you can see how from that connection the Greek language developed this marvelous word to depict the necessity of correct methods of interpretation. God used it by divine inspiration in the Greek New Testament of very important matters related to correct understanding of His written Word.
I’m interested to find out where you are with your new revision. I’d like to make a couple suggestions for you to consider. You might like to try making a module for theWord Bible program instead of eSword. TheWord is far easier to create modules for and the developer is very responsive in helping you if you need help. You can find more information at theword.net. And personally, I think the feature set for theWord is more complete and the program easier to use than eSword.
I would like to know also if you would consider converting it to a pdf for use on tablets/smartphones. Were you hoping to be able to sell any modules you create or is that something that not an issue?
Dear Steve,
Thank you for your comment here and your suggestions..
I am currently as far as Revelation chapter 6, so the completion of this vast project is almost in sight. It may take a year more to finish if all goes well.
I have been off-line here for a week, having no access to the Internet until just now.
I think my project will become available in other formats besides e-Sword.
It has been strongly recommended that my project not be offered for free, but at a very low price, under the principle that “the laborer is worthy of his hire.” But details have not been finalized.
Thank you for your continued interest.
Hello Jerome, How do I search this site? Thanks, Don
Dear Don,
There is a “search box” in the upper right hand corner of the page. I had the same question as you just a month or so ago, and noticed it for the first time. Then I tried it–and it really worked!
There is much to find here, so I trust you will find it possible to return and find what you are most interested in. If you want more input from me, feel free to post another question any time!
Hi Jerry,
Nelson’s Cross-Reference Guide to the Bible: Illuminating God’s Word Verse-By-Verse has gone out of print. Do you know where I can purchase one? Thanks, Don Smith
Dear Don,
That is news to me! Thank you for calling this to my attention.
This ought to be good evidence that when it comes to some publishers, the author is the last to know the news about his own book!
I see new copies at Amazon are quite pricey just now.
Searching the Internet a bit further, I found the following at Christian Book dot com:
http://www.christianbook.com/nelsons-cross-reference-guide-the-bible/jerome-smith/9781418504595/pd/504599
Product Information
Format: Hardcover
Number of Pages: 1522
Vendor: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2007
Dimensions: 9.25 X 6.37 (inches)
ISBN: 1418504599
ISBN-13: 9781418504595
Availability: Available to ship on or about 11/27/14.
Availability
Availability: Available to ship on or about 11/27/14. You may order this item now and we will ship it to you when it arrives. If you are charging this purchase to a credit card, you will not be charged for this item and its portion of your shipping charges until it is shipped.
So, if you can wait until November, my book should be available once again.
Thank you for posting, and for letting me know about this. If you have any particular verse you are interested in studying in depth by means of cross references, or a subject you would like to pursue, let me know. I can post my newly updated cross references for a verse of interest to you here easily enough.
Hey Jerry!
The Lord saved me going on three years ago now- out of the pit. Hallelujah!
Love your site. Thanks for all the work!
Are you aware of Wilbur Pickering’s work?
http://www.walkinhiscommandments.com/pickering10.htm
His new translation of the NT is stunning:
http://www.walkinhiscommandments.com/pickering1.htm
Blessings!
Jeff
When will your new expanded Treasury be available?
Dear Jeff,
Thank you for your kind comments.
It has taken until now for me to find a moment to catch up on responding to comments here. I had cataract surgery for both eyes. That went extremely well, but disrupted my usual schedule of activity.
I am very aware of Wilbur Pickering’s work and regard it highly. There are several, among whom he is one, that I appreciate standing for the correct original text of the New Testament.
I continue to work on my expansion of the New Treasury. I got as far as Revelation 21:14 this evening. So the finish line is getting to be in sight now. There will be the task of upgrading much of my work in the Old Testament, for I learned new things as I went along. Most of these pertain to format issues, like italicizing all Hebrew words.
I hope you will continue to read what I have placed on this site. It should help you in your Christian walk and growth and understanding of the Bible and how to study it.
I contacted Harper Collins (Thomas Nelson ) regarding Nelson’s Cross-Reference Guide To The Bible. My email is below, followed by their reply. They say it won’t be reprinted. If this is the case, do you have any in your basement or trunk of your car for sale? 🙂 Joking aside, I was really looking forward to buying one. Regards, Don
Nov 06 10:57 AM
It’s my understanding that this book is being re-released this month. Is it still expected to be available before Christmas? Thanks, Don Smith
Nelson’s Cross-Reference Guide To The Bible
Jerome H. Smith (Compiler)
UPC 020049080450
ISBN-10 1418504599
ISBN-13 9781418504595″
REPLY
Thank you for contacting HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
There is currently no information available for this product. All I have is that the product is out of stock with no due date at this time. There is no information regarding reprinting and re-release.
Sincerely
HarperCollins Christian Publishing Customer Service
Dear Don,
I do have some (I should say a very few) spare brand new copies of Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible. One is literally in my car in my blue zippered satchel (kept there in case when I am way from home someone wants to get one), and a few more in what most people would call an attic in the store room above the attached garage.
It is not economical for me the “seller” or for any potential “buyer” under normal circumstances to get the book from me because of postage costs (I have sent out a very few copies in the past by Priority Mail by the U.S. Post Office). Since I live some miles away from town where the post office is, that means it would not get sent until I make my next trip in to town. I can even autograph the copy should that be desired. Payment would likely need to be by personal check, and that again requires my taking the check to the bank when I make a trip to town, and unfortunately, sometimes waiting for the check to clear. That is why I always suggest people buy the book from Amazon or CBD when it is available. Once in a while people come to see me and buy one from me in person, then there is no problem with shipping cost.
You might want to contact CBD directly because it was on their website that I found the announcement about the November 2014 availability of my book. When it comes to publishers, once in a while it happens that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
Yet if you still want to get the book from me, let me know. I charge the retail price which is thirty dollars and the actual shipping, which I suspect runs about twelve dollars–but that is an unknown until the nice lady in the local post office tells me the cost based on where it is going and how far it is. You can reach me by email at “jerry at readingsteps dot com.”
My wife just said for me to be sure to mention that if we get a winter here like last year, we will be absolutely snowed in for three months!
Hello Jerry,
I’m still unable to locate a copy of Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible (2007). Could I send you funds for the book + postage? I’m not concerned with a rush delivery. If I send $50 USD, is that enough? And what address should I use. Let me know. Regards, Don Smith
Don & Sandi Smith
105 Leeside Drive,
Moncton, N.B. E1C 4L4
506-204-3410
Dear Don,
Yes, indeed, for you alone I’ll spare one of my copies for you. Reach me at Mr. Jerome Smith, 11835 Metcalf Road, Emmett, MI 48022. I have never sent a package to Canada before, but with the address you gave, I’m sure the local post office here will know what to do.
Hello,
I have been looking to purchase y
ou book Nelson’ cross reference guide to the Bible. I am told it is no longer in print. Will you have reprinted and available ? Or is it available in pdf form.
Dear Mick,
Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible is unfortunately out of print and no longer available to the publisher. Personally (and I hope they see and read this) I think my book should be continuously in print and kept in print just like the same publisher keeps Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible continuously in print. Someone at Nelson is apparently ignorant about Bible study and does not know any better. Perhaps it is a problem that the book does not sell copies fast enough to suit them. Well, if you never advertise your product anywhere, what do you expect? On Judgment Day the Lord will sort it all out (1 Corinthians 4:5).
The only way I know right now to get my book is to buy it through Amazon. There are vendors there who have both new and used copies at prices far higher than the book cost when it was in print!
In the meantime, I have been working on a much improved and more fully expanded edition of my cross references. I have often posted samples of this project on this site for all to freely read and use.
In the upper right hand corner there is a search icon that looks like a magnifying glass. If you click on it, a box appears where you can type in a word or a verse reference you are looking for. If you cannot find a verse you want to study using cross references already posted, just request me to post it, or ask a question about a Bible subject you want help about, and I will get an answer for you.
Thank you for visiting my site here at Real Bible Study. I hope you will find it interesting and helpful. There is much to learn about the Bible and Bible study that I have already posted here.
Dear Jerry ,
Thanks for your reply. I can see what the publisher is doing. My mother had her book Testimonies Via Email published and the publisher didn’t do the right thing by her. She withdrew the copyright from them to print it and is looking for a more favorable publisher ( if there are any reputable ones ). I do hope that Nelson’s Publishers will have a change of heart and have both the NTSK and NCRGB in print again. It seems to me that the other side does not want these books published and has used someone there to that effect. You put many years of time and effort writing these books, shame on Nelson Publishers to have stopped printing them.
I have checked out Amazon, and you are right. The prices are astronomical, there were
some asking upwards of $200 to over $400 for new copies, even used copies were highly priced.
My mother like you is a retired english and history teacher and I was going to attach her free book ” Miracles Still Happen ” by Marlies Zechner. However I couldn’t do it in this comment box since it would contain a lot of pages. If there is another way to send it to you let me know. I have been blessed by that book and feel you might like to read it. And if you see fit, to have it on your website as a free resource for the benefit of the readers and for the Glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You mentioned that you’re working on an expanded edition of cross references. May I ask when it may be available ? I use E-Sword by Rick Meyers a really good Bible Software and it’s free. Would your new work be available through E-Sword, I would be most happy to buy it as an E-Sword download purchase. Also would you be having it printed in book form as well for purchase for those that don’t like using computer software ?
Jerry if you have time, could you post a reference study on the words ” Lord ” and ” LORD ” ( note Capitals ). I have found many in the churches to argue with me and have been shown the door.When I dare to stress the importance of showing respect to the Lord Jesus by , politely saying to them to say the name of Jesus after they say the word ” Lord “.
The churches have become very religious and so the religious saying Lord Lord ……
I feel it is disrespectful to Jesus and empty and missing ,when only the word “Lord” alone is spoken. Since there are various Lords such as the House of Lords in London and many others. Differenciation , acknowledgment and respect must be shown to our Lord Jesus. In the Bible I believe the word ” Lord ” refers directly to the Lord Jesus Christ and the word ” LORD ” in all capital letters refers to LORD God Almighty – refering to the Trinity.
Dear Mick,
Thank you for posting such a wonderful comment.
I would indeed be interested in receiving a PDF of your mother’s book. You can send it to me as a file attachment easy enough by sending it to jerry at readingsteps dot com and I will receive it.
I’ve had trouble since a recent automatic update from Microsoft, for it apparently changed my security settings. Now my computer no longer shows any prior history of sites I have visited. It also no longer allows me to download PDF files on the Internet from the website sources I have accessed. I typed “security settings” into the dialog box but what comes up might just as well be written in a foreign language. If it were written in Greek I could at length puzzle it out, but though it is written in English, I can’t figure it out. Usually my sons can walk me through, but they no longer live here and are quite busy, so I just have to make do for now. All that to say I do believe I can still open PDF attachments with no trouble in email.
You have raised a most interesting and very important issue in your question about “Lord” and LORD, and the proper reference to our Lord Jesus Christ. I either have a book, or a Xerox copy of the book, by Sir Robert Anderson, if I recall correctly, titled The Lord from Heaven, that has an appendix originally written by another author, Ada Habershon, if I recall correctly, which digs deeply into this subject with a full concordance and chart of how the names of Jesus are used in the NT. I would suspect that most Christians today are totally unaware of this subject. There are notes at places in the Companion Bible which reflect an understanding of these matters. There is a booklet that is 100 pages long by Dean A. Baker, copyright 1971, titled My heart asks… Why LORD Jesus? that discusses this subject very well. Another author, A. P. Gibbs, wrote a helpful booklet titled Direct Address to the Lord Jesus. In Scripture, it is most instructive to notice who uses each name or title, at what point in time, and how. Observing these things leads to some shocking conclusions, which if spoken of in almost any church, will lead to them showing you or me to the door, as I have experienced, with the comment, “We hope you will find another church where the people believe like you do.”
So the folks at church who fail to understand your concern simply lack a full enough understanding of God’s Word, and have not studied it enough to notice the distribution of titles and names used with regard to our Lord Jesus Christ. The distribution of Divine titles and names is not random, but highly instructive, and ought to form a central part of our understanding of God Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the worshipful attitude we ought to manifest in how we speak of our Lord.
I have studied these matters over many years–though my forgetter always works more efficiently than my rememberer! At least I know where to find the information. Some of that information is contained in notes in my new but as yet incomplete project.
Dear Jerry,
I just sent you the book to your other email, I hope it came through and you are able to open the files. Computers can be quite tricky, mum has difficulties with them and calls me to sort it out when it all goes goo gaa. Sometimes I figure out the problem ( mum presses the wrong buttons ) other times I don’t have a clue but pretend like I do.
I am glad I am not alone in showing the Lord Jesus respect and reverence as you are a like minded person. And I can also say that showing such respect and reverence shows the love we have for our Saviour , the Lord Jesus Christ.
We don’t go to any churches anymore, mainly spend time with Almighty God the Lord Jesus at home in private prayer and worship and bible study, always asking the Holy Spirit to guide , teach and correct us.
Thanks for the resources you provided, they will come in handy I will keep them in mind and look them up. How is you latest work going ? From the other comments it appears that you may be close to completing. I look forward to when you release your new work. I pray that the precious Holy Spirit would guide you in this important work for the Kingdom of God, as you complete and fine tune it.
Dear Mick,
I received by email the book your mother wrote, and the article. Like I thought, I still can open files as email attachments. I was especially interested to read the portion about Fiji. I have a missionary friend who serves the Lord Jesus Christ there. He sends a monthly letter.
If I am to get my project done, I had better get to work on it this morning! I have completed the New Testament, but I now have to go back and do many of the chapters in the Old Testament again to bring them up to the standard I finally, though but gradually, adopted as I learned more. I am about to work on 2 Chronicles 19 next.
Like you, my family has not found it possible to fellowship at any churches local to us at the present time. We have all that is needed here in our home. We have Bibles, hymn books, and my wife plays the piano in the living room. We no longer have a television set. We are hopeful that once my project is complete, we may be able to find Christian fellowship at a little country church four miles from here out in the middle of nowhere on back gravel roads. We have a wonderful time here at home in Bible study and prayer.
Hi Jerry,
I was reading a 27th edition copy of Scripture Knowledge and noticed that Dr. Torrey wrote the introduction. In the introduction he refers to the first time he saw the Treasury – twenty years previously. The title page describes the Treasury as “500,000 Scripture references and parallel passages” from Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott & Others with numerous illustrative notes.
Who compiled the volume that Dr. Torrey refers to in the introduction? I always assumed Dr. Torrey compiled the Treasury initially; that the Treasury I first saw (with the blue jacket) and Dr. Torrey were synonymous. Can you fill me in?
You mentioned that you were shot in the head while editing the Treasury; what happened?
I’m enjoying my new Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide – having the Bible explain the Bible is like growing your own vegetables – everything is fresh, unadulterated and clearly devine. It’s no wonder that Jeremiah wrote ‘Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.’
Thanks, Don Smith
Dear Don,
It is good to hear from you again. I’m glad you have obtained a copy of the now out-of-print Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible.
You have correctly observed that R. A. Torrey simply wrote an Introduction to the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. He had nothing to do with its contents.
The cross references in the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge were taken from a study Bible published by Bagster & Sons in London about 1829 as I recall. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge was taken from that study Bible’s center column and published about 1836. The cross references were taken from Thomas Scott’s commentary on the Bible, published in 1809. Scott derived the references from Blayney and others as indicated on the title page of the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Scott added many new references of his own in the process of compiling those references for his commentary, often called Scott’s Bible. When the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge was produced, additional references from Bagster’s Polyglott Bible were included.
I was shot in the back of the head at point-blank range by an unknown and never caught assailant wielding a nine millimeter handgun as I was walking across the teachers’ parking lot at 7:15 am on Thursday, March 13, 1986. The force of the shot knocked me down onto the mud of the parking lot, and knocked me out briefly. My glasses were knocked off, my ears were ringing, and I was bleeding from the back of my head. The motive may have been robbery, but teachers both called and wrote to me saying they believed otherwise. The athletic department head was the first to visit me in the hospital, and he warned me, “Mr. Smith, the person who shot you wanted you dead.” Strangely, one of my nicest students warned me about three weeks before to get another job, transfer to another school, for he believed I would shortly be killed if I stayed at Southeastern High School. I took his advice with a grain of salt. But he may have known things I did not, as it turns out. I returned to teaching in Detroit in 1990, the fall semester, to teach at Denby High School, where I had far less trouble than I faced daily at Southeastern High School.
HI Jerome:
I read, word for word, and even the Scripture References for Each Bible Nugget, ALL, yes ALL of it, for https://realbiblestudy.com, on Thursday, 10-8-2015.
Awesome!
I have been reading “The Case For A New Translation”, An Introduction to Lavender’s New Testament, which I received on Wednesday, 10-7-2015, and I Loved It!!!
I’m looking forward to the “LNT” Lavender’s New Testament Bible coming soon, and will order it!
I have several questions:
Question 1. Where can I get the “The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge”, “Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible”, and “The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge”, for not too expensive??
Question 2. As well as “The Language Enrichment Program (at http://www.readingsteps.com, right)??
Question 3. And what do you think of Christmas Trees, because I believe they are ungodly, and learning the ways of the heathen (See Jeremiah 10:1-5, particularly Verses 2-5, cutting a tree out of the forest (verse 2), deck it with silver and gold, fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not, etc.??
The Hebrew word for tree is 6086 in Strong’s: ets (ates) – a tree (from its + carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood. This sounds like a literal tree to me, and I don’t think any true believer and saved person in and on Jesus Christ should have a Christmas tree, because aren’t we learning the way of the heathen if we disobey this part of the Bible??
Thank you,
Jon Lutz
HI Jerome H. Smith:
In addition to the Questions I asked earlier in the morning of Thursday, October 8, 2015, I would also like to add this:
Question A. When is the forthcoming “New Comprehensive Cross Reference Bible” in digital format going to be available??
Question B. Do you have an Email I can contact you on?? You can send it to my Email on this form.
Question C. Watch this video to see that I found “The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge”, at https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+New+Treasury+of+Scripture+Knowledge&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AThe+New+Treasury+of+Scripture+Knowledge. Is this correct??
http://screencast.com/t/vdsbfoMy
Question D. And the same video for “The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge”, by R. A. Torrey, right, at the same link as Question C. above?? Is this the ONLY place I can find “The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge”, since it has a publication date of August 1, 2002??
Question E. And “Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to The Bible”, at this link, right?? https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Nelson%27s+Cross+Reference+Guide+to+the+Bible. Also see Screencast Video above.
Thank you,
Jon Lutz
Dear Jon,
It is a delight for me to hear from you. Thank you for posting on my site here at Real Bible Study.com today.
You found the correct books of mine on Amazon. The prices are high, but many who are very serious about Bible study still buy them at these prices. There may be other bookstores that sell them cheaper, but it takes some looking to find them.
My two books are both out of print, and I know of no plans by Nelson or its successor company to bring them back into print. You can read the discussion above about that.
It is possible to get The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge in software format through Logos, now also known as Faithlife, for under $40, but I do not know if the software works independently of having the Logos 6 software installed. You would have to ask Customer Service there.
The original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, which is the 19th century work I hand-typed and expanded and corrected to create my New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, is still in print. The least expensive source for this book in print is what you found on Amazon, I believe.
You can see that some booksellers are marketing my two books at very high prices. Others seem to offer the books at better prices. You’ll have to read the “fine print” from the bookseller’s description involved regarding the physical condition of the book offered. The condition may have a bearing on the price, but not always.
My new project, a vast expansion of my New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (as well as Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible), is progressing nicely. I just finished the final proofreading of the book of Romans earlier this evening. I seem to be able to do about 3 chapters a day in this proofreading stage, so that means it might take about 45 days more to complete proofreading the New Testament and therefore the whole Bible. Then I can contact the interested publisher to let it be known that my work is ready to be turned into Bible software. How long that will take I have no idea.
The Readingsteps website is currently off line. When my son changed servers, he did not install the software required on the new server which enables that site to function. We are holding off restoring it, because I have very few copies left of my book, The Language Enrichment Program, left. We are planning to put that book into software so it can be used on many different mobile platforms or on a PC. My program would certainly very successfully solve the below-grade-level reading problems of many students from third grade level to college level. I have used it with students of all ages, up to mature adults, in and out of school settings, and it has just about always produced the intended results, averaging two full years of reading achievement grade level improvement in the equivalent of a single 18-week semester. Many brighter students finish the 24 chapters in about 24 hours of working time, needier students take up to 72 hours to finish. It works well with students learning English as a second language. It works well with gifted students to enable them to venture into far more sophisticated material with ease once they finish my book.
I agree with you about the emphasis upon Christmas trees, even though Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 10 is not really in context speaking of Christmas trees, but wooden idols covered with precious metal like silver or gold in his day. Still, the command to not learn the ways of the heathen mentioned in Jeremiah 10:2 is very applicable today.
You can reach me by email at jerry at readingsteps dot com any time.
Hi Jerry,
Really like what you are doing. Can you direct me to the page where you explain how to use the (tsk). I use Accordance Bible software and have just recently started using tsk.
Boy, I have to say, it’s awesome! It is helping a lot. I can’t seem to find a place to search the site. But anyway, hope to hear back from you soon.
Dear Steve,
Thank you for posting your question about how to use the The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
Here is a link to what may be the most direct answer to your question:
https://realbiblestudy.com/?p=461
I would be interested to learn how you found my site. I am glad you did, and hope you will return often to read what is posted here, to ask any further questions you may have, or to participate in any of the discussions.
Yes, that is what I was looking for, thank you. As for how I found the site was by asking google the same question that I posted here. One thing, though, my copy does not have the “+” or the “*” in it. It also has what is called “Reciprocal” which is fine, but it didn’t look like the one on your page. Maybe it is something they added.
Oh yeah, since I found the site a couple of days ago, I have been on it almost 24-7, very good!
Jerry, I don’t know if you remember me. We emailed back and forth and while I was at a different school I tried out your Language Enrichment Program with my students to much success. Well, times have changed. The world of education (dare I say, politics) certain has gone through changes. But I found my copy of the LEP and read through the hundred or so files you generously shared with me. I am trying to figure out how to live in the land of assessment and actually help my students grow. What I really love about your program (besides the meticulousness) is that it’s self-paced. I’m excited to hear that you “are planning to put that book into software so it can be used on many different mobile platforms or on a PC.” I plan to revamp my language instruction (i.e. go back to what works!) and try your LEP at my current school. Increasingly, I’m having to become a teacher rebel like you said you were! 😀
Best wishes,
Larissa
Dear Larissa,
I surely do remember you! It is a real delight for me to hear from you again.
I’m glad you still have those files and are able to use them.
I wish I knew how to put my files into a software application format. I spent three years reading up on how to program. My youngest son had a subscription to the Safari site, I think it was, that let me access any book on the subject I wished. I’ve always had trouble learning mathematics, and I suspect the same shortcoming in my intelligence quotient may be responsible for my problem learning programming. My son is now a highly successful programmer with his own company, and should he get time, he plans to program my reading program, or hire someone else who knows how to do so.
I have made use of my reading program since I retired, and those who have used it speak glowingly of its results. One third grade student at a local school was having great trouble academically. His grandmother, a retired teacher, heard of my program through my wife’s mother, who was a “foster grandparent” in the classroom at the time. The boy did very well after using the program. A painter and plasterer who did quite a bit of work for us now ten years ago (time sure flies!) bought a copy and used it with his children. I think it was last year that he called me to bring some old Bibles he found in a house he was refurbishing. He told me of the tremendous impact for good that the program has had on the academic success of each of his children. He mentioned his oldest daughter in particular, who was in medical school now, and doing well.
I also sent the files to a man in Africa. He used the program with his son. He told me the program did everything I said it would, and much more. He said he wished my program were available for every student at the school his son attends, where he was learning English as a second language.
I am so glad to have heard from you again! I think of you every once in a while. Glad to be back in contact.
If you have not yet done so, feel free to click on the “like” button here.
Jerry