Sydney V • January 11, 2021
Cross Referencing Series Pt. 1 - How Do I Cross Reference?
Cross Referencing Is A Great Skill To Have! Here's what it's all about!
The cross reference in the Bible is a note alongside the biblical text which directs the reader to another place in the Bible where they can find a verse saying the same thing or something similar. This means that they will read a verse and then look up the cross references listed for that verse. So if you read a verse about Jesus dying on the cross, you can look at the cross reference for that verse, which should lead you to similar verses. However, the act of cross referencing is a tactic that can be used to find the biblical meanings of words.
Here are the steps to follow when cross referencing!
First, you have to have a Bible with a concordance. This step is very important. Second, choose a word to cross reference, words with more complex meaning will lead to a deeper search. (ex: faith, salvation, joy)
Third, go to the back of your Bible and find the concordance, this is where you look up the word you've chosen.
Fourth, once you've found the word in the concordance, you will go to one of the verses that is listed below your word.
Fifth, go to the verse you picked that was listed under your word, then read it, if the verse says your word in it, go to the cross reference for that verse which should be in a column in the middle of the page.
Sixth, the cross reference for that verse will list other verses like that one, continue to follow the verses until the verses don't even say your original word anymore.
By going on this wild goose chase from verse to verse to verse, you are stressing your original word. This lets you dig deep and find the raw biblical meaning of the word. Once you've stressed the original verse you picked from the concordance, you can go back and pick another verse for the same word to stress. Stressing two or three is recommended, this should give you more text to unpack your word with. And remember to always (if you can) stress a verse from the New Testament and Old Testament, some meanings of words changed drastically after the birth of Jesus. These different perspectives can really help your biblical understanding of your word become more in depth.
This process can be kind of confusing without a visual, so we are going to cross reference a word for you guys. The example word will be sacrifice. We hope you find this helpful. ♡
