Verse Searches ()

You can search for one verse or a range of verses. Entering references for searching or defining ranges consists of two major components:

Abbreviations and Book NumbersAbbreviations and Book Numbers

In Accordance, you can abbreviate all names of Biblical books, as long as the abbreviation is a standard abbreviation or is long enough to uniquely identify the command or book. Thus, to specify the book of Obadiah, it is enough to enter O, since no other books in the Bible begin with O. However, Joh is the minimum abbreviation necessary to distinguish John from Jonah. Certain standard abbreviations are also recognized, so you can also enter Jn for John. The only exception to this is the entry Phil, which is taken to mean Philippians rather than Philemon.

To specify a single book, type the name or abbreviation of the English name of the book. For example, entering gen displays only the book of Genesis.

Some books of the Bible have a numeric prefix, such as II Kings. In Accordance, this is displayed with a numeral and no space as 2Kings. When you exportClosed to convert a file to another format for use in another application. from the Bible text as a citation or references only, the space is added to the reference.

When you enter a reference you can use a space or combine the numeral with the book name to form a single word. Thus, to specify I Kings as a reference enter 1 Kings, 1Kings, or I Kings. You can also enter 1k or 1 k, since this uniquely identifies this book.

If you are working with a Text in a different language, the book name in that native language can also be used; for example, '1Reyes' (1st Kings in the Spanish RVR09).

Hint

To see the names and abbreviations of the books in the current text, select Display>List All Book Names.

If you want to use Roman numerals in the book name, be sure to have a space after them, for example, II Kings and not IIKings.

Punctuation SymbolsPunctuation Symbols

The Enter Symbol submenu (Search menu) displays a list of the available symbols in each mode with a brief description of their function. Selecting a symbol from this submenu places it in the Search Entry box. Symbols which are dimmed on the menu are not appropriate for the current mode. Of course, you can also enter the symbol from the keyboard.

To specify a range of books, enter the first book name, a hyphen (-) or option hyphen (-), and the last book name. For example, entering Genesis-Deuteronomy defines a range that covers the first five books of the Bible. A hyphen can also be used to describe a range of chapters or verses.

Chapter numbers follow the book name with or without a space. Use a colon (:) or a period (.) between a chapter and a verse in a reference. For example, Gen 1:2 finds the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis.

To specify multiple sections of a text, or a range of verses, use a comma (,) between similar items in a list, and a semicolon (;) to separate different items. For example, Gen 2:5-6, 9-10; 3-4 will find Genesis chapter 2 verses 5, 6, 9 and 10, and all of chapters 3 and 4. You must add punctuation between a reference and the next book name to avoid an error message.

Adding f or f. to a reference adds one of the last unit. For example, Gen 2:4f includes verse 5, Gen 2f includes chapter 3, and Gen f includes the next book, Exodus.

Adding ff or ff. after a reference extends it to the end of the last defined unit. Thus Mal 2:4ff includes all the verses to the end of chapter 2, Mal 2ff includes all the chapters until the end of the book, and Mal ff includes all the books to the end of the Bible.

If Use European notation for verse entry and display is selected in the Appearance area of the Preferences dialog box, use a comma (,) in place of a colon (:) to divide chapter and verse, and a period (.) in place of a comma to separate a list of references.

Notes

  • References which are entered out of order in the Search tabClosed The core tab used to search Bible texts, it consists of a search entry area and a search results area are displayed in the order in which they are entered.
  • A reference to a verse or chapter which is missing in the search text displays the closest text to it. Therefore the entry Esther 0-99 displays the whole book irrespective of the number of chapters in that version of the text.
  • In English texts the reference verse 0 is used for Psalm titles. In some apocryphal books such as Sirach, chapter 0 is used for the introduction to the book.
  • If searching for a range of verses, or using the 'f' search symbol, the automatic context is set to 0.
  • If searching for a verse omitted from a particular translation (such as John 5:4 in many translations), a message appears advising "This verse reference cannot be found." In this case, you may want to try searching for the verse in a different translation that includes the verse.

 

List of Accordance Book AbbreviationsList of Accordance Book Abbreviations

Book Name Abbreviation Book Name Abbreviation
Genesis Gen. Tobit Tob.
Exodus Ex. Judith Judith
Leviticus Lev. Wisdom Wis.
Numbers Num. Sirach Sir.
Deuteronomy Deut. Baruch Bar.
Joshua Josh. LetterJeremiah LetterJ.
Judges Judg. 1Maccabees 1Mac.
Ruth Ruth 2Maccabees 2Mac.
1Samuel 1Sam. 1Esdras 1Esdr.
2Samuel 2Sam. Manasseh Man.
1Kings 1Kings 3Maccabees 3Mac.
2Kings 2Kings 2Esdras 2Esdr.
1Chronicles 1Chr. 4Maccabees 4Mac.
2Chronicles 2Chr. Matthew Matt.
Ezra Ezra Mark Mark
Nehemiah Neh. Luke Luke
Esther Esth. John John
Job Job Acts Acts
Psalms Psa. Romans Rom.
Proverbs Prov. 1Corinthians 1Cor.
Ecclesiastes Eccl. 2Corinthians 2Cor.
Song Song or Cant Galatians Gal.
Isaiah Is. Ephesians Eph.
Jeremiah Jer. Philippians Phil.
Lamentations Lam. Colossians Col.
Ezekiel Ezek. 1Thessalonians 1Th.
Daniel Dan. 2Thessalonians 2Th.
Hosea Hos. 1Timothy 1Tim.
Joel Joel 2Timothy 2Tim.
Amos Amos Titus Titus
Obadiah Obad. Philemon Philem.
Jonah Jonah Hebrews Heb.
Micah Mic. James James
Nahum Nah. 1Peter 1Pet.
Habakkuk Hab. 2Peter 2Pet.
Zephaniah Zeph. 1John 1John
Haggai Hag. 2John 2John
Zechariah Zech. 3John 3John
Malachi Mal. Jude Jude
    Revelation Rev. or Apoc.

Alternative Book NamesAlternative Book Names

The following alternative names can be used, as follows:

  • Canticles for Song of Solomon
  • Apocalypse for Revelation
  • Ecclesiasticus for Sirach (in the Apocrypha)