Verbum Tip 5d: Bible Search -- verse view, aligned view

MJ. Smith · January 2021

Docx files for personal book: Verbum 9 part 1; Verbum 9 part 2; Verbum 9 part 3; How to use the Verbum Lectionary and Missal; Verbum 8 tips 1-30; Verbum 8 tips 31-49

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Answer: Homework: Search 4

{Speaker <Person Jesus>} INTERSECT {Addressee <Person Mary (mother of Jesus)>}

Bible Search – view in verses mode

Results displayed in verse mode

Verse mode simply show the results as verses within editions. To my annoyance, it does not have an expand/contract function on the editions.

Search 5: The toldots of Genesis

From Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis. 1st ed. San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008.

[quote]Toldot is a Hebrew word generally translated by the term “generations.” As mentioned, Moses was primarily a compiler of Genesis, and he compiled eleven family documents. Each family document is marked with a beginning statement: These are the generations of. Thus, the term toldot marks the beginning of a family document. . . . Each toldot also shows a narrowing of the line to the chosen seed and contains the themes of blessing and cursing.

The toldots begin in Genesis 2:4 following introductory material in 1:1 through 2:3. The remainder of the book after this preface is a compilation of eleven toldots.^{^[1]}

Ignoring the fact that if I continue in this resource each of the toldots is identified and names, suppose I wish to find the occurrences of “toldot” in Genesis.

Start by typing the Hebrew in transliteration: “h:toldot” and select the lemma in Hebrew.

Run the search:

Observe that our original source said there were eleven toldots. We have found thirteen. We can safely assume that Ge 25:12 and Ge 25:13 form a single toldot boundary. Perhaps, the Factbook entry that Verbum suggests will help solve the discrepancies. It does not, but it does reinforce the understanding of “toldot” as an account, a genealogical record.

Results displayed in aligned mode

Perhaps, looking at the Hebrew text will identify the problem. I change the search

To search the Lexham Hebrew Bible (1) and
To display the results in aligned view (2).

Notice that in the aligned view, a view intended for a single term or phrase, it is easy to identify the common pattern and the outliers. Ge 10:32 is the likely entry to join Ge 25:12-13 to get our count down to eleven toldots. We can verify this choice as we check the Bible text to name the toldots:

Ge 2:4 begins the toldot of creation
Ge 5:1 begins the toldot of Adam
Ge 6:9 begins the toldot of Noah
Ge 10:1 begins the toldot of the sons of Noah
Ge 11:10 begins the toldot of Shem
Ge 11:27 begins the toldot of Terah
Ge 25:12 begins the toldot of Ishmael
Ge 25:19 begins the toldot of Isaac
Ge 36:1 begins the toldot of Esau
Ge 36:9 begins the toldot of Esau as Edomite
Ge 37:2 begins the toldot of Jacob

We can create labels for the toldots to search within them or make them saved ranges within the search. With luck, Faithlife will include them in the Named Texts dataset.

The moral of this particular search: even a simple search may require that you think hard to refine and interpret the results. It is best to practice these skills on cases where you can confirm your results from a source you trust.

Homework: Search 6: How many theophanies are recorded in the Bible relating to Abraham?

{Label Theophany WHERE Agent ~ <Person nnnn> AND Appearance ~ "nnnn" AND Beholder ~ <Person nnnn > AND Manifestation ~ "nnnn" AND Time ~ "nnnn"}
<Person Abraham>
<Person God>

^{^[1]} Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Book of Genesis, 1st ed. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2008), 6.