easiest way to look at two verses at the same time

Kristin · 2025-06-03T00:25:33+00:00

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I am sorry for this question as I think I asked it before but what is the easiest, least convoluted way to search for Gen 1:2, Ps 1:1, and Lk 1:1 all at the same time?

In Accordance I can just type Gen 1:2, Ps 1:1, Lk 1:1 in the Bible exactly how I would search for only one verse, but in Logos while I can search for one of these at a time, I am still unclear how to search for them all in a fast an easy manner.

I find myself just going to Accordance if I need to do something like this, but this task seems so basic it just needs to be basic in Logos too, I hope.

Someone I know from Accordance was wondering how to do this and the only thing I could think of was creating a passage list and then opening it, but if I am understanding correctly that would involve opening the passage list, pasting the verses, then opening the passage list, which again, seems convoluted.

Is this really how it is done? I have sometimes been in a class and I need to very quickly look at two verses at the same time and it just seems unnecessarily complicated in Logos.

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MJ. Smith

"Gen 1:2" OR "Ps 1:1" OR "Lk 1:1" may provide the references you want …

Kristin

Hi @MJ. Smith, thanks, but no, that didn't work.

Kristin

I hope this is something Logos can improve on, as even BibleGateway can handle typing multiple verses the exact same way as typing one verse.

John Simpson

There was a missing quotation mark after Gen 1:2. Also select "Surface Text" or you will get where the verse is in a footnote.

elect just Surface Text.

Bradley Grainger (Logos)

I find myself just going to Accordance if I need to do something like this, but this task seems so basic it just needs to be basic in Logos too, I hope.

FWIW, Logos has always approached texts from a "book" perspective: texts are formatted close to how they are in print, with pericope headings, paragraphs, poetry formatting, etc.; presented with front-matter and back-matter; and so on.

My understanding of Accordance is that it approaches texts from more of a "database" perspective: each verse is a separate record and these can be looked up individually, displayed in any order, and so on.

This means that database-like queries that are "basic" to do in Accordance may feel surprisingly difficult in Logos, because it wasn't really intended to work with books that way. OTOH, Logos may have some different capabilities that would be very difficult to replicate in Accordance.

I think you already said this in another post, but it may be best to approach Logos with a "blank slate" and not try to replicate Accordance workflows. You might find yourself just fighting the software instead of working with it the way it was designed to be used.

That said, it does seem like quickly and temporarily displaying a list of Bible verses could be something Logos could help you do more easily than the current approaches (Passage Lists or Inline Search, neither of which was really designed to address this particular problem); I'll pass that feedback along.

Kristin

Hi @John Simpson, thank you very much for the screenshots. That was helpful. I do have a few concerns, however. First, the fact that Logos is requiring quotes and OR seems very awkward, given that it has been standard to separate verses by commas. If I am in a class, for example, I would type Gen 1:2, Ps 1:1, Lk 1:1. I can then copy that strip and paste it anywhere, Accordance, BibleGateway, Google, it doesn't matter, it is just a basic recognized way of doing biblical references. By contrast, Logos' "Gen 1:2" OR "Ps 1:1" OR "Lk 1:1" is obviously not standard, and further, this is not standard for other students to be able to copy and paste into whatever they are using.

The second concern I have is that you seem to be in the Search field, as opposed to the normal Bible window. For example, in Accordance let's say I have the ESV open and I am reading something, then I can simply type Gen 1:2, Ps 1:1, Lk 1:1 and it all just shows up as soon as I press enter. I don't need to leave the ESV tab or anything. By contrast in Logos I need to leave what I am doing to type a special command into a search box, but then this search box is not only not the Bible, but the text isn't even treated like the Bible (there isn't parsing information, as a random example). The only way I can see such information is to somehow get it back to the ESV main tab and it is not clear how to do that.

Hi @Bradley Grainger (Logos),
Thank you for your response. I was actually just getting ready to press send to John when I saw your response, which I would like to address as well.

Logos has always approached texts from a "book" perspective: texts are formatted close to how they are in print, with pericope headings, paragraphs, poetry formatting, etc.; presented with front-matter and back-matter; and so on.

Thank you for clarifying this, and this makes sense. I hope this does not come across wrong, but the Bible has always felt like an afterthought in Logos. I understand it is not (since I looked it up to see), but I think this is a good example. The way verses are looked up in Logos is perhaps less than smooth. However, as soon as I use that same method on anything extrabiblical it works beautifully, as if it was designed for it, and it sounds like it was.

This means that database-like queries that are "basic" to do in Accordance may feel surprisingly difficult in Logos, because it wasn't really intended to work with books that way. OTOH, Logos may have some different capabilities that would be very difficult to replicate in Accordance.

I think this is true, but I think with this specific situation of searching for multiple verses, this isn't really an issue of "Accordance" compared to Logos, but more like "what has been recognized as standard" compared to Logos. So think about reading a book either online, or in a Bible software, where a book says "See Gen 1:2, Ex 4:5, Ecc 1:3." I can typically just copy the string and paste it anywhere but Logos, which just seems unusual.

I think you already said this in another post, but it may be best to approach Logos with a "blank slate" and not try to replicate Accordance workflows. You might find yourself just fighting the software instead of working with it the way it was designed to be used.

Yes, I remember you saying that before, and I have truly found it helpful. Thank you. When I forget about what I am doing in Accordance and just focus on what Logos really shines at, I truly love it. I really love how the notes are done with those little anchor symbols, I love reading all extrabiblical material, and something I really appreciate is that when I do research and there is a book I don't own, but Logos sells it, Logos let's me know where the resource is that I need. That has been super helpful on a few occasions. So while there are some things about Logos I find kind of quirky (like this verse situation), when I just view Logos as the blank slate like you said, I find that it is a very helpful program.

That said, it does seem like quickly and temporarily displaying a list of Bible verses could be something Logos could help you do more easily than the current approaches (Passage Lists or Inline Search, neither of which was really designed to address this particular problem); I'll pass that feedback along.

Thank you, I appreciate it. I think this is a real need as it has been something a few people have asked me about recently, which is what brought it back to my attention. In case it helps, I can attach a screenshot of what I am trying to accomplish.

Bildschirmfoto 2025-06-02 um 23.20.21.png

Anon

@Bradley Grainger (Logos)

That said, it does seem like quickly and temporarily displaying a list of Bible verses could be something Logos could help you do more easily than the current approaches (Passage Lists or Inline Search, neither of which was really designed to address this particular problem); I'll pass that feedback along.

Yes please.

I too find myself going to Accordance for this task.

John Simpson

First, the fact that Logos is requiring quotes

It does work without the quotes - I had just copied MJ's suggestion

Michelle

Smart search worked in Bible tab.

Kristin

Hi @Michelle,

Thank you for the screenshot. A couple of things though. First, you are in the Search window, and I am trying to look at multiple verses at the same time in the normal ESV tab just like I would look at a single verse in Logos.

Second, however, the Search doesn't work on my end. I notice yours says "AI" and perhaps that is why it works on your end? So Logos' search doesn't naturally do it, but AI connected the dots that you wanted to see a few verses?

Bildschirmfoto 2025-06-03 um 08.19.20.png

Morgan

@Kristin

Use the search bar within the bible with the following settings

Click all bible text and select 'SEARCH FIELDS'. It will automatically select surface text and words of Christ
Separate your passages by OR (makes me miss when OR searches could use commas instead)

Not ideal, and I remember finding it odd that it was not possible to do it as you describe when I first bought Logos.

Alternatively, have multiple bibles open.

Kristin

Hi @Morgan,

Thank you for the screenshot. Typing "OR" did work. So that is thankfully better than needing quotes. I think the main concerns I have are:
1) OR is not standard, but rather commas
2) It only shows the Hebrew, and even if I scroll down there is no way to see the Greek (is there a way in this view?)
3) It is still in the Search window making it free of notes etc. While I understand I can't just search for multiple verses in the Bible like I would search for one verse, once I find them in this Search view, is there a way to move these results back to the main Bible tab to make them functional?

Bildschirmfoto 2025-06-03 um 09.02.31.png

DAL

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1371028#Comment_1371028

Smart Bible Search did the trick and it uses my preferred Bible or I can filter it to any other translation/version I want. I don’t have to use OR either just the commas.

Kristin

Smart Bible Search did the trick and it uses my preferred Bible or I can filter it to any other translation/version I want. I don’t have to use OR either just the commas.

Hi @DAL, I understand that the Smart setting allows Logos to recognize a comma, but isn't "Smart" the AI function? The task of looking up more than one verse at a time with a comma has been standard almost everywhere and really shouldn't require AI. This is also still in that limited Search pane.

Andrew Batishko

It is still in the Search window making it free of notes etc

Use the Search button (magnifying glass) in your Bible window and put the search there.

Kristin

Hi @Andrew Batishko,

Thank you for the clarification. That for sure helps a lot. I still need to type OR (which prevents me from just pasting a string of verses), but the notes are viewable here which is for sure helpful. That said, it seems to only show the first OL. Is there a way to fix this? (I tried starting with the OL, but then it didn't show Lk at all).

Bildschirmfoto 2025-06-03 um 09.45.39.png

Mark Barnes (Logos)

FWIW, I'd do this using a Passage List and then filtering by the Passage List. I have a passage list called Bible Filter. Whenever I need to filter the Bible, I edit this passage list with the new verses, and then apply it as a filter (you could create a new passage list if you prefer).

DAL

Gotta love Smart Bible Search 🔍 I think it’s very useful despite the extra step in opening the Search Panel.

Andrew Batishko

That said, it seems to only show the first OL. Is there a way to fix this? (I tried starting with the OL, but then it didn't show Lk at all).

That's correct. To put this another way, the Parallel Books feature only shows the parallel books for a single reference at a time, showing the other books that have content at the current location. You would need to scroll so that the reference in the navigation box changes, or manually enter a verse, or use the up/down arrows in the location bar (with the "Search Result" option active) in order to see that verse in your parallel books.

There is no way to get all of what you want (seeing a filtered view of the "live" content in multiple books at the same time) short of having each of those books open and repeating the search in each book panel (which is obviously not going to be a great experience).

xnman

FWIW, the Search with (gen 1.2, ps 1:1, luk 1:1) worked for me. Gotta love the Search in Logos…. it's great! It's also great to use to cross reference a passage. I use "cross reference verse" and it works great, i.e. cross reference Act 2:38.😎

Doc B

« 1) OR is not standard, but rather commas »

OR has been a standard boolean operator for a couple generations.

I guess Logos could change everything to do it your way and leave the rest of us in the dark. 😲

Kristin

FWIW, I'd do this using a Passage List and then filtering by the Passage List. I have a passage list called Bible Filter.

Hi @Mark Barnes (Logos), thank you for the idea. I think I might find the passage list more workable, so I will play with that and see if it can be a little smoother. I am thinking maybe if I have a specific passage list always open which I can refer to and type over it might work, since this thing does recognize commas, thankfully. In fact, I think the commas would be a selling point to cause me to use the passage guide over the search function.

That's correct. To put this another way, the Parallel Books feature only shows the parallel books for a single reference at a time, showing the other books that have content at the current location. You would need to scroll so that the reference in the navigation box changes, or manually enter a verse, or use the up/down arrows in the location bar (with the "Search Result" option active) in order to see that verse in your parallel books.

Hi @Andrew Batishko, thank you for clarifying this. If I scrolled down literally nothing would happen. However, after I clicked the little down arrow then it did show the Greek and after that scrolling back and forth worked. I am not sure why just scrolling doesn't work on it's own, but as long as I can click the next button to sort of activate it, that is fine. I had just been worried there hadn't been a way.

There is no way to get all of what you want (seeing a filtered view of the "live" content in multiple books at the same time) short of having each of those books open and repeating the search in each book panel (which is obviously not going to be a great experience).

That is ok. As long as I can press the next button and have it work that is fine. I had just been worried since I had originally just tried scrolling which did not work, but after pressing the next button now scrolling does. On a side note, scrolling is how it works in Accordance too. In Accordance if I have Gen 1:1 and Lk 1:1 or whatever, both verses show in the ESV, but only the Hebrew will show until I scroll down, then the Greek will show. So now that I clicked that little arrow, it is working the same as in Accordance regarding showing the OL.

FWIW, the Search with (gen 1.2, ps 1:1, luk 1:1) worked for me. Gotta love the Search in Logos…. it's great! It's also great to use to cross reference a passage. I use "cross reference verse" and it works great, i.e. cross reference Act 2:38.😎

Gotta love Smart Bible Search 🔍 I think it’s very useful despite the extra step in opening the Search Panel.

Hi @xnman and @DAL

Regarding the Search, it sounds like you guys must be using AI, as commas work there, but the regular search requires this unusual OR command. I am very grateful that commas work with the passage list though, so I will see how functional that will be. I agree cross-references work well here. :)

Kristin

Hi @Doc B, sorry for not seeing your post until now. I am sure the OR command has its place. I had just been referring to how biblical references are handled. I have never in my life seen a theological book say "See Gen 1:1 OR Lev 1:1 OR Ps 1:1." Additionally, all the random Bible softwares I have used for multiple verses have used commas until I met Logos. So I don't doubt OR has its place and is probably frequently used for some field, but it is not typical for biblical references. The reason I care isn't simply because it is more common, but for functional reasons. I have frequently been reading a web page and it lists a string of verses, or a student might paste a string of verses for me, and I have always been able to just copy the string and paste them into Accordance and press enter, and presto, there they all are, since Accordance recognizes commas.

Andrew Batishko

If I scrolled down literally nothing would happen. However, after I clicked the little down arrow then it did show the Greek and after that scrolling back and forth worked. I am not sure why just scrolling doesn't work on it's own, but as long as I can click the next button to sort of activate it, that is fine. I had just been worried there hadn't been a way.

This is because when you are scrolling, the "active reference" is the verse at the very top of the display. If you can't scroll because there isn't enough content to allow you to scroll (or if your desired references are at the end of the resource), then it's impossible to scroll such that those verses are at the top of the display.

Happily the navigation arrows accomplish what you need.

Andrew Batishko

The searching solution is even worse than you are thinking, since it can return matches in cross references and footnotes. You would actually need a bulkier syntax if you wanted to ensure it was actually giving you only the verses you requested:

milestone:(gen 1.2 OR ps 1:1 OR luk 1:1)

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1371083#Comment_1371083

I noticed that. And then, I thought, that's an interesting quick feature (quickly gather up references to a verse group).

DAL

Well, Kristin, you have presented Logos staff with an interesting new feature/idea that hopefully can be implemented in the future.

Brian Leathers

This is by no means ideal, but at least you can do an inline search in whatever Bible that you have opened that has a reverse interlinear and find 3 different verses and get some original language info:

Would this might help?

Brian Leathers

Or maybe this?

Kristin

Hi @Brian Leathers, thanks for the screenshots. I think the milestone thing is pretty impractical since I am often needing to look random verses up pretty quickly in class. Is that how all your screenshots are done? It doesn't appear to be, but I can't figure out how to replicate it. Are you able / willing to post your workspace so I can open it?

Donovan R. Palmer

I have read this thread with great interest, because in text-oriented studies, the ability to ask the software to give me a list of verses has a lot of friction.

@Bradley Grainger (Logos) wrote:

My understanding of Accordance is that it approaches texts from more of a "database" perspective: each verse is a separate record and these can be looked up individually, displayed in any order, and so on.

This is the first time I have read this explanation. This makes sense and aligns with my intuitive understanding of the differences between Logos and Accordance. With that said, I have often wondered

what is happening underneath the software could be simplified at the user interface and command level for users. OK, easier said than done I am sure. However, in the debate not so many months ago about retaining the functionality of in-line search, this was the heart of the matter. Sending us to the search tab to work with the text would have added a lot more friction to our workflows. I am grateful that Logos took on this input for this use case.

@Andrew Batishko wrote:

The searching solution is even worse than you are thinking, since it can return matches in cross references and footnotes. You would actually need a bulkier syntax if you wanted to ensure it was actually giving you only the verses you requested:
milestone:(gen 1.2 OR ps 1:1 OR luk 1:1)

This is what I use. However, it is somewhat clunky, and I would love it if it could be streamlined. I appreciate that this is probably not easy, but approaching the Bible as book has its advantages. The question for textual studies would be whether it is possible to simplify these kinds of tasks. In fact I would say that my engagement of the Biblical text is unlike any other resources that I have in my library.

Great discussion! This reads to me to be the place of some possible new innovation. That makes Bible software exciting again!

Donovan R. Palmer

Apologies for the format and errors in the above post. I accidentally allowed my software to do spell check, and it does not play nicely with the forum software. Now I can't edit the post or do anything about it.

I meant to write before the forum software got awkward with me:

I appreciate that this is probably not easy, and approaching the Bible as a book has its advantages, but it is not like any other book. As a result, I would say that my engagement and workflows with the Biblical text is unlike any other resource in my library. The question for textual studies use cases would be whether it is possible to simplify these kinds of tasks.