Study Bible, Bible Hub or Strong's Numbers: Which Fits Your Bible Word Study?

Three tools, three different questions

A Bible word study starts to go wrong when one tool is asked to do another tool's job. The three common setups do different work.

A print study Bible sets study notes, maps, charts, timelines and articles alongside the text, and the notes explain and comment on the passage.
An online parallel tool lines up many translations and original-language versions in one place, usually with search and further study tools attached.
A word-study setup moves from an English word to a Strong's or Goodrick/Kohlenberger number, then to the Hebrew or Greek term and a list of other verses where that term appears.

Take one word in one verse. A study Bible note tells you how that editorial team reads it. A parallel view shows where translators divided. A concordance entry hands you a number and a list of other places the same original word occurs. Each answers a question the other two cannot.

Where the data behind each tool comes from

Two numbering systems sit behind most English word-study tools. Strong's numbers are keyed to the King James Version. Goodrick/Kohlenberger numbers, usually written GK, are keyed to the New International Version.

The formats differ. A Strong's number starts with H for Hebrew or G for Greek and is usually followed by four digits. A GK number is usually three or four digits.

Printed concordances follow the same split. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible uses Strong's numbers, the NIV Exhaustive Concordance uses GK numbers, and the New Englishman's Hebrew Concordance is arranged numerically by Strong's number. Hebrew and Greek are the original languages of the Bible, which is why the tools are built around them rather than around English.

Translation choice sits underneath all of it.

Sites that incorporate Strong's numbers include Bible Study Tools, Blue Letter Bible and Bible Hub. Library descriptions confirm that Bible Hub carries many versions and translations plus study tools, and that Blue Letter Bible offers many free translations and tools. Those descriptions do not identify which lexicon edition sits behind any single entry. That is a detail to compare, not a detail to assume.

What a print study Bible adds, and what it cannot settle

The ESV Study Bible is published by Crossway, an evangelical publisher affiliated with Good News Publishers. Its study notes were produced by a team of more than 95 Bible scholars, teachers and pastors from nearly 20 denominations and 50 seminaries, colleges and universities. The notes supply explanations, commentary and contextual information, and the volume adds maps, charts, timelines and articles.

What the notes are not is the text. They are an editorial layer written by a particular team, and they carry that team's reading. Two things follow. A note can be sound on the history and grammar of a verse and still be one reading among several. And a study Bible and a numbered word entry rarely fight each other, because they are usually answering different questions.

The translation underneath also carries a philosophy. The ESV's stated aim is word-for-word correspondence that still respects context and idiomatic expression, while the NIV leans toward conveying meaning in contemporary language. Neither approach closes the gap between languages. A post at the theology blog Qohelet makes the point sharply: no translation keeps all the words, rendering a Greek term with an English one is still translating meaning, and treating a gloss as a one-to-one equivalent assumes a correspondence that does not exist.

A word-study workflow you can check

Read the passage in two translations before touching a word tool.
Write down the English word you want to chase.
Find that word in a concordance, or in a tool with Strong's tagging switched on.
Copy the number and the Hebrew or Greek term printed next to it.
Note whether the number is Strong's or GK.
List the other verses that use the same original term.
Read at least three of those verses inside their own paragraphs.
Set any study note or commentary apart from the verse text before you quote it.
Reread the original passage with the wider evidence in hand.
Where the evidence stays thin, record the open question instead of forcing an answer. The Bible Seminary's ministry guide suggests a leader can say the question matters, that they will study it, and that they will come back to it next time.

Where word studies go wrong

Mixing numbering systems. Strong's numbers are keyed to the KJV and GK numbers to the NIV, so a number taken from one system is not a substitute in the other.
Treating a gloss as the meaning. A gloss is a short English label. The Greek term behind the English word 'ears' is gone the moment it is rendered 'ears'.
Using one verse as proof. The concordance exists to surface the other occurrences; a single verse cannot display a range of usage.
Reading commentary as text. Study notes are a separate editorial layer, and commentaries are often written for only a segment of the canon, so a volume may not even cover your passage.
Losing the canon boundary. Canon means the body of writings treated as normative, and extra-biblical religious writings can read like scripture without belonging to it.
Leaving translation differences unexplained. A group using several translations should be told why the wording differs and how to compare the versions, rather than left to assume one is faulty.

Which combination fits whom

New readers. One readable translation plus a study Bible's notes will carry most questions. The ESV's eighth-grade readability and the NIV's emphasis on clarity both keep the entry cost low.

Group leaders. Study one book at a time so the group stays anchored in context, and explain translation differences when members bring different versions. A structure of 10 to 15 minutes for welcome and fellowship, 5 to 10 minutes for an icebreaker, then defined Scripture, discussion and prayer segments keeps a session from rambling. A leader is not expected to answer every hard question on the spot.

Students and advanced readers. Turn on Strong's tagging and work from a concordance; an interlinear places a translation beneath every original-language word, so the text and a translation can be read together. Library guides describe STEP Bible as probably the most feature-rich free site for studying the Bible in the original languages, Bible Web App as a clear interface for studying and searching Scripture in the original languages, the NET Bible site as carrying extensive and valuable textual notes, and Biblearc as built for diagramming texts with language and search functions added.

Questions readers ask

Do Blue Letter Bible and Bible Hub use the same underlying data?

Both appear on the list of sites that incorporate Strong's numbers, and Strong's numbering is keyed to the King James Version. Which lexicon edition and which translation's tagging a page relies on is a separate question. The items to compare are the numbering system named on the tool, the translation named beside the text, and the lexicon edition credited on the entry.

Is a study Bible note the same as the Bible text?

No. Notes are explanation and commentary written by an editorial team and printed alongside the text rather than being the text. Treat a note as argued interpretation and the verse as the thing being interpreted.

What is the difference between a Strong's number and a GK number?

Strong's numbers are keyed to the KJV, start with H or G, usually carry four digits, and appear in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. GK numbers are keyed to the NIV, are usually three or four digits, and appear in the NIV Exhaustive Concordance.

How can I tell a commentary apart from the biblical text?

Check layout and labelling: study Bibles print notes as a distinct layer around the text, and commentaries are often written for only part of the canon, which is why one volume may not cover the passage you want. A teacher may also recommend a particular translation, and library research guides give brief overviews of versions.

Can one Hebrew or Greek word settle what a verse means?

Rarely by itself. The concordance step is there to show the other verses where the term occurs, and those verses have to be read in context. Because a gloss works as a label rather than the full range of meaning, the passage's own argument has to carry the conclusion.

Sources behind this article

Duke University Libraries, Getting Started with Greek/Hebrew Word Study, Biblical Studies (Divinity) LibGuide.
Jesus Christ Savior, What's Next for the ESV Bible?, 25 April 2024.
This vs. That, ESV vs. NIV.
Qohelet, translation and gloss notes.
University of Northwestern - St. Paul, Berntsen Library, Biblical Studies & Theology Resources: Bible Study Websites.
Villanova University Falvey Library, Find editions of the Bible or biblical commentary, 30 November 2009.
The Bible Seminary, How to Start a Bible Study Group: A Ministry Guide, 12 June 2026.