M. G. Easton's Bible Dictionary

Easton's Illustrated Bible Dictionary explains the people, places, customs, and terms you come across while reading the Bible. Its 3,964 entries range from brief identifications to longer articles on Bible history, individual books of the Bible, and doctrine. Scripture references throughout the articles let you follow the subject back to the Bible text.

Look up "Reed," for example, and Easton describes the plant and explains its use as a picture of weakness or instability. He connects the explanation to passages such as Isaiah 42:3 and Matthew 11:7. The article on "Altar" distinguishes the altar of burnt offering from the altar of incense, with references to their construction and use.

The doctrinal articles reflect Easton's Reformed theology. In the article on faith, he quotes the Assembly's Shorter Catechism:

Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.

Using Easton's Dictionary in SwordSearcher

The SwordSearcher edition includes the third-edition text and 277 maps and illustrations. Illustration links within the articles open the corresponding images; the "Altar" entry, for example, links to an illustration of the brazen and golden altars. The collection is also listed under Illustrations in the library contents.

You can look up an entry by title or search the dictionary by word or phrase. Linked Bible references give you the text of the cited passages, and the Verse Guide and Bible margin links help you find dictionary articles that cite the verse you are studying.

For another treatment of a subject, compare Easton with Smith's Bible Dictionary or Fausset's Bible Dictionary. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia offers room for more extended reading.

By M. G. Easton. Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature. Third edition, Thomas Nelson, 1897.