How to Understand NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary Entries on Bible Gateway
The following is an explanation for how to use the NIV Reverse-Interlinear function, which can be found under the options icon on passage pages, and what information you can learn about original language words in the Old and New Testament.
This powerful feature—with sidebar entries drawn from the NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary—is available to Bible Gateway Plus members. Selecting it from the gear icon options menu above passage pages makes the original language words (Hebrew and Greek) appear below NIV Bible (English) text.
Select an original language word to open its entry in the right hand sidebar. Here you’ll find information on that word such as its definition, how it’s translated in the New International Version, and how frequently each translation appears.
The image below is an example entry with each element explained. Below it are tables for Hebrew Dictionary and Greek Dictionary abbreviations to use as a quick reference for word entries. If you're looking for more information on biblical concordances, interlinear or Reverse-Interlinear Bibles, or word studies in general, find out more on our blog.

Table of Hebrew Dictionary Abbreviations | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | Definition |
& | and |
+ | plus: in combination with |
? | uncertain |
[] | uncertain part of speech |
→ | see these related words |
√ | see this organizing word |
1 | first person |
2 | second person |
3 | third person |
a. | adjective |
abst. | abstract |
adv. | adverb |
art. | article |
c. | conjunction |
col. | collective |
com. | common gender |
demo. | demonstrative |
den. | denominative |
du. | dual number |
emph. | emphatic |
excl. | exclamation |
f. | feminine |
fig. | figurative(ly) |
g. | gentilic |
indecl. | indeclinable |
indef. | indefinite |
inf. | infinitive |
intens. | intensive |
inter. | interrogative |
interj. | interjection |
l. | loanward |
loc. | location |
m. | masculine |
n. | noun |
neg. | negative |
num. | numeral |
ord. | ordinal |
p. | pronoun |
pl. | plural |
poss. | possibly |
pp. | preposition |
pr. | proper [noun] |
pref. | prefix |
prob. | probably |
pt. | particle |
ptcp. | participle |
rel. | relative |
s. | singular |
subst. | substantive |
suf. | suffix |
temp. | temporal |
tt. | technical term in Psalm title |
v. | verb |
var. | variant |
vbl. | verbal |
Table of Greek Dictionary Abbreviations | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | Definition |
& | and |
? | uncertain |
+ | plus: in combination with |
[] | uncertain part of speech |
→ | see these related words |
√ | see this organizing word |
a. | adjective |
act. | active |
adv. | adverb |
adver. | adversative |
aff. | affirmative |
art. | article |
c. | conjunction |
comp. | comparative |
cond. | conditional |
contr. | contraction |
demo. | demonstrative |
disj. | disjunctive |
emph. | emphatic |
excl. | exclamation |
fig. | figurative(ly) |
g. | gentilic |
imper. | impersonal |
indef. | indefinite |
infer. | inferential |
inten. | intensive |
inter. | interrogative |
interj. | interjection |
intr. | intransitive |
l. | loanward |
letter | letter of the alphabet |
mid. | middle |
n. | noun |
neg. | negative |
neu. | neuter |
num. | numeral |
p. | pronoun |
pass. | passive |
pers. | personal |
pl. | plural |
poss. | possessive |
pp. | preposition |
pp.* | improper preposition |
pr. | proper [noun] |
pt. | particle |
recip. | reciprocal |
reflex. | reflexive |
rel. | relative |
super. | superlative |
temp. | temporal |
trans. | transitional |
v. | verb |