I found an interesting article last night at
http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/chorus/bible/essays/ntgram.html
It is entitled "Interpretive Implications of Using Bible-Search
Software for New Testament Grammatical Analysis.
It is almost 3 years old, being dated on our wedding anniversary, 1994.
If you are not familiar with it, it is well worth reading if you use
Bible search software, as it points out the limitations of each program.
Some problems occur because of human error [user and/or programmers],
but Hahne points out that each program seems to have different
presuppositions which can greatly affect the outcome of a search.
He makes some comparisons between the same search on 4 different
programs. The search produces 4 quite different results.
So next time I rabbit on about finding that a certain word is used so
many times in a given context, you can chuckle to yourslef and say,
"Well you would get that kind of a result using BibleWorks. Should have
bought a Mac and got GramCord!"
Simple searches can be accurate, if you are only looking for the number
of times a noun occurs. But programs often double count verbs, and you
have to know your program, and allow for such things in usingit, and
hopefully find a way of getting accurate results.
Now, please excuse my little eulogy [for the living, I hope!]:
I have been on the net for 9 months, and it is still exciting. I can't
get over the interesting discussion on this list nor the wisdom of the
professors who freely give us their informed opinions and
recommendations. [e.g. Edward's post about lexicons.]
I would love to go to a college and do advanced Greek study, but it is
not possible at the moment. In some ways this list is superior to
attending and participating in study at one college, whilst in another
way it does not replace the interaction in a classroom.
If it is second-best, though, it is a worthy second best.
Thanks, everyone for this stimulating group. And, especially thanks to
Jonathan and those who do the work that keeps the list going!
David McKay
music@fl.net.au