Correction

Bible scholar Alexander Cruden has influenced generations of believers.

Born on this day in 1700 in Aberdeen, Scotland, Cruden received a good education and even considered entering the ministry. After graduating from college, he was accused of insanity and consequently imprisoned. Upon his release, he was employed as a tutor and eventually moved to London, where he worked as a proofreader. He became so successful selling books that he was appointed bookseller to the king.

Serious about his faith, Cruden loved reading the Bible and began looking for ways to organize it to help others study. The first edition of his concordance, published in 1737, was not successful, which led to a fresh onset of insanity and more confinement.

In and out of prison, Cruden continued working on his concordance, eventually producing more expanded editions. Seeing this as God’s calling on his life, he began referring to himself as Alexander the Corrector. He encouraged others to realize how the Bible could correct problems in society.

With over 220,000 references, Cruden’s concordance remains an invaluable resource. In the preface, he explained how he hoped to encourage believers with the best rule of interpreting Scripture, which was to focus on the Word itself by comparing “one Scripture with another,” instead of interjecting subjective opinions.

As Alexander Cruden learned, God’s Word has great power to change our lives when we study it daily and live by its principles.