In the vast ecosystem of biblical study tools, few are as universally recognized as Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible . Compiled by Dr. James Strong in 1890, this monumental work assigns a unique number to every Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek word found in the King James Version of the Bible. For most readers, these numbers—ranging from 1 to 8674 in the Hebrew lexicon and 1 to 5624 in the Greek—are simple reference tags. But occasionally, a single number opens a door to a profound theological insight. Such is the case with Strong’s number #237 .
The duality of #237 invites a deeper theological reflection: transformation is inevitable. The question is not whether one will be changed, but into what and by whom . Human beings are relentlessly morphing—our habits, loyalties, and desires are constantly being exchanged for new ones. Strong’s #237 challenges us to examine the direction of our change. Are we exchanging the glory of God for idols? Or are we willingly offering ourselves to be changed by the Spirit into the likeness of Christ?
In a broader sense, the study of a single number like #237 demonstrates the enduring value of Strong’s Concordance. It empowers the lay reader to move beyond surface reading into lexical and theological analysis. By gathering every instance of allassō , one can watch the word unfold from legal accusation (Acts 6:14) to moral tragedy (Romans 1:23) to eschatological triumph (1 Corinthians 15:52). The concordance thus becomes a tool not for pedantic number-crunching, but for spiritual formation—training the eye to see patterns of meaning woven through scripture.
The primary sense of allassō involves an exchange that results in a fundamental alteration. In Acts 6:14, for instance, false witnesses accuse Stephen of claiming that Jesus of Nazareth will “change” the customs Moses delivered. Here, #237 carries a tone of disruption and unlawful alteration—a warning against tampering with divine ordinances. Similarly, in Romans 1:23, Paul uses the word to devastating effect: they “changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man.” In this context, allassō describes the tragic exchange of worshiping the Creator for the creation. It is a downward transformation, a voluntary swapping of heaven for earth. The number #237 thus becomes a label for the human tendency to exchange truth for a lie, the eternal for the temporal.