The Bible is full of meaning, but sadly, some people read scripture without understanding its message.[1] The Bible is made up of books, chapters, paragraphs, verses, and words. Understanding the meaning of the words helps us to correctly interpret the passage we are studying. This lesson is about how to study words. We study a word to understand what it means in a particular biblical context.
Sometimes people study the Bible’s original Greek and Hebrew words using Bible study resources. Resources used for that kind of word study are not widely available, so we will not discuss them in this lesson. Instead, we will learn about how to study the words in our local translations of the Bible.
We will use a three-step process for word study:
1. Choose the words to study.
2. List the possible meanings of each selected word.
3. Discern what each selected word means in the context of the passage.
[1]Much of the material in this lesson comes from Chapter 9 of J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).
Common Mistakes in Word Study
As we begin doing word studies, there are some mistakes we must avoid. These mistakes often lead to wrong interpretations.
Ignoring a Word’s Former Meaning
Sometimes the way a word is used changes over time. If the translation of our Bible happened many years ago, we need to be aware that the meanings of some words in our Bible may be different from what the same words mean today. If we do not understand how a word was used in the past, we may come to the wrong conclusion about what is being said in the passage we are studying. (This is not as much of an issue when we are reading a Bible translation from recent years.)
► Talk about a word in your language that means something different today from what it used to mean.
Assuming a Word Has the Same Meaning in Every Context
Biblical authors used words that have more than one possible meaning. The same word may be used with one meaning in one context, and a different meaning in another. We must look at the context in which the word is used to know which meaning is the correct meaning in the verse we are studying.
Word Study Process
Step One: Choose Words from the Passage to Study
We do not need to do an in-depth study of every word in the Bible. Sometimes the meaning of a word is obvious. For example, when the Bible says that David picked up five stones (1 Samuel 17:40), we do not need to study the word stone to find its meaning.
To choose words to study, look for:
Words that are significant for the meaning of the passage
Repeated words
Figures of speech
Words that are unclear or difficult
► Read Romans 12:1-2 and circle important words for study. Beside the word, mark the reason you are choosing the word:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Some words that you may have marked are:
1 = Significant word: appeal, present, be conformed, be transformed, renewal
2 = Repeated word: None in this passage
3 = Figure of speech: living sacrifice
4 = Unclear or difficult word: spiritual worship
Step Two: List Possible Meanings of the Word
Most languages have words that are used in multiple ways, with very different meanings. A listener usually knows which meaning a speaker intends because of the context. Occasionally, humorous or serious misunderstandings happen when a listener does not consider the context and is wrong about what the speaker means.
► Can you think of a time when someone made a mistake because they misunderstood what someone meant by a word?
During this second step, we should try to think of every possible way the word can be used. If our Bible translation is old, we should also think about whether the word had additional meanings in the past.[1] If we have a dictionary, it could help us make a list of all possible meanings. If we are studying with other people, they may also help us think of meanings we hadn’t thought of.
If possible, look at other translations of the Bible to see if they use the same word.[2] If a translation uses a different word, compare the words to see what the differences are. Do they mean the same thing? If not, how are they different? Is the meaning of the passage changed by using a different word?
► Present was one of the words we marked for study from Romans 12:1-2. Work together to make a list of all possible meanings of the word present.
Step Three: Discern What the Word Means in Context
After looking at various uses of a word and making a list of possible meanings, you are ready to discover what the word means in the passage you are studying. The context will guide you. Remember, the author did not intend to use a special meaning that only a few people would know. The author wanted the reader to understand.
We looked at the importance of context in Lesson 5, so we will not review this material in detail. To summarize the role of context: We look at the surrounding verse, chapter, and book to determine the best definition for a word.
There are questions to consider as you look at the context and try to discover the meaning of a word.
(1) Is there a contrast or comparison in the passage that helps define the word?
► Read John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Together, make a list of all possible meanings for the word perish. (You may use a dictionary if you have one.) Now, consider the contrast given in the verse. To perish is contrasted with having eternal life. On your list, which meaning of the word perish was most likely intended by Jesus in this sentence?
(2) How does the author use this word in other places?
The word world is also used in John 3:16. The word world can mean several things:
The physical universe
All people
The known civilized nations
General society that rejects God
Writers used world to refer to each of these things in various places in scripture. To discern which meaning world has in John 3:16, we should look at other examples of John’s use of the term.
John 1:10, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” This verse is talking about Jesus. The world did not know him.
John 7:7, “The world cannot hate you; but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” Jesus was speaking in this verse. The world hates him.
John 14:17, “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” The world does not receive the Spirit of truth.
1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” The world’s values and pursuits are completely opposite of God’s.
The Apostle John usually used the term world to refer to the general society that rejects God. This shows the extent of Jesus’ promise: God so loved those who are alienated from himself that he gave his Son so that all could be saved.
(3) What does the context show about the meaning of the word?
► Look at Luke 1:68-79.
In Luke 1:71, Zechariah prays about Israel being saved. What is he referring to? What does saved mean in this verse?
The concept of salvation has more than one meaning in scripture. It can specifically refer to:
Deliverance from an enemy or danger
Deliverance from sickness
Deliverance from sin
The immediate context (Luke 1:68-74) shows that saved refers to deliverance from an enemy. Deliverance (salvation) will fulfill the promise that God made to Abraham (Luke 1:73).
A few verses later, Luke uses salvation in a deeper sense (Luke 1:77). Through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, Zechariah sees that his son will be called the prophet of the Most High. Zechariah’s son will give knowledge of salvation to the Lord’s people in the forgiveness of their sins. Here, salvation is linked to forgiveness of sins.
Different meanings of salvation are used in this prayer. We determine meaning from context.
[1]If we are using an older translation of the Bible, looking at a newer Bible translation may also provide us with insight about the likely meaning of a word in that specific context.
[2]See the appendix for a list of websites where you can read the Bible in various languages and versions.
Practice Activities
Note to class leader: Reserve adequate time in class for these practice activities. If your class session is typically one hour, spend one whole class session on these exercises. Suggested time allotment is given for each exercise. Practicing together during class will help students apply the ideas they are learning. Going through the process of word study with other people will also help them to see that there are often perspectives and details they would not consider if working alone.
For small group activities, put three students in each group. The whole group should come back together for the last five minutes and discuss what was learned.
► Small group activity (20 minutes). In your group, find several verses where a single word is used with various meanings. Here are a few ideas to get you started: house, vision, day, fruit. When you have identified some verses that use the same word in different ways, make a list of all the ways that word could be used. How does word study help with proper interpretation of each verse?
► Whole group activity (10 minutes). Now return to Romans 12:1 and your list of possible meanings for the word present. Use the questions above to help you discern which of the meanings was intended in that verse.
► Small group activity (30 minutes). In your group, practice going through the word study process. You have already marked the words in Romans 12:1-2 that should be studied carefully. For each of those words, list every possible meaning and determine which meaning the word has in that context.
A Special Case: Figurative Language
In Lesson 6, we looked briefly at the use of figurative language. No matter how carefully we do a word study, our conclusions will be wrong if we misunderstand the author’s figurative language. In figures of speech, the important thing is not the literal meaning of the words, but the idea they symbolize.[1]
All of us use figurative language. Imagine that an American friend is showing you pictures of her garden. You are amazed at the garden and ask your friend, “How do you grow such beautiful plants?” She answers, “I have a green thumb.” She does not mean that the thumb on her hand is literally green. She is using an American English figure of speech that means, “I have an unusual ability to grow plants.”
► What are some phrases in your language that mean something different from their literal meaning?
Sometimes a word is used to represent something else. This is not the same as a word having several meanings. For example, in the Bible some people are called dogs (Revelation 22:15). The statement is a criticism of people who have some traits of dogs that people should not have. The word dog still means the animal that we call a dog, but it is used figuratively to refer to people. Jesus called Simon by the name of Peter, meaning rock, because Peter had a characteristic of a rock that is good for people to have (Matthew 16:18). Jesus was using the ordinary meaning of the word rock, making the point that Simon was like a rock in a certain way.
Jesus called Herod a fox (Luke 13:32). We do not need to study the different literal meanings of the word fox then look at the context to understand what kind of animal Jesus meant. It is a figurative statement, so we should try to understand what Jesus meant to say about Herod by calling him a fox. Jesus meant that Herod was intelligent but could not be trusted because of his bad character.
► What animal is used figuratively in your culture to criticize a person?
How do we know if a statement is literal or figurative? Here are two guidelines to consider:
1. Use the figurative sense when the passage tells you to do so. Genesis 37 relates two dreams. In the Bible, a dream often communicated a figurative message. Because of this, we should not expect Joseph’s dream to mean that sheaves of grain will literally bow to another sheaf, or that the sun, moon, and stars will literally bow to Joseph. Instead, the statement that this is a dream tells us to expect figurative language. In this case, the interpretation is given in Genesis 37:8, 10.
2. Use the figurative sense when a literal meaning is impossible or absurd. In Revelation 1:16, the Lord appeared with a sharp two-edged sword coming out of his mouth. In a book full of imagery, it seems very unlikely that this is a literal picture of Jesus! As we continue in Revelation, we see that the image of Jesus with a large two-edged sword fits the message of God’s ultimate victory over the powers of evil.
Remember that God gave his Word to communicate truth, not to hide truth. Most figurative language in the Bible will be obvious. We saw a list of figures of speech in Lesson 6. These give you a good sense of how to interpret figurative language. After you recognize the figure of speech, ask, “Why did God inspire this particular imagery? What truth is communicated with this image?”
Sometimes a word is used figuratively and becomes a permanent symbol. When Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice…” (John 10:27), the listeners knew he meant the people who follow him, and the Bible uses that symbol other times (Psalm 23, for instance). In Revelation 5, the Lion of the tribe of Judah appears before the throne of God. A Bible dictionary explains that “Lion of the tribe of Judah” is a title that refers to the Messiah. When you know that, you ask, “Why does John use this title? What does the title tell us about Jesus?” Recognizing the figure of speech helps us understand John’s image of Jesus’ redemptive power.
The fact that biblical authors sometimes used figurative language does not mean that we should never interpret scripture literally. Rather, with the knowledge that figurative language was sometimes used, we must try to understand the text in the way the author intended. We should not use our imaginations to make a biblical statement mean something the writer was not trying to say.
[1]The material in this section is adapted from Chapter 36 of Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks, Living by the Book (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2007).
Conclusion
The writer of Proverbs made this promise to the person who seeks wisdom; “if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:4-5). There is no greater source of wisdom than God’s Word. Your study of scripture will pay eternal rewards.
Lesson 7 Key Points
(1) Word study is the examination of significant words in a passage for the purpose of discovering their meaning within context. Word study helps us to correctly interpret the passage we are studying.
(2) Two common mistakes to avoid when doing word studies:
Ignoring a word’s former meaning
Assuming a word has the same meaning in every context
(3) The process of word study:
Choose the words to study.
Words that are significant for the meaning of the passage
Repeated words
Figures of speech
Words that are unclear or difficult
List the possible meanings of each selected word.
Discern what each selected word means in the context of the passage.
(4) Questions that help you discern what the word means in context:
Is there a contrast or comparison in the passage that helps define the word?
How does the author use this word in other places?
What does the context show about the meaning of the word?
(5) Things to remember when studying figurative language:
The idea that is symbolized is what is important.
A figurative picture, phrase, or word represents something else.
Figurative language calls attention to the traits of what it represents.
We must try to understand the text in the way the author intended it to be understood—whether the meaning is literal or figurative.
(6) When to interpret a scriptural statement figuratively:
(1) In Lesson 1, you chose a passage of scripture to study throughout the course. From the passage, make a list of words that you think are important to study. Look for significant words, repeated words, figures of speech, or words that are unclear or difficult. Study each of these words following the process explained in this lesson. For each word, make a list of all possible meanings. Consider the context. Discern the meaning of each of the words in the context of the passage you are studying.
(2) Consider each of the words you have just been studying. Look at the lists of possible meanings you made for each study word. How could misunderstanding the meaning of your study word have led to an incorrect interpretation of the passage? Write 2-4 sentences of reflection.
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