How can doing a word study be helpful in understanding the Bible?

Word studies uncover the depth and richness of Scripture by helping us underst and the original meaning behind biblical words. Doing a word study can brea the fresh insight into familiar passages and equip us to handle God’s Word with greater accuracy.

what does the bible say?

Word studies can be a very helpful practice when trying to gain a more thorough understanding of a biblical passage, especially the Hebrew/Greek meaning of specific words. Understanding God’s Word is extremely important (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-2, 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is breathed out by the Holy Spirit and helps us know God and live for Him (Hebrews 4:12). A good example of studying God’s Word are the Bereans, who “eagerly” verified for themselves what they were being taught so as to make sure it was biblically sound (Acts 17:11). Word studies can help us be like the Bereans by helping us avoid misinterpreting or misapplying Scripture. Second Timothy 2:15 discusses the importance of “rightly handling the word of truth.” One way to do that is by studying it in depth, and word studies are a great way to do that.

from the old testament

Joshua 1:8 indicates that keeping God’s Word close to us is incredibly important. As believers, we do well to understand, obey, and apply it to our daily lives. Word studies can help us fulfill this mission because we can better underst and God’s Word within the language it was originally written in.
Psalm 1:1-2 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” We should delight ourselves in God’s Word, and doing word studies can help us comprehend God’s message with more biblical accuracy.

from the new testament

We do well to take after the Bereans (Acts 17:11), who did not merely accept what teachers preached to them, but actually studied the Scriptures for themselves to make sure the teachings were truly biblical. In word studies, we can do something similar—-not merely reading words on a page and assuming we underst and them, but pursuing a broader understanding of a passage.
Studying key words and their usages in the Bible can enhance our understanding of God’s Word as a whole. While the Bible is the “living” Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), it is made up of words written in literary form, so we must keep this in mind while we are conducting word studies so as to interpret their meanings correctly.
Knowing the Hebrew/Greek meanings of the word and looking the words up in other passages can aid us in our mission to rightly handle the “word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

implications for today

A challenge of studying Scripture is that it was not originally written in modern languages, so everything we read today is a translation from the original text. Translators sometimes struggle to find the best word when one language uses one word to convey several different ideas but the other language uses several different words or vice versa. An important step in doing a word study is to find other places in the Bible where that same word in the original text appears. Doing this helps us derive a better understanding of the meaning of the word in its proper context. For instance, the word “helper,” used to describe Adam’s need for God to create Eve, is the word ezer in Hebrew (Genesis 2:20), which is used nineteen other times in the Old Testament, referring to the help God gives in times of desperate need. Understanding the meaning of certain words can shed new light on passages of God’s Scripture and ultimately help us have a better understanding of what the Holy Spirit is communicating to readers. A wonderful word study tool is a study Bible, which may include a concordance in the back to help find other passages using the same word. Concordances also tend to include footnotes throughout the Scriptures giving helpful insights into words and their meanings. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words and Strong’s Concordance are also helpful books. For those of us who prefer online sources, BlueLetterBible.org is a recommended website for word studies. Additionally, while it is not focused on word study specifically, BibleRef.com provides helpful verse-by-verse commentary.

Recap

understand

Word studies can help illuminate passages of Scripture by considering the words in the original language and/or comparing how that same word is used in different verses.
Believers are called to do more than read God’s Word; they are called to examine it closely and meditate on it.
Concordances and study Bibles are useful aids in conducting word studies.

reflect

What are some techniques you use to study the Bible in more depth?
How could doing word studies help you in your Bible study?
What Bible study tools have you found most helpful?

engage

How can word studies be integrated into group Bible studies?
How can in-depth study of Scripture help improve evangelism efforts?
What can we do to ensure we are “rightly handling” God’s Word?