How to Do a Biblical Word Study
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Studying a particular word in a passage of the Bible is one of the simplest and most effective ways to study the Bible more in-depth! Below is an outline for you to follow with recommended resources and links to help you gain a greater understanding of Scripture through studying the text more closely.
1. Choose a word to study.
Pick the word you would like to study from a passage of scripture. Avoid conjunctions (like for, and, but, yet), prepositions (by, from, in, of, on, with), and articles (a, an, the), since there is little or nothing to be gained by conducting a word study with these types of words.
Look for words that are crucial to a correct understanding of the passage you are reading. Are there certain words that are repeated? Is there a word that you don’t understand or is confusing to you? Is there a word that is resonating most with you right now? Or as you pray, is there a word that the Holy Spirit is highlighting for you?
Pick a word that intrigues you and will allow you to discover and explore new or timely concepts for you in Scripture.
2. Find the Greek or Hebrew word used in the original text.
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was originally written in Greek. To fully understand the meaning of the word you are studying, begin by identifying what word was used originally and its meaning in that language.
Here are some online resources to help you easily locate the Hebrew or Greek word and its biblical definition:
The Bible Project (it doesn't offer an exhaustive list of words, but does offer videos to better understand certain biblical words used throughout scripture central to the Christian faith.)
If you are looking for a textbook resource, your go-to will be Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words by W.E. Vine.
3. Search for other times in the Bible this particular word is used.
Once you have researched the meaning of the word in its original language, look up the other occurrences of this word in the Bible. The resources listed above can all be used to identify the other places the word is used for you to easily reference and read.
4. Pay attention to the range of meanings the word has in various uses.
The same word can have multiple meanings. When undertaking a word study, it's important to consider the various implications of different meanings within a given context. Often, reading the text in different translations will help.
5. Read helpful commentaries.
It’s always helpful to read different commentaries of the word you are studying within the passage you originally chose the word from. The online resources mentioned earlier will offer great commentaries from faithful and trusted theologians and bible scholars for you to read from.
6. Prayerfully interpret the word to gain greater understanding of the passage you began with.
Now that you have completed the above steps, you are ready to determine the meaning of the word within the context you were reading. How does the greater knowledge you have gained from the study add to your understanding of the passage? What have you learned from this study and how has it enriched your faith? How can you apply what you’ve learned beyond the study? Journal your findings and conclusions.
Make sure to journal your observations and findings from your biblical word study using the Seek First Journal. Click here to order yours now.