Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet Outreach

Bible Word Studies

WHY DELVE INTO THE WORD?
Deuteronomy 32:46-47 says And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
The Word is Life, it prolongs our days.

Psalm 12:6 says The words of YHWH are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
The Word is pure.

Jeremiah 15:16 says Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O YHWH God of hosts.
The Word is nourishment and joy.

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN A WORD STUDY?
There are a number of ways to formally study and investigate Scripture; the steps hereto outlined represent one method.

1. Select the Bible word and/or verse of interest.
2. Select appropriate print and/or online “tools of the trade”:
• Commentaries: systematic compilation of explanations and interpretations of Scripture. They may include chapter and verse analysis and often include historical references.
• Word study books: works dedicated to expounding on a single word or topic. These books may be a good place to start for locating all mentions of a particular topic or English word, but are not recommended as a sole research source because these works tend to reflect a particular organizational and/or denominational interpretation.
• Concordances: an alphabetic index of all or most occurrences in the Bible of a particular word. Verses are usually listed in the order in which they appear in the Bible. Two well-known concordances are Strong’s and Cruden’s.
• Interlinear Bible: a tool that simultaneously identifies Greek and Hebrew words with their English translated counterpart. Online resources include: Blue Letter Bible, Scripture4All, and BibleHub.
3. Suggestion: use an interlinear Bible to locate the verse of interest in its original sentence structure and grammar. The goal is to look for the occurrence and meaning of the word in its original language, not in the English translation. Notice the word order in the original language; how does it differ from its English counterpart? (see also “To Keep in Mind” section, below)
4. Locate the [English] word of interest in the verse. If the Strong’s concordance number is provided (indicated by [H number] or [G number], jot it down.
5. Go to Blue Letter Bible and type the verse citation (e.g., John 3:16) or Strong’s concordance number in the Search box.
6. From the Results page, click on the verse to “open” it → click on the Strong’s number.
7. Check the definition and any “root” terms of the original language word → click on the “root” to explore the “core”/”original” meaning of that word.
8. Check for other verses that include this same [original language] word to gain a fuller sense of its significance.

SOME LANGUAGE POINTS
Translation versus Interpretation
Translation: A literal word-to-word “mapping” from one language to another.
Interpretation: Conveys a certain meaning within a specific context. For example, the English expression, to be wrapped around your finger requires an interpretative action to be understood in another language (e.g., in Spanish the expression would be bajo tu domino — to be subjected to, or to “be under” someone’s power, which is the essence of the expression). A literal translation of the expression (envuelto alrededor de tu dedo) would make no sense to the hearer.
Very generally speaking for these word studies, the focus is to locate a word’s literal meaning [translation]. The context within which the word is used highlights its specific meaning for that verse [interpretation]. Comparing how the identical word is employed within different verses provides a broader framework of its connotation.

Root Words
A root word is a term with no prefix or suffix. A prefix is a string of letters placed at the beginning of a word; a suffix is a string of letters placed at the end of a word. For example, the word ASTRO is a root word meaning “stars.” Adding the suffix –NOMY (meaning “the study of” something), the resulting word is “astronomy” (i.e., the study of the stars). Sometimes adding a prefix or suffix changes the meaning of the root. For example, the root word MATURE is an adjective. If the prefix IM- is added, the resulting word is “immature,” which changes the meaning of the root. If the suffix –ITY is placed to the root, then “maturity” is the subsequent term; this changes the root from an adjective to a noun.

To Keep in Mind

• There is not always a one-to-one corresponding translation for each word (e.g., a single Hebrew word may require several English words to translate it)
• Literal verse translation from one language to another may result in an awkward sentence structure (i.e., not all languages have the same sentence structure as English). For example, in English, a sentence might read “I love you” (i.e., Noun — Verb — Direct Object). In Spanish, the sentence would read “Te quiero” (i.e., Direct Object — Verb, first person singular; literally, “You [I] love”).

INDIVIDUAL VERSE STUDIES
Study, discernment and appreciation of Scripture is an ongoing process. These reviews reflect my current knowledge and understanding of YHWH’s Word. More verses are being studied and will be added!

Genesis 3:24
Exodus 20:8
Exodus 28:36
Numbers 6:24-26
Numbers 25:14-15
Psalm 32:8
Psalm 91:8
Psalm 103:19
Psalm 119:37
Isaiah 53:5
Luke 17:32
John 1:17
John 3:16
John 11:25
John 11:35
1 Corinthians 13:13
1 Timothy 2:1
Revelation 14:1

Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little. [Isaiah 28:9, 10]