How to do a Bible Word Study in 4 steps
When to do a Bible word study
As you read the Bible daily, there may be passages, more particularly words, that make you pause and reflect. There may be words that are different from the translation you memorized years ago. There may be an awkward or unlikeable word that stands out as you read. These are the occasions when doing a word study will serve you well. You might also choose to make word study a part of your regular Bible study time.
Why to do a word study
Doing a word study can help clarify meaning, deepen understanding, assist in memory recall, and delight our soul. A word study is useful in many ways.
Word study clarifies meaning
A word study clarifies meaning, not because we are unfamiliar with the language, but because when translations are done, translators have to choose a word or phrase that conveys the meaning of the original. And for anyone who speaks more than one language, that is a serious challenge at times. Also, particularly in the case of a word changing from the verse you memorized years ago or from another version, our own language evolves over time and so our translators attempt to again match current language with original meaning. Studying the meaning from the original Greek or Aramaic, with tools to assist, can offer clarity in these changes.
Word study deepens understanding
When we consider a word that strikes you as unlikeable, or even impossible, a word study can deepen our understanding. Let’s consider an example in 1 Thessalonians 2:4, ‘On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.’ If you are anything like me, that ‘approved by God’ made you stop and think – how on earth do I get approved?!? Or your thoughts may be, ‘that seems a lot like works and not faith.’ When our heart or mind cries out that the word is not likeable or agreeable, then by all means, it is time to research it. By checking the original meaning, the study will help our understanding, not only of the verse, but also of the passage and even that topic in other passages.
Word study assists in memory recall
I admit that I am not very good at memorizing scripture. I tend to know verses, but not their reference. But the words and verses I’ve studied much more easily come to me. Completing a word study is a bit like meditating on the word and meaning for a short period of time, so that helps our memory and recall. Note-taking, saying, or writing something multiple times, all of these are standard techniques for memorizing and all of them are done in a word study (if you take note of your study!).
Word study delights our soul
This benefit of studying the word is repeated at least 13 times in the Bible- your testimonies, commandments, statutes, and laws are a delight and a joy. Since the Word is directly inspired by God and reflects his story with man, his pursuit of man, knowing it more deeply brings joy because we know him more deeply. The word is sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103), how could I not delight in it?
Steps for a word study
You’ll need to identify the word and verse that you’d like to study, then look up that word in a concordance (usually Strong’s Concordance), then check the context of the original passage and finally check the word as found in other Bible verses.
The steps are fairly simple, but do require additional tools. No worries, though because they are freely available online. I enjoy Biblehub and have completed a sample for you to download below. Others appreciate logos, blueletterbible or good ol’ printed resources.
Step 1 – Identify the word and verse
Not too long ago, I completed a word study on ‘wait’ as found in Isaiah 40:31 (ESV), ‘but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.’ The NIV version uses the word ‘hope’ in place of wait. This is our first clue that it is not a simple or straightforward word to translate or understand. If you have other versions available to check the verse, that could be considered part of this step as well. Take a moment to define the word as you understand it generally or in everyday use.
Step 2 – Look up the original word and its meaning
On the web, the sites I’ve mentioned make this pretty easy. With Biblehub, I can choose the verse and click on ‘interlinear’. This brings up the verse and the original language parallel to each other by word or phrase. In the Old Testament, the parallel is with Aramaic and in the New Testament it is Greek. At this point, you will see the verse in English, with the Aramaic above, then the transliteration, or pronunciation of the word/phrase, and a number. The number above the phrase ‘but those who wait on’ is 6960, which indicates this is from the root word 6,960 in the Strong’s Concordance. By clicking on the number (or right-click to open in a new page), the site provides definitions and verses where this root is also used.
There are generally two sources for definitions given, which you could note down. Already we see that wait is further defined as gather together, expect, and look for, as well as the idea of binding or twisting together. Wait is no longer a twiddling of thumbs, but ‘look for’ and even the alternate translation of ‘hope’ tell us this wait is expectant or active.
Step 3 – Check context of the passage
For our example, we will check the verses surrounding the verse and word chosen. We find that the verses talk of all that God does for his people and how he is trustworthy. It is because of the trust that this wait is not merely the passage of time in which nothing happens, it is not passive and without hope. In this case, with all the verses telling of God’s work in the waiting, being a shepherd, his knowledge and power in creation, we see a different wait. This wait is like the waiting we do when we are going somewhere, looking for the bus or plane, hoping it will come and knowing what will be on the other side. These verses say that God is already strong and does not grow weary, so of course if we look for him, we know he will come with that strength. It is not waiting but straining toward God. The passage tells us more about the word itself.
Step 4 – Check the meaning in other verses
The last step in a word study is to check the meaning of the word in other verses where it is found. In our example, we see numerous examples of wait in the Psalms. There are also a number of examples in other parts of the Old Testament. Clicking on the verse to read it will help in this step but checking the context of the verse and word is better. Read through the 10 or so surrounding verses. This step is the most time-intensive, so look up as many as you can. Five is a good minimum, but you can go through all of them if you choose. Reading through these help us see the waiting in a new way, with expectation and an eye on the future as opposed to the monotony of the usual wait.
Conclusion
These four simple steps are all it takes to complete a Bible word study: identify the word, check the meaning in the concordance, check the meaning in context, and then check the meaning by reading other verses. The benefits of this kind of study are enormous, and positively impact your relationship with God and aid in your spiritual growth.
If you’d like a printable to note your word studies, please take time to look over the one I’ve prepared below.
If you are interested in learning more about studying the Bible for yourself, you might enjoy the Bible Study Methods series.
