Beware of Bible word studies
Word studies done well can yield great benefits for the earnest student of God’s word. But as fundamental as word studies are to understand the Bible—or at least, as a first step to understanding the Bible—they carry many pitfalls. Scripture was originally given in languages different from ours, so we face translation challenges. Language is always changing, so we face comprehension challenges. Language is more than mere words, so understanding a single word doesn’t resolve interpretive challenges. Recognizing the ways we can go astray can help us avoid interpretative disasters. Here’s how not to do a word study. 1. Don’t conduct English-only word studies. To conduct a biblical word study in English only is a fatal flaw. Every translation employs different English words for the same Greek and Hebrew words, and different Greek and Hebrew words are sometimes translated with the same English word. The term “love” provides a good example. In Hebrew, there are two words translated as “love”...