Word Studies

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Word Studies
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Word Studies OT

• With so many linguistic helps available, why
  should anyone spend time learning to do Greek and
  Hebrew word studies?
• Why cant we just read up on this word in
  Kittel? Because Kittel (TDNT) does not
  discuss this word.
• Im interested in people and they dont care
  about Greek Hebrew words.
• Thats where you come in. Its your
  responsibility to make the Bible come alive, and
  word studies are one way of doing this.

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Word Studies OT

• Hebrew Word Studies
• Etymologytracing historically the origin and
  development of a word.
• Usageanalyzing the occurrences of the word in a
  given body of literature (e.g., the OT) and
  seeking to lay bare the categories of meaning.
• Verificationchecking findings against reference
  materials produced by specialists in the field.
  (Verification is important even with the finest
  of resourcese.g., almah.

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Word Studies OT

• Hebrew Word Studies
• In a Hebrew word study, is important to
• Focus on the root form of the word.
• Then to consider the usage in the Semitic family
  of languages of which Hebrew is a part.
• Broadly speaking, the Semitic family tree may be
  dived into East Semitic, South Semitic and North
  Semitic.

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East Semitic
South Semitic
North Semitic
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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• The etymology of a given word not only considers
  the derivation and history of that word but also
  its meaning in the cognate Semitic languages.
• To properly trace the historic development of a
  given Hebrew term, you should have access to the
  Gesenius Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old
  Testament, edited by F. Brown, S. R. Driver and
  C. A. Briggs, and

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• The Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti libros, by L.
  H. Koehler and W. Baumgartner.
• and, if possible, its revision, the Hebrew and
  Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament.

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• Three other works are important
• Konkordanz zum hebraischen Alten Testament, by G.
  Lisowsky
• Veteris testamenti concordantiae Habraicae atque
  Chaldaicae, by S. Mandelkern
• Concordance to the Septuagint, by E. Hatch and H.
  A. Redpath

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• In a study of the word dabar (BDB, p. 180), you
  will see that the editors have gone to
  considerable lengths to provide the equivalent
  meaning of a given Hebrew word in related semitic
  languages.
• Building on what they have supplied, you can
  write down their dictionary definition of the
  word.

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• This should then be compared with the
  definition(s) given in Koehler and Baumgartners
  Lexicon.
• Differences of meaning should be noted and
  reflection given as to the possible reasons for
  these changes.
• In tracing the possible common origin of a word,
  the lowest common denominator (or common idea
  behind the historic development and meaning) of
  the word should be sought.

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• Caution needs to be exercised to prevent the
  inexperienced researcher from too readily
  adopting opinions based upon inadequate data.

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• With dabar as an illustration, we find at the
  beginning of the discussion there is a listing of
  the meanings of this word in Arabic (Ar.),
  Aramaic (Aram.), and Alexandrine manuscript of
  the Septuagint (A), Assyrian (As.), and Syriac
  (Syr.), et cetera.

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BDB p. 180
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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• Because Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) has been
  discovered in more recent times, the important
  contribution of Ugaritic studies to the OT
  literature will not be found in BDB and will have
  to be obtained from others sources (e.g., Cyrus
  Gordons Ugaritic Textbook.

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• With some idea of the meaning, it will now be of
  value to
• Take note of the derived terms which may
  illustrate the basic idea.
• The occasions when the word is used.
• The people involved.
• The synonyms, antonyms or homonyms employed in
  different forms of Hebrew parallelism.
• The situations giving rise to its usage.

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Word Studies OT

• Etymology
• Then, having examined as thoroughly as possible
  the dictionary definition of the word and its
  meaning in cognate Semitic languages, it is
  appropriate to consider in depth and detail its
  usage in the canonical Scriptures of the OT.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• The usage of a term is of the utmost importance
  in determining its meaning.
• To survey its usage, you will need to use one or
  more concordances.
• Students lacking a knowledge of Hebrew that
  permits them to use the more technical reference
  works will find Strongs concordance especially
  if the number listed against each entry is
  checked with the brief definition in the index at
  the back.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• Likewise, many have found Youngs Analytical
  Concordance to be of great value.
• However, because a study of a word must be
  undertaken in accordance with its root, it may be
  necessary to resort to the Englishmans Hebrew
  and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• Indispensable tools for the student with a
  knowledge of Hebrew include
• Lisowskys Konkordanz zum hebraischen Alten
  Testament, with the meaning of each word given in
  Latin, German and English.
• The value of the work lies in its listing of
  every Scripture verse in which a particular
  Hebrew word is found.
• Mandelkerns Veteris testamenti concordantiae
  Habraicae atque Chaldaicae.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• Indispensable tools for the student with a
  knowledge of Hebrew include
• Mandlekern lists each distinct form separately
  and provides the researcher with references for
  each root of a word and for the Greek of the
  LXX.
• Hatch and Redpaths Concordance to the
  Septuagint, a work that makes available parallel
  references to the Greek text of the LXX.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• The procedure to be followed is to
• Look up each occurrence of the word
• Evaluate its usage in the light of the context
• And decide on its precise meaning.
• When this has been done, the different usages may
  be grouped together into semantic categories for
  further study.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• For e.g., the verb bahan is found to mean to
  examine, to try, to prove.
• Its derivatives include testing, watchtower,
  siege towers and assayer.
• The occurrence of bahan is chiefly in Job, Psalms
  and Jeremiah (though not confined to these).

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• In addition, it occurs in parallelism with nasa
  (to put to the test, to tempt) and sarap (to
  smelt, to refine).
• What then is its basic meaning?
• It would seem to denote examination with a view
  to determining the essential qualities or
  integrity of a person, a group of people, a place
  or a thing.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• On closer examination, the usage bahan generally
  has God as the Subject, whereas nasa almost
  always has man as the subject and sarap is used
  exclusively in a religious sense with God as the
  Subject and man as the object.
• Three of the references to bahan reverse the
  general order and have God as the One being
  tested (Ps. 959 Malachi 310,15) by the
  attitude and conduct of His people.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• A further observation of the usage of bahan is
  that nasa and sarap seem to denote the attainment
  of knowledge through testing, whereas bahan seems
  to point to the acquisition of knowledge through
  learning or intuition.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• Similar studies may be done of key Hebrew words
  like hesed, lovingkindness qadosh, holy
  tselem image tsedeq righteousness gibbor
  man or woman of valor, mighty warrior, and
  many others.
• Each word will have fascination all its own and
  the insights derived will lend themselves to
  homiletic sub-division, sermonic illustration,
  and practical application.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• Of further interest is the comparison of the
  Hebrew text with the OT in Greek (LXX).
• Hatch and Redpaths Concordance to the Septuagint
  will be needed for this.
• In this connection it is interest to compare the
  Greek translation of Isaiah 714 with the Hebrew
  original.
• The focus is on almah, young woman.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• Some lexicographers say that if Isaiah had
  intended us to us to understand virgin he would
  have used the term bethulah.
• Most lexicons agree are they correct?
• Questions How did Ahaz, and the Hebrews of the
  time of Isaiah, and the Jews of Jesus day,
  understand Isaiahs prophecy?

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• And how did the Jews who translated their own
  Scriptures into Greek understand the usage of
  almah in this passage?
• Interestingly, the Greek text of Rahlfs
  Septuaginta id est, Vetus Testamentum graece
  iuxta LXX interpretes (2 vols. 3rd ed. 1965)
  uses the word parthenos as the Hellenistic
  equivalent of almah, and parthenos unequivocally
  means virgin.

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Word Studies OT

• Usage
• Further corroboration of this comes from another
  Jew named Levi (Matthew).
• When quoting Isaiahs prophecy he used parthenos
  to describe Christs miraculous conception by
  Mary (Mt. 123).
• Reference to the LXX provides many such sidelight
  on the terms employed by the writers of Scripture.

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Word Studies OT

• Verification
• Because the most valuable lexicons may, on
  occasion, be misleading, you will need to verify
  your findings.
• In doing so, reference may be made to a variety
  of source materials alluded to in earlier
  chapters.
• These include commentaries like the NICOT and the
  NICNT, and exegetical works like the
  International Critical Commentary.

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Word Studies OT

• Verification
• The ICC, while not conservative, may prove
  helpful to the researcher in either broadening
  his/her perspective on the usage of a word or
  providing insights into the way the meanings of a
  word may be analyzed.
• By regularly evaluating the material in lexicons
  as well as TDOT and TWOT, you will be able to
  verify the results of your own research.

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Word Studies OT

• Verification
• This will be evidence by
• The assurance you bring to your exposition of the
  text,
• The interest that you are able to generate in the
  study of the OT,
• And the way in which seemingly irrelevant issues
  suddenly take on contemporary significance.

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Word Studies NT

• A preacher cannot minister effectively without
  having an in-depth understanding of the meaning
  of words and terms used in the Bible.
• A study of specific words used in the NT may be
  expected to do the following for us
• Aid in providing an enriched perspective and an
  in-depth understanding of the theological and
  practical importance of the word in question.

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Word Studies NT

• A study of specific words used in the NT may be
  expected to do the following for us
• Serve as a check on the lexical aids that we all
  must use.
• Reveal to us the many-faceted riches of Gods
  word.
• Word studies do not take the place of exegesis,
  but are basic and fundamental to an accurate
  interpretation of the text.

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Word Studies NT

• Exegesis involves the comparison of different
  documents, grammar, syntax, the theological
  background of each writer, the occasion of the
  book, its purpose, the context of the passage,
  and the characteristics of the writer.
• The procedure for doing a NT word study is
  essentially the same as for the OT, only the
  resource tools are different.

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Word Studies NT

• For e.g., a word study should be based upon the
  historical development of the usage of the word.
• this involves an awareness of the phases in the
  development of the Greek language.
• Two distinct phases are of particular interest
  classical and Koine (or common Greek, with the
  latter embracing the translating of the OT into
  Gk, the writing of the NT, and the sermons and
  books written during the post-Apostolic age.

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Word Studies NT

• Also, a word study should be inductive.
• Researcher must determine all possible meanings
  of the word being studied.
• Then, categorize their meaning in accordance with
  the time period and the situation that gave rise
  to its use.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• The word must be studied in accordance with its
  root form only then can it be studied
  historically.
• Study of root forms is complex is complicated by
  the inclusion of prefixes, suffixes, and infixes.
• There is always the danger that inexperienced
  researchers will take the root form of a word and
  its meaning as the only meaning.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• The true meaning of a word can only be found in
  its usage. (Get help from F. Blass and A.
  Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament
  and J. H. Moulton and W. F. Howard, The Grammar
  of New Testament Greek (esp. vol. 2, pp. 267-410).

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• Once the root has been ascertained, the process
  of tracing the usage of a word through the
  historical stages of its development can begin.
• Use
• Liddell/Scott, Greek-English Lexicon for the
  classical period (note references to Loeb
  Classical Library).

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• Use
• Hatch Redpath, Concordance to the Septuagint of
  the Old Testament in Greek.
• Moulton Geden, Concordance to the Greek
  Testament or the Computer concordance to the
  Novum Testamentum Craece/Computer-konkordanz zum
  Novum testamentum Graece for word usage in the NT.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• Use
• Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek
  Testament for the use of Koine words used in the
  papyri.
• Lampes Patristic Greek Lexicon for illustrations
  of the meaning attached to words after the period
  of the Apostles.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• Why is it necessary to trace the meaning of a
  word through the different stages of history?
• Over time words change in meaning a historical
  approach alerts us to these changes.
• E.g., in NT eritheia is the word for strife or
  selfish ambition.
• This was not always its meaning.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• Its original meaning degenerated so that in each
  of 7 occurrences in the NT it is used of
  contention or abuse of ambition.
• Eritheia originally came from the root eris
  meaning day laborer and meant labor, or more
  directly, labor for wages.
• It involved doing a days work for a days wages.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Etymology
• The change in meaning seems to stem from the
  motives of the laborers.
• Emphasis no longer placed on honest labor.
• This led to disputes between an employer and a
  united band of employees.
• Eventually it came to be applied to one who would
  exploit a situation (by causing strife) for his
  own advantage.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Context
• A word must be studied inductively in its varying
  contexts before its nuances or meaning during a
  particular period of time, or use by a specific
  author, can be determined.
• In other words, induction must precede deduction.
• Barber does injustice to context while arguing
  for context, pp. 97-8.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Verification
• Sometimes even the finest of lexicons can be
  misleading, it is wise to verify the results of
  research by consulting several sources (e.g.,
  Kittels TDNT or Browns NIDNTT), as well as the
  best of commentaries.
• By evaluating the critical data contained in
  these reference works, or the comments by the
  author of a technical commentary, you will be
  able to verify your own research.

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Word Studies NT

• Greek Word Studies
• Verification
• Only by following the process described above
  will one be able to modify and advance the work
  of those who have gone before.

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