How to Do A Biblical Word Study

Word studies can provide wonderful insight into understanding the Bible. It can clear up misconceptions, explain nuances behind words in the Bible, and help you understand important Biblical concepts and themes. Knowing how to do a Biblical word study is a powerful way for Christians to go deeper in their study of Scripture. However, doing word studies incorrectly can lead us to draw inaccurate conclusions about a passage and cause setbacks in our understanding of the Bible. 

As an example, I encountered this recently on social media. The writer of the post was trying to convey the significance of the word “testimony” in the Bible. This is what they said: “The word testimony in Hebrew is ‘Aydooth’ which means ‘do it again with the same power and authority.’ Every time we speak out, or read a testimony we are saying Lord, ‘do it again’ with the same power and authority as you did before.” After a quick google search, I noticed this idea has been circulating for a while in different articles and videos. I am sure that these individuals had wonderful intentions when sharing about the significance of a testimony. However, they actually employed a root fallacy (we’ll talk about this later in the article!) and incorrectly understood the meaning of the word. 

In light of this, I want to share some suggestions on correct ways to do word studies. We will learn exactly what a Biblical word study is, why we do Biblical word studies, and of course, how to do a proper word study. Lastly, I will explain common word study mistakes and conclude by offering some suggestions for where to begin with word studies.

Related: 5 Must-Have Bible Study Resources for New Christians

What is a Biblical Word Study?

Our English Bibles are translated from Hebrew and Greek, so the words that we read in scripture are actually interpretations of the original text. No need to fear because skilled Bible scholars have worked tirelessly to interpret the original text faithfully so that we can understand God’s word. However, every interpretation naturally has flaws and biases. Furthermore, no interpreter can capture all of the nuances encoded within the original languages. This is why in some passages, each version of the Bible may have completely different words for a particular verse. 

A Biblical word study looks at a particular word in our English Bibles and seeks to understand what it meant in the original language. This helps us to better understand scripture and apply it to our lives more faithfully. 

🌿 Ever feel like you’re missing something when you read Scripture? Our Bible Study Guide helps you study and interpret the Bible with confidence, so you can draw closer to God and grow in a more personal relationship with him.

Why do a Biblical Word Study?

Gordon Fee says it well: “The aim of word study is to try to understand as precisely as possible what the author was trying to convey by his use of the word in this context.”

A word study can help you understand important Biblical concepts or themes, such as love, faith, and joy. Through a word study, we can determine how the Biblical authors viewed these concepts rather than superimposing our own idea onto theirs. 

It can also provide additional insight into a passage. For example, what did Paul mean when he greeted the Philippian church by using the words “grace” and “peace”? Did Paul and his contemporary readers understand grace and peace differently than we do today? We can find out by doing a word study. 

Lastly, Biblical word studies can help clear up confusing passages. For example, in 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul says that he does not “permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man…” What does Paul mean by this? A word study can help clear up misconceptions about confusion and controversial passages like this one.

Related: How to Study the Bible by Topic 

How to Do A Word Study in the Bible 

Choose A Word to Study 

First, choose a word that you would like to study further. Here are some things to consider when choosing a word: 

• Choose words that have theological significance
• Choose words that you are interested in learning more about
• Choose words that are frequently used in a book/passage
• Choose words that are difficult to understand
• Choose words that are often translated differently in each version 

Use Bible Study Tools to Determine Potential Meanings 

There are a few online tools you can use for word studies. Logos Bible Software, Blue Letter Bible, and Bible Hub are great options. I’ll use Romans 5:11 as an example. Let’s look at the word translated as “boast” in the New International Version. Using your tool of choice, find the Greek word behind the English word in question. 

The word translated as “boast” in Romans 5:11 is kauchaomai in Greek. 

Next, we will need to look at the lexical definition of kauchaomai. You can find this in a Greek Lexicon, or simply by searching the word on Blue Letter Bible, Logos, or Bible Hub. It means:

1. To Boast

2. To Glory

We can also look at how the NIV translates kauchaomai in different passages. While it is most often translated as “boast,” it is also sometimes translated as “pride” or “glory.” 

The question is, what does Paul mean when he uses kauchaomai in Romans 5:11? Is he speaking about pride, or boasting, or glory? Some translations even mention “joy” or rejoicing. 

If you have time, also consider looking into the context surrounding each of the verses in which kauchaomai is used. Context can tell us a lot about the meaning of a word. Particularly, since we are looking at an epistle by Paul, we want to also focus on the usages of the word in his writings. Zeroing in further, we want to also pay close attention to how the word is used in Romans. 

Be sure to record what you find out because you’ll need it in the next step. 

Choose the Best Meaning for the Passage

Now that you have conducted all of this research, you’ll need to look at what you found and use it to determine how the word is being used in your passage. 

Don’t forget about the context surrounding Romans 5:11. Some form of kauchaomai is used two other times in Romans 5 and it is also used in Romans 2 and 3. In Romans 2:17, Paul is speaking out against those who boast in the law. 

Similarly, in Romans 3:27, Paul states that we cannot boast in our own righteousness because it is a gift we receive by faith. 

In Romans 5:2 and 5:3, Paul celebrates the hope of the glory of God and boasts in suffering because of God’s love. Next, in v. 11, Paul is boasting in God because of the reconciliation that God has brought to humanity through Christ. 

With all of this in mind, in Romans 5:11, Paul’s boasting is not in himself or anything he can do for salvation. He already made it clear that we cannot boast in our own righteousness. He is not celebrating himself or his accomplishments here, he is celebrating Christ. Perhaps, “rejoicing” is the best way to see kauchaomai in this context. 

It is also a good idea to review commentaries and articles from scholars to review your findings. The best way to do this is by looking into study bibles or commentaries on the specific book of the Bible you are studying. If a word is theologically significant, commentaries will often include articles and discussions about the word. 

Analyze Your Findings

After you complete your word study, be sure to analyze your findings. Did your word study help clarify anything about the passage? What insight did your study bring to light? Did it strengthen your knowledge of God? Of scripture? What will you do with this new knowledge? 

Related: How to Study the Bible (A Beginner Friendly Guide)

Common Bible Word Study Mistakes 

Before I wrap up, I want to point out a few mistakes or “fallacies” we sometimes make when attempting a word study. There are others but I want to focus on these three because they are most common. 

English Only Fallacy

This is when we base our word study on English words only and do not look into the original Greek or Hebrew words. It is natural to want to reach for our English dictionaries when doing a word study but we need to use Biblical tools such as lexicons, Bible dictionaries, or concordances to help us.

Root Fallacy

The example I offered in the beginning of this article uses a root fallacy to make its claim. A root fallacy involves trying to understand the meaning of a word by focusing on its root. For example, the root word for aydooth is ud which can indeed mean “to repeat,” or “do again.” While this may have some role in how we understand aydooth, it does not define the meaning of the word. Context matters more. 

Overload Fallacy

Have you ever sat in a sermon and listened to a pastor recite all the meanings of a particular Greek word? This is the overload fallacy. It is applying all of the definitions of a word to a particular context rather than choosing the best meaning for the context. Let’s take the English word “run” for example. The word “run” could be speaking of an individual moving their legs quickly on a path (He is running track), or it could refer to a rip in a stocking (I have a run in my stocking). Furthermore, it can also be speaking of how someone leads their community (She ran the meeting well). Context determines the best meaning of the word. 

Where to Go from Here

Word studies can be very complex or very simple. If you are new to word studies, I recommend starting simply. Choose a passage that contains a word you would like to know more about and start there. For example, Romans 5:1-2 speaks about being justified by faith. While “faith” is a well-known word in Christianity, there is a lot more to it (particularly in this passage and similar ones) that meets the eye. Is faith just simply believing? James says that even demons believe. But clearly, they are not justified. So perhaps faith is something more. This is a word worth exploring!