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"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times" (Ps. 12:6).
IT GOES without saying that, since "All scripture is given by inspiration of God", the individual words from which the Word of God is constructed must themselves repay the closest attention. They are, as the psalmist declares, "pure words... purified seven times". The Scriptures are consequently not composed of bland phrases, merely conveying general ideas, or capable of being understood in a subjective manner according to our own fancy. On the contrary, the words are precise and powerful, conveying the very mind of the Creator Himself. And so the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed: "as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things"; and, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (Jno. 8:28; 6:63).
The opening paragraph of the Statement of Faith reminds us that the Scriptures are "without error in all parts of them, except such as may be due to errors of transcription or translation". This reveals an inherent problem facing most students of the Bible: that they are dependent upon translators for conveying the meaning of the written words from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into their own modern languages.
Few have the talent or opportunity to study and fully comprehend God’s Word in those original tongues. However, the availability of tools for approaching the words written by the prophets and apostles has never been greater than today. A whole array of dictionaries, concordances and lexicons are readily accessible in both book and computer form. [See "Tools to Help", p. 241.] With their aid, it is possible for anyone to delve into the meaning and usage of Bible language.
Biblical usage of words
Perhaps the first and most basic use for word study is in elucidating the meaning of key words in controversial or difficult passages. It is in such parts of Scripture that the doctrinal bias of the translators may be most in evidence, and where the true believer needs to have access to the real meaning being conveyed by the Holy Spirit. Here it is the way in which the key words are translated in other parts of the same book, or across the rest of Scripture, that is so often vital.
It is hoped that all Christadelphians will have some appreciation of the use and basic meanings of such words as Satan and devil, baptism, soul, and hell, which orthodox Christianity has invested with ideas far removed from their original sense. Most speaking brethren rightly resort to the concordance when dealing with these topics, in order to reach the Hebrew or Greek originals, and thus to demonstrate the Biblical usage of such words and hence their true meaning.
A second application of word study is in the following of a theme through the Scriptures, one of the ‘golden threads’ which so characterise the Word of God and set it apart from human literature. For instance, a few minutes work with a concordance will allow us to trace the theme of the seed, which is the basis of the promises made to the fathers and to David, confirmed in the Lord Jesus Christ and made available to us through him. Similarly, a study of the words for ‘tree’ takes us all the way from the Garden of Eden in Genesis to the Paradise of God at the end of Revelation, surprisingly taking in the cross of Christ on the way. [See the six "Themes" which appear in various places in this Special Issue for other examples.]
To follow a theme in this way we clearly need to recover the relevant word in the original language, for that word may have been translated by a number of different English terms in our translations. For example, ‘seed’ is uniformly translated as such throughout the AV, but the theme can be obscured by its various renderings in modern translations, such as ‘descendants’, ‘offspring’, etc. On the other hand, different words in the original may appear as the same word in English; for example, the Greek word for the tree (of life) turns out to be xulon, normally meaning wood, rather than dendron, the usual word for tree. When we find that xulon is also used of the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), we gain the added insight that our Lord’s sacrifice is the way to the tree of life.
Biblical detective work
Perhaps the most rewarding use of word study, however, is in unravelling those passages which puzzle or intrigue us. And that presupposes that we ask questions as we read the Scriptures: What does this mean? Where does that quotation come from? Where have I seen that word before? This questioning approach is the way to serendipity, the faculty of making fortunate discoveries by ‘accident’. It is rare indeed that a word studied in this way, to answer some such question, does not lead on an interesting trail which comes up with some unexpected discovery.
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An example is found upon examining a puzzling reference in Hosea’s prophecy: "Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips" (14:2). This is quoted in the New Testament as "the fruit of our lips" (Heb. 13:15), an inspired interpretation, possibly following the Septuagint; and some modern translations render the Hosea passage in this way. But again, reference to a concordance reveals that the word used is normally rendered in the AV as ‘bullock’, the animal specified in the Law of Moses for the consecration of the priests and their sin offerings. The prophet is surely teaching that the offering of bullocks for sin was only made acceptable by true repentance and thanksgiving (as in the well-known passage, Micah 6:6-8). The whole context of the quotation in Hebrews is then seen to be illuminated for us by this background.
Examples like this are to be found on almost all pages of the Bible. It just requires our curiosity and interest to be awakened in our reading. And not only are such discoveries interesting in their own right, they surely stimulate our faith that this truly is the Word of God. Here is the Divine stamp to be found throughout the Scriptures, which sets them apart from all human literature.
Studying words in context
It is fundamental to the study of words that due consideration be given to their context, the way in which they are used in the pages of Holy Writ. It is all too easy unconsciously to impress Biblical words with a ‘modern’ stamp and think that we are reading them correctly. Thus the word ‘meditation’ has become coloured by ideas imported from eastern religions, to have the senses of allowing the mind to wander freely in a religious sphere, or of the silent repetition of a mantra. However, examination of the Bible words translated ‘meditate’ and ‘meditation’ shows that they are also frequently rendered into words involving sound and speech, as in, "my tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness" (Ps. 35:28); and, "sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works" (105:2). These strongly suggest that the basic Bible idea of meditation is speaking to God in prayer or talking about Him to others.
An even more significant shift is in the idea of love, which today is typically defined as, ‘to have passionate desire, longing and feelings for’, ‘an intense emotion of affection, fondness and regard towards a person or thing’, and is most frequently associated with sexual attraction. It is certainly true that elements of these are to be found in Biblical love; the very first use of the word in Scripture describes Abraham’s feelings for his son Isaac when he was called upon by God to offer him as a sacrifice (Gen. 22:2). But in the Law of Moses, and in the teaching of the Lord Jesus and the apostles, the word is most often used to convey self-sacrificing service to God and to neighbour, the outward expression of the inward emotion. It is modelled upon the love of God to man demonstrated in His goodness towards them.
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Bible names
Names in the Bible are far more significant than our normal array of Toms, Dicks and Harrys today. A good number are recorded as coming directly from God Himself, or as having been changed by Him to ascribe to the name a prophetic meaning. Jesus is the most obvious example, but to him we may add Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, Moses, Samuel, John the Baptist, Peter, and many more.
In all of these cases the text itself makes clear the meaning of the name and its significance. For many other names, however, we are dependent upon a concordance or Bible dictionary for an explanation of their meaning. And here a word of caution is necessary, for not infrequently the meanings given there are speculative, to say the least. One has heard from the platform profound points made based upon the supposed meaning of a name or group of names, which upon investigation is found to have very little support.
It is also necessary to point out that often the ‘meaning’ of the name depends on a similarity of sound in the original language rather than on a precise semantic content. Thus the name Judah, which is transliterated from Hebrew as yehudah, is clearly derived from the word for praise, yadah (see Gen. 29:35; Rom. 2:29), while it also contains a ‘theophoric element’, that is, a portion of the Divine Name, Yehuvah or Yahweh. In the case of Simeon, however, the connection is less obviously close between Shim’on and shamea, ‘hearing’.
The meanings of Biblical names of both people and places are a rich source of interest and enlightenment. The book of Ruth takes on a new dimension when we add the connotations of the names of the principal characters and places. Thus the story centres on Bethlehem (house of bread) in a time of famine, and later of plenty (1:6). The two sons of Naomi (pleasant), Mahlon (sickness) and Chilion (wasting), who are Ephrathites (fruitful), produce no children in a foreign land. Yet Chilion’s barren wife, Ruth, after returning to the Land, bears a seed of Boaz (strength). And this by no means exhausts the significant names in this inspiring little book.
But some have raised objections to this kind of exposition. Can we really believe that any parents would name their sons Sickness and Wasting? And there are many such examples; for instance, Ahira, brother of evil (Num. 1:15) or Nabal, fool (1 Sam. 25:25; cf. Ps. 14:1, same word). A possible explanation is that men of notably evil character were given additional names (nicknames), either by their contemporaries or by the inspired authors of the Word, and that these have been used in the text to underline their faithlessness.
Search the Scriptures
This brief introduction to word study has sought merely to whet the appetite of any who wish to appreciate more of the wonders of the Word of God, and who are prepared to labour with books (or computer), and some midnight oil, to uncover them. No effort in this direction will go unrewarded. By it, faith will be increased and the student will be equipped with a fine resource to enliven platform addresses, Bible Class discussion and godly conversation of every sort.
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