Doing Word Studies: Part 1

Types:  There are many things people mean when they say they are going to do a word study.  Superficially they can mean anything from looking the word up in a dictionary to researching every use the term from the beginning of the written language to the present.  This lesson is not about looking a word up in a dictionary or studying the history of a word.  It is about trying to discern the meaning a particular writer attached to a word in a particular context.

There are two types of word studies that are done in biblical studies; diachronic and synchronic.

Diachronic: This type of study traces the use of a term through it historical development in the bible. One does this type of study for the sake of understanding the topic as part of the progressive revelation of God.  For example it is very instructive to study the concept of redemption as it develops from the kinsman redeemer in the OT to its fulfillment of in the Christ who is redeemer in the NT.    This is more of a theological type study.

Synchronic: The concern is with meaning at a particular place and time. This is the type of word study that will be developed in this section of the course.

Types of Meaning

Outer Lexicography: The obvious meaning of a word. 

MODERN EXAMPLE: The basic meaning of the word cool deals with temperature.
ANCIENT EXAMPLE: The word bapti,zw means to dip or sink.

Inner Lexicography: The meanings that attach themselves in some obvious or not so obvious way to a word. Sometimes they retain the meaning of the original and sometimes the meaning of the original is lost.

MODERN EXAMPLE: In this sense the word cool means something is nice or wonderful. The original meaning is for the most part lost.
ANCIENT EXAMPLE:  The word bapti,zw becomes the word for the initiation rite into Christianity, but still retains the meaning of dipping.

Polysemy:  This is the concept that words have more than one meaning.  The problem then becomes one of discerning either contextually or by some other means which meaning best fits the context and the author's purpose.

The Greek word for grasped (a`rpagmo.j) has two meanings.  The first is to grab something that you do not currently possess, but the second is to hold on to something that you already possess.

Analyze how each meaning would fit the following verse and comment on what it would mean theologically if a particular meaning is adopted.:

Philippians 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Philippians 2:6 o]j evn morfh/| qeou/ u`pa,rcwn ouvc a`rpagmo.n h`gh,sato to. ei=nai i;sa qew/|(

I.    Identification

A.    The Starting Point: In

1.    Context:  Identify a verse that you wish to study and the boundaries of its context.  This context will be called our TARGET TEXT (TT).

2.    Term: Identify the word that is the most troublesome to the understanding of the context. This is our TARGET WORD (TW)

B.    Current Definition The next stage of the study is to identify what you currently think the word means.  This is so that you can evaluate the validity of what you believe after the study is done.  Word studies are for the purpose of giving focus and validity to what we believe or to enable us to change it.

C.    Theological Influences: Try to determine which theological influences affect, either positively or negatively, your conclusions.

II.    Classification

A.    Type of Context: Identify the context as to type or primary topic.  This is done so that apples can be compared to apples and not apples to oranges.  For example is the context primarily concerned with laws on adultery, warfare, sacrifice, Christology, conversion, etc.

B.    Type of Words: Is the word a a verbal, noun, adjective, etc.  Ask yourself how this type of word functions.

III.    Location

A.    Computer Concordance: Refer to the section on your BLA500 CD on using the Online Bible as a Super Concordance. Find everyplace the Greek or Hebrew Word appears

B.    Sampling: A question now poses itself to the student and that is if there is a large enough sampling of the word in question to make a decision concerning its meaning.  How many contexts are enough?  The more the better, especially if the author uses a word in a restricted way throughout.

C. Context is King and Not Statistics: Never let statistical matters be the only criteria for choosing a meaning. If a word is used one way 300 times, but only twice with another meaning and the contexts those two usages appear in are exactly like the target text and the others are not then choose the meaning that is only used twice.

Assignment: Use Genesis 1:14 as your TT and choose the word "Lights" as your TW then do steps I.-III. and record your findings.

IV.    Organization: The student now has all these texts to choose from but obviously he has to make some judgments as to which texts he will use to help him understand his target text.  The following chart is a a helpful conceptualization tool.  The texts collected in step III. will be put in one of the circles. The closer a text can be placed in relationship to the center, the usually makes it more valuable for understanding the target text.

A.    TT:  The first text the student chooses is the target text.  This is the text he wishes to understand and it is the first text to be studied.  It is the text that must be studied most carefully.  It should be noted whether or not the word appears more than once in the target text.

B.    The author's use of this word is of greater importance than any other type of context. Words are often repeated in the same context (SC) and the more a word is used then the more important it is.  One should also pay careful attention to when the word used in the same book (SB) and in other works by the same author (SA).

C.    One should be very careful even when using a related work (RW) or unrelated works (UW).  What constitutes a related work? Some works were written at the same time and place.  For example Isaiah and Micah were contemporaries and they share much of the same theology.

OLD TESTAMENT

1.    Pentateuch

2.    Joshua - 2 Kings (Minus Ruth) + Deuteronomy

3.    Solomonic Tradition

4.    Chronicler (+ Ezra)

5.    Nehemiah, Esther

6.    Pre-Exilic Prophets: Jonah-Hosea-Amos, Isaiah-Micah, Nahum-Zephaniah-Jeremiah-Habakkuk

7.    Exilic Prophets: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel

8.    Post-Exilic: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

9.    Psalms

 

NEW TESTAMENT

1.    Johannine

2.    Pauline

BAKER/DYKE	THATCHER	SMITH	WEATHERLY
Galatians (Assumes Southern Galatian Theory)
1 & 2 Thessalonians
1 & 2 Corinthians
Romans
Colossians - Philemon - Ephesians Philippians
Titus - 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy

3.    Petrine

4.    Luke-Acts

5.    Synoptics

6.    2 Peter & Jude

7.    Luke-Paul

V. Analysis: Each text should be taken

1.    T-Diagram

2.    Literary Type: The student should determine the literary style of the passage.

a.    Prose: Most of the Old Testament is written in the simple discourse style of everyday life.  If the text/version is laid out in paragraph format then the prose passages have only the first line indented.

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Simple Prose vs. Structured Prose:  Structured prose is where the passage is heavily outlined and uses technical language. Genesis 1:1-2:23 would be an example of this. Leviticus would be almost entirely structured prose as would Hebrews and Revelation in the New Testament. Simple prose and structured prose form a continuum of type.  The more structure that is seen in the passage, the more careful one must be with the use of the language.  In other words structured prose tends to use technical terms or technical meanings for its terms.

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b.    Poetry:    In the OT (MT) and the LXX and NT passages which imitate the poetry of the OT/MT the use of parallelism is of extreme importance for understanding how words were understood.

(1)    Formation:  Hebrew poetry is not based upon rhyming but upon repetition.  An idea is stated and then a similar idea is used to restate it.  Take for example Psalm 1:1

(a)    English

(b)    Hebrew

(c)    Greek

(2) Variations

(a)    Synonymous Parallelism:  This is the type in which the repeated ideas are of similar meaning as in our example above. The words go, stand, and sit are related concepts.  The importance is that they reveal related concepts.

Analyze Psalm 1:2 as to what parallels what.  Sometime things don't have a parallel, but usually the do. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

(b)    Antithetic Parallelism: The second line will present the opposite of the first line. Therefore we know from this construction what something is not.

Analyze Psalm 1:6 as to what parallels what, but this time in the negative sense. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

(c)    Synthetic: The second line does not repeat but adds a new concept to the original or existing idea.

Analyze Psalm 1:6 as to how the second line expands the first line. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season

(d)    Emblematic: One line is to be taken literally and the other line metaphorically.  The two lines are also one of the above, but this is an additional feature.  The metaphoric line illustrates, enlivens, and gives depth to the literal line.  The point is that the metaphoric line shows the boundaries that exists in the writer's understanding.  This type appears often in the book of Proverbs.

Analyze Proverbs 26:11 as to how the metaphoric line expands the boundaries of the first line.

Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly.

3.    Disposition: Is the word used in a positive, neutral, or negative sense.  Neutral is where it is neither good or bad. Obviously you will have to use a Greek text, an interlinear, or the Online Bible to be sure you have identified which word is the word to be studied.

In the following verses analyze whether the word evpiqume,w (desire/ lust, etc.) is used in a positive or negative sense.
Matt. 5:28
Matt. 13:17
Luke 15:16
Luke 16:21
Luke 17:22
Luke 22:15
Acts 20:33
Rom. 7:7
Rom. 13:9
1 Cor. 10:6
Gal. 5:17
1 Tim. 3:1
Heb. 6:11
Jam. 4:2
1 Pet. 1:12
Rev. 9:6

4.    Attending Actions/Circumstances: When something is done other things are taking place at the same time.  In one of the stories of John the Baptist he is pictured as baptizing at Aenon near Salem because there was much water there. Notice that the action of baptism demanded the presence of much water.  In the debate surrounding the mode of baptism (sprinkling/pouring/immersion) this passage has been used to argue that whatever baptism is that it required much water.  The actions or activities surrounding a word may have any of the following relationships to that word.

a.    Unrelated: No relationship.  The detail is what is called a gratuitous detail.  This is especially ture in narrative when a place or circumstance is mentioned.

b.    Mildly Related: The example above about John the baprtist is an example of this.  Having much water is only a minor part of the subject of baptism

c.    Strongly Related: The thing is a major part of the essence of the action.  When David slept with Bathsheba the details of the encounter are all a part of the sin he committed.

In this verse from Matthew 5 what is the attending action to committing adultery?  Which relationship exists? I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

5.    Self Definition:  The author defines his own word.

a.    Positive: Something stated to be something.  For example in 1 Cor. 13 Paul tells the reader what love is.

b.    Negative: Something is said not to be something.  For example in 1 Cor. 13 Paul tells the reader what love is not.

c.    Naming: Something is given a name that define it. In Genesis 1:8 the firmament is called heaven and so in that passage the thing called the firmament must be understood as being whatever the word heaven(s) can embrace.

d.    Listing: Things are often put in lists beside similar things.  Some may be variations or more intense forms of the same things.  Galatians 5 is a great example of defining by listing and also by positive self definition.

 

Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Notice that the passage begins with "the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are. . ."	This positive self definition. He wants to define the deeds of the flesh.
Now, please note that the elements of the list fall into groups.
Immorality (pornei,a) Impurity (avkaqarsi,a) Sensuality (avse,lgeia)	Private self-indulgence
Idolatry (eivdwlolatri,a) Sorcery (farmakei,a)	False religious practices that are opposed to the worship of the true God.
Enmities (e;cqrai) Strife (e;rij) Jealousy (zh/loj) Outbursts of anger (qumoi,) Disputes (evriqei/ai) Dissensions (dicostasi,ai) Factions (ai`re,seij) Envying (fqo,noi)	Failure to get along with one's fellow man.
Drunkenness (me,qai) Carousing (kw/moi)	Rampant/public self-indulgence

e.    Apposition: An explanatory statement is put next to a word or statement. In Titus 2:13 Paul says, "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus"  Christ Jesus explains who the savior is in this context.

Read these verses and explain which type of self-definition exists in each example.  Which word or phrase is being defined?  How does the definition change the meaning?
1 Peter 1:1a, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ
1 Peter 1:7 the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable,
1 Peter 1:19 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

6.    Cause-Purpose/Result: What is the cause of something?  Is a purpose stated? What are the results of an action?

Analyze John 3:16 as if you were studying

7.    Possession:  When something is owned by something else its identity and character changes.  The "house of God" is the temple.  The "house of Ahab" is the palace or his dynasty.  The house of Huldah is just her home. Often possession is shown in English with the 's ending but also by the use of the preposition "of."  Always carefully look at the one doing the possessing.

Look at 1 Timothy 3:2 and describe who is doing the possessing.  How does this change the meaning of the passage? "An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach."

8.    Reactions/Psychological Factors: Certain passages will describe a mental or physical reaction to what is described by a word.

9.    Synonym/Antonym: Is a word/idea  repeated using a similar word or is it contrasted with something that means the opposite?

10.  Matters Seen from a Distance: When the words and passages have all been studied.  The student should be able to answer these questions:

a.    What is the strength of term

b.    What is the breadth of meaning of the term?

c.    What the things or ideas that this word is usually associated with?

V.    Summary: When all has been done the student should make a summary or composite picture of what he has learned.

VI.    Application: The student will apply his results to his context and note which ideas fit and which ones don't.