The Importance of Words in Bible Study
One of the things that is important in Bible study but can be overlooked is the study of individual words. This task can be made easier if one learns the Greek and Hebrew languages but obviously not everyone can do that. When I am preaching or leading a Bible study I will read through the passage in English in three or more translations and pick out which words I think need a closer look.
I then open Logos Bible software to my passage and read the passage through in the NASB with Strong’s numbers. A simple left click on the number will allow me to look it up in a number of dictionaries or do a search for other instances of that word in the Bible. This really helps with Bible study because I can see where that word is used throughout the Hebrew or Greek Bible and I know it is exactly the same original word and not just the same English word. It also prevents me from missing instances of the word, which might occur if the translation uses more than one English word for the same Greek or Hebrew word. Studying words in this way helps me to study the Bible in greater detail, adding depth to my sermons or Bible study leading. Logos also makes it easy to see which word was used in the Septuagint translation which means that I can search both New and Old Testaments to gain a deeper understanding in my Bible study.
I also find that this approach can lead to exciting discoveries in my own devotional life during my personal Bible study time. By looking at the same word in numerous passages I read more of the Bible than I would otherwise. It gives me a deeper understanding of the whole of Scripture even if my Bible study is just focussed on one particular passage or book. I think that this combined with a devotional Bible study in which I ask God to speak to me through a particular passage gives me a well rounded approach to Bible study.