How to Study a Concept with the Senses Ring

Today’s blog question comes from a participant in our Camp Logos Inductive Webinar:

I thoroughly enjoyed the webinar! I especially liked the insights you offered regarding the Hebrew word translated “meditate” in Joshua 1:8. I’ve been doing my own study of the word, but I’m having trouble understanding the numbers under the Senses ring in the Bible Word Study Guide. Can you offer some help?

He’s very observant so let’s set up what he’s describing and then I’ll explain the numbers:

Open an English Bible with the interlinear option such as the NASB, LEB, KJV, NKJV, or ESV (A)
Navigate to Joshua 1:8 (B)
Right click on the word that is normally translated mediate in English Bibles (C)
Select the Hebrew lemma (the word with the ring icon) from the right side of the Context menu (D)
Select Bible Word Study from the left side of the Context menu (E)

Expand the Senses section in the Bible Word Study report (F)
Keep in mind these observations as you work with this section:
- The Hebrew lemma appears inside the ring (G)
- Around (H) and below (I) the ring are all of the suggested, contextual senses or meanings the Logos team offers for this lemma throughout the Old Testament
- The numbers to the right of a sense represent the number of times that sense occurs in relation to the total number occurrences of the lemma (J)
- The numbers to the far right of a sense represent the number of times the lemma under study has that sense in relation to the total number of times that sense appears throughout the entire Bible (K)

For example, notice under the ring one of the suggested senses for our Hebrew lemma is to groan. (L)

To the right of this sense, we see 4 of 25. (M) This means there are 25 places in the Old Testament where our lemma has a sense suggested for it. 4 of these places are the sense to groan. Click the arrow to the left of the sense to see those 4 occurrences (N)

To the far right of the sense to groan we see 4 of 36. (O) This means there are 36 places throughout the Bible where the sense to groan has been suggested by the Logos team. 4 of these occurrences are represented by the Hebrew lemma we’re currently studying. Which means there must be other Hebrew and/or Greek lemmas that account for the other 32 occurrences of the sense to groan.

Click the arrow to the left of the sense to groan to reveal the other Hebrew and Greek lemmas which share the sense to groan. (P) Click a hyperlinked lemma to generate a Bible Word

Please keep in mind the Senses section is based on the Bible Sense Lexicon Dataset which among other things shows us all of the Hebrew and Greek lemmas sharing a similar meaning. In other words, by investigating all of the Hebrew and Greek lemmas assigned a specific sense, we’re in essence studying a concept in Scripture!

For more detailed information about the Bible Sense Lexicon and Senses, be sure to order your copy of the Logos Training Manuals Volumes 1-3 in print or digital or attend a Camp Logos training seminar.

And for 24/7 Logos training, check out the new MPSeminarsOnline.com website.

Remember to follow Faithlife.com/mpseminars and you’ll automatically receive a FREE digital download of Dr. Grant Osborne’s commentary Ephesians Verse by Verse.

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Morris Proctor is a certified trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris, who has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos seminars, provides many training materials.