course, session notes (3:48)
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Written communication has the power to enlighten and baffle. Words convey useful meaning and understanding, but words can also cause confusion and misunderstanding. So we need helpful ways to identify and work through the unique complexities of written words. In this unit, we cover the basic concepts, tools, and habits that will help us meet the challenge of studying biblical words. (2:56)
Consider the amazing, complex world of words. In this session, we’ll start our class by noticing a few important features about the way words work. (:29)
Ask yourself
- Do you understand what’s going on?
- What role do your words play in your ability to understand or misunderstand?
“Jabberwocky” from Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll (1871)
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Did you understand what was meant by some of the unfamiliar words in that poem? Why or how is this possible?
Human communication is one of the most amazing and complex activities we participate in every day, even though we rarely think much about it. In this famous poem, Carroll illustrates the complex role that words play in our communication. Although individual words are important for communicating our thoughts, there are many more factors at play. The situational context, the topic at hand, our tone of voice, pace and volume, the “feel” of the paragraph—these all work together in determining meaning.
Meaning has an important relationship to words, but there are more factors for communicating meaning than just words. Words are indispensable, but you need more than just words.
“Jabberwocky” is a brilliant example of how much can be communicated in the absence of precise words. But it works both ways. Genesis 1 is an example of how little can be communicated even when using very common words.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was formless and void,
and darkness was over the surface of the deep,
and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light day, and the darkness he called night.
And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
God made the expanse and separated the waters
which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
God called the expanse “heavens.”
And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.Genesis 1:1-8
Even though these English words are fairly common, some are not as familiar and others are being used in ways that are different from how we use them in standard English. Let’s look at some of the key words used in this passage.
“Heavens” (according to dictionary.com)
- The use of “heaven” in English translations of Genesis 1:1 is not the most common meaning of the word (the first definition from dictionary.com). Rather, the fifth definition is the most common!
- We have a perfectly normal alternative English word for “heaven,” that is, “skies.”
“Earth,” meaning “the globe”
- Hebrew is an ancient Semitic language, and this text was written thousands of years ago before knowledge of the planet’s shape.
- We have a perfectly good word in English that corresponds well to the Hebrew word underneath this, that is “land.”
“Formless and void”
- Huh? What does it mean to say that the earth is formless? Doesn’t the English word “earth” mean the planet that exists in the form of a sphere? How can the earth be formless by definition? This sentence makes no sense in modern English!
“Expanse”
- In English, “expanse” refers to a large space that exists in between two things, usually horizontally.
- What does it even mean to say that an expanse divides waters from waters?
Words are both the foundation for understanding, but can also be the main problem in understanding. There’s a slippery relationship between words and meaning—they communicate something, but they can also obscure meaning at the same time.
What ideas or images come to mind when you hear the words “heavens” or “earth”?
Familiar words like "heaven" and "earth" often come with lots of pre-loaded ideas and images. This means we may too quickly assume we understand what they mean. Unfamiliar words force us to think and wonder about their meaning, while familiar words feel easier because we may already know what they mean. But what if our assumption of meaning is not what the author had in mind? For example, we might picture a globe spinning in space when reading the word “earth,” but the biblical authors and their original audiences would have pictured something different. In our quest to understand biblical words, we need to develop the skill of recognizing our pre-loaded assumptions about the meaning of words.
In this session, we explore the relationship between words and meaning, realizing that learning the meaning of words is not always as simple as looking them up in a dictionary. Tim explains the difference between the dictionary approach and encyclopedia approach to understanding words. (:32)
One of the great challenges in reading the Bible is that we must remind ourselves that we are reading a translation of a text written in a language and culture vastly different from our own. The meaning of these words in English does not help us understand what they mean to the biblical authors.
One of the greatest challenges we have in reading the Bible is to remind ourselves that we are reading a translation. We are reading the bible in our language, but it’s a translation of text that was written in another language. But languages don’t exist in vacuums, they exist in times and places and cultures, and are inseparable from those times and places and cultures because language is a morphing, changing, developing thing.
Effective communication requires a body of agreed-upon words, terms, and ideas, a common ground of understanding. For the speaker this often requires accommodation to the audience by using words and ideas they will under stand. For the audience, if they are not native to the language and cultural matrix of the speaker, this means reaching common ground may require seeking out additional information or explanation. In other words, the audience has to adapt to a new and unfamiliar culture.
—John Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (Baker Books, 2006), pp19-20.
Words don’t function in a vacuum, they function as a part of a language system. Languages don’t function in a vacuum, they are a function of cultures and times and people groups.
Understanding the language of another culture requires much more than using a dictionary that lists the meanings of words. We have to also consider the larger cultural ideas that make sense of the words in the first place.
A Way of Thinking About Textual Communication
| Author → | Text | ⇄ Reader/Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Production | Encyclopedia of Reception |
Where is “meaning” located? It first exists in the mind of an author. But in the case of ancient authors, we no longer have access to their minds apart from the text.
The text is the literary embodiment of an author’s intended communication.
Our “encyclopedia” is the mental storehouse of words, ideas, images, and stories that we are gathering and storing in our memories from our first waking moments. Every text we read will be interpreted and understood in light of our current operating encyclopedia. Authors have their encyclopedias from which they produce texts, and readers have encyclopedias through which they process and under stand texts. For more on this, see Stefan Alkier, Reading the Bible Intertextually, pp3-21
The model reader who wants to understand an author on their own terms will adapt their encyclopedia of reception by learning about the author’s encyclopedia of production.
One of the great challenges in reading the Bible is that it takes work to:
- Become aware of our own modern encyclopedias of reception that we (unknowingly) impose upon the biblical author.
- Like when we impose modern cosmology onto the ancient cosmology of Genesis 1.
- Or like when we attribute much later doctrinal ideas/debates to the biblical authors (debates about Calvinism v. Arminianism, divine sovereignty and human free will, etc.)
- Discover the encyclopedia of production assumed by the author as they communicate.
- Historical and cultural: Learn something about Hebrew, ancient Near Eastern worldviews or ancient Israelite history and culture.
- Textual: The biblical authors assume a high degree of familiarity with the TaNaK because it was first produced and read within a small community that was immersed in its textual world. It is a highly “hyperlinked” set of texts, and its puzzles and ambiguities become more clear after repeated re-reading over a lifetime.
Example: “Heart” in the Bible (לֵב (lēḇ 4213/3820)†/לֵבָב (lēbāb 4222/3824)†)
We might assume that the associations and meanings of our English word “heart” are the same in the Bible. And there are some places where that is true.
And [YHWH] said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Exodus 4:14
Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” 1 Samuel 1:8 NASB95
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
Isaiah 61:1 NASB95
But there are many other passages in the Bible where the word “heart” is used in ways that differ from our conception in a significant way.
Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” Genesis 17:17
“And behold, I myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have placed skill in the hearts of all who are skillful of heart, so they can make all that I have commanded you.” Exodus 31:6
Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of heart, like the sand that is on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29
As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household? 1 Samuel 9:20 NASB95
Notice how “set your heart on” is a common English phrase but it has a different meaning.
But Daniel set it upon his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8
These examples all show that “heart” in Hebrew is associated as much with the mind, thoughts, and purpose as it is with emotions. That’s because there’s no Hebrew word for brain and no concept of its role within the body! The heart does double duty in Hebrew not because of a dictionary but because of their different conception of human physiology. This is a difference in cultural encyclopedia.
Have you had an experience of trying to communicate across cultural differences? Take a minute to reflect on the way your experience and context have shaped your readiness for engaging a text like the Bible, which comes from different times, cultures, and languages.
In all communication, we try to bridge a gap between our words and ideas. Sometimes that gap is obvious, but other times we may not even recognize it. Reading the Bible is a cross-cultural experience, and the first step toward bridging the gap is recognizing that the gap is there.
In this session, we consider the original biblical languages and the skills that help us interpret translations of these texts. We can see helpful connections by looking at the way New Testament authors translate words and ideas from the Hebrew Bible. Tim also gives us a quick lesson on using Bible study software. (:37)
The Christian Bible consists of two large literary collections, the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament.
The Bible develops one whole set of ideas in two different languages. If we want to study biblical words, we need to know how to work in two languages.
| Languages of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament | Languages of New Testament |
|---|---|
| Ancient Hebrew | Koine (“common”) Greek |
| Ancient Aramaic Daniel 2:4–7:28; Ezra 4:8–6:18, 7:11-26; Jeremiah 10:11 |
Jesus and the New Testament authors were raised with an encyclopedia that came from the Old Testament. And that encyclopedia came to them often through the Greek Bible, butt hey are thinking in Hebrew concepts.
What all of this is meant to do is give us some skills to anchor our experience of the Bible so we can hear God but also make sure we’re not just hearing ourselves.
There is one work that bridges these two languages and literary collections, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible called the Septuagint. Let’s take a look at the Hebrew and Greek versions of some Old Testament passages.
Example 1: “Tent/Dwell” in John 1:14 and Exodus 25:7-8
| Hebrew Bible/Old Testament | Let them construct a sanctuary for me, that I may dwell (שָׁכַן šāḵǎn 8905/7931†) among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle (“tent” מִשְׁכָּן miškān 5438/4908†) and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it. Exodus 25:8-9 in Hebrew |
| Greek Old Testament/Septuagint | And you shall make a sanctuary for me, and I will become visible among you. And you shall make it for me according to everything I show you on the mountain—the pattern of the tent (σκηνή skēnē 5008/4633†‡) and the pattern of all its vessels. So you will make them. Exodus 25:8-9 |
| Greek New Testament | And the Word became flesh, and dwelt (σκηνόω skēnoō 5012/4637†‡) among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NASB95 |
In Hebrew, the noun “tent” (miškān) and the verb “dwell in a tent” (šāḵǎn) come from the same root word and are closely connected to the tabernacle, the sacred tent at the center of Israel in the wilderness period.
In the Septuagint, the Greek translators used the common word for “live in a tent” (skēnoō) and “tent” (skēnē). But the Hebrew Bible’s specific focus on the tent/tabernacle means that the Greek word has been adopted and tweaked to refer specifically to the tabernacle tent.
In the Greek New Testament, John assumes this connection and uses the verb “lived in a tent” in its Hebrew sense. He doesn’t mean that Jesus actually lived in a tent but that he was the divine glory taking on physical form just as the tabernacle tent was a physical display of the divine presence.
Jesus and the apostles often use Greek words from the Septuagint to activate the encyclopedia of the Hebrew Bible. It’s “Hebrew through Greek.”
Key Take-Away:
- The apostles often use Greek words, but they are activating their Hebrew meaning through the vocabulary of the Septuagint.
- When studying New Testament Greek words, we need to be familiar with the Septuagint and look there for the Hebrew correspondents and see the connections in meaning.
Example 2: Wild and Waste in Genesis 1:2 and Hebrews 11:3
| Hebrew Bible/Old Testament | Genesis 1:2: tōhû (9332/8414)† w-bōhû (983/922)† [WP] תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ wild and waste, meaning unordered and uninhabited |
| The Greek Old Testament/Septuagint | Genesis 1:2: aoratos kai akataskeuastos ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος invisible and unformed |
| Greek New Testament | By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:3 |
What does it mean to say that the New Testament authors had an “encyclopedia” shaped by the Hebrew Bible?
New Testament authors frequently reference the Hebrew Bible, but their use of Scripture goes beyond quotes or allusions to specific stories and passages. The vocabulary and imagery of the Hebrew Bible pervades the imagination of the New Testament writers. When they use a word, they are usually thinking about that word in the context of the Hebrew Bible. Although they wrote in Greek, the New Testament authors were most often thinking in Hebrew concepts.
In this session, we’ll use some powerful tools to explore the wide range of meaning that a single word can have in the Bible. (:34)
Words are slippery. But in this case, they not just slippery, they rich. They are like a flower with all kinds of petals. Just like identifying one petal doesn’t get you the whole flower, but it really is a part of it—a genuine reflection of it.
The words that we most commonly use often do not have one single, specific meaning. Rather, they have a range of meanings that can be activated by different features of the context. In other words, words are only one factor to consider when discovering the meaning of a word.
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English Example: “Run”
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Hebrew Example: “Beginning” (רֵאשִׁית rēʾšîṯ 8040/7225†)
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What we’re after when we’re studying words is not just their meaning, but the ways they can be used in a variety of ways.
| The first, earliest thing | But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the rēʾšîṯ of the year to its end. Deuteronomy 11:11-12 NIV |
| The period of something’s origin | Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth…The rēʾšîṯ of his kingdom was Babylon and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Genesis 10:8-10 NASB95 |
| The most important | Woe to those who are at ease in Zion And to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria, The distinguished men of the rēʾšîṯ of nations, To whom the house of Israel comes. Amos 6:1 NASB95 |
| The first-fruit portion | You shall bring the choice rēʾšîṯ of your soil into the house of the Lord your God. Exodus 23:19 NASB95 |
Greek Example: “Faith/Belief” (πίστις pistis 4411/4102†‡)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
This familiar passage contains so many key words in New Testament theology: grace, salvation, and faith v. works.
If we made this passage central to our understanding of faith, it would lead us to conclude that faith is set in opposition to works. If we take this contrast out of its context in Ephesians and in Paul’s very nuanced treatment of faith and the works of the Torah, this faith/works opposition can lead to a very distorted understanding of faith. This is often restated in popular Protestant theology to mean that a person’s status as “saved” before God bears no relation to their actions but only to their correct beliefs. It introduces a dichotomy between belief and behavior that has been very damaging in the history of the Protestant tradition.
The question is: What does “faith” mean in the Greek New Testament? What is the semantic range of the word?
1. The act of trusting in someone
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by pistis, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 NIV
Through him you have pistis in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your pistis and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:21
These examples show a similar meaning to our English words “believe” or “have faith.” It’s primarily a mental activity, the choice to believe in someone or something.
2. A set of convictions and beliefs that define a social group
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the pistis. Acts 6:7 NIV
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one pistis, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV
These examples show that a social group can be identified with the beliefs or convictions that set it apart from other groups.
3. Actions that display a person’s trust or faithfulness
Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their pistis, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:1-2
Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience from pistis for his name’s sake. Romans 1:5
We remember before our God and Father your work that is from pistis, your labor that is from love, and your endurance that is from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:3
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have pistis but has no works? Can such pistis save them? pistis by itself, if it is not accompanied by works, is dead. James 2:14-17 (NIV)
In each of these texts, pistis clearly refers to publicly visible action and behavior, not primarily to a mental activity or choice. In other words, pistis can refer to both the choice to believe something and also to the behaviors that result from that belief. They are one and the same.
Knowing this semantic range helps clarify uses of pistis where Paul exploits and combines these different nuances, like in the following examples.
But now apart from the Torah the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is through pistis of Jesus Messiah for all who show pistis. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21-24
Know that a person is not justified by the works of the Torah, but through pistis of Jesus Messiah. So we, too, have shown pistis in Messiah Jesus that we may be justified by pistis of Messiah and not by the works of the Torah, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. Galatians 2:16
Notice how in both passages Paul uses the phrase “pistis of Jesus” alongside the phrase “showing pistis in Jesus.” Scholars debate whether these are two ways of emphasizing nuance (1) above, or whether Paul is activating two semantic nuances.
Because of the (1) actions of Jesus that displayed his pistis to God, we can now be in right covenant relationship with God if we (2) display an attitude of pistis in Jesus.
Think about a word with a wide range of meanings, such as the word “run,” which we use as an example in this session. Are all of its possible meanings intended whenever someone uses the word “run”?
Words in every language have a key feature we do not want to ignore. Their meaning is known not only through dictionary definitions, but also through the word’s semantic range, context, and comparable use in other places. For example, the word “run” does not evoke speed when describing vines growing, or “running,” up the side of a house. Run does convey speed, however, when describing racers sprinting. In the same way, biblical words can have a range of possible meanings, and learning to recognize a word’s range of meaning and original context helps us avoid assuming things the authors did not intend to say.
In this final session, we will see how different biblical authors use certain words in different ways, depending on context and intent. Then we’ll connect all these concepts and skills we’ve been learning together into a helpful toolbox for studying biblical words. (:45)
Each of the Biblical authors has a unique set of emphases, styles, ideas. Which means that sometimes the same word—whether you’re reading it in Matthew or in Paul or in Hebrews—might have a different set of nuances that are meant of being communicated.
Semantic Focus: All of us use words in unique ways, which means that using a dictionary and knowing a word’s semantic range is not enough. One must actually study the use of a word by a particular author, book, or literary unit to discover the unique nuance of a word in context.
Example: Righteousness
STEP 1: Study the semantic range of the Hebrew word for righteousness, צָדַק (ṣāḏǎq 7405/6663)†/צְדָקָה (ṣeḏāqāh 7407/6666)†, and righteous, צַדִּיק (ṣǎddîq 7404/3072)†.
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Actions through which a person “does right by” another person in the context of their relationship
Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the ṣeḏāqāh performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.” 1 Samuel 12:6-7
Judah recognized them and said, “She has acted with more ṣāḏǎq than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again. Genesis 38:26 NIV
And my ṣeḏāqāh will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen.” Genesis 30:33
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Ethical behavior that aligns with God’s will
“The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our ṣeḏāqāh.” Deuteronomy 6:24-25 NIV
Blessed are those who act justly, who always do ṣeḏāqāh. Psalm 106:3 NIV
To do ṣeḏāqāh and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3 NIV
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A relational standing, being in right relationship with God
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as ṣeḏāqāh. Genesis 15:6 NIV
After [my servant] has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my ṣǎddîq servant will make many ṣāḏǎq, and he will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11 NIV
STEP 2: Learn the Greek word that translates “righteousness” in the Septuagint (δικαιοσύνη dikaiosynē 1466/1343†‡ [δίκαιος dikaios 1465/1342†‡]).
Because the Lord is dikaios and he loved dikaiosynē. His face saw uprightness. Psalm 11:7 LES2 (Psalm 10 in this translation)
STEP 3: Study the semantic range of the word in the Greek New Testament, paying attention to semantic focus in different authors and books.
In Matthew’s Gospel, the word dikaiosynē has a semantic focus on behavior that aligns with God’s will, especially as revealed in the Torah. (the word appears 7 times… coincidence? Logos†)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. Matthew 1:18-19 NASB95
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. Matthew 3:15 NIV
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20 NIV
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he uses the dikaiosynē word group to activate the entire semantic range of the Hebrew words for righteousness—God’s character of “doing right by” his covenant promises and a person’s right relational status with God.
For in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is from faith and results in faithfulness, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17 NIV
Ethical behavior that aligns with God’s will
Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. Romans 6:13 NIV
Being in right relationship with God
The words “it was credited to [Abraham]” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (meaning “to create our right relational status with God”). Romans 4:23-25 NIV
Paul shows an awareness of the wide semantic range of dikaiosynē, and he activates those different nuances depending on the contextual point he wants to make. Matthew, on the other hand, uses the same word to consistently activate one nuance of meaning. Simply knowing the dictionary definition of a word is only one part of understanding what a particular author means by their words. We need to track with the unique ways each author uses their words to gain a deeper understanding.
Why is it important to consider the uniqueness of an author or book when searching for a word’s meaning?
In the same way a person you know might frequently use a specific word in a particular way, each of the biblical authors have their own distinct way of using language. Sometimes we can see how a certain author or book emphasizes one particular aspect of a word’s meaning, which helps us understand how and why the author is using that word. This adds texture and depth to the word, bringing us closer to the author’s meaning.
Faith in Ephesians 2:8-9
Pistis in Ephesians
For those with no knowledge of Greek and Hebrew
- Lexham Theological Wordbook† [digital only in Logos Bible software]
For those with knowledge of Greek and Hebrew
- New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, edited by Willem VanGemeren [print and digital in Logos]
- New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, edited by Moisés Silva [print and digital in Logos]
The standard English dictionaries of ancient biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek presuppose a knowledge of the languages. All are available in digital or print forms.
- BDB: A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, with an Appendix Containing the Biblical Aramaic, edited by Francis Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977)†
- HALOT: The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, edited by L. Koehler and Walter Baumgartner (Brill, 1994)
- BDAG: A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, edited by Walter Bauer, F.W. Danker, W.F. Arndt, and F.W. Gingrich (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000)
Helpful books on biblical words and how to do word studies
- Matthew Richard Schlimm, 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know (Abingdom Press, 2018)
- D.A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies (Baker Academic, 1996)
- Douglas Mangum and Josh Westbury, Linguistics and Biblical Exegesis (Lexham Press, 2017)
- Moisés Silva, Biblical Words and their Meaning: An Introduction to Lexical Semantics (Zondervan Academic, 1995)