ART OF BIBLICAL WORDS
SESSION 5

From this session, I learned that each biblical author has a unique style, emphasis, and theological focus, so words can carry slightly different nuances depending on who is writing. It’s not enough to know the dictionary definition or general semantic range of a word, we have to study how that specific author uses it in context. Expanding circles of context help: start with the same book, then other works by the author, then the broader collection, and finally the whole Bible. This keeps us from imposing our own assumptions. The big lesson here is that careful word study, rooted in both language and context, allows us to understand the intended meaning and see how each author contributes to the Bible’s overall story.