Session 4

THE LINGUISTIC METHOD

The linguistic method involves studying the meaning of the words as used in the original language of the Scriptures.

Since words are the stepping stones of thought communication, you will not be able to understand the meaning of the passage if you do not understand the meaning of the words that make up that passage. Furthermore, your applications will almost surely be incorrect if the interpretation is incorrect. Since the main purpose of Scripture study is to correctly apply the teachings contained therein to our lives (obedience to God) and not merely an academic study of doctrine, the study of the individual words in the Scriptures is a very important step in understanding the message of the Bible. One must remember the structure of context.

WORD
SENTENCE
PARAGRAPH
CHAPTER
BOOK OF STUDY
THE WHOLE BIBLE
The Structure of Context

Sources of Study:

A. A good English dictionary

B. Contemporary, understandable translation of the Bible.
Some recommendations:

  1. The New King James Version
  2. The New American Standard Version
  3. The New International Version
  4. The Amplified Bible
    Caution: Some of the paraphrases are helpful in understanding, but exercise care as they are not translations!

C. Concordances: Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible or Young’s Analytical Concordance.

  1. Procedure
    • Look in a newer, more easily understood translation of the Bible to see how the word is translated into modern English.
    • Check the marginal notes or the footnotes in your Bible to see if they explain the meaning of the word.
    • If you have an index in your Bible, consult it for a more organized coverage of the doctrine or topic being studied.
    • lf you only have an authorized version (KJV of 1611), be sure to find the contemporary English meaning of the word you are considering. In James 3:1-2 four words are used that are English words, but had an entirely different meaning in 1611 – masters = teachers; condemnation = judgment; offend = stumble or err; perfect = mature. What does the KJV word in Colossians 3 :5 “concupiscence” mean?
    • To effectively discover the total usage of a word learn to use Strong’s Concordance of the Bible.
    • Take the time to learn how to study the Bible in the original languages.
  2. Using Strong’s Concordance in book form:
    • Take the word from the KJV translation that you want information on and look up that word in the main concordance section. After finding the word, then go down the right side of the column and find the Scripture reference from which you are studying that contains that particular word. At the right end of the line you will find a number. That number is the dictionary section number that is located in the back of your Strong’s (note that there are two dictionaries; one for Hebrew and one for Greek).
    • Look up the number in the back section and it will give you either the Hebrew or Greek word as it appears in the original language. Next on the line will be a transliteration of the word, followed by the pronunciation and by the grammatical symbol, semicolon[;]. Then you will find the root word, if the word you are working with is not the root word. Then after that you will find the definition (always in script). The translation follows the grammatical symbol, colon, followed by a dash[:-]. You will be given all the different ways that the word is translated throughout the KJV.

Assignment: Read John 11:7-10 and explain Jesus’ words about day and night. What interpretation and subsequent applications can you make?