How to Study the Bible--- An Inductive Study

Lesson 1

How can we study the Bible so that our lives will be changed? So that we will become spiritually
mature, and effective in our walk with the LORD. How do we learn to “rightly divide the Word of truth”
(2 Timothy 2:15) and avoid misinterpreting it completely? Effective Bible study requires methodical,
intentional, systematic and prayerful effort. But don’t be intimidated—studying God’s Word this way is
wonderful! We’re going to learn together how to use a Bible study method called “Inductive Bible
study”.

John MacArthur describes it this way: Inductive means reasoning from the specific to the general, from
the parts to the whole. It is the opposite of “deductive reasoning” in which you move from the general
to the specific.
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I. Observation: Read, read, read the Word!

A. Read repeatedly! Read entire books in one sitting: you’ll gain an understanding of the
unity of the book.
1. Read the Bible in different translations.
2. Start at the beginning of the book, not in the middle…
3. Read the Bible out loud.
4. Read one book for one month. Or read the same passage for 30 minutes a day.
Repetition brings rewards!

B. The 5 Questions—plus one.

1. Who? Who are the people involved? Look for two things: what is said about the
person or people, and what does the person say?
2. What? What is happening in this text? What are the events? In what order? What
happens to the characters? (If it’s a passage that argues a point: What ideas are
expressed? What is the argument? What is the writer trying to communicate?)
3. Where? This gives you location. Where is the narrative taking place? Where are
the people in the story? Where are they coming from? Where are they going? Where
is the writer? Where were the original readers of this text?
4. When? When did the events in the text take place? When did they occur in
relation to other events in Scripture? When was the writer writing?
5. Why? This is a question that digs for meaning. The question “why?” probes the
text more than any other, leading to new insights.Why is this included? Why is it
placed here? Why does it follow that? Why does it precede that? Why does this
person say that? Why does someone say nothing?
6. So What? What difference would it make if I were to apply this truth?

C. 5 things to Look For:

1. Things that are emphasized: (amount of space, numbers of chapters, etc. or
strategic placement)
2. Things that are repeated: (terms, phrases, clauses) Psalm 136: “Give thanks to
the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever.” Ki laolum chasdo is the repeated
phrase. Characters, circumstances, patterns, etc.
3. Things that are related: questions and answers, cause and effect
4. Things that are alike a simile is a word picture that draws a comparison between
two things. Watch for “as” and “like”. Watch for comparisons that are made using
metaphors, where comparison is made without using “as” or “like.” (You must be
born again—John 3)
5. Things that are unlike Contrast—things that are unlike. The word “but” shows
that a change of direction is coming. It’s a very significant word.
 D. Grammatical Structure: a roadmap to meaning. Look for these parts of speech and
mark them using underlining, squiggles or symbols so that you can more readily
understand the structure of the sentence, phrase and paragraph.

Verbs: action words that tell us who is doing what. Note the tense of the verb (past,
present, future, ongoing…)
Subject and Object: The subject of the sentence does the acting; the object is acted
upon. It’s important not to confuse them.
Modifiers: Descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs. They enlarge the
meaning of the words they modify, and often make all the difference!
Prepositional phrases: the little words that tell you where the action is taking place: in,
on, upon, through, to, etc.
Connectives: some of the most powerful words in the Bible: “and” and “but” and
“therefore.” Whenever you see the word therefore, go back and see what it’s there for.

II. Interpretation
Every book of Scripture has a message, and that message can be understood. 2 Tim. 3:16:
“All Scripture is profitable,” that is, it has purpose and meaning. In interpretation, we ask,
“What does this text mean?” This can only be answered accurately when we’ve answered
the Observation question: “what do I see?”

“Meaning” is not our subjective thoughts read into the text, but God’s objective truth
read out of the text. Warning: our finite minds cannot understand ALL that God has
revealed. When established teachings in the Scriptures seem to contradict each other,
both truths can be accepted in confidence that they will resolve themselves into a higher
unity. (IE How could Yeshua be fully God and fully man. Or: How can man’s free will
coexist with the sovereign, all-knowing nature of God?)

Howard Hendricks likes to refer to interpretation as the recreation process: we are attempting
to stand in the author’s shoes and recreate his experience. Hendricks says we should be
asking, “What did this mean to the author, before we ask, what does it mean to us?”
True or False: The Bible is the literal Word of God and means what it says. (T)
1. T or F: There is often more than one definition of a word (T)
2. Therefore, correct interpretation depends on determining the definition the author had
in mind.
A. Content: by God’s grace, by the work of the Holy Spirit, and because of your work in
observation, (looking at terms, structure, the 5 “w’s”, repetition, emphasis, etc.) you will
have uncovered the basic content of the passage and discovered what the author is saying.

B. Correlation is an important aspect of interpretation: relating the section of

Scripture you are studying to the rest of the chapter, the entire book and other
portions of Scripture. This prevents forcing a meaning on a passage that was not
intended by the writer.

C. Context: that which goes before and that which follows after. Every time you take a
sentence/paragraph apart, you have done half the work. Now you have to put it back
together again. Whenever you study a verse or paragraph, always consult its neighbors to
find the larger context. Remember, the Bible is not a collection of verses: it is an
integrated message in which the whole is greater than its parts. Bible study should not
just be breaking down the material into fragments for study—we need to be able to put it
back together into a meaningful whole message.
 1. Literary context: The literary context of any verse is the paragraph of which it
is a part, the section of which that paragraph is a part, and the book of which that
section is a part. Understanding the unity of the Scripture, the ultimate context of any
book is the entire Bible.
2. Historical context: (back to the “When” question.)
3. Cultural Context: the more you know about ancient cultures, the more insight
you’ll have into the text.
4. Geographic context: (back to the “where” question.)
5. Theological: where does this passage fit in the flow of Scripture and God’s
redemptive plan?

D. Comparison
1. Concordance: probably the most essential tool for Bible study, enabling you to
find terms and concepts from one book of the Bible to the next. It’s like an index to
the Bible, and is helpful to do Word Studies. (More on that in the future!)
2. Bible Handbooks: a one-volume encyclopedia, includes maps, etc.
3. Bible Commentaries: offers insights of someone who has studied extensively;
offers an excellent means of evaluating your own Bible study.

Interpretation can be expressed through rewriting a paragraph in your own words, including
reflections on its meaning.

III. Application
Putting God’s Word into practice in your life. “I have considered my ways and have turned
my steps to your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.” Psalm 119:
59-60

A. Know the text: application is based on interpretation. If your interpretation is erroneous,

guess what your application will be?
Dr. Hendricks writes, “Interpretation is one, application is many. There is only one
ultimate interpretation of a passage of Scripture. The text doesn’t mean one thing today
and something else tomorrow. Whatever it means, it means forever. But you will never
cease the process of applying that truth to your life.”
Now that you know the text, you’ve interpreted it accurately, So What?

B. Relate the Word to your life: What are you going to do about the Bible teaching you’ve
studied? How do you use it in your own life?
1. Rebuking, correcting and training come in here: As Scripture rebukes us, it
reveals our sin and shows us how to and why we should change. Our next step is
repentance and prayerful correction of our ways, changing direction, putting off
sinful behaviors and putting on godly behaviors. It adds up to being trained in the
Word and becoming mature followers of Messiah Yeshua in whom the Word dwells
richly as we give thanks to Him. (Colossians 3:15-17)
2. Meditation: it’s useful in observation, and essential in application. More on
meditation for next week!
3. SPECK: a great acronym and tool for personal application. (Look for
information in the weeks ahead.)

C. Praying the Scriptures (Ephesians 1:3-14; 15-23)

God loves to be reminded of what He has promised and what He has provided for
His children, so tell him, worship Him, thank Him.
Begin with adoration. Occupy yourself with who God is. That leads to confession
because you will see yourself in proper perspective. Then you are ready to petition God
with your need.
Lesson 2

Meditating on the Scriptures

by Charles H. Spurgeon

It is well to meditate upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of
them. A man who hears many sermons, is not necessarily well-instructed in the faith. We may read
so many religious books, that we overload our brains, and they may be unable to work under the
weight of the great mass of paper and of printer's ink. The man who reads but one book, and that
book his Bible, and then meditates much upon it, will be a better scholar in Christ's school than he
who merely reads hundreds of books, and meditates not at all.

Truth is something like the cluster of the vine: if you would have wine from it, you must bruise it;
you must press and squeeze it many times. The bruisers' feet must come down joyfully upon the
bunches, or else the juice will not flow; and they must leap, and leap, and leap again, and well tread
the grapes, or else much of the precious liquid will be wasted. You must, by the feet of meditation,
tread the clusters of truth, would you get the wine of consolation therefrom.

Our bodies are not supported by merely taking food into the mouth, but the process which really
supplies the muscle, and the nerve, and the sinew, and the bone, is the process of digestion. It is by
digestion that the outward food becomes assimilated with inner life. And so it is with our souls; they
are not nourished merely by what we hear by going hither, and thither, and listening awhile to this,
and then to that, and then to the other. Hearing, reading, marking, and learning, all require inwardly
digesting; and the inward digesting of the truth lies in the meditating upon it.

Why is it that some people are always in a place of worship, and yet they are not holy, though they
make some slight advances in the divine life? It is because they neglect their closets. They love the
wheat, but they do not grind it; they would have the corn, but they will not go forth into the fields to
gather it; the fruit hangs upon the tree, but they will not pluck it; the water flows at their feet, but
they will not stoop to drink of it.

Another note in the praise of this most blessed, but much-neglected duty, is that it fixes the
truth upon the memory. You complain of short memories; you say that what you have heard you
can scarcely remember to another day. If thy paint be thin, and thou canst not make thy picture stand
out in glowing colours, lay on many coats of thy paint, and so wilt thou do what thou wantest. If thy
memory will not retain the truth the first time, then think it over, and over, and over again, and so,
by having these several coats of paint, as it were, the whole matter shall abide.

Complain not, then, of thy memory, complain of thyself if thou art not given to meditation. Let thy
closet rebuke thee because thou hast not been oftener there, if thy memory be frail. Whereas another
man may do with less meditation, if thou sayest thy memory is weak, the more reason why thou
shouldest be a longer time, and oftener with thy God in secret. All want (lack) this, but thou needest
it more than others; see thou to it, then, that thou neglected not this duty. For getting the
nourishment out of truth, and moreover, for preserving, for salting down the truth for future use,
employ much meditation. Meditation clippeth the wings of thoughts, which otherwise would fly
away at the first clapping of the world's hands. Thou shalt thus keep thy prey, as it were, surrounded
and entangled in a net, else it might escape thee; thy meditation shall hold it fast until thou needest
it.

Yet further, meditation is of great value in opening up truth and leading us into its secrets.
There is some gold to be found on the surface of this land of Ophir, the Book of God. There are
some precious jewels which may be discovered even by the wayfaring man, but the mass of the gold
is hidden in the bowels of the earth; and he who would be rich in these treasures, must dig into
Scripture as one who seeketh for choice pearls. Thou must go down into its depths, and thou must
rummage there until thou gettest at last at the treasure.

Truth is sometimes like a flint, which, when it is smitten the first time yieldeth not; but at last one
happy blow of the hammer shall make it fly to shivers. You will find it the same with gospel
doctrine, that you want to understand but cannot. There is some difficulty you cannot surmount.
Meditation comes and gives one stroke after another with all the weight of prayer and of
thoughtfulness, but it stirs not; till at last our diligence is rewarded, and we see the whole mass of
masonry which reason had piled together of fabulous traditions, cometh tumbling down; the
foundation is discovered, and the truth made clear to our apprehension in a moment.

You remember the story of the great philosopher who had been attempting to discover how much
alloy there was in the king's crown, but who could find no way of doing it. By day and by night he
pondered it; nay, at night when he slept, his daydreams did but come to him again; but on a sudden,
when he was in the bath, he sprang up and wrapped his garments about him, and ran through the
Street, crying out, “Inveni, lnveni,” “I have found it! I have found it!” And one of these days,
Christian, when you are puzzling over some doctrine which you feel must be true, but which you
cannot grasp, you will spring upon your feet when God the Holy Spirit has revealed the truth to you,
and you will cry, “I have found it! I have found it!” and great will be your joy at the discovery.
Cultivate much, then, the habit of retirement and meditation, because of the way in which it opens
up the truth.

But perhaps, after all, the best reason, at least the best to clench all the other reasons I have
given, why we should spend much time in meditation, is, because meditation then becomes
easier to us. I never did light an oven-fire in my life, but I have heard that sometimes when a baker
goes to light a coal-oven, if his fuel be a little damp, he gets no blaze; but after the fire is once up,
then he may throw in what he will, and everything is speedily consumed by the vehement heat. So
sometimes you and I feel our hearts to be like cold ovens, and we try to put some fresh truth in, but
it will not burn. But ah! when the heart gets hot and the fire is roaring, then even such damp material
as I am able to give you on Sabbath-days will burn right well, and the feeble words of a poor servant
of God will make your hearts hot within you.

We can meditate better after we have addicted ourselves to a meditative frame. When we have
mused a little, then the fire begins to burn; and you will perceive, that as the fire burns, meditation
gets easier, and then the heart gets warm; and oh! what holy affections, what blessed excitements
those have who are much alone with Christ!

Such a man never has a cold heart or a slack hand who is much in meditation with his Lord Jesus;
his heart comes to be like a mass of molten lead, and ere long he verifies the experience of the
Psalmist, and can make my text his own. “Then spake I with my tongue,” He cannot help it, for this
lava will soon be running over in burning hot words; and if this man should be a preacher, he will
preach with holy power; his heart being hot, his words will burn their way into his hearers' hearts.
Nor will it end there, but this hot heart will soon make a hot hand, and the man who once has his
soul full of Christ will not have his hand empty for Christ. Now he will work; now he will preach
for Christ; now he will pray, now he will plead with sinners; now he will be in earnest; now he will
weep; now he will agonize; now he will wrestle with the angel, and now he will prevail; for, as the
fire burneth, his whole being gets into a glow; and the man, like a pillar of fire, warms those who are
found about him, burns his way to the glory of success, and gives his Master fresh renown.

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Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was perhaps the most widely known minister in recent church history.
Known as the “Prince of Preachers,” Spurgeon preached to over 5,000 people at every service at the
Metropolitan Tabernacle in London for more than 30 years. He wrote or edited more than 200 complete books
and thousands of his sermons have been reprinted. His writings are timeless, because they are solidly based on
the Scriptures, making them as vivid and soul uplifting as when they were penned nearly a century ago.
Lesson 3

How to do Word Studies

I. The Importance of Word Studies.

A. See Matthew 4:4; 24:35; 1 Tim. 6:3; Rev. 22:18-19. Every word that proceeds from the
mouth of our God is of utmost importance!

B. Consider such important words as FAITH, GRACE, JUSTIFY, LOVE, REDEEM,

SANCTIFY, GOSPEL, CONFESS, HOLINESS, etc. We need to understand how God
defines these crucial terms.

II. The Importance of Knowing the Meaning of the Greek Word.

A. Sometimes the same English word may represent different Greek words. Examples:
1. John 21:15-17. Two different Greek words for "love" are used in this passage; and
two different Greek words for "feed" are used.
2. Galatians 1:6-7. Two different Greek words both translated "another." The first
means "another of a different kind" and the second means "another of the same
kind."
3. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 with Hebrews 2:17. The word "reconciliation" is found in both
of these passages but there are two different Greek words. A word study of the word
in Hebrews 2:17 would reveal that it actually means "propitiation."
4. 2 Peter 2:7-8. Here again we have two different Greek words both translated "vexed"
by the KJV translators. The meaning of these two words is similar but not identical

B. Sometimes different English words may represent the same Greek word. Examples:
1. Matthew 28:19 with Acts 15:14 nations=Gentiles
2. Philippians 3:6,12,14 persecuting=follow after=press
3. Luke 4:1 Ghost=Spirit
4. 1 Corinthians 13:8 fail=vanish away
5. John 3:8 wind=spirit
6. 1 John 2:20,27 unction=anointing

C. Sometimes the Greek word is not translated into English at all, but it is merely
transliterated into English. So what you really have is a Greek word spelled with English
letters! Examples:

1. See the word list in Chapter 2 for several examples: baptize, demon, evangelize,
mystery, parable, prophet, Sabbath, etc.
2. 1 Corinthians 16:22 (compare Galatians 1:8-9). If you were to translate the word
"anathema" it would mean "accursed, devoted to destruction." "Anathema" is a
transliteration; "Accursed" is a translation.
3. Matthew 1:20 (angel). Compare Mark 1:2 where this same Greek word is translated
(angel=messenger).
4. See Revelation 19:1, 3, 4, 6 where we have a Hebrew expression that has been
transliterated into Greek: ajllhlouvia The Greek word was then transliterated into
English (Alleluia). An actual translation of this word would be "Praise ye the
LORD."
5. Sometimes a transliteration can be very misleading. In 2 Corinthians 9:7 the word
"cheerful" is the Greek word hilaros (iJlarovς). If we were to transliterate this word,
we would have, "God loves a hilarious giver!" Obviously, this is not the meaning of
the verse. "Cheerful" is a much better translation. Hilaros to the Apostle Paul meant
 the same as cheerful means to us today.

D. If a person does not know Greek, how can he determine which Greek word underlies the
English word which he is studying? For example, how can one discover that two
different words for "love" are used in John 21:15-17 or that "unction" and "anointing" are
two ways of translating the same word in 1 John 2:20,27 or that the word "messenger" in
Mark 1:2 is the same word as "angel" in Matthew 1:20? To make such discoveries you
need a TOOL! You need an interlinear Greek-English New Testament (in which the
Greek words are written directly above the English words). I would recommend either
one of the following:

1. The Englishman's Greek New Testament by Zondervan Publishers.

2. The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament with a Lexicon (dictionary) by George
Berry (Zondervan Publishers).
Note: There are different Bible software programs that will also help you to see which
Greek words underlie the English words if you are more inclined to use a computer
in doing your Greek studies.

III. The Importance of WORD USAGE.

A. USAGE DETERMINES MEANING. The question ever before us is this: HOW WAS
THE WORD ACTUALLY USED? How was the word used in the New Testament?
How was the word used in the Septuagint? (very helpful) How was the word used by
other Greek writers?

Compare a DICTIONARY. A dictionary is merely a listing of WORD USAGE (a

catalog of how words are used in any given language).

B. ETYMOLOGY DOES NOT DETERMINE MEANING. "Usage determines the meaning

of words"--James L. Boyer, "Semantics in Biblical Interpretation," Grace Journal, Vol.
3, No. 2, Spring 1962.

"The meaning of a word depends on its usage, not on its derivation"--"Biblical Exegesis
and Hermeneutics," Encyclopedia Britannica, Macropaedia (1974), Vol. 7, p. 61.
"Usage determines the meaning of words"--Rollin T. Chafer, The Science of Biblical
Hermeneutics (Dallas, TX: Bibliotheca Sacra, n.d.), p. 28.
Etymology is concerned primarily with the history of a word. It is the study of the
derivation of a word. Etymology is the study of the original meaning of a word (which
is often different than the true meaning of a word as that word is currently being used).
WORD USAGE is concerned with how words are actually used and how they are
currently used; ETYMOLOGY is concerned with how words were originally used.
Therefore, it is USAGE not ETYMOLOGY that must determine the meaning of a word.

C. ETYMOLOGY CAN BE MISLEADING AND THUS HARMFUL

1. English examples:

a. sincere: The etymology of this word is "without wax" (sine=without cera=wax).

But today if you describe a person as being "without wax" would people conclude
that you are describing a sincere person?

b. book: The etymology of this word is "beech-tree." But if you said to someone,
"Over the summer I read a very enjoyable beech-tree," would the person understand
your meaning?
 c. silly: This word originally derived from the verb "to bless." But it is SILLY to think
that we use this word in that way today!

d. etymology: This word is from the Greek etumos which means "true," and hence the
word means "true meaning." But "etymology" really means "original meaning." So
even the word "etymology" does not really mean etymology! In other words, its
original meaning does not agree with its current usage, and to find the "true
meaning" we must always go by the current usage.

e. understand: But what does "standing under" have to do with understanding?

f. prevent: This word originally meant "to come before" and is used that way in the
KJV of 1 Thessalonians 4:15. But we don't usually use this word in that way today.
Today it means "to hinder, to keep from happening" as "the father prevented his son
from going out into the busy road."

2. Greek examples:

a. The word for "read" - anaginoskō (ajnaginwvskw)

ana = again ginoskō = to know

But what does "knowing again" have to do with reading?

b. The word for "deacon" - diakonos (diavkonoς)

dia = through konos = dust

[Note: This derivation is questionable. Some scholars would disagree with the assertion
that diakonos originally meant through + dust]. But assuming that the derivation is
legitimate, what does this really tell us about deacons? "To raise a dust by passing through"
and thus a deacon is one who serves energetically! Certainly we would want deacons who
"raise a dust" in their energetic service for Christ but to base this on the questionable
derivation of this word is not a sound use of language. The word actually means "servant"
and deacons are to be humble servants of Christ.

D. ETYMOLOGY CAN BE HELPFUL. Etymology can be of great value in illustrating the meaning
of words. But, the meaning must first be determined by usage. Etymology can serve to illustrate a
word whose meaning has already been determined by usage.

Examples:
1. coveteousness pleonexia (pleonexiva)
pleon = more exia = to have
A covetous person is never satisfied. He desires to have more and more and more.
2. gospel euangelion (eujaggevlion)
eu = good angelion = announcement
The gospel is an announcement of good news, glad tidings!
3. moment (1 Corinthians 15:52) atomos (a[tomoς)
Compare the English word "atom"
a = un (a negative particle) tomos = to cut; hence atomos means "uncut, unable to be divided."
 How quickly will the Rapture take place?

This is answered in 1 Corinthians 15:52, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." The word
"moment" is interesting. It is the Greek word "atom." The word atom means "not cut, you
cannot cut it anymore." Suppose you were to keep cutting up a pie into smaller and smaller
pieces. If you had a knife sharp enough and small enough you could keep cutting the pieces
down to the point where you could not cut the pieces or particles any smaller. We call this an
"atom." [However, we now know that you can even cut atoms into smaller particles].

The term "atom" is also used of time. We can cut time into years and into days and into hours
and into minutes and into seconds. An "atom of time" is the smallest measurement of time (the
point where you can't cut time anymore). In English, we might call this a "split-second." How
fast will the Rapture take place? In a split second, in the twinkling of an eye. If you blink, you
will miss it!

4. confess (1 John 1:9) homologeō (oJmologevw)

homo = same logeō = to say This, "to say the same thing"

When I confess my sins I am saying the same thing about sin that God does. I am agreeing
with God that what I have done is sinful. I am seeing my sin as God does. God says that I have
sinned and I am agreeing with God and saying, "Yes, Lord, I have sinned and done this evil in
Thy sight" (Psalm 51).

E. WORD USAGE CHANGES WITH TIME.

Word usage is not constant through time. Changes in meaning often occur. Language is in a state
of constant flux as long as the language is living (still being used). Dead languages (such as
Latin) never change!

Example: The King James Bible was published in 1611. Since that time many English words that
were then used have changed their meaning and have become obsolete. This is one of the reasons
for the word changes that you find in the New Scofield Bible. Some of these obsolete words are
as follows:

1. “wot” (Romans 11:2)

2. “let” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

3. “Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)

4. “every whit” (John 13:10)

Can you think of others?

F. THE SAME WORD CANS BE USED IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.

Consider the word up. It is easy to understand up toward the sky or toward the top of a list. But when
we waken, why do we wake up? At a meeting, why does a topic come up, why do participants speak
up, and why are officers up for election? And why is it up to the secretary to write up a report?

Often the little word isn't needed, but we use it anyway. We brighten up a room, light up a cigar,
polish up the silver, lock up the house, and fix up the old car. At other times, it has special meanings.
People stir up trouble, line up for tickets, work up an appetite, think up excuses, get tied up in traffic.
 People stir up trouble, line up for tickets, work up an appetite, think up excuses, get tied up in traffic.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed up is special. It may be confusing, but a drain must be
opened up because it is stopped up. We open up a store in the morning and close it up at night. We
seem to be mixed up about up.

To be up on the proper use of up look up the word in your dictionary. In one desk-size dictionary up
takes up half a page, and listed definitions add up to about 40. If you are up to it, you might try
building up a list of the many ways in which up is used.. It will take up a lot of your time but, if you
don't give up, you may wind up with a thousand.
--Frank S. Endicott

So don't be surprised if the same Greek word is used in different ways in the Greek New
Testament!

The Procedure for Doing a Word Study

Step 1

Select the word that you desire to study.

Perhaps it is a word that you came across in your personal study or devotional time, and you want to
better understand what this word really means and how it is used in the Bible. For our example we will
choose the important verb in 1 Thessalonians 4:17—"caught up." In the Latin Bible this is the verb
"rapture" from which we derive our English word "rapture." Thus this word study will shed important
light on the true meaning of the term "rapture." This verse which we have selected is our "target
passage." We want to determine the meaning of this particular verb especially as it is used here in this
verse.

Step 2

Find every place in the Bible where this word is used.

The fundamental principle for doing word studies is this: USAGE DETERMINES MEANING.
Sir Robert Anderson has stated it well: "In dealing with a dead language, etymology (the origin
or history of a word) may sometimes afford a clue to the meaning of a word, but the only safe
and certain guide to its meaning is its use." Since usage determines meaning, we must see how
our verb in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (HARPAZŌ, arpavzw is used elsewhere in the New Testament
and hopefully this will shed light on its meaning in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 which is our target
passage.

Note: The New Testament was written in Greek and the Old Testament in Hebrew (with the
exception of a few Aramaic passages). Since the Greek verb we are studying is in the New
Testament, we need not consult the Old Testament because God did not use the Greek
language when He gave the O.T. The ambitious student, however, could study how the verb
is used in the Septuagint which is an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, as long
as he keeps in mind that the Septuagint is a translation, and is not the original text God gave.
In order to complete STEP 2, you need a tool called a CONCORDANCE.

1. The Englishman’s Greek Concordance is the ideal tool because it gives you all the
information you need very quickly. It will list every place the verb is found in the New
Testament. Also it is not necessary to know Greek in order to use this concordance.

2. Young’s Analytical Concordance or Strong's Exhaustive Concordance may also be used,

but it will take you many more steps to find the same information. This is because these
concordances are arranged according to the English words, not the Greek words.

3. There may be computer programs which can give you the information you need. But what
you need to find is every place in the New Testament where the verb HARPAZŌ is
found.

Note: You don’t want to find every place where “caught” or “caught up” is found because
these English words may be translated from different Greek verbs, and we are only
concerned about the verb HARPAZŌ. Also there are places where HARPAZŌ is found but
the English text does not translate it as “caught” or “caught up” at all (such as John 10:28
where it is translated “pluck” or Jude 23 where it is translated “pulling”).

With the help of a concordance you will find that in addition to 1 Thess. 4:17, the verb
HARPAZŌ occurs in 12 other places in the N.T.

Matt. 11:12 take John 10:28 pluck 2 Cor. 12:2 caught up

Matt. 13:19 catcheth away John 10:29 pluck 2 Cor. 12:4 caught up

John 6:15 take by force Acts 8:39 caught away Jude 23 pulling

John 10:12 catcheth Acts 23:10 take by force Rev. 12:15 caught up

Step 3

Study and classify usage.

What meaning makes the best sense in each passage? Is the word used in different ways? Pay
close attention to the context of each passage. Look at each passage where the word is used and
try to get a “feel” for the word. On a piece of paper write down some comments as to how the
word is used in each of the different passages that you look at. The following is a study of the
word HARPAZŌ and how it is used:

Matthew 11:12. Used of something being taken violently by force.

Matthew 13:19. Used of the devil snatching away and removing the seed (of the Word) that was
sown in the heart.

John 6:15. Used of the Jews who wanted to take Christ by force and make Him King.
John 10:12. Used of a wolf who catches and takes away the sheep (snatches them, grabs them by
force).

John 10:28-29. Used of God who will never allow the true believer to be plucked out (removed,
taken, snatched) from Christ’s hand and from the Father’s hand. No wolf will ever catch or
snatch these sheep (cf. John 10:12). The believer will never be raptured from God’s hand.

Acts 8:39. Used of Philip who was supernaturally caught away (removed, suddenly taken from
one place to another). In this case it involved sudden disappearance (“the eunuch saw him no
more”).

Acts 23:10. Use of Paul who was taken by force, grabbed and taken away from the Jews for the
sake of his own safety.

2 Corinthians 12:2, 4. Used of Paul who was caught up (snatched up, quickly taken up) to the
third heaven or paradise. He was not sure whether this happened in the body or out of the body,
but he knew that he was removed from earth to heaven.

Jude 23. Used of snatching (pulling out, quickly removing) something from the fire.

Revelation 12:5. Used to describe the ascension of Christ. He was caught up (quickly removed)
from earth to heaven.

Note: The ambitious student could also study the verb HARPAZŌ as it is found in the
Septuagint. The book A Concordance of the Septuagint (Bagster) reveals that this verb is found
in the following places in the Septuagint (ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament): Gen.
37:33; Lev. 6:4; 19:13; Deut. 28:31; Jud. 21:21,23; 2 Sam. 23:31; Job 20:19; 24:2,9,19; Psalm
7:3; 9:30 (twice); 21:14; 49:22; 68:5; 103:21; Isa. 10:2; Ezekiel 18:7,12,16,18; 19:3,6; 22:25,27;
Hos. 5:14; 6:1; Amos 1:11; 3:4; Micah 3:2; 5:8; Nahum 2:12.

[My copy of A Concordance of the Septuagint was difficult to read because the print was
somewhat smudged. Because of this, some of these references may be inadvertently copied in
error. Most, however, should be correct.]

Step 4

Summarize your conclusions.

Write a brief paragraph in which you describe how this word is used in the New Testament. Here
is an example of a summary paragraph that might be written for the verb HARPAZŌ:

As used in the New Testament, the verb HARPAZŌ means “to take, take by force, snatch, snatch
up, grab, remove quickly, catch up, catch away, pluck out.” It always involves some force outside
the person (or thing) acting upon it and causing the person (or thing) to be taken or snatched up
or removed. It often implies sudden removal and it often refers to a person being quickly (and
supernaturally) taken from one place to another.
 Step 5

Apply your results to the target passage.

How does what I have learned about this word help me to understand its meaning in the target
passage? How does my study of HARPAZŌ help me to understand the meaning of “caught up”
in 1 Thessalonians 4:17?

It is helpful to write out your results. Here is our example: The verb “caught up” in 1
Thessalonians 4:17 means “snatched up, caught up, taken away quickly, suddenly removed.” Just
as Philip was supernaturally and quickly caught away from one place to another (Acts 8:39), just
as the Lord was supernaturally caught up to heaven at the time of the ascension (Rev. 12:5), just
as Paul was supernaturally taken to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2,4), so it will be that living
believers at the coming of the Lord Jesus will be supernaturally caught up and suddenly removed
from earth to heaven. It also implies “sudden disappearance” (Acts 8:39 and compare Hebrews
11:5). Someday believers will be suddenly acted upon by an outside force as our Lord calls us to
be with Himself! “Even so, be coming, Lord Jesus!”

Step 6

Check your results with a lexicon.

A lexicon is a dictionary. A Hebrew lexicon would give the meanings of the words found in the
Old Testament. A Greek lexicon would give the meanings of the words found in the New
Testament. Consulting the lexicon should be your last step. After you have done all your work,
then you can consult the lexicons to see if they give the correct meaning. Remember, the person
who wrote the lexicon had to follow the same steps that you followed. What does the lexicon say
about how the word is used throughout the New Testament (just as you did in STEP 4)? What
does the lexicon say about how the word is used in your target passage (just as you did in STEP
5)? Do you agree with the lexicon? Remember, lexicons are not infallible. Here are some
examples of what the lexicons say about the verb HARPAZŌ (see chart on the next page). You
will notice that these dictionaries basically are in agreement with what you have already learned
about the verb.

Lexicon or The Meaning of the Word The Meaning of the Word

Dictionary in General in 1 Thess. 4:17

Arndt & Gingrich snatch, seize, take suddenly, snatch or take away (in such
carry off, snatch or take a way that no resistance is
away offered)

Thayer seize, carry off by force, used of divine power

snatch out or away, to seize transferring a person
and carry off speedily marvelously and swiftly from
one place to another: "to
snatch or catch away"

Vine to snatch or catch away used of the rapture of the

saints at the return of the
 saints at the return of the
Lord

Bullinger to snatch away, to carry off to snatch away, to carry off

(suddenly and by force) (suddenly and by force)

Kittle to take something to catch up or away,

forcefully, often with the expressing the mighty
thought of speed, snatch operation of God

Please notice that the lexicons did not really tell you anything that you did not first learn yourself.
Thus you are not depending on the lexicons, but you are just using them as a helpful check or
confirmation of what you have already discovered by your own study of how the word is used in
the Bible.

The following is a listing of helpful dictionaries that can be used without a knowledge of Greek
or Hebrew:

Greek:

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament by Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich used in connection
with the Index to the Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich Lexicon by John R. Alsop (Zondervan). The
Index helps those who do not know Greek to be able to use this lexicon.

Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Easy to use. You look up the English
words and it will discuss the underlying Greek words.

A Critical Lexicon and Concordance, E.W.Bullinger. Similar to Vine’s. But be careful because
Bullinger, though a fine scholar, denies eternal punishment and is ultra-dispensational in his
thinking.

Hebrew:

Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament by Brown, Driver and Briggs used in connection with the
Index to Brown, Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon compiled by Bruce Einspahr. This lexicon is probably the best
available. Though it was done by unbelieving liberals, the definitions, for the most part, are accurate.

Old Testament Word Studies by William Wilson. This is the closest thing to Vine’s that we have for Old
Testament word studies.

Nelson’s Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament, edited by Unger and White.

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Harris, Archer, Waltke.

Two other helpful word study books:

Synonyms of the New Testament by Archbishop Trench (Greek words).

Old Testament Synonyms by Girdlestone (Hebrew words).

Lesson 4

Application using SPECKS (Ephesians Chapter 4)

Application through SPECKS: a practical way to apply God’s Word to your life

Remember: The benefit of Bible study is not derived from methods,

technique or effort to understand the text. The benefit is in obeying God:
receiving His Word and putting it into practice.

I. Application starts with acceptance of God’s truth. This will show up in

your life in ability to trust, obey, praise, and give thanksgiving to the
Lord.

II. Goal of application: respond out of love so that you can glorify God in
every area of life.

III. Is there a Sin for me to avoid?

IV. Is there a Promise to claim/principles to grasp?

V. Is there an Example to follow?

VI. Is there a Command to obey?

VII. How can this passage increase my Knowledge about God or Messiah
Yeshua?

VIII. What Scripture does God want me to memorize?

Using the SPECKS application does not require a lot of writing—it can be a
shorthand device to help you discover ways God wants to change you from
the inside out.
Lesson 5

Organize Your Observations (Ephesians 5)

The Value of Charts, Lists, Diagrams

A chart is to the Bible student what a map is to a mariner. It helps you navigate an ocean of words,
pages, books, characters, ideas, events, etc. Without a chart, it is too difficult to track the many
details in inductive Bible study.
A chart or list helps you handle the information that you glean from the text.
As you study a text, assign titles and labels to the content so you can summarize the material. Be
creative, don’t just use “Bible” jargon in placing titles on verses, paragraphs, sections and books
of Bible.
As you create your chart, ask what are the relationships? What am I trying to show? What’s this chart
all about?
Keep your charts simple. What is the big idea? What structure needs to be shown? What do you want
to see at a glance?
If you have too much material for a chart, chop it up and make several charts. (Too much unrelated
information shows that you need to go back to the text and observe some more!)

(Please note attached samples of various charts used in inductive Bible study.)

The chart below shows the gospel by Mark, the whole book at a glance, on one piece of paper. The key
verse, the one that summarizes the book’s structure, is 10:45: For even the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Note how the chart reflects that the book is
divided in two parts.
Howard Hendricks created the chart below as he studied 1 Peter, a book he called “A Syllabus for Suffering
Saints.” Note that he created a chart with three major divisions, and the three major issues addressed. What
else can you learn about the structure of the book from his chart?