Yes, “word studies” can be done well, IF you take the time and effort to pay attention to the basics of grammar and the function of words in context. It is very easy to simply look up a Greek or Hebrew word in a lexicon and pick a word or phrase that sounds good, but that is NOT doing justice to the intent of the biblical author, principles of communication, or how language works. To do justice to studying the meaning of words, you must invest time and effort, and you need to follow a clearly-defined path. There are no short-cuts!\n\nNo short-cuts does not mean that analyzing the meaning of a word has to take enormous amounts of time. A thorough examination of a word, its context, and its meaning can be done well within the average week\’s preparation time for teaching or preaching. As a teacher/preacher prepares a lesson or sermon, the effort to understand key words should be methodical and focused.\n\nOne of the most important keys to understanding the meaning of a word is to understand the difference between how a word is defined and how that word may be translated. That single fact will keep the teacher/preacher from many errors and distractions!\n\nMore on this post coming later …