How to Do a Bible Word Study – Bible Study Methods

How many times do you open your Bible, ready to learn and apply it but then get stuck because you have no idea what to read or study, let alone how? I have done this way too many times to count. But over the years, I’ve learned some really simple yet rewarding Bible study methods. And I’m going to be sharing some of these methods with you in different posts. The method we’re going to be focusing on today is a word study. What in the world is a word study?? I’m glad you asked, because in this post, I’m going to explain what it is, how to do a Bible word study on your own, and provide you a couple examples. AND, just for you, I’m going to give you a free Bible word study worksheet that you can use in your personal quiet times!

But before I get started in the what and how, I want to offer you some encouragement. You CAN study your Bible on your own and learn A LOT from it. As you learn to study your Bible, you’ll find ways that work best for you. It may take some time, but don’t let that discourage you. Learning how to study your Bible is a journey all on its own, but it’s a journey that God uses to grow you and deepen your faith in Him. When you take the time to learn how to study His Word, you are choosing to boldly confront your struggle in order to understand what God is saying in His Word. And when you take the time to study His Word, God teaches you. You can count on that and, I would even go so far as to say, you can expect that.

What is a Bible word study?

A Bible word study is a method for studying the Bible by choosing ONE word and dissecting it to truly understand the meaning of it, why and how it’s used, and how it can be applied to your life.

It doesn’t mean that you have to go and find the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic word for it though. You can if you want to, and honestly it would definitely help you to understand the word better, but it’s not something you have to do. I will say… good luck if you choose too!

Why do a Bible word study?

By digging deeper into a word from the Bible, you’re getting a better grasp on the context it’s used in, you’re seeing the importance of the word in relation to the gospel, and you’re gaining an overall understanding of the word in general. When you understand the word a little better, then you’re able to understand the passage/verse it’s used in when you come across it later.

How to do a Bible word study

Here’s the fun part, learning how to actually do a Bible word study. This Bible study method is broken down into 6 steps: choosing, definition, passages, relation to the gospel, summarization, and application. To help you out, I’m going to give 2 examples along the way.

1. Choosing

Choose your word! Simple as that. It can literally be anything from the Bible. If you have never done a word study before, it may be good to start off with an easier word. Then later, when you’ve got the hang of this study method, challenge yourself with harder words!

Below are the Bible word’s that I’ve chosen as examples. I encourage you to go deeper than I did in these examples. I just want to show you a basic way to do this word study.
Example word #1: wisdom
Example word #2: anger

2. Definition

Grab your dictionary, look up the definition, and write it down. If you have a Bible dictionary, grab that too! Look it up on Google. Use the Apple Dictionary. Feel free to write down multiple definitions. Though they’ll say and mean the same thing, it can help to have it written down in some different ways.

Example word #1: wisdom
Google: “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement.”
The Student Bible Dictionary: “understanding, knowledge gained by experience; a gift of God; a characteristic of God.”
Example #2: anger
Google: “a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility.”
The Student Bible Dictionary: “fury, sadness turned outward, feeling of hostility toward a person or event that has wronged or injured you; ranges from simple frustration to lasting resentment or catastrophic violence.”

3. Passages

At this point, you’re going to look around in the Bible for passages and verses that contain this word. There may be tons of verses or there may only be a handful. Either way, choose 2-4 passages/verses and write down some notes, comments you have about the passage/verse, questions, things that stand out to you, contextual items (author, situation, brief story summation, etc.) and whatever else you can think of.

Using the cross reference tool in your Bible (the little list of verses towards the binding of each page… most Bibles have them, but some don’t) can help you to find other similar verses that contain the word you’re studying. The concordance at the back of the Bible will help you find passages and verses as well.

The goal here is to understand the word in context, to see the word in play.

Example #1: wisdom
Proverbs 9:10 “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” – wisdom is the beginning of the fear of the Lord (I would write some more notes on this). James 1:5 “if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” – we can ask for wisdom from God, but we have to ask for it in faith (I would normally write more notes).
Example #2: anger
Isaiah 5:25 “therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people” – God is angry at our sin. James 1:19 “know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” – we need to be slow in getting angry.

4. Relation to the gospel

Everything in the Bible points towards Jesus, His saving grace, and the good news of the gospel. Same can be said about each word. Write down how your word relates to the gospel message of salvation and/or Jesus. If you can’t think of anything, then choose a passage/verse from your list above and relate that to the gospel.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself when answering this section: how do I see Jesus in this word/passage? How is salvation shown through this word? How does this word reveal God’s character in His plan to redeem the world? How does this word show my need for salvation?

You may not be able to answer every single one of those questions based on the Bible word you chose, but at least one of them should help you see how your word can relate to the gospel.

Example #1: wisdom
Wisdom is a characteristic of God. In His wisdom, He created the perfect plan of redemption for His people. God calls us to be wise, not foolish. Wisdom comes as a result of placing our faith in the Lord (in varying degrees).
Example #2: anger
God is angry at our sin. We deserve His anger, His wrath. But instead, He showed (and still shows) us grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. He provides salvation for us, counting us as righteous when we place our faith in Jesus.

5. Summarization

Take everything you’ve learned in the previous steps and write down a short summarization of what you learned. Try and do this step in 2 or 3 sentences OR a handful of bullet points.

Example #1: wisdom
I learned that wisdom is something that we have 100% access to, all we have to do is ask in faith. I learned that wisdom is the opposite of foolish, and is something that we should strive to have/do as a result of placing our faith in Christ. Wisdom starts with the Lord.
Example #2: anger
I learned that anger is easy to feel, but we need to be slow in anger, slow in reacting in anger. I learned that God’s anger was satisfied on the cross and I no longer feel His wrath because of what Jesus Christ did for me.

6. Application

God’s Word is not meant to just be read. It’s meant to be applied to our lives. It’s meant to take root in our heart and transform us. So sometimes we have to ask the hard questions that only we can answer. When completing this step of the studying process, ask yourself these questions: how can I apply this word to my life? What have I learned about this word that is applicable to my life? How does this word in biblical context transform my heart and help me to fix my eyes on Jesus? Does this word show a sin area in my life that I struggle with, and if so, what is it?

Example #1: wisdom
There are areas in my life that I haven’t been wise in. There are areas in my life that I want to be wise in. I know that I can ask God for that wisdom and He promises me that He will give it, as long as I ask in faith, trusting that He will provide it for me.
Example #2: anger
James 1:19 shows my struggle of being slow to anger. But I know that God commands me to be slow to speak, slow to anger, and to be quick to listen. So I will pray about this and when the moments come for me to apply this, I will be asking for Jesus’s help to not be quick to anger.

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When I have done some Bible word studies in the past and listened to other women talk about their word, it’s clear that this study method really helps us to understand the Bible. I love how digging deeper into ONE word can change the way we see Jesus and ourselves. This is a very simple yet powerful way to understand God’s Word and apply it to your own life. So when you open your Bible and have no idea what to study, try a Bible word study. You’ll be surprised at how much you learn!

If you’re looking for other ways to study your Bible, try doing a Bible Character Study, a Bible Verse Study, or use one of the Bible Study Guides.

To access the free Bible word study worksheet…

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