INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORD-STUDY ASSIGNMENTS

The word-study assignment for students doing an Old Testament passage in their exegetical paper is as follows. The papers should be 3-4 pages, single-spaced typed. Primary consideration should be given to your own work using an exhaustive English concordance, one that shows what Hebrew and Greek roots are behind the English words you read in your text. The goal of this word study is to understand the terms that the Biblical writers used, not to focus on an English Bible translation committee's renderings of that term (which may be different in different contexts). Good tools are available for those who do not know the original languages to be able to access the original terms.

This assignment will take more time than is usually available in a week-by-week preaching schedule. However, the goal of this assignment is to get you to consider and experience the riches of a fairly detailed word study, to understand what goes into one, and to understand something of what goes into the writing of articles on individual words (or word groups) in the standard reference tools recommended (Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, theological word books, etc.). After having this exposure, and doing a detailed exercise such as this at least once, you should be well-equipped for knowing what is essential in a word study, and how to trim it down to a more manageable length in a regular sermon.

Here are the steps you should follow.

1. Find the Hebrew root in question, using an English concordance that is keyed to Hebrew words. Note that conventions of transliterating [i.e., spelling] Hebrew words will differ. If you have any questions about this, consult with the professor or his teaching fellow.
   
2. Write down (in English) every occurrence of this root in the passage you are studying (give a short phrase along with the verse reference). Highlight the word under consideration by boldfacing, underlining, or printing it in all caps. Remember that one Hebrew word is sometimes rendered into English by two or more words.
   
3. Identify how many times (and where) this root occurs in the book you are studying. Here, you are trying to identify an author's tendencies, so deal with a passage in 1 Samuel by looking at the word in 1-2 Samuel, for example.
4. Sort and classify the uses of the words found by forms (verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc.).
   
5. List the different ways in which this root is translated in English in two different versions of the Bible (see the "Texts for Old Testament Exegetical Papers" handout sheet for different translations of these words). In this section, note how the words are translated (1) in your passage, (2) in the book under consideration, and (3) in the rest of the Old Testament. You do not need to give chapter and verse citations in this section, except for the first part (how it is translated in your passage).
   
6. What are some different Hebrew words that relate to the word under consideration? Give selected examples (not an exhaustive list), with Bible references. You can access this information by looking in an exhaustive concordance at the different English words used to translate the Hebrew word you are considering, and then checking to see if these words are used to translate other Hebrew words than the one you are working with. You can also access this by checking the index in the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis (ed. W. VanGemeren), vol. 5, pp. 9-216.
   
7. Now - and only now - read one or two reference sources on your word (Bible dictionary or encyclopedia, or theological word book), and summarize any additional information found there that you did not glean in your own study. This section should not be more than 1/2 page in length.
   
8. Conclude with 1/4 to 1/3 page connecting your insights into the word's meaning back into the passage that you are dealing with. In other words, this word-study exercise is not to be done as a labor for its own sake, but rather in the service of understanding your passage better. Make this connection in your concluding remarks.

David M. Howard, Jr.