As a minister, one of the things I spend a lot of time with is the original languages the Bible was written in. In college, I took three years of New Testament Greek, so I know something of the basics of that language. I don’t utilize it as often as I should, and so it has become a little rusty. And, where the Old Testament is concerned, I only took one semester of Hebrew. I know so little of that language.
As a result, as I am studying for lessons or sermons, I find myself frequently using a stash of various resources to help me find the exact definition and usage of a word. This is a critical aspect of my studies, simply because our English language is so far removed from the original languages of the Bible, and meanings and definitions are important to understand. As a simplified illustration, in the English language, we have the word “love.” But in Greek, there are at least three different major terms that we translate as “love,” and even more in the Hebrew language. It’s helpful to know just what the author intended when he wrote.
That is why I love the NKJV Word Study Bible. Although this is not an exhaustive resource with everything you’d need for your studies, it does contain 1700 different key words that can give the reader a much deeper understanding of their meaning and intent.
The text is laid out in an easy to read, two column format. I wish it was printed all in black, but headings and chapter notations are printed in a slate blue color. The word study text boxes are also printed in this color, helping to differentiate them from the main text of Scripture.
Each book of the Bible has a very brief introduction, with a short lift of key words to watch for as you read, which is extremely helpful.
As a study oriented person, I find this very interesting and captivating. It’s helpful to know what to look out for as I read, and see the different words and their meanings that are contained throughout this Bible. It’s very helpful to me from a devotional aspect, helping me to understand passages better than I may have ever before.
Over all, I find the NKJV Word Study Bible to be an incredibly helpful resource. If you like to study the Word of God deeply, and really dig into the meaning of various passages, then this is a resource that you’ll find extremely helpful.
Ratings & Details For NKJV Word Study Bible:
- Genre: Bible
- Purpose/Premise: 10 of 10 stars
- Spiritual Content: 10 of 10 stars
- Readability/Flow: 10 of 10 stars
- Cover: 10 of 10 stars
- Overall Rating: 10 of 10 stars
Question: Do you do word studies as you dig deeper into the Word of God? What resources do you typically use for that study? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
I received this book free from Harper Collins Christian Publishing as part of their BookLook Bloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Jeff, I will definitely have to get this resource. When I do word studies I use both Strong’s and Zodhiates. I really like Zodhiates, but feel like it is not as complete as Strong’s. Occasionally when I go looking for a word it does not have a reference to the original language. Irritating! That is when I go to Strong’s. Thanks for the recommendation.
Glad you may find it useful. It’s obviously not as exhaustive as either of those two, but it is extremely helpful on the fly, or during devotional reading.