Characteristics of Words
Question
List the 5 characteristics of words. Which one was new to you? Which one do you think is most important? Why? Define “connotative” and “denotative” meanings. What are the steps for performing a word study? How important are word studies in understanding Scripture? Why is it important to do word studies in the original languages instead of in English alone?
Response
Words have several characteristics. William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard provide five characteristics of words, and the first characteristic is that words are arbitrary signs that combine sounds and letters to create meaning.[1] Second, words have a range of meaning or semantic range, which simply means that the same exact word can have several different meanings, and third, words reside within a semantic field, which means that many words have similar meanings.[2] Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard continue by explaining that the fourth characteristic of words is that their meaning changes over time, thus “new meanings develop through usage, and old ones become obsolete.”[3] Finally, the meaning of words extends beyond the denotative or dictionary definition into a connotative meaning, which is the figurative meaning that many words possess.[4]
The newest characteristic of words to me was the distinction between the denotative and connotative meaning. Within an individual’s native language, the difference between denotative and connotative meaning is second nature and often can be overlooked as an exploration of other languages commence. It appears the most important word characteristic may be a word’s semantic range, because without an understanding of the possible Greek or Hebrew meanings within the context of the original audience, it may be impossible to discover the meaning of a word.
Performing a word study requires a minimum of three steps. Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays suggest that the first step is to carefully choose which words to study, and then secondly, determine the semantic range of the word or words selected.[5] The final step is to determine the meaning of the word within its original context.[6] Word studies are extraordinarily important due to word’s flexibility and nuance that can significantly impact the meaning of a particular phrase or verse.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of word studies in the original languages. In fact, historically, seminaries required Greek and Hebrew for students obtaining a Master of Divinity. A few of the many reasons why word studies in the original languages are important follow. First, concordance work using the English word is of little value because the underlying Greek and Hebrew words are translated into a variety of English words. Accordingly, when looking for other uses of the word, it is a must that the Greek or Hebrew lemma is searched. Second, identifying the grammatical nuances of a verb or noun is difficult and often impossible using the English language. For example, if the interpreter wants to find all the uses of a particular Greek genitive noun or a specific imperfect Hebrew verb, then the word in the original language needs parsed and only then can the researcher search for similar usages. Third, textual criticism is very difficult, if not impossible, without an understanding of the original languages. Fourth, often subtleties of the original language occur that are not identifiable in English. For example, no indefinite article exists in Hebrew or Greek, and the definite article in Greek may or may not connote definiteness, which can effect meaning.[7] A classic example of the importance of articular versus anarthrous nouns is highlighted, according to evangelicals, by the incorrect interpretation of John 1:1 by Jehovah Witnesses, which undermines the deity of Christ.[8] Although the previous reasons are certainly not comprehensive, it is fair to say that doing word studies in the original languages is extraordinarily important to the modern interpreter.
Bibliography
Duvall, J. Scott, and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.
Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004.
Wallace, Daniel B. The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Greek Grammar. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
References
[1] William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 241.
[2] Ibid., 242–43.
[3] Ibid., 244.
[4] Ibid., 246.
[5] J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 167–77.
[6] Ibid., 177–79.
[7] Daniel B. Wallace, The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Greek Grammar (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 94–128.
[8] Ibid., 119–20.