“Dude, you’re bad.”
That used to mean the dude is not good. Now it basically means the opposite.
“Shut-up!”
That used to be reserved for only the most extreme situations and generally was demeaning in tone. Now the phrase is similar to an exclamation or shock.
Words change in meaning even within the same culture. When we consider the different culture and the elapsed time, it is not surprising that the words of the Bible are often unclear as to their intended meaning.
For example, if we read into James 5:20 our normal understanding for “save,” we might conclude that one person can provide eternal life for another person. How can we know the meaning of “save” in that verse and its meaning throughout Scripture? Because it is a word that is unclear, and because it seems a key point in that passage, a word study must be completed. Usually, every text I study requires a word study. The good news is that a word study, once complete, never has to be repeated.
Understanding a word’s meaning, in context and in its proper setting, is important to inductively studying the Bible. It is then imperative to know how to properly complete a word study. Learning to properly practice a word study will pay rich dividends for the careful bible study student.
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