Word studies are an important step in understanding what the Bible authors were saying in their original context to their contemporary audience.
Most word studies start in dictionaries and lexicons and may even include commentaries. These resources are beneficial, but you have to be careful in ensuring that the definitions and information are from the same time-period when the Bible writers authored their works. Otherwise, you may introduce an “anachronism.” An anachronism introduces something that does belong in the same period of time. For example, if I were to say let’s watch the movie on the VCR when I am referring to the DVD player, would invite a few laughs and possibly mild mocking. Unless of course, they know I just returned from the 80’s and are simply suffering from the side-effects of time travel. This following five and half minute video from my LearnLogos 7, 54-hour training bundle touches briefly on this key idea. Enjoy!
