Word study
Using Strong's Responsibly
A caution page explaining that Strong's numbers help begin word study but do not determine meaning by themselves.
Strong's is a doorway
Strong's numbers are useful for finding where Hebrew and Greek words occur, connecting English readers to original-language data, and beginning a word study.
Strong's is not a substitute for careful exegesis. A Strong's gloss does not automatically determine meaning in a particular verse. Word meaning is controlled by context, grammar, authorial usage, genre, covenantal setting, and the flow of the passage.
Use Strong's as a doorway, not as the final authority.
Responsible questions
A responsible word study should ask:
- What is the word in the original language?
- How is it used in this immediate passage?
- How does the author use it elsewhere?
- What does the grammar require?
- What meanings are possible in this context?
- Which meaning best fits the author's argument?
- Does the proposed meaning create a doctrine the passage itself does not support?