Module 5 · Mistakes to Avoid · Week 15

Word Study Gone Wrong — How Good Intentions Mislead

One of the most popular Bible study techniques is looking up what a word means in the original Greek or Hebrew. But done carelessly, this produces some of the worst interpretive errors.

~20 min watch + read Video + podcast companion PDF handout included Taught by Andrew Ramirez Completed

Watch

Bible Made Simple

Clear, visual teaching at your own pace

Listen

Go Deeper

Accessible insight you can take anywhere

Section 01

Key Terms

Etymological Fallacy — The mistake of assuming a word's meaning comes from its root rather than from how it is actually used in context.

Semantic Range — The full range of meanings a word can have — context determines which meaning applies.

Illegitimate Totality Transfer — The mistake of loading every possible meaning of a word into a single use of that word.

Section 02

Key Concepts

01Usage

A word's meaning comes from how it's used in context.

Not from its root. Not from a Greek lexicon in isolation. From the sentence it lives in.

02Range

Words have a range of possible meanings.

Context picks the right one. A word can mean multiple things — but not all at once, in the same verse.

03Restraint

More concordance work isn't always better interpretation.

Sometimes it's just more confident bad interpretation. Start with context. Finish with context.

Section 03

Scripture Focus

Anchor passages for this lesson.

Ephesians 5:181 John 4:8Hebrews 4:12

Section 04

By the End, You Will…

Identify the etymological fallacy and explain why a word's root does not determine its meaning in any specific passage.

Explain how context (not a concordance search) determines which meaning of a word applies in a given verse.

Conduct a responsible word study that starts with context and uses lexicons as tools — not as authorities that override context.

Section 05

Take It With You

Lesson Handout (PDF)

Key terms, concepts, and review prompts for offline study

Download

You're at the finish line

Ready to lock it in? Mark this lesson complete.

You've watched, you've listened, you've read. Click complete to move forward.

Up Next · Week 16

Biblical Typology — Seeing Shadows Without Losing the Story

How to see Christ in the Old Testament without inventing him.

Start Week 16