Words
By Gary L. Fiscus
2023
I have often wondered if one pronounces Socrates as Sock-ra-teeze, Pleaides as Plee-a-deeze, Pericles as Per-a-cleeze, Hermes as Her-meeze, and Hades as Ha-deeze, then why is oracles not pronounced ora-kleeze? If one is talking about the Boston, Massachusetts basketball team he is speaking of the Boston Celtics, pronounced Sell-tiks; but if he is referencing the people of the Netherlands, they are called Celtics, pronounced Kel-tiks? This list could go on and on! Such quips may seem trite, trivial and unimportant until we realize that words are vehicles of communication. Earlier languages had verbs, sounds, elocution, enunciation, etc. Some had only one or two of these and even they might have been altered or changed through the years of that and subsequent societies. In our English language for example one soon learns that some grammatical rules apply in some cases and the same rules do not apply in other circumstances -- English 101.
A few decades ago, the late brother Raymond Harris told me, “Don’t preach on word studies. People don’t like that. To them it’s boring.” I understand what he was saying, and I know what he meant. He was not suggesting an only-preach-what-the-people-want-to-hear practice. It is just that most people simply are not sympathetic toward the study of words, especially words that are composed from Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin languages. Few folks are wordsmiths, (a word first used in 1873). I certainly am not an expert on any dialect including the variants within the vernacular. I do find, however, the importance of words being most intriguing and fascinating.
The Psalmist wrote, “Thy WORD is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path,” (119:105). The Hebrew word for “word” as used here means “to arrange to speak.” I.e., place letters, vowels, nouns, verbs, in a communicative order. At Acts 11:14 the physician and biblical author Luke penned, “Who shall tell thee WORDS, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.” In counting the words Luke wrote more of the New Testament, (Luke and Acts of the Aposltes) than anyone else, even the apostle Paul. Here in Acts 11, he recounts the events that took place in the tenth chapter concerning Peter’s taking the gospel to his fellow Gentile, Cornelius. In both Hebrew and Greek then we have an accounting and understanding of what words are and how they might be used.
Bible words, their usages and intents are important to the Bible student. One example of this is the word “seed,” (singular) as differed from the word “seeds,” (plural). In Gen. 3:15 Moses recorded in that part of the Pentateuch, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy SEED and her SEED…” This is with specific reference to the Christ in His omnipotence over Satan. I.E., Satan would only bruise Christ’s heel, but Christ would bruise Satan’s head. Later, at Gal. 3:16 the apostle Paul would examine this same piece of evidence, “Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his SEED. He saith not, and to SEEDS, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.” Notice the emphasis on the singular “SEED,” and the “NOT, and to SEEDS…” The words SEED and SEEDS, singular and plural are important in this text. For further study see the specific reference to Abraham’s SEED as recorded in Gen. 22:17-18.
Another facet that we often are confronted with is the change in words from archaic or even obscure to meaning something totally different. Let us take for example the word “post.” If you are like me and from the farm, perhaps our first thought is a fence post. These help to keep the livestock inside the parameter of the farm. You may have a fence held up by posts around your yard in town. When speaking of posts, we commonly think in terms of that which is stationary, unmovable, affixed, or movable with a great deal of effort! The word “post” is used in the Old Testament at Job 9:25, “Now my days are SWIFTER THAN A POST.” What? How can this be? The word “post” as used in the Hebrew means, “to run, rush, divide speedily, bring hastily, stretch out.” This is why in horse racing we use the terms post time and they’re in the stretch. The phrase post time was not used in racing until 1941 but the origin of the word was used in Job, perhaps the oldest book of the Bible! “In the stretch” also comes from the concept of “to spread out, reach, extend,” which is what a horse in a race or perhaps one finishing a project might be said to do. Even the post office or postal service stems from the concept of moving communication, e.g., letters and packages, from point A to point B as swiftly as possible. The key is that WORDS are important conveyors of communications.
We note also that the Bible was written primarily in Hebrew, (OT), koine Greek, (NT) with koine meaning common. In this sense the language was not the formal, academic classical Greek used by scholars of the day. It was the language of the common people. If it were not for the New Testament, there would be no study of koine Greek today. It was not used for important literary works. That work was from classical Greek. I also suggest that koine Greek was a consistent Hellenistic language spoken from the fourth century, B.C. to the sixth century A.D. There were changes and variations being made in the Greek, but the simplicity of the koine Greek was primarily what the people spoke and understood. It was not as some have told us a dead language like Latin but a simple language that people could understand.
There are, as some count them, between 250-270 New Testament verses of scripture that contain Aramaic phrases. Aramaic is closely related to Hebrew and along with the koine Greek was the spoken vernacular of Jesus’s day. A study of linguistics is interesting but exhausting. God, as usual, however, used the simple language of the day to convey His message to man. The common man could not be confused with changes in wording as with the classical, written, formal writings. No one would have to say, “What did you mean by this?” The simple language of the koine and the Aramaic made God’s word easier to understand and comprehend.
The problem with our modern-day language is that it is often shifting and changing. There are antiquated words, words that are not socially and politically correct, and words that simply are not really understood by the common man, and maybe even not by some intellectuals!
On a personal level and to illustrate my point I have for several years been a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. For three years running I was an Indiana delegate sent to Washington D.C. to discuss beef issues with legislators. In our conference meetings we were told that we would have to change our language from “Confined Feeding,” to “Concentrated Feeding.” It seemed the word “confined” was offensive to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization.
One of my sons-in-law is a building contractor. He informed me that we, to be politically correct, can no longer describe a newly built house as having a master bedroom. The term apparently has people thinking along the lines of sexism, i.e., favoring the male, and racism, i.e., the slave-master relationship. Some WORDS and phrases we are not to say anymore because of offense to somebody are, e.g., uppity, (snobbish), peanut gallery, (balcony where black people sat in theaters during Vaudeville days), gyp, (short for gypsy, e.g., “what a gyp,”) bugger, (being a sodomite), hooligan, (an Irish thief), Eskimo, (eater of raw meat or a snowshoe netter), sold down the river, (slave market), and eenie, meenie, miney, moe, (i.e.., using a phrase to catch someone or some animal by the toe), etc.
Since there are usually modifications in writing, and especially idioms added to speech, we acknowledge the problem with everchanging vocabularies. Interestingly, that which was written and spoken through the inspiration and providence of God has remained constant for centuries although men have tried to revise, amend, and modify WORDS that He has given. Again, the apostle Paul at Eph. 3:3-5 wrote, “how that by revelation was made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; which in other generations was not made known unto the sons of men, as it hath now been revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.”
¨ “By revelation” – God breathed out.
¨ “Made known” – God disclosed.
¨ “I wrote” – Paul says MY JOB is to write His words down.
¨ “Few words” – I am reminded of John’s statement in Jn. 20:30-31, “Many other signs…which are not written in this book: but these are written…”
¨ “Ye read” – Paul says YOUR JOB is to learn.
¨ “Perceive” – This is the same as understanding, recognize, and sense.
¨ “My understanding” – As God has revealed the message to me, I must comprehend what He is really saying. (We are often told “write what you know, not what you don’t know.” Paul was commissioned to write that which he learned and knew from God).
¨ “Was not made known” – The apostle says that this is God’s new way of communication. (See also Heb. 1:1-2).
¨ “Revealed” – Again, has come from Jehovah.
¨ “In the Spirit” – This was an outpouring of God’s WORDS upon the mind of the apostle. He, like John, was “in the Spirit,” (See also Rom. 15:19; Rev. 1:10).
As much as we might appreciate WORDS, we have to beware of the admonishment Paul gives at 1Ti 6:3-4, “If any man teacheth a different doctrine, and consenteth not to sound WORDS, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is puffed up, knowing nothing, but doting about questionings and disputes of WORDS, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmising’s.” Notice emboldened and underscored WORDS and phrases in this text. One must be on his guard especially watching for WORDS that might lead to envy, strife, etc. At the same time, one is to “season his SPEECH WITH SALT,” (Col. 4:6). Do WORDS make a difference in our lives? They certainly do; from what they mean to their purpose and intent all the way to verbalizing in a tone that is conducive to another’s understanding.
The apostle Peter’s WORDS admonish us. Heed his warning! “But there arose false prophets also among the people . . . and many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason whom THE WAY OF THE TRUTH shall be evil spoken of. And in covetousness shall they with FEIGNED WORDS make merchandise of you . . .” (2 Pet. 2:1-3). Today we often refer to communication as fake news. This is the same as Peter warned in the first century.
These WORDS OF TRUTH from God to the apostles have been recorded in the annals of the Bible. They are important WORDS. For all practical purposes they are WORDS that are so powerful they can change a person’s life. This is exemplified in John 1 where Jesus as the Christ is spoken of as being “THE WORD.” At v 14 that “WORD became flesh, and dwelt among us…” This instruction is further demonstrated in Jn. 14-16. This “WORD” sends the Comforter (Holy Ghost) to guide, i.e., via signs, miracles, wonders, (Mk. 16:15-20). He does so by WORDS given to the apostles to direct them into all TRUTH, (Jn. 16:13). Truth is understood to be proven certainty in WORDS. They convey that which is either factual truth or misleading, deceptive, and ambiguous fiction. We know therefore the power of God as we study His WORD and know His Son, the WORD.
--GLF