What does this word mean here?
Slow down around the words that carry weight in the passage.
02 — WORD STUDY
You have already observed the passage.
Now you are going to slow down around one word at a time.
A word study is not about collecting every possible definition.
It is about asking:
What does this word mean here?
The goal is to understand how the word is functioning in this passage before drawing conclusions from it.
For this movement, you will choose one word that stood out during Observation and follow it carefully.
Have your Word Study page, Bible, and study tools ready?
WELCOME TO WORD STUDY
Go back to the passage you observed.
Look at the words you marked, circled, underlined, or kept noticing.
Choose one word to study first.
A good word to choose is often one that:
repeats
carries an important action
seems central to the sentence
feels unfamiliar
appears differently across translations
raises a question for you
You do not need to choose the “most important” word in the passage.
Just choose one worth slowing down for.
Write the word at the top of your Word Study page.
Which word are you following?
CHOOSE THE WORD
FIND THE ORIGINAL WORD
Now that you’ve chosen a word, let’s trace it back to the original language.
We’re going to use STEP Bible for this.
You only have one job right now:
Find the original Greek or Hebrew word behind the word you chose.
Don’t worry about everything else STEP is showing you yet.
Just find:
the original word
its Strong’s number
Then come back here.
WHAT DID YOU FIND?
You’ve just connected the English word in your Bible to the original Greek or Hebrew word behind it.
On your Word Study page, record:
WORD / PHRASE — the word you chose
ORIGINAL WORD — written in English letters is fine
STRONG’S #
LANGUAGE — Greek or Hebrew
You do not need to copy the Greek or Hebrew characters unless you want to.
Writing the original word in English letters is called a transliteration.
For now, you’re simply identifying the word.
You haven’t decided what it means yet.
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For qualified in Colossians 1:12:
WORD / PHRASE: qualified
ORIGINAL WORD: hikanoō
STRONG’S #: G2427
LANGUAGE: GreekYou do not need to copy the Greek characters unless you want to.
Writing hikanoō in English letters is enough.
This lets the example answer the exact question the user has at that moment without jumping ahead into meaning.
WAIT — WHAT IS A STRONG’S NUMBER?
A Strong’s number is simply an identifier assigned to an original-language word.
G = Greek
H = Hebrew
The number helps you follow the same underlying word through study resources.
The number is not the definition.
So if you found something like G2427, that does not mean “qualified.”
It simply helps identify and locate the Greek word behind it.
That’s all you need to know right now.
MEANING
Now look at the MEANING section on your Word Study page.
The question is:
What does this word mean in the original language?
We’re going back to STEP Bible.
Again, you only have one job.
Open the word you just found and look for:
MEANING
That’s the only section you need right now.
You may see several different ways the word can be used.
Don’t worry about choosing the “right” definition yet.
For now, just notice the range of meaning STEP gives you.
Then come back here.
YOU JUST USED A LEXICON
A lexicon is essentially a dictionary for the original biblical languages.
It helps us investigate how a Greek or Hebrew word can be used.
Just like an English word can have more than one meaning depending on the sentence, a Greek or Hebrew word can have a range of meaning.
A LEXICON IS A TOOL, NOT A MENU.
You may be looking at several possible meanings and wondering:
Which one is the right one?
For now, you don’t have to choose.
A lexicon gives you possibilities. It does not mean every definition applies every time the word appears.
And we’re not looking for the definition that sounds the most interesting.
Right now, we’re gathering evidence.
On your Word Study page, under MEANING, record a concise range of meaning from STEP.
We haven’t answered the biggest question yet:
What does this word mean here?
Context will help us discover the fit.
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For qualified in Colossians 1:12, STEP gives a range of meaning for hikanoō such as:
make sufficient
make competent
qualify
authorize
You do not need to choose one yet.
For now, record the range.
A lexicon gives you possibilities. Context will help you discover the fit.
ROOT / WORD FAMILY
Sometimes the word you’re studying is connected to another Greek or Hebrew word.
Looking at that relationship can help clarify the idea the word carries.
Think about English words like:
sufficient
sufficiency
make sufficient
They aren’t the same word, but they’re clearly related.
Now we’re going back to STEP Bible.
Again, you only have one job.
Open the word you’re studying and look for:
RELATED WORDS
If STEP shows a related word, notice:
the related word
its Strong’s number
the basic meaning STEP gives it
Don’t try to collect everything.
You’re simply asking:
Does this related word help clarify the word I’m studying?
Then come back here.
SCRIPTURE CONNECTIONS
Where else is this word used, and what do those uses reveal?
A dictionary can tell us how a word can be used.
Scripture can let us see the word being used.
We’re going back to STEP Bible one more time.
This time, look for where the same original-language word appears elsewhere in Scripture.
If STEP shows another occurrence, don’t just write down the reference.
Open it.
Read the verse in context.
Then ask:
What does this passage help me see more clearly about the word I’m studying?
You are not looking for a second passage to redefine the first one.
You’re looking for another use of the same word that may help clarify how the word functions.
One meaningful connection is enough.
Then come back here.
READ THE PASSAGE
Don’t study the word apart from the passage where you found it.
Open the other occurrence STEP showed you and read the verse in context.
If possible, read at least the verse before and the verse after it too.
Then ask:
What do I notice about the way this word is being used here?
Look especially for:
who is performing the action
who is receiving the action
what the word is connected to
whether a related word appears nearby
what the surrounding sentence or paragraph makes clear
You are not trying to make this passage define your original passage.
You are simply watching the same word being used in another context.
Then ask:
What does this occurrence help me see more clearly?
When you have something helpful, write the reference and a short note under SCRIPTURE CONNECTIONS on your Word Study page.
You do not need a long explanation.
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For qualified in Colossians 1:12, one helpful Scripture connection is:
2 Corinthians 3:5–6
Paul uses the same word family:
sufficient / sufficiency / made sufficient
And notice where the sufficiency comes from:
Our sufficiency is from God. God is the One who makes sufficient.
That does not make 2 Corinthians define Colossians.
It simply helps us see a related truth more clearly before we return to the passage we are studying.
MEANING IN THIS PASSAGE
Now bring everything you’ve gathered back to the passage you started with.
So far, you’ve looked at:
the original word
its Strong’s number
its range of meaning
any related words
another place the same word is used in Scripture
Now close the study tools for a moment.
Go back to your original passage.
Return to the text.
Read the sentence again.
Then read around it.
Ask:
Who is using or performing this word?
Who or what is affected by it?
What does the surrounding passage make clear?
Your word study has given you evidence.
Now let the passage lead.
You are not asking:
What are all the things this word can mean?
You are asking:
What does this word mean here?
On your Word Study page, under MEANING IN THIS PASSAGE, write one clear sentence that reflects what the word means in this specific context.
Keep it simple.
You are not trying to sound technical.
You are trying to say what the text is actually showing you.
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For qualified in Colossians 1:12:
The Father has made us fit — qualified us — to share in the inheritance. Our qualification originates with Him.
That is the key takeaway from the word study.
The point is not that we uncovered a hidden Greek meaning.
The word study helped us slow down and notice what the sentence was already showing:
The Father is the One who qualifies.
YOU JUST COMPLETED A WORD STUDY
You noticed a significant word.
You traced it back to the original language.
You used a Strong’s number.
You learned what a lexicon is.
You looked at a range of meaning.
You explored a related word.
You followed the word into another passage.
You read that occurrence in context.
And then you returned to the passage you started with to ask:
What does this word mean here?
That is the heart of Word Study.
The goal was never to collect as much information as possible.
The goal was to slow down, gather evidence, and return to the text with greater clarity.
BEFORE YOU MOVE ON
Did your word study help you understand the passage more clearly?
If yes, you may already have what you need.
You do not have to keep digging simply because more information exists.
Know when to stop.
The goal isn’t to fill every space.
The goal isn’t to uncover something no one else has ever noticed.
The goal isn’t novelty. The goal is Truth.
RETURN TO THE TEXT.