Word study
Word
14 Hebrew and 7 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: word, words. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “word” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- דָּבָר dâbârspeech, wordtranslated this way 683 times of its 1,244 uses · Strong’s H1697Noun · Translated: word 342, words 299, acts 51, Chronicles 42Full study and all 1,120 verses →
Genesis 15:1 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
Exodus 4:15 You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I will teach you what to do.
- אֵמֶר êmersomething saidtranslated this way 38 times of its 49 uses · Strong’s H561Noun · Translated: words 38, arguments 2Full study and all 47 verses →
Numbers 24:4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:
Deuteronomy 32:1 Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
- מִלָּה millâhword, speech, utterancetranslated this way 25 times of its 37 uses · Strong’s H4405Noun · Translated: words 22, word 2, speaking 2, speeches 2Full study and all 37 verses →
2 Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.
Job 4:4 Your words have steadied those who stumbled; you have braced the knees that were buckling.
- אִמְרָה imrâhutterance, speech, wordtranslated this way 20 times of its 36 uses · Strong’s H565Noun · Translated: word 15, words 4, according to your promise 4, promise 4Full study and all 35 verses →
Deuteronomy 33:9 He said of his father and mother, ‘I do not consider them.’ He disregarded his brothers and did not know his own sons, for he kept Your word and maintained Your covenant.
2 Samuel 22:31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
- אֵל êlmotion totranslated this way 14 times of its 4,199 uses · Strong’s H413Preposition · Translated: to 1,941, to me 285, to you 149, to him 137Full study and all 3,455 verses →
- שָׁלַח shâlachsendtranslated this way 6 times of its 829 uses · Strong’s H7971Verb · Translated: sent 334, send 126, go 43, sending 19Full study and all 783 verses →
Genesis 31:4 So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were,
Joshua 11:1 Now when Jabin king of Hazor heard about these things, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon; to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph;
- אָמַר âmarutter, saytranslated this way 5 times of its 4,555 uses · Strong’s H559Verb · Translated: said 1,531, says 576, say 352, replied 341Full study and all 3,827 verses →
- פֶּה pehmouthtranslated this way 5 times of its 423 uses · Strong’s H6310Noun · Translated: mouth 207, mouths 43, command 38, lips 10Full study and all 396 verses →
Numbers 3:16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.
1 Kings 13:21 and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,
- מִלָּה millâhword, thingtranslated this way 5 times of its 22 uses · Strong’s H4406Noun · Translated: words 3, matter 3, word 2, command 2Full study and all 20 verses →
Daniel 2:5 The king replied to the astrologers, “My word is final: If you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will be cut into pieces and your houses will be reduced to rubble.
Daniel 2:8 The king replied, “I know for sure that you are stalling for time because you see that my word is final.
- דָבַר dâbarspeaktranslated this way 4 times of its 1,113 uses · Strong’s H1696Verb · Translated: speak 209, said 157, spoken 142, spoke 110Full study and all 1,025 verses →
- פָּצָה pâtsâhpart, opentranslated this way 2 times of its 15 uses · Strong’s H6475Verb · Translated: open 4, opened 3, opens 2, set me free 2Full study and all 15 verses →
Judges 11:35 As soon as Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “No! Not my daughter! You have brought me to my knees! You have brought great misery upon me, for I have given my word to the LORD and cannot take it back.”
Judges 11:36 “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the LORD. Do to me as you have said, for the LORD has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites.”
- שָׂפָה sâphâhlip, speech, edgetranslated this way 2 times of its 167 uses · Strong’s H8193Noun · Translated: lips 98, speech 12, rim 10, edge 9Full study and all 159 verses →
Proverbs 17:7 Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
Isaiah 36:5 You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now trusting, that you have rebelled against me?
- קוֹל qôlsound, voicetranslated this way 2 times of its 425 uses · Strong’s H6963Noun · Translated: voice 197, sound 63, voices 22, thunder 11Full study and all 378 verses →
Ecclesiastes 5:6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?
Ecclesiastes 10:20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.
- רַבְרַב rabrabhuge, domineeringtranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s H7260Adjective · Translated: great 3, words of arrogance 2, generous 1, large 1Full study and all 8 verses →
Daniel 7:8 While I was contemplating the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like those of a man and a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
Daniel 7:20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell— the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others, with eyes and with a mouth that spoke words of arrogance.
Greek words (New Testament)
- λόγος lógosa word, speech, divine utterance, analogytranslated this way 194 times of its 311 uses · Strong’s G3056Noun · Translated: word 142, words 52, message 32, account 10Full study and all 298 verses →
Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Mark 2:2 they gathered in such large numbers that there was no more room, not even outside the door, as Jesus spoke the word to them.
- ῥῆμα rhēmaa thing spokentranslated this way 36 times of its 60 uses · Strong’s G4487Noun · Translated: words 19, word 17, message 6, statement 4Full study and all 58 verses →
Matthew 4:4 But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Mark 14:72 And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
- λέγω légōI say, speaktranslated this way 11 times of its 993 uses · Strong’s G3004Verb · Translated: said 216, tell 164, say 105, saying 86Full study and all 936 verses →
- λόγιον lógiondivine communicationtranslated this way 4 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G3051Noun · Translated: words 2, word 1, conveying the words of god 1Full study and all 4 verses →
Acts 7:38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.
Romans 3:2 Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
- ἀποστέλλω apostéllōI send forth, send, send away, dismisstranslated this way 2 times of its 132 uses · Strong’s G649Verb · Translated: sent 99, send 17, sending 8, sent word 2Full study and all 130 verses →
Matthew 14:35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding region. People brought all the sick to Him
- λαλέω laléōI speak, saytranslated this way 2 times of its 291 uses · Strong’s G2980Verb · Translated: speak 69, spoke 36, speaking 31, spoken 27Full study and all 268 verses →
Luke 1:45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”
- ἔπω épōto speak or say (by word or writing)translated this way 2 times of its 962 uses · Strong’s G2036Verb · Translated: said 426, asked 95, told 88, replied 69Full study and all 891 verses →
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
What the Bible says about word: passages by topic →
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.