Start with the sentence
John 21:15–19; 1 John 4:7–12
A word has meaning within a sentence, a paragraph, and a particular author’s usage. Begin by reading the passage in more than one freely available translation, then identify the specific question that matters. A word study should clarify that question, not merely collect impressive definitions.
John 21 uses different Greek verbs in its exchange about love. Interpreters disagree about the weight of that variation. The passage itself also repeats a commission to care for Jesus’ sheep. Do not allow a proposed word distinction to eclipse what is explicit in the scene.
Write the sentence’s main point before opening a lexicon.
Use a concordance with restraint
2 Timothy 2:15; Nehemiah 8:8
A concordance helps locate occurrences; a lexicon describes a range of senses. A Strong’s number identifies an entry, not the meaning required at every occurrence. Compare usage by the same author and in similar constructions before moving to distant examples. Older public-domain lexicons can be useful, but their scholarship and terminology may need evaluation.
Avoid the root fallacy: the parts or historical origin of a word do not automatically determine its meaning in a later sentence. Avoid importing every possible definition into one verse. Record which contextual evidence supports your reading and where you remain uncertain.
Compare three uses, recording the speaker, audience, and surrounding paragraph.
Return to interpretation and application
Luke 10:25–37
State the result in plain language. Distinguish what is clear in the passage from a suggestion based on a tool. If a conclusion depends on grammatical details you cannot evaluate, consult a qualified teacher or a reliable scholarly discussion and say what your source argues.
In Luke 10, the question about a neighbor leads into a story and a command to show mercy. A technically detailed study is incomplete if it never returns to the passage’s communicative purpose. Let knowledge serve attention and love rather than certainty beyond the evidence.
Explain your conclusion without using a Greek or Hebrew word; then name one response.
PAUSE & REFLECT