Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
INTRODUCTION
English Dictionaries & Hebrew/Greek Lexicons
Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
Proverbs 19:27
Greater and greater by the day are the number of Christians withdrawing their trust from the cunningly devised modern Bibles of these last days (which have reached the staggering number of 450+ versions in English alone). Thanks be to those lovers of the truth (who have courageously endeavoured to expose the movement of usurpers of the word of JEHOVAH, who liberally mutilate the Scriptures, blot out the words of prophecy, and deny the deity of Christ), it is becoming all the more clear to all those who have eyes to see and ears to hear1 that the King James Bible is the Word of God in English.
But there’s another adder on the prowl who—working according to the same mischief but with all the more subtlety—has largely gone undiscerned, slithering about in our midst, whispering the same old, beguiling words, “Yea, hath God said?”2 in a modern tone. Satan would not have God’s remnant believe that JEHOVAH has preserved His word unto this very generation, but rather that the words of God in our English vernacular—the King James Bible—are less than desirable, and thus must be fortified with secret wisdom: Hebrew/Greek lexicons and dictionaries.
The grave issue with such resources (including Strong’s, Young’s, Vine’s, Smith’s, Thayer’s, Brown-Driver-Briggs, etc) is that they “speak not according to this word”3—they aren’t the language of the King James Bible. Just because the words look and sound the same does not mean they are the same. The definitions, connotations, and denotations of the words divorced from our Authorized Bible become altogether different.
Lexical and dictionary definitions are found out to have “missed the mark” when compared with those given by Scripture. Both so called “archaic” words (which are, in truth, King James Bible words) and modern, everyday words compiled in linguistic resources, old and new, when compared to the Bible’s delineation of meaning are often employed differently. At times the difference is slight, at other times the disparity is drastic.
Three examples will suffice to demonstrate this.
Firstly, the Word of John 1:1 is internally defined in John 1:14 as “the only begotten of the Father,” whereas according to Strong’s definition, the Word is: “specially, (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ).” The thirteenth entry of Webster’s 1828 Dictionary in its article for “word” lists: “Christ. John 1:1” as a definition. While both arrive at the same inevitable conclusion of Jesus Christ, they miss the real identifying factor that defines the Word. According to the Bible, the Word is “the only begotten [Son] of the Father”.
Secondly, grace is internally defined (by synonymous parallelisms) as favour,4 mercy,5 help in time of need,6 peace,7 wisdom,8 power,9 and salvation,10 whereas the traditional, popular theology of grace is believed to be “unmerited favour.” This definition, however, utterly falls apart in contexts such as Luke 2:40, where we read that the grace of God was upon Jesus. It’s precisely because the grace of God was upon Jesus, who knew no sin, that grace cannot be a favour that is unmerited, for Christ is the only one who surely merited favour from God.
Thirdly is that of soul. The first entry of Webster’s 1828 defines soul as follows:
The spiritual, rational and immortal substance in man, which distinguishes him from brutes; that part of man which enables him to think and reason, and which renders him a subject of moral government. The immortality of the soul is a fundamental article of the christian system. Such is the nature of the human soul that it must have a God, an object of supreme affection.
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, “Soul”
According to Webster (whose words drip with the ensnaring echo of the heathen philosophers who, following the likes of Justin Martyr after the death of the apostle John in circa 100 A.D., had infiltrated the early church, namely Tatian of Adiabene and the more prominent false teachers known as Clement and his pupil Origen of Alexandria), the soul is uniquely human, belonging to no other creature but himself alone, and is that “immortal substance” of his spiritual being. Such men attributed to themselves the attributes of deity alone, and in so doing have followed after that serpentine fable of old uttered by Satan, that “ye shall be as gods,”11 whose spell enchanted Eve in Eden.
The Bible, on the other hand, says nothing concerning man’s supposed innate, immortal nature. To the contrary, Scripture declares that “only [God] hath immortality.”12 Furthermore, the Bible defines the soul as any creature that has life, and is employed especially in relation to the heart, mind, and strength of man (see SOUL in the section below, “THE KJB’s BUILT-IN DICTIONARY”).
It is for this reason that line upon line is absolutely, indispensably foundational to the Bible believing Christian. What’s most beautiful about line upon line is that all the student of truth needs is the Holy Scriptures in his own English vernacular without any knowledge of Hebrew or Greek whatsoever. Therefore, let us refrain from peddling “endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying,”13 neither let us strive “about words to no profit, to the subverting of the hearers,”14 but let us instead endeavour to “know the certainty of the words of truth.”15 Should anyone ask you, “Canst thou speak Greek?”16 you may exclaim that JEHOVAH has “not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth.”17
The American Dictionary of the English Language (Webster’s 1828)
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is by no means an unhelpful resource. It’s a fine dictionary that at times accurately defines words according to King James definitions. However, held up to the Standard (the KJB itself), it sometimes misdefines words. It’s also worthy of note that, on occasion, Webster quotes his own Webster’s Bible instead of the King James. He also Americanized the 1769 Oxford Standard Edition spelling (which since has become fully standardized by Cambridge University Press, who further refined the former edition’s idiosyncratic spellings to produce its final form, the 1900 Pure Cambridge Edition). Webster’s Americanized renderings of 1769 Oxford Standard spelling can result in more difficulty in locating words.
Furthermore, in the Preface, Introduction, and Euphemisms sections of Webster’s Revision, he includes language such as “All-Seeing God” and “Supreme Being,” owing not to the only true God, JEHOVAH, but rather to the “Great Architect of the Universe” of Freemasonry. For this reason, the Christian must take great caution with adhering to the definitions provided in his Dictionary of the English Language, lest he learn contrarily to the King James Bible.
The So Called “Law of First Mention”
Before we begin, mention must be made of “The Law of First Mention.” This “law” is often referenced and invoked as an example or standard for how a particular word might be employed throughout the rest of the Bible. However, such a practice is unreliable, not to mention that this “law,” dare I saw, falsely so called, is delineated nowhere in the Bible, let alone alluded to even once in the slightest degree. Applying this unscriptural rule of man may cause one to inadvertently disregard context the next time the same word is mentioned, because after all, each individual context rules the meaning and may render the same elsewhere in an alternative manner. Although this may not always be problematic since there are many words that are quite specific in their relation to other words, it will not work in every instance, and for this reason alone, it can neither be called a law or rule of interpretation. Line upon line, on the other hand, is 100% reliable, 100% of the time.
UNDERSTANDING BY LINE UPON LINE
Context Defines
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail
Isaiah 34:16
The usage of words within their immediate context determines what is known to us as “definitions.” Torn from its context, a word does not truly possess intrinsic meaning. Definitions are inferred by each individual word’s relationship to other words surrounding it, which is why any single word may hold diverse meanings in different contexts. That is to say, word definitions are the byproduct of word relationships. The fact that any one word cannot be used to define itself proves this. Another word must be used to define it, and it’s typically synonymous (identical or near identical) and antonymous (opposite or near opposite) words, found in context that properly define any given word.
We must be cautious about rigidly presuming the meaning of words (e.g. according to external resources), lest we inadvertently divorce them from their proper context. The same is true of the words of our King James Bible. Were one to use a dictionary to define the words of the Scriptures, such a one would merely be guessing at each word’s meaning. The King James Bible must define its own language and be its own expositor.
Synonyms and Parallelisms
The doctrine of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul: The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Psalm 19:7-8, margin
This is what’s called a synonymous parallelism, whereby the succeeding line repeats the previous line using different words that hold the same or nearly the same meaning. There are 4 concurrent strings of synonymous parallelisms in the above two verses:
doctrine (law) = testimony = statutes = commandment
perfect = sure = right = pure
restoring (converting) = making wise = rejoicing = enlightening
the soul = the simple = the heart = the eyes
How to Locate Parallelisms
Definitions are usually to be found close by the word in question, whether in the same verse, in the preceding verse, or in the following verse. Sometimes, however, the definition may be located elsewhere in the same chapter or book, or elsewhere in the Bible.
God’s word teaches by repetition and reiteration. A recurrence of a word in a short space from its first occurrence within a given context indicates a parallelism. Differences in words while maintaining similar thoughts indicate a synonym. Contrasting thoughts indicate an antonym. The synonym is a definition whereas the antonym infers its opposite’s definition through its own antithetical meaning.
Near words often have near meanings. At times, different words with identical or near identical meanings define one another, while at others, different words with different meanings are brought together to form a synthetic parallel of greater shared meaning. Words also hold connotations (associated thoughts or suggestions attached, i.e. positive or negative; comfort or woe) as well as denotations. We will discuss all of this in greater detail in a future article.
Our Final Authority
The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Psalm 12:6-7
The King James Bible contains its own built-in dictionary. For “this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation”:18—that the King James Bible is our final authority in all matters of doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness, in order “that the man of God may be perfect; thoroughly furnished unto all good works”.19 It is written that “the word of the Lord endureth forever”20 and “the Scripture cannot be broken”.21 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God”22, and there is no subject in all of God’s Word in the English vernacular that is void of inspiration. It is sufficient in itself to teach us all things which God has revealed—for it is written that “those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever”.23
We need not turn to the Hebrew or the Greek, and much less ought we consult any lexicon or dictionary to define, interpret, or expound upon any portion of the Holy Scriptures. In having done so, we have scurrilously trodden underfoot the Holy Bible to prostrate ourselves at the feet of men. God has magnified His Word above all His name,24 and thus we ought to invest our undivided, unreserved trust in all that His inspired patriarchs, prophets, and apostles have written “unto us and to our children forever.”
Rightly Dividing
The apostle Paul writes, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.25 But how are we to rightly divide the Scriptures? The prophet Isaiah reveals not only how the word of truth shall be handled, but who JEHOVAH shall make to understand it:
Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
Isaiah 28:9-10
It is “them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts,” whom as newborn babes have desired the sincere milk of the word, and have grown thereby26 as unto ones which are able to bear strong meat. Paul tells us that “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” for reason that “they are spiritually discerned”.27 The point that Paul here is making is that “we might know all things that are freely given to us of God”28 so long as our reliance be not upon our own fleshy (i.e. earthly) intellect, but upon the Spirit of the living God—for God has revealed unto us “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;” in order that we should compare “spiritual things with spiritual”.29 As one brick must be laid upon another, and yet another in the building of a house, so must precept be upon precept, and line upon line, in understanding the doctrine of God.
THE KJB’s BUILT-IN DICTIONARY
Context, Synonyms, and Parallelisms
I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
Hosea 12:10
By no means are the examples below purposed to serve as a dictionary or reference tool in itself. Rather, they have been extracted to inspire you to identify for yourself the innumerable synonyms and parallelisms throughout Scripture as you read every word in its proper context. Jesus Himself promised to come to us30 in the form of “the Comforter”—His everywhere-present representative on earth, “the Spirit of truth”31—to dwell inside us,32 to “teach [us] all things”,33 and to “guide [us] into all truth”.34
A Few Examples
but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.
1 Samuel 9:27
I have brought together a mixture of “archaic,” common, and relevant words to demonstrate how the Bible’s own words are internally exposited. We will take a look at the first four together, then I will leave the rest to you to study out on your own.
ANON
immediately,35 straightway,36 forthwith37
For our first word, we’ll take a look at the word anon as read in Mark 1:30:
But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever and anon they tell him of her.
Mark 1:30
Its definition comes as immediately as the following verse:
And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Mark 1:31
It’s also defined similarly in previous verses:
And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John
Mark 1:29
And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
Mark 1:18
BEGOTTEN
Next up is the word begotten. This word has two definitions which, when brought together, bring it into a clearer definition than it would have without them. It is first defined accordingly as seen in Job 38:28-29:
Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
Job 38:28-29
Notice how that rain is paralleled with drops of dew, and ice is paralleled with hoary frost. So is the word begotten made synonymous with gendered. Now for the second definition, which is given on two accounts:
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
1 John 5:18
This is confirmed by the following verb beget that denotes an action (and of which begotten is the past participle) in direct association with the word born:
And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
Ezekiel 47:22
CAMP
habitation,40 dwell, i.e. dwelling [place]41
Next is the word camp, which holds a twofold definition by the following synonyms—firstly:
All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.
Leviticus 13:46
And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.
Psalm 78:28
And secondly:
both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.
Numbers 5:3
And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us.
Joshua 10:6
CREATED
The word create actually has various definitions in scripture, but here we will just mention a couple:
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Isaiah 43:1
For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
Amos 4:13
See also Isaiah 43:7 and 45:7.
The second definition we will mention is found in the following examples:
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Genesis 5:1
even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
Isaiah 43:7
Definitions to Study
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1 Corinthians 2:13
ALOOF
afar off44
BEWRAY
sheweth45
ANTONYMS: hideth
Note: although similar, bewray is not identical to betray
BODY
temple,46 earthen vessel,47 mortal flesh48
BYWORD
proverb49
CASTAWAY
contraction of cast away,50 overthrown51
DESOLATE
waste,52 without inhabitant,53 without man,54 no man,55 void,56 wilderness57
DIVIDE
mete out,58 separate,59 part60
DOCTRINE
knowledge,61 understanding,62 word,63 speech64
ESTABLISHED
made,65 confirm,66 set [up],67 founded,68 builded69
FATHER
FEAR
love,72 serve,73 give glory,74 worship,75 obey,76 reverence,77 keep [JEHOVAH’s] commandments,78 cleave,79 walk in [JEHOVAH’s] ways80
FORASMUCH
even81
FORGIVE
cover,82 blot out,83 take away,84 heal,85 quicken,86 redeem87
FURBISHED
sharpened,88 made bright,89 glittering90
GATES
HALLOW
holy,93 cleanse,94 anoint,95 keep,96 consecrate97
HOLPEN
helpeth, i.e. “helped”,98 comforted99
HOLY
separate,100 undefiled,101 harmless,102 separate from sinners103
INTREAT
pray,104 beseech,105 supplication, i.e. “supplicate”106
ISRAEL
people of JEHOVAH,107 the sons of the living God,108 children of Zion,109 daughters of Zion,110 daughters of Jerusalem111
JEHOVAH
See also JAH,112 contraction of JEHOVAH
I AM THAT I AM,113 I AM,114 which is, and which was, and which is to come,115 God of Israel,116 God of Abraham, Isaac, and [of] Israel,117 God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Jacob,118 salvation of Israel,119 God Almighty,120 King of glory,121 the most High,122 the most high over all the earth,123 the God of heaven, and the God of the earth,124 the possessor of heaven and earth,125 my strength and [my] song,126 my strength and my shield,127 everlasting strength128
JESUS
Christ,129 Messias,130 Saviour,131 Son of God,132 the only begotten Son,133 the Word,134 The Word of God,135 the Holy One of God,136 God with us,137 the resurrection and the life,138 the righteousness of God,139 the wisdom of God,140 the power of God,141 JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS,142 the arm of JEHOVAH,143 KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS144
See also:
he shall save his people from their sins,145 our hope,146 The BRANCH,147 righteous Branch,148 Counsellor,149 Redeemer,150 Deliverer,151 the Comforter,152 the firstbegotten,153 the firstborn,154 Alpha and Omega,155 the beginning and the end,156 the first and the last,157 the beginning,158 The Amen,159 the faithful and true witness,160 the beginning of the creation of God161
JEWS
people of Jerusalem162
JUSTIFIED
just before God,163 peace with God,164 be clean,165 washed,166 sanctified,167 saved168
LISTETH
turn169
NOUGHT
contraction of not ought,170 nothing,171 none172
PARTIALITY
preferring one before another,173 hypocrisy,174 respect to persons175
PRECEPT
word,176 law,177 command,178 statutes,179 testimonies,180 judgments181
PREDESTINATED
purposed,182 conformed,183 foreknow184
PRETENSE
not sincerely185
PUBLISH
ascribe,186 blaze abroad,187 declare,188 praise,189 proclaim,190 say,191 write192
SABBATH
SHEW
do,195 reveal,196 write,197 manifest,198 declare,199 teach,200 grant201
SIN
unbelief,202 transgression [of the law],203 unrighteousness,204 iniquity,205 trespass,206 do evil,207 do perversely,208 wickedness,209 rebellion,210 disobedience,211 depart from [Jehovah’s] precepts and judgments212
SITH
because, i.e. “since”213
SOUL
heart,214 mind,215 understanding,216 strength,217 life,218 creature219
SPIRIT
word,220 breath,221 mind,222 heart223
SWORD
Word of God;224
see also “Sword of the Spirit” = Word of God225
UNCLEAN
defiled,226 unholy,227 profane228
UNFEIGNED
earnest,229 sincere,230 honest231
VERILY
of a truth232
VOID
empty,233 emptiness,234 waste,235 without form,236 nothing237
WREST
pervert238
ZION
Jerusalem,239 city of David,240 city of the great King241
Thanks for reading!
God bless,
Brandon
This was amazing. It took me about an hour to read. I'm a very slow reader. But it had me drawn in. So, I stayed the course and finished. Very well done brother Brandon. Praise GOD!