Searching for a key word of the text elsewhere in the Bible
The Bible largely explains itself. A word that keeps coming back, a surprising image, a strange expression: often, another passage sheds light on them. This quest invites you to search for a key word from your reading elsewhere in the Bible, to see how it is used.
What it looks like in your day
You read a passage and a word stops you: "peace," "grace," "shepherd," "wisdom," "rest," "light," "remember." Instead of moving on, you stop. Then:
- Note the word and the sentence where it appears.
- Use the app's search to find that word in other verses.
- Read two or three occurrences in different books. Don't aim to be exhaustive.
- Compare. Does the word have the same meaning everywhere? Do any nuances appear? What does each context reveal?
- Go back to your starting passage and reread it with what you have learned.
An example: in a psalm, you get stuck on the word "rest." Searching for it, you discover that God rests on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2), that he promises rest to his people, and that Jesus invites: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). The word opens up: rest is not just a pause, it is a gift from God.
If you are in a hurry, two occurrences are enough. If you are a beginner, start with a simple word (love, joy, peace). If you are shy, searching is solitary work, open to everyone.
What the Bible says
Jesus himself invites us to search the Scriptures:
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”
He says these Scriptures testify of him: by following a word through the Bible, you often end up crossing paths with Jesus. Paul describes a similar method when speaking of his teaching:
“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.”
"Comparing spiritual things with spiritual": the idea is to understand God's realities with the vocabulary God himself uses. Searching for a word throughout the Bible means letting Scripture itself teach you.
A psalm also says that God's word is true from the beginning (Psalms 119:160): the Bible forms a coherent whole. That is what makes this kind of search fruitful.
Pitfalls to avoid
Making the word say what you want. The same word can mean different things depending on the context. "Flesh" can mean the body or the sinful nature, for example. Check each time what the text says.
Limiting yourself to the translation. One English word can translate several Hebrew or Greek words. Don't build a theology on a single word without checking. If you want to go further, use a study tool.
Scattering yourself. You can spend an hour following a word from place to place. Set yourself a limit: three passages, twenty minutes at most.
Forgetting the starting passage. The search should shed light on your text, not take you away from it for good. Come back to it at the end.
Searching to know, not to live. The goal is not to pile up knowledge, but to understand God better. End with a prayer or a decision.
Today, choose a word in your reading and search for it elsewhere. Read two occurrences, and note what you learn.