There are over two billion English words in the Oxford English Corpus, yet the average English speaking person only knows about 20,000. Some estimate English-speaking Americans who have a college education know as many as 40,000 words, while only around 300 of those words are used in daily communications. A good handle on English words and their meanings are essential skills for understanding and teaching biblical themes and ideas.
Choosing the right word
One difficulty with the English language is that it keeps growing. It’s estimated that every 98 minutes a new English word is created. Dictionaries are having difficulties deciding which words will last long enough to justify inclusion and which words are no longer in use. Each year close to 200 new words are inserted into updated versions of dictionaries.
The Bible, depending on the English translation, contains over 700,000 words but only uses about 12,000 different words. This means the average person should have no difficulty understanding the basic meaning of a Bible verse in their English translation.
However, when it comes to applying what the Bible says to important modern issues, the use of relevant words becomes significant. Both an understanding of the etymology and current usage of words is necessary if Bible study teachers expect their presentation to relate to a larger number of people than just their immediate contacts.
I remember using a descriptive word in a sermon. I used it properly but after the sermon, an Elder of the Church thought it was an off-color term. Though a slang definition of the word existed and was unfitting for a sermon, its main definition, which is what I used, wasn’t offensive. I had used the word correctly, but the Elder was more conscious of the slang definition, which included offensive overtones. Had I referenced a dictionary that provided the historical development of that word during my preparations, I would have caught the possible misunderstanding and chosen a different relevant term.
Why use a dictionary for Bible study preparation?
Part of teaching the Bible includes the proper use of English words. So, whenever preparing a biblical or theological presentation have access to a good dictionary. Why? Well for one thing, situations like what I just mentioned are more common occurrences in the pulpit than you would expect. Secondly, words are often used incorrectly or unnecessarily when speaking. Repeating the same word can make a sermon less effective, unclear, or disinteresting. Thirdly, clarity in preaching and creativity in the use of the English language are necessary if you want to keep people’s attention.
There are several reasons for keeping a dictionary on your study desk. Here are some important ones.
You may not know what a general or theological term means. Or, you might not clearly understand how it relates to other words or how it is used in a sentence. Sometimes looking up a word’s etymology helps explain why older commentaries use the word differently. And, the dictionary is a great place to start when beginning to understand the meaning of a doctrine.
Throughout history, revivals have been spurred on by preachers and teachers who spoke clearly, well, and effectively. They made biblical passages understandable (clear) and usable (valuable) by speaking properly and with passion. This often requires going to a dictionary and using the simplest and most straight-forward meanings of words to create powerful and memorable statements.
Another important aspect of a dictionary is that it can protect the theological student from overloading a word with too many meanings within a particular context. A common mistake in teaching the Bible is to take all the possible meanings of a word and apply all of them to one occurrence of that word. A dictionary can help catch this error. A word usually has only one or at the most two meanings within the context that it appears. This is true for the Bible too. Overloading a word with too much meaning weakens, distorts, or makes it more difficult to understand the biblical author’s original intention for writing.
For instance, the word “trunk” has thirteen meanings in English. It can refer to the base of a tree, the body of a human being, or the snout of an elephant. This might sound like a silly illustration, but Bible students can mistakenly take all the meanings of a single word and impose them on a biblical text to suggest multiple ideas that the original author never intended. That’s as silly as telling someone you have a bruise on your “trunk” and them thinking you are a tree and an elephant. Dictionaries help you find the most accurate definition and steer you away from making conclusions that aren’t supported by the verse you are studying. A single word defined out of context is a misuse of language.
On the other hand, a little lexicographical research (lexicography is the study of how a word is used and defined within a particular context), that is, looking up a word in a dictionary (English, Greek, or Hebrew) often generates word pictures of how the term developed over time or how it relates to current actions and behaviors. This creates or at least suggests vivid and meaningful mental pictures of what might otherwise appear an abstract concept. Word pictures capture and keep people’s attention and aid memory recall of important talking points.
What are the differences between dictionaries?
It might seem like an easy decision to choose a good English dictionary. But it really requires some thought and understanding as to how the dictionary will be used. There isn’t simply one type of dictionary for all audiences or purposes.
There are several considerations when choosing a good dictionary. First, there are two ways to write a definition. A dictionary can have entries that are prescriptive showing how to correctly use a word in context. It can also provide a descriptive definition. This explains how the word is actually used in current English. Prescriptive entries show the correct usage and descriptive entries show the actual usage.
Dictionaries also list definitions differently. Older versions, or what’s considered traditional versions, lists definitions in chronological or historical usage order. Some modern dictionary versions begin with the most common usage definition. Other dictionaries don’t provide any etymological background (etymology is the study of the origin, development, and usage of a word throughout history) or it may only provide a simple descriptive definition as do most online free dictionaries. This isn’t the most useful definition for biblical studies.
A third consideration is to take into account the audience. Children develop vocabulary in stages and reach certain abstract levels of understanding at different grade levels. A child’s dictionary needs to be more graphic and simple than what would satisfy an adult’s curiosities. Appropriate recommendations for various grade levels for children are offered at the end of this article. Adult users fall into two groups: 1) those who are learning English as a second language (ESL); and 2) those who are native speakers of English (in this case, English for Americans). This latter group uses a dictionary to expand and better understand and use English (deeper usage of the language). Recommendations for both groups also appear at the end of this article.
Finally, there are various specialty dictionaries besides general dictionaries, such as medical, legal, and theological. This article will recommend both general dictionaries for students who present biblical studies and suggest a few theological dictionaries as they directly relate to the study and presenting of biblical content for studies and sermons.
What makes a general dictionary useful for biblical studies?
In other words, what are the criteria most helpful for choosing a good desk reference dictionary when preparing Bible studies?
A good dictionary needs to have the following five elements:
- Simple definitions and variant definitions,
- Show you how the word has been and is currently being used, as well as its origins,
- Provide both American and English pronunciations,
- Include not only individual word entries but also verbal phrases, idioms, and important biographical names and geographical places,
- Pictures and charts of some of the most commonly used terms, that are abstract or require additional visuals to be properly understood.
An optional but helpful element would be to include example sentences showing how the term is popularly used. And, it’s worth considering how current the dictionary is when it comes to new words. Dictionary revisions often include up to 200 new words each year and retire dozens of words that are rarely, if ever used. This means an older version and a current version dictionary may be necessary to find all the words you need to know.
Some have chosen to use Webster’s original American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 edition). This version, Noah Webster’s original dictionary, includes in its definitions how the Bible uses the word. As helpful as this sounds, this dictionary lacks a few critical elements for effective communications. It doesn’t include current usages or any new words that would be important to use when teaching on a biblical topic. It also doesn’t account for the evolutionary changes that take place in a language that may alter the definition of words. The word “quicken” is a classic example of a word’s primary meaning changing over time. It’s helpful to know what the word meant to nineteenth-century Americans and what it means in its biblical context, but it’s equally important to know exactly what it means now and how it’s properly used today.
A simple way of separating dictionaries into two categories is to look at who publishes which version. Random House and Meriam-Webster versions of dictionaries are published in American and are designed to be used in the U. S. A. for Americans speaking English. Cambridge, Collings, Longman, and Oxford dictionaries are published in the UK and are designed for English speakers of the English language. However, the English versions are often more thorough in their definitions than the American versions and may include both English and American usage, where American versions only refer to American usage.
If you are wondering about how Americans use the English language, an excellent volume is Brian Garner’s Garner’s Modern American Usage (3rd edition 
2009). Here you will discover proper American grammatical usage and style issues that can clear up your writing and speech, making them less obscure or erroneous. You can learn the difference between words like “affect” and “effect” as well as discover the most commonly misused or misspelled words. Oh, by the way, its published by the British Oxford Press.
The Oxford dictionary has brought the best of both the American and British usages together in its Oxford American Dictionary (3rd edition). Here you will find the most words in a desktop version (350,000) along with 1000 illustrations. It’s a little large for your desk but its the most comprehensive and authoritative dictionary on the market. However, it organizes definitions not by historical usage but by today’s English usage. None the less, it remains the gold standard for full-sized dictionaries.
My top four dictionary picks
Here are my top four picks for dictionaries that will help Bible teachers as they prepare to teach the themes and ideas found in the Bible. These will help you clearly and compellingly present the Bible’s message. Each dictionary is excellent. Their main differences are found in their apparatus. Each dictionary is formatted for slightly different purposes.
In the past, I have used the Webster’s New World Dictionary (2nd edition (1977). It has proven to be immensely helpful when searching for the etymology of words I come across in my reading and Bible studies. It keeps me focused on the word’s primary contextual meaning within the biblical passage, and it helps me discover synonyms that would further expand my understanding of a biblical theme. Webster’s New World Dictionary wa
s based on Noah’s 1828 version. However, my copy is worn out. I will keep it on the shelf because it supplements what I am about to suggest as good purchases for your future studies of the Bible. Its most recent replacement is the Webster’s New World College Dictionary (5th edition). The New York Times and the Associated Press use this as their standard, which indicates its value for writing and speaking effectively. However, this newer version (including the 4th edition) use a smaller print than previous editions and lack some of the amenities found in older versions.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition) is another excellent choice as it contains 225,000 entries. This desktop version includes the most words of any manageably sized dictionary. This dictionary is a descendant from Noah’s 1828 original. It will make an excellent addition to your Bible study tools and for personal use. Limited but free use of this dictionary can be found at https://www.merriam-webster.com/.
The American Heritage Dictionary is increasing in popularity as it includes 4000 full-color images, word etymologies, and word histories. It’s the most enjoyable and beautiful dictionary on the market. With such nice features and having to contend with limited page space, other things must go. As with all four of these recommendations, there is a tradeoff with the amenities. The American Heritage Dictionary doesn’t have as many entries or amenities as does the Oxford American Dictionary.
My #1 choice, as mentioned earlier, is the Oxford American Dictionary (3rd edition). It remains the gold standard for a desktop dictionary. It includes 350,000 words and 1000 illustrations. The only possible drawback might be that it’s not organized by historical usage but by today’s English usage. And yes, it’s larger than the others, but with size comes comprehensiveness, readability, and hopefully, it will serve Bible and personal study needs for decades. Purchase the hard-bound versions for daily use or you’ll wear out the paperback in short order. The English Oxford Living Dictionary (closest version to the OAD) can be found online at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/.
Online, children’s, and ESL dictionaries
Digital versions of dictionaries are available. There are two excellent resources. One is Dictionary.com. This site claims to be the world’s favorite online dictionary. For quick reference, it appears adequate but doesn’t compare with the resources found in a hard copy of the Oxford American Dictionary. A second site is Onelook.com. It’s a dictionary search engine. It searches multiple dictionaries online (38 to be exact). It also includes a medical and legal dictionary and a few less scholarly (thus less accurate) biblical dictionaries. Here you can search Noah Webster’s original 1828 dictionary for free. A third site that is helpful to writers and speakers is Vocabulary.com. It’s a good site for expanding your writing and speaking skills and enhancing your ability to creatively use new and useful words.
For children here are three recommendations designed to teach English to children from Dr. Elaine Higgleton (pictures of books are not show).
- Grades 1-2 Collins Junior Illustrated Dictionary (grade 3 can use either the Junior or Primary versions depending on their abstract development of the English language, which often relates to how well words are used at home).
- Grades 4-6 Collins Primary Illustrated Dictionary.
- Grades 7-10 Cobuild Learner’s Illustrated Dictionary (uses full sentences to help intermediate learners of the English language.
For learning English as a second language try out the Oxford Dictionary of English (ODE). This version offers descriptive definitions to help understand how to use a word in 
English. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is prescriptive and is most helpful for accurate usage as opposed to actual usage. Another helpful version is The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (9th edition not pictured). It can be found (when in stock) at Mypustak.com for free.
What is a Bible dictionary?
A Bible dictionary is usually a one-volume work that includes articles, drawing, and maps of people, places, geography, history, customs, and cultures found in the Bible. It’s an excellent but brief explanation of many words and ideas that are found in the Bible (but less than what would be found in an encyclopedia entry). When you chose a Bible dictionary, make sure it considers the Bible to be God’s Word—true in all it refers to. And, that it isn’t slanted toward a particular denominational doctrinal stance. Wikipedia’s article on Bible dictionaries isn’t that discriminating.
Online sources provide Bible dictionaries but their valued is limited. Their primary limitation is that some were written over 100 years ago and lack current evangelical research and archeological considerations. Biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/ offers: Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary, King James Dictionary, and Smith’s Bible Dictionary all for free. Remember that due to their age their value is limited. Similar volumes can be found at biblegateway.com/resources/dictionaries. This second site also includes the very helpful Encyclopedia of the Bible, which was previously published as The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 5 volume set. The original scholarly text is available but pictures, diagrams, and maps that were included in the hard copy book are not.
Here are some solid Bible dictionaries I can recommend. The New Bible Dictionary (3rd edition) was published in 1996 and edited by I.H. Marshall, J. I. Packer, D. J. Wiseman, and A. R. Millard (all evangelicals) using the latest research in biblical studies, ancient Near Eastern studies, and recent archaeological discoveries.
The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Revised and Expanded (2006) includes over 1.2 million words. It’s based on the New American Standard Version of the Bible. It’s a Moody Press publication so its articles reflect a somewhat Baptistic approach.
Essential Bible Dictionary: Key Insights for Reading Gods Word was written by Moises Silva (2011). This is a compact and easy to understand single volume filled with full-color images and illustrations, charts, maps, and sidebars. It’s also available as an e-book. Dr. Silva was one of my professors at Westminster Theological Seminary.
The Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible edited by Herbert Lockyer (2003) is a comprehensive Bible dictionary accessible to 
students, laypeople, pastors, and teachers of the Bible. It’s another affordable one-volume dictionary. It contains over 5,500 entries and cross-references six Bible versions. It even has a simple phonetic pronunciation guide and teaching outlines.
Theology and religion dictionaries
Another excellent dictionary is the New Dictionary of Theology: Historical and Systematic (2nd edition, 2016). It’s a revision of the 1988 version. It covers a variety of theological themes, thinkers, and movements with over 800 articles by over 300 international contributors.
An excellent starter book for religion and religious movements, along with their terms is Irving Hexham’s Concise Dictionary of Religion. You can reference it here for free. This is a good starting point for studying and understanding the terms cults and religions use when teaching their theologies.
Your bases are covered
Well, there you have it, a list of general dictionaries, Bible dictionaries (hard copy and online), appropriately aged children’s dictionaries, and a theological dictionary and religion dictionary. That covers all the basics of English word usage when preparing biblical studies and sermons for all age groups. Enjoy!
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