Should We Read the Bible as if It Were a Dictionary?
Imagine someone wanting to understand Jane Austen’s message in Pride and Prejudice.
They sit down with the novel in one hand and a dictionary in the other.
Each time they encounter an important word, they stop reading and look it up. They examine every possible definition, compare its different uses, and perhaps even investigate its history.
By the time they reach the end of the novel, they may have learned a great deal about English vocabulary.
But have they understood Jane Austen’s message?
Not necessarily.
The dictionary has helped them understand the words.
It has not necessarily helped them understand what Jane Austen intended to communicate through the novel.
The dictionary explains words.
The author communicates meaning.
The same distinction matters when we read the Bible.
The Bible Is Not a Dictionary
The Bible contains words, but it is not a collection of dictionary entries.
It is a library of narratives, laws, poetry, wisdom literature, prophecy, Gospels and letters.
Its authors communicate by arranging words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, paragraphs into arguments, and arguments into complete books.
When we read a Psalm, we follow the movement of the poet’s thought.
When we read a Gospel, we follow the evangelist’s presentation of Jesus.
When we read Genesis, we follow the unfolding narrative.
When we read one of Paul’s letters, we follow the development of his argument.
Individual words matter greatly.
But the biblical authors did not intend those words to be detached from the stories, poems and arguments in which they appear.
An Understandable Instinct
Many Christians instinctively begin their study of a difficult passage by asking:
“What does this Hebrew or Greek word mean?”
That is an understandable and often useful question.
Biblical Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, usually called lexicons, are extraordinary tools. They enable readers to investigate how words were used in different periods, by different authors, and in different kinds of literature.
Every serious student of Scripture should value good lexical study.
The problem begins when the dictionary is asked to do more than a dictionary can do.
A lexicon may tell us what a word is capable of meaning.
It cannot, by itself, tell us what a particular author intended to communicate in a particular sentence.
What a Dictionary Can Tell Us
A good dictionary or lexicon may tell us:
- the range of meanings a word has carried;
- how different authors have used it;
- how its usage has changed over time;
- how it functions in different kinds of writing;
- and which meanings are common or unusual.
This information is indispensable.
Without it, responsible study of the biblical languages would be impossible.
But a dictionary gathers together the uses of many authors.
It does not replace the author whose work we are presently reading.
It may show us what a word could mean.
The passage must show us what it does mean here.
The Author Must Still Be Read
Consider the English word head.
A dictionary may tell us that it can refer to:
- a part of the body;
- the leader of an organisation;
- the top of something;
- the source of a river;
- the front of a queue;
- or a measure of cattle.
All these definitions may be correct.
Yet the dictionary has not told us what the word means in a particular sentence.
For that, we must keep reading.
If someone writes:
“She stood at the head of the queue,”
the author is referring to the front.
If someone writes:
“He became the head of the department,”
the author is referring to leadership.
If someone writes:
“They travelled to the head of the river,”
the author may be referring to its source.
The dictionary offers possibilities.
The author selects and communicates one of them.
Reading the Bible as It Was Written
The biblical books were not originally encountered as isolated verses.
They were read as complete narratives, poems, prophecies and letters.
The first hearers of Genesis did not stop after every sentence to analyse individual words.
They followed the unfolding story.
The first recipients of Paul’s letters did not receive isolated verses.
They heard complete letters read aloud from beginning to end.
They heard words within sentences, sentences within arguments, and arguments within complete letters.
Meaning was therefore experienced as each biblical author gradually unfolded his message.
Modern chapter and verse divisions are immensely valuable for reference.
They help us locate passages quickly and discuss particular texts with precision.
But they were added many centuries after the biblical books were written.
They should never encourage us to treat Scripture as though it were originally composed as disconnected sayings.
The biblical authors expected their readers to follow the movement of the whole work.
Reading Authors Rather Than Word Lists
This distinction may seem obvious when reading a novel.
No one imagines that Shakespeare or Dickens can be understood by studying dictionary entries alone.
Readers naturally follow the author’s plot, observe the development of characters, and allow the story to unfold.
The same principle applies to Scripture.
Moses communicates through narrative.
David through poetry.
The prophets through carefully structured oracles.
Paul through sustained theological argument.
Each author employs words, but each communicates by means of something much larger than individual vocabulary.
Meaning emerges as readers follow the author’s own train of thought.
The words remain essential.
But they serve the author’s communication rather than replacing it.
A Better Question
When we encounter a difficult biblical word, the first question is often:
“What does this word mean?”
That is a good question.
But it is rarely the best first question.
A better question is:
“What is the author communicating by using this word here?”
That question naturally includes lexical study.
It also requires us to consider the sentence, the paragraph, the argument, and the purpose of the book.
Instead of asking the dictionary to settle the interpretation, we ask the dictionary to assist us in understanding the author.
The dictionary serves the reading of the author.
It is one of the reader’s most valuable tools, but it should never replace the author’s own communication.
Why This Matters for Genesis2Paul
Genesis2Paul is built upon a simple conviction:
The biblical authors are the best interpreters of their own writings.
That conviction has important implications for how Scripture is read.
If dictionaries identify the possible meanings of words, then the biblical authors themselves must determine which of those meanings they intend to communicate.
This means that careful interpretation begins by listening closely to the author’s own argument before appealing to external explanations.
Lexical study remains essential.
Historical background remains valuable.
Grammar remains indispensable.
But each of these disciplines serves the larger task of understanding the author’s intended meaning.
Throughout these studies, dictionaries and lexicons will be used frequently.
Yet they will always be used as servants rather than masters.
Their role is to help readers understand the biblical authors—not to replace the authors themselves.
Conclusion
Dictionaries are among the most valuable tools available to the student of Scripture.
Without them, careful study of the biblical languages would be greatly diminished.
But dictionaries were never intended to become substitutes for authors.
They explain what words are capable of meaning.
Authors communicate what they actually mean.
The task of faithful interpretation is therefore not simply to discover every possible meaning of a word.
It is to discover the meaning the author intended to communicate by using that word within a particular sentence, paragraph, argument and book.
The dictionary is an indispensable companion.
It is not the primary communicator.
That role belongs to the biblical author.
A Foundational Reading Principle
The dictionary identifies the meanings a word may bear.
The author communicates the meaning intended.
This simple distinction underlies every study in Genesis2Paul.
Words matter deeply.
Lexical study is indispensable.
But faithful interpretation begins by listening carefully to the biblical author, allowing the author’s own communication to determine which meaning is intended.
Continue Exploring
This study has argued that dictionaries are indispensable tools, but that authors—not dictionaries—communicate meaning. That naturally raises another question:
Why Lexical Meaning Is Not the Same as Authorial Meaning? (A Dictionary Cannot Tell Us Everything)
If dictionaries identify the meanings words may carry, how do authors communicate the particular meaning they intend? This study explores the difference between lexical meaning and authorial meaning and explains why the distinction matters for faithful biblical interpretation. → Explore this study ←