Dave, There is a big difference between commentaries and reference works like Strong's Dictionary or Zodhiates' word study dictionary. Commentaries offer opinions but the dictionaries are meant to try and help less studied individuals understand the language and then make up their own opinion once they understand the meaning of words. Nevertheless, sometimes Zodhiates expounds so much in his word study dictionary that he really is offering commentary according to his own theology. His Word Study New Testament, however, parses words which is helpful for the non-Greek student to know how tenses and moods are being reflected in the original language. This gives the non-Greek educated person insight into the language of a passage that Strong's dictionary does not.
The best thing to do is consult several lexicons and dictionaries. I recommend Bauer, Gingrich, and Danker's, "A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature." A basic knowledge of Greek is helpful for this reference work but not absolutely essential. Another help is Moulton and Milligan's, "Vocabulary of the Greek Testament." They help bring out secular writings that use certain Greek words. They are referenced often in Bauer's work. Another helpful tool is to use computers to list every passage that uses a particular word. This can be done easily with a free computer program such as e-sword (www.e-sword.net). By reading all these passages with the varied contexts, the meaning of the word starts to become more clear. Some words, however, are only used once or twice in the Bible so this approach is not so helpful in such a situation. With these words, we especially need to consult good lexicons that explore the use of the word in non-Biblical texts. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
