As you certainly have noticed by now, Scripture has a way of bringing up a subject in several different settings and places.  Many of the issues that the Bible deals with require the study of a large number of passages culled from a variety of places throughout its text.  Several tools and helps become more useful at this stage as you gather the necessary information, and can help to keep the process from becoming exceptionally time-consuming, as well as potentially frustrating to the novice.

           Certain things such as chemicals or fabrics are known as synthetics because they result from the putting together of differing elements to come up with a new, unique product or other useful item.  According to some dictionaries, synthesis may be defined as a composing or combining of parts or of often diverse concepts into a coherent whole.  As applied here, it could be seen as the collecting and assimilating of the information in related Scripture passages in order to get a complete understanding of a word, a topic, a type, or a person.

5a. Word study

           In contrast to an amplification (which was dealt with previously in section 2a), a word study on a synthesis level is much more extensive.  Where an amplification deals with a single word in a single passage, a full study of a word will take into account all the uses of the word with its many possible shades of meaning and its comparisons and contrasts with other words.  A good approach to achieve this more comprehensive goal would include the following steps:

1)  Use a standard dictionary to review the definitions and forms of the word in English.  If your dictionary contains etymological information, check the history and source of the English word in its various forms and determine if the meaning or usage of the word may have changed over time.  Be careful not to let alternate definitions distract you.  Also use a thesaurus to compare and contrast synonyms and antonyms.

2)  Amplify all of the different Greek and Hebrew words that are translated into the word being studied and weed out the variations of form, leaving only the basic root words and their etymologies whenever possible.  Vine’s Dictionary and Strong’s Concordance are among the most helpful tools here.

3)  Using a concordance, look up the word in its various forms (singular/plural, different tenses, combinative forms, etc.), then weed out the references that are merely repetitive and note the rest.  Be sure not to leave out any verse that might give insight into one of its shades of meaning or that has a different Greek or Hebrew source.  If there is a long list remaining, separate those verses into sub-categories or into primary (more essential for gaining insight) and secondary lists.  Cross-references may also be helpful here.

4)  By this time, the richness of meaning implied in a definition should be evident; and sometimes interesting questions will come to mind as you pray and meditate, prompting some further research.  Go back through some of the primary verses and read them again, inserting your enhanced understanding of the word as you go and then applying the lessons that are revealed by the study.

Example 1:  Messiah (easy)

1)  The common thread of definition in most English sources spoke of a leader/hero figure who liberates a nation or a people.  Its root comes directly from the Hebrew (see 3 below); “savior” or “liberator” would be synonyms, while antonyms would be “dictator” or perhaps “tyrant.”

2)  The Greek “messias” (Strong’s G3323) is a transliteration of the Hebrew (H4899) “mashiyach,” which comes from H4886 “mashach” meaning to anoint.  Mashiyach is also translated “anointed” as in an anointed or consecrated person.

3)  The reason that this is such an easy example is because messiah is only used four times in Scripture:  Daniel 9:25 & 26, John 1:41 and 4:25.  Daniel uses the term twice (the first of the two is “Messiah the Prince”) in the context of the prophecy of the seventy weeks of years.  In the first passage in John, Andrew tells Simon (Peter) that he has found Jesus the Messiah, and in the other the Samaritan woman at the well brings up the term which then prompts Jesus to reveal that He is the one.

4)  Messiah has obviously gone through some evolution in popular usage, moving from a specific reference to Jesus in relation to His Church to nowadays being applied to any liberating figure.  But in the early days of the Jewish nation, any person anointed by God or His representative for a position of ministry or authority was called “mashiyach” (also H4899 as in Psalm 105:15 and I Samuel 24).  Thus it follows that the ultimate Anointed One according to prophecy would then by rights inherit the term exclusively.

Example 2:  joy (more involved, but not very difficult)

1)  The etymology and evolution of the English word joy revealed nothing unusual, but the definitions contained four basic synonyms: glad(ness), happiness, pleasure, and delight.  Rejoice is given as a verb form.  Enjoy is a related word in English, as are pleasure and delight, but their usage in Scripture comes from unrelated sources, so they were dropped from this study.  Happiness also comes from different root words in the original languages, and will be discussed below as a contrasting word.  Therefore we should confine our study to the words joy, glad, and rejoice.

2)  There are 13 Hebrew root words and 9 Greek words given in the original languages for our three basic words.  The most frequent Hebrew word is samach (verb form given as the root: H8055), and in Greek it is chara (noun G5479, taken from the verb chairo G5463).  Other notable words in Hebrew include sason (H8342, from 7797: siys) for bright and cheerful, ranan (H7442) which means to shout for joy, and the interesting gheel (H1523) with its implication of spinning for joy.  Other Greek words are agalliasis (G20) which is jumping for joy, and euphraino (G2165) which is simply putting someone in a good frame of mind.

3)  The concordance gives 447 references in the Old Testament and 180 in the New Testament for various forms of the three basic words.  Here is a list, organized by topic, of 34 of those passages which provide special insight:
   Mentioned in connection with music: I Sam. 18:6, I Kings 1:40, and I Chr. 15:16.
   Connected to an event: the anointing of David—I Chr. 12:38-40; laying the foundation for the rebuilding of the Temple—Ezra 3:11-13; the restoring of the feast of unleavened bread—Ezra 6:22; the dedication of the wall—Neh. 12:43.
   When to rejoice: always—Philip. 4:4, I Thess. 5:16; with others—Rom. 12:15.
   When not to rejoice: at the fall of an enemy—Prov. 24:17, when casting out demons—Luke 10:20; at someone’s sorrow—II Cor. 7:9.
   Who should have joy: those who seek God—Ps. 70:4; creation—Ps. 96:12, Isa. 49:13; the meek and poor—Isa. 29:19; those who counsel peace—Prov. 12:20; those who are good in God’s sight—Eccl. 2:26.
   Connected to God’s doing good for His people: Deut. 28:63, Jer. 32:41.
   Other primary passages worthy of attention: Neh. 8:10 (joy is your strength), Esth. 8:16 (light, gladness, joy, and honor), Ps. 16:11 (full in His presence), Ps. 30:5 (comes in the morning), Ps. 126:5 (reap in joy), Ps. 100:2 (serve the Lord with gladness), Prov. 14:10 (cannot be shared with outsiders), Ps. 45:7 & Isa. 61:3 (oil of gladness), John 14:28 (“if you love Me …”), I Cor. 13:6 (love rejoices in the truth), James 1:2 (“count it all joy”), and Acts 12:13-14 (you want to tell someone).

4)  Two items naturally come up for further consideration while studying this word; one involves the scope of the word as far as how general or how specific its meaning can be applied, and the other is the means by which we may obtain this sometimes elusive quality.  One effective means of approaching both of these is to contrast the meaning of joy with the meaning of the word happiness.  The primary Greek word for happiness is makarios (G3107, also translated “blessed”), which carries an implication (according to Vine’s) of enlarged, lengthened or increased in some way.  Joy, from chara,  is akin to charis, meaning “gift” or “benefit.”  The difference in the two Greek root words tells us that while happiness may come with a blessing or may be our reaction to that blessing, joy is itself a gift, and therefore will be more permanent in its nature.

5b. Topic study

           The expanding of a word study into a topic study requires very much the same procedure and methods, but includes the additional measure of defining and linking several words, figures of speech, or perhaps types that look to the topic—in fact, as you can see above, our study on joy expanded to the point that it almost became a topic study, and might have except for the fact that we kept it within the boundaries of the word itself.  In a topic study there will usually be larger parameters which will be set by the more comprehensive scope of the topic selected and by the relationships of the terms involved.  The path to our goal is otherwise similar to that of the word study:

1)  Using a dictionary and a thesaurus, list the terms involved in finding the Scriptures related to the topic and use them to help you determine the common thread of definition or general theme of the subject, as well as the subcategories and the synonyms.  For example: for church leadership look up the words bishop, elder, deacon, apostle, etc., or for preaching look also at evangelist, testimony, and witness, among others.  Amplify the most relevant words, and then check to see if the original languages show any alternate renderings that would be worth noting.

2)  Begin to compile a list of Scriptures, using such helps as a concordance, a topical Bible or a cross-reference Bible to be sure you have a thorough inventory of passages and their contexts.  Then remove the repetitive verses or sections from your list, but only after making sure they have nothing different to add (or at least notate any additions or variant wording).

3)  Working through the Scriptures in chronological order, look for any changes or minor alterations in how your topic, a word, or a situation might be understood at different time periods.  Then begin to compile the ideas in terms of their common threads and their development over time—a Bible dictionary or commentary may help here.

4)  Begin to construct an outline based on the various facets of the topic.  Start with a rough draft, realizing that some organizing and re-arranging will most likely be needed as you go along.  Also be sure that the more foundational concepts are at the higher levels of the outline as you “reverse engineer” the analysis.

5)  If there are any apparent paradoxes or conflicts, apply the common threads of the definitions to shed new light on their resolution.  Then look for practical applications of the lessons inherent in the results of the study.

Example:  fasting (moderately easy)

1)  Interestingly, though the dictionaries only define fasting in terms of abstaining from food, Nave’s Topical Bible includes a note at the end of the first section which says, “see Humiliation; Humility.”  The Hebrew word is H6684 tsuwm, which comes from a verb meaning “to cover the mouth,” while the Greek is G3523 nestis which simply means “to not eat.”

2)  Many Scripture passages refer to people fasting, so we should concentrate on only those which connect fasting to a characteristic, a purpose, or an instructional passage:
   Afflicting, humbling, or mourning: the repentance of Nineveh—Jonah 3:3-10; humbling the soul—Ps. 35:13; the bride and the bridegroom—Matt. 9:14-15 and Luke 5:33-35; commending Paul’s ministry—II Cor. 6:4-10 and 11:23-30.
   Connected specifically with prayer: the commissioning of Barnabas and Saul—Acts 13:1-3; in casting out a demon—Matt. 17:14-21 (compare Mk. 9:29).
   Corporate: scheduled—Zech. 8:18-19; in the face of an enemy—II Chr. 20:1-4 and Esther 4:15-17; (also the reference above in Jonah).
   Seeking an answer to a problem: for safety without the king’s guard—Ezra 8:21-23; to understand a vision—Dan. 10:1-3; on behalf of a sick child—II Sam. 12:15-23.
   Instruction: the approved fast—Isa. 58:3-10, unselfishly—Zech. 7:4-7; without drawing attention—Matt. 6:16-18.

3)  It appears that in the early days of the Jewish practice of fasting, its purpose was to be an act of humility and distress in a specific situation, but when fasting on a regular basis became the standard it became a ritual without meaning, and at worst a point of pride in showing one’s own piety.  The Hebrew word picture of covering one’s mouth also implies an act of shame or horror, and the preventing of eating food is only a by-product of that aspect.  The teachings of Isaiah and of Jesus seek to restore that earlier attitude about fasting, and in Paul’s ministry it was a mark of his intensity about doing God’s work as he constantly sought the Lord.

4)  One possible outline is:
I.    Fasting in times of distress
II.   Fasting in times of repentance
III.  Fasting to seek God’s wisdom
IV.  Fasting as a regular way of life

Another possibility is as follows:
I.    Fasting through sorrow
     A.  When there is a special need
     B.  When I need to repent
II.   Fasting according to a command
     A.  When a fast is proclaimed by an authority
     B.  When it has been planned, perhaps on a calendar
III.  Fasting when I need an answer
     A.  When I have a burning question
     B.  When I need direction

5)  This is an easily misunderstood topic when it is a component of religion; observing a fast as a matter of ritual too quickly loses its meaning.  But when it is attached to prayer, especially for a particular reason that is close to the seeker’s heart, it serves to amplify those prayers due to the humble attitude it expresses.  Some questions for consideration might include:
   Do I fast before taking a new direction in God’s work?
   The last time I fasted, did I spend most of the time thinking about my next meal?
   If someone asks me to pray, do I consider fasting with that prayer if the need is great?
   Do I ever feel that fasting is something I just can’t afford to do?

Example:  demon possession (more complicated, therefore more condensed here)

1)  Words or terms to consider: demon, devil, Satan, evil spirit; possessed, oppressed.  It is necessary to limit the scope of the topic to places where these intersect so as to avoid distraction by related issues such as the origin and future of demons, their activities apart from the possession of humans, etc.  The Greek word “possess” is daimonizomai (G1139) which basically means “demonized,” except two times in Acts, where Luke uses the term echo (G2192) which is simply “to hold.”  “Oppressed” is only used once in the New Testament in connection with the devil, which is Acts 10:38 where the Greek word is katadunasteuo (G2616) and combines two terms meaning “down” and “power or authority,” so in its context would imply that the enemy exerts himself to keep his victim down, and that healing is the remedy.  The words related to demons were obvious.

2)  Only once in the Old Testament: King Saul—I Sam. 16:14-23, 18:10-11, 19:8-10.
   Two specific examples in Acts: the slave girl/fortune teller—Acts 16:16-18; and the exorcism attempted by the sons of Sceva—Acts 19:11-16.
   All the rest (7 instances) are in the Gospels: men from the country known as the Gadarenes (or Gergesenes)—Matt. 8:28-34 and Mk. 5:2-20 (Matthew records two men, Mark only one); a man who could not speak—Matt. 9:32-33 and Lk. 11:14; a man both blind and mute—Matt. 12:22-23; the daughter of the Canaanite woman—Matt. 15:21-28 and Mk. 7:24-30; a young lunatic—Matt. 17:14-21, Mk. 9:17-29 and Lk. 9:37-42; a man in the synagogue—Mk. 1:23-28 and Lk. 4:33-37; and Mary Magdalene—Mk. 16:9 and Lk. 8:2 (both cited after the fact).
   More of Jesus’ teaching on the topic: Matt. 12:24-30, 43-45 and Mk. 3:22-27.
   Authority delegated by Jesus: Matt. 10:1, Mk. 6:7, 12-13, 16:17-18; Lk. 10:17-20.

3)  In the Old Testament, King Saul’s condition was viewed as something which could not be permanently remedied, but only temporarily soothed by David’s music.  Thus when Jesus took authority over demons, the people were amazed because they had no precedent for such a complete resolution being available.  Jesus set the standard and then sent out His disciples to continue the assignment.  By the time of the book of Acts, even certain amateurs tried to emulate the techniques they had observed, but because they had no true authority they met with disastrous results.

4)  There appear to be several ways to outline this, but it seems to me that the best way for the purposes of application could be thus:
I.    Recognizing a case of demon possession
     A.  Some of the usual signs
     B.  Demons’ reaction to a greater authority
II.   Handling the encounter
III.  After the deliverance
     A.  The actions of the freed person(s)
     B.  Prevention of future problems

5)  This is one of those studies which can raise as many questions as it answers.  Given the lack of Scriptural reference to oppression, what is the real distinction between it and possession beyond what we found in our amplification?  How can we discern the signs of this as opposed to mental illness or some other malady?  If I encounter a case that may require prayer and/or fasting, will I be ready?  It is certainly easy to become anxious about this type of study; but this is portrayed in the Bible as something that is worthy of our attention and, on certain occasions, of the calm exercise of our faith.

5c. Type or symbol study

           In theological parlance, a type is a symbolic representation of another thing or person.  Spiritually speaking, typologies are like analogies, and are used in the same manner as in other literature for such purposes as comparison, foreshadowing, or illustration.  Some types break down quickly once one or two aspects of the relationship are uncovered, but others are richer and more complex, revealing a multitude of facets of its subject.  The goal of this method is to make an accurate connection between the type and the subject that it symbolizes.

1)  Define and amplify the word as before.  Look for any repetitive phrasing or context in which the type often seems to appear.

2)  Using Bible dictionaries, topical Bibles or commentaries, try to then define the type in terms of its characteristics and relevant applications.  Before you can know what a thing means, you must know what it is.

3)  Collect and sort through the related Scriptures as before, paying attention to the way the type is portrayed and the consistency of its use in the texts.  Then ascertain how general or specific the subject of the type is (a common mistake is to try to make the type say too much or too little about its object or person).

4)  The application is to allow the type to instruct you further about its subject and to illuminate its deeper aspects.

Example:  manna (very easy)

1)  “Manna” is an anglicized version of the Hebrew phrase “man hu” (variation of H4478, according to a footnote in some revisions) from “man” in Ex. 16:15 meaning “what?” because the Israelites had never encountered anything like it.  Further descriptions are in Ex. 16:31-35, Num. 11:7-9, Ps. 78:23-25, and I Cor. 10:3 (as “spiritual meat”).  Joshua 5:12 tells of when it stopped appearing, and John 6:30-58 is Jesus’ discourse about being the “Bread of Life” and refers to manna three times there.

2)  The characteristics of manna for our purposes would include that it was sent from heaven in a supernatural way, provided sustenance for God’s people when there was nothing else, and that God used it to humble His people (see Deut. 8:2-3 and 16).

3)  Very simply put, manna is a type of Jesus; in fact, He says so Himself.  All of the special characteristics that made manna such a unique thing also apply to Jesus as God’s provision for His people, so that we might be taken care of as only He can.

4)  First, we should begin with humble praise to God for His faithfulness to provide for us with that which can only come from Heaven.  We can be fed directly by His Word, especially when there seems to be no other agency for fulfilling the needs of our spirit.  This interaction can be an intensely personal thing, as illustrated when Rev. 2:17 calls it “hidden,” because “no man knows it except for him who receives it.”

Example:  Egypt (please note that when a study involves a place as a topic, whether it is a region, a nation, or a city, that important factors would include the history, geography, government, and key characters related to that place.  But in a typology, we narrow the scope to the relation of that place to the person or persons affected by it.)

1)  Egypt is also known as Mizraim, which comes from a Hebrew root (H4692) is plural for a stronghold or fortress (named for a son of Ham—see Gen. 10:6—and probably refers to “upper” and “lower” Egypt where his descendants settled).  As for a repetitive phrase that continually appears—it seems that every time the name of Egypt is used in a song of praise, it mentions how the Israelites were “brought up” from there, and the Lord deserves praise for that.  The Lord also reminds the Jews of that fact quite often when He identifies Himself to them when speaking through Moses or any of the prophets.  In Rev. 11:8, Egypt is compared to Sodom, and both are used as critical designations for Jerusalem during a time of great unfaithfulness there.

2)  Egypt can be a place of temporary haven for the righteous if they need to take refuge there for a time, as did Abraham, Israel and his sons in Genesis, or Joseph and Mary as recorded in Matthew.  But it soon becomes a place of slavery and bondage if someone becomes comfortable there, because it is also depicted as a land of great wealth and therefore can easily become a snare.  When deliverance comes, it can only come with the hand of the Lord behind it.

3)  Because it is a place where people go when they are in some sort of distress, for good or for evil, Egypt is a type of a stronghold or fortress.  But there is more to this than the amplification suggests, since the Lord Himself is our fortress (see Ps. 91:2 and II Sam. 22:2).  If He then is our fortress, why would we want to run to any other?  Egypt then might be a place where we go under His direction for a time, but it is dangerous to stay there beyond our appointed time or to crave to return once we have been delivered; for then it is seen to be competing with the Lord as the place of our desire.

4)  Just as the Israelites during the Exodus, we often wish to return to some place in our lives where things were easier and more amenable for us, even if that means submitting to a form of bondage that we had left behind.  Will I learn to be content in a place of some discomfort for the time being if I have to endure it for a season, or will I attempt to reverse course when difficulty arises?

5d. Character study

           When the topic is a person, the purpose of the study changes to a goal that is more specialized.  Finding out as much as possible about a character in Scripture will involve uncovering relevant biographical information as well as determining personality traits and reactions to events and to other people.  There can be some overlap between this and a typology study if a person is a type of another thing or person or vice versa.

1)  As always, collect all the scriptures about the person and drop any that do not add any unique understanding.  In the Old Testament it is important to translate the name because it often reveals something more about the character of the person, especially if he or she turns out to be a type.  By the time of the New Testament the custom of naming a child prophetically had mostly ended, although there are a few exceptions (for example, Stephen means “crown”).

2)  Use a Bible dictionary or commentary to get a general idea of any background and family history information on the person, as well as any specific customs or cultural considerations of the particular time or location that may affect an action or response.

3)  Based on the information in the Scriptures and other sources, first begin to construct a biography on the person using the most relevant information from items 1) and 2) above.  Then list observations about his or her personality traits based on actions and quotes.  Finally, assess what you know about the spiritual character of the person, especially if there is evidence demonstrated of change or growth.  It is often convenient to organize these as a three-point outline.

4)  It can be a problem to compare one’s self to a Bible character in terms of personality or spiritual attainment, so introspection is usually best limited to examining the gifts or ministries demonstrated that you might attempt to emulate.  We can also learn from a person’s mistakes and problems, especially if his or her means of recovering from them is written for us.  Another constructive exercise is evaluating what steps we may need to take to adopt the positive qualities that the character has shown, particularly if the path that he or she took to that level is given to us (we must stay on guard in this type of application to avoid the frustration of feeling envious or inferior to any saint or other venerable individual whom we may have put on a pedestal, not to mention the potential despair that we may feel when we see something within ourselves that we also find in a “bad” character).

Example:  Apollos (simple, due to the modest amount of information; and I’ll limit myself to this one example, figuring that you get the idea by now)

1)  The scriptures: Acts 18:24-19:1 tell about his preaching in Corinth;
   I Cor. 1:12, 3:4-6, 3:22, and 4:6 show us his position in the Corinthian church; and
   I Cor. 16:12 and Titus 3:13 give miscellaneous details about his later travels.
His name is a variant of the name of the Greek god Apollo, which merely tells us that he was most likely a Roman citizen.

2)  Alexandria was a coastal city of Egypt which had a high percentage of Jews in its population, so it is no wonder that he was well versed in the Jewish scriptures as well as in the Roman way of life.  No family information is given.

3)  In outline form, we can see the following about Apollos:
I.    Biography
     A.  Born and educated in Alexandria
     B.  Baptized, and probably mentored, by John the Baptist
     C.  Probably became an itinerant preacher after being with John, but had left before John encountered Jesus
     D.  Met Aquila and Priscilla at Ephesus, where they taught him about Jesus
     E.  Went from there to Corinth in the province of Achaia, where he became a key figure in the church there
     F.  Went on to further traveling with his work for the Lord, perhaps quite extensively
II.   Personality
     A.  Intelligent and well-educated
     B.  Fervent and persuasive
     C.  Charismatic and possessing leadership capabilities
     D.  Bold
III.  Character
     A.  Paul considered him an associate and co-worker
     B.  Teachable (willing to learn from Aquila and Priscilla)
     C.  Nothing negative is said about him in Scripture