Word

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology

(Heb. dabar [דָּבָר]; Gk. logos [Λόγος] and rhema [Ῥῆμα]). The theological meaning of "word" within Scripture spans a wide theological spectrum. From the divine point of view, it consists of God revealing something about himself through his spoken word, which is ultimately and perfectly personified in his Son, Jesus Christ. In a broader sense, it designates Scripture itself. In contrast, the human word mirrors the human condition: it is limited, fallen, and dependent on divine intervention for restoration and sustenance.

The Word of God. The Old Testament . The concept of the word of God is a major Old Testament theme. It points out the absolute uniqueness of Israel's religion on the basis of personal contact with Yahweh—the transcendent, sovereign, creator God.

It is the means by which God created all things .  Genesis 1 firmly establishes God's supremacy over the whole of creation. God has created all things by his spoken word. The psalmist declares, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth" (33:6); "For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm" (v. 9 cf.   Psalm 104:7 ). His word continues to reign supreme over all of creation ( Psalm 147:15-18 ). Creation in turn speaks words of praise to its Creator ( Psalm 19:1-4 ).

It unveils God to his creation . Though fully transcendent and incomparable deity, in giving his word to people, God reveals something of himself to them. Balaam, for example, speaks as "one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High" ( Numbers 24:16; cf.  Joshua 24:27;  1 Kings 18:31;  Ezekiel 3:10-11 ). God's word is an important instrument of divine revelation; at Shiloh, the Lord continued to reveal himself to Samuel through his word ( 1 Samuel 3:21 ). At times God's word nearly appears as synonymous with his person ( 1 Samuel 15:23,26;  28:15;  Psalm 138:1-2 ).

Its qualities describe God to his creation . The close connection between God and his word means that the qualities attributed to God's word also describe God's own personal character. In the Old Testament God's word is creative ( Psalm 33:6 ), good ( Micah 2:7 ), holy ( Jeremiah 23:9 ), complete ( Jeremiah 26:2 ), flawless ( 2 Samuel 22:31;  Psalm 12:6;  18:30;  Proverbs 30:5 ), all-sufficient ( Deuteronomy 8:3;  Isaiah 50:4;  Jeremiah 15:16 ), sure ( Isaiah 31:2;  45:23;  Jeremiah 44:28 ), right and true ( Judges 13:12,17;  1 Samuel 3:19;  Psalm 33:4;  Isaiah 55:11 ), understandable ( Deuteronomy 4:10,12 ,  36;  Nehemiah 8:12 ), active ( Hosea 6:5 ), all-powerful ( Psalm 68:11-14;  147:15-18 ), indestructible ( Jeremiah 23:29 ), supreme ( Psalm 17:4 ), eternal ( Psalm 119:89;  Isaiah 40:8 ), life-giving ( Deuteronomy 32:46-47 ), wise ( Psalm 119:130 ), and trustworthy ( 2 Samuel 7:28;  1 Kings 17:16 ). Therefore, God was understood similarly.

It discloses God's plan for his creation . God discloses his plan for creation through his word. The common Old Testament expression, "the word of the Lord came, " indicates the sending and reception of divine prophecy. It occurs once in the Pentateuch ( Genesis 15:4 ), numerous times in the historical books, and many times in the prophets. The sending and reception of God's word are by the Spirit ( Zechariah 7:12 ) and often through visions ( Numbers 24:15-16;  1 Samuel 3:1;  1 Kings 22:19 ); it is pictured as God reaching out his hand and touching the mouth of the prophet ( Jeremiah 1:9 ). In times of judgment, God frequently refrained from communicating his word to his people ( 1 Samuel 3:1;  Amos 8:11; also  1 Samuel 28:6;  Micah 3:4,7 ). God's word will come to fulfillment according to the divine plan ( Psalm 105:19;  Lamentations 2:17;  Ezekiel 12:28 ). God asserts, "I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled" ( Jeremiah 1:12 ). God's word is in perfect harmony with his will and plan for creation ( 2 Samuel 7:21;  Psalm 103:20-21;  Lamentations 2:17 ).

It is known by creation . People knew something of the transcendent God through his word. Balaam "hears the words of God, has knowledge from the Most High, and sees a vision from the Almighty " ( Numbers 24:16 ). Israel as a nation was the unique recipient of "the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty" ( Jeremiah 23:36 ). To them, God's word was equivalent to law ( Isaiah 1:10 ). Accordingly, God's word demands proper human response; it is to be obeyed ( Numbers 15:30-31;  Deuteronomy 11:18-21;  Ezekiel 33:32 ), feared ( Exodus 9:20-21;  Ezra 9:4;  Psalm 119:161;  Isaiah 66:2,5 ), praised ( Psalm 56:4,10 ), preserved ( Jeremiah 23:36 ), and proclaimed to others ( Deuteronomy 5:5;  1 Samuel 3:31-4:1;  Nehemiah 8:14-15;  Jeremiah 11:6 ).

It is for the good of creation . God's word at times comes upon creation as judgment, but only as a divine response to disobedience. Its primary objective and appeal was for the well-being of creation. God's word is equivalent to divine rescue. It brings healing ( Psalm 107:20;  Ezekiel 37:4-14 ) and refreshing ( Deuteronomy 32:1-2 ). To those who reject it, it becomes offensive ( Jeremiah 6:10 ) and meaningless ( Isaiah 28:13 ), and in judgment will come upon them as a raging fire and a hammer that breaks rocks to pieces ( Jeremiah 23:29 ). But to those who accept it, it gives and sustains life ( Deuteronomy 8:3 ). God's word is like living water, welling up to nourish creation from the Spring on High ( Jeremiah 2:13 ).

It is supremely authoritative for all of creation . As God is supreme deity, his word bears supreme authority. The expression "the Lord has spoken" ( Isaiah 24:3 ) signifies unrivaled authority. It is uncontestable. No power can overturn it or thwart it. God's word is authoritative for all of creation.

The New Testament . The New Testament reiterates the Old Testament depiction of the word of God as the divine means of creating and sustaining all things ( Hebrews 11:3;  2 Peter 3:5-7 ), as divine revelation ( Romans 3:2;  1 Peter 4:11 ), and as prophetic speech ( Luke 3:2;  2 Peter 1:19 ).  Hebrews 4:12-13 powerfully sums up its supreme authority as "living and active sharper than any double-edged sword, " able to expose even the most hidden thoughts before God.

But the New Testament significantly deepens the Old Testament in light of the incarnation. In view of Jesus' life and work, the word of God now especially refers to God's consummate message of salvation to all people, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Accordingly, the New Testament richly describes the gospel as "the word" ( Acts 8:4;  16:6;  1 Corinthians 15:2 ), "word of God" ( Acts 6:7;  12:24;  Hebrews 13:7;  1 Peter 1:23 ), "word of the Lord" ( Acts 8:25;  13:48-49 ), "word of his [God's] grace" ( Acts 20:32 ), "word of Christ" ( Romans 10:17;  Colossians 3:16 ), "word of truth" ( Ephesians 1:13;  Colossians 1:5;  James 1:18 ), "word of faith" ( Romans 10:8 ), and "word of life" ( Philippians 2:16 ).

Similar to its Old Testament uses, the word of God as the gospel is to be kept free of distortion ( 2 Corinthians 4:2 ) and is to be preached in its fullness ( Colossians 1:25 ). It is to be believed ( 1 Peter 3:1 ) and obeyed ( Acts 6:7;  1 John 2:25 ). The gospel as the saving message of Jesus Christ is the living and enduring word of God ( 1 Peter 1:18-23 ). It is reliable and supremely authoritative, for it is inseparable from the person and character of its Senderthe sovereign, loving, creator God.

Christ . Although the Old Testament never uses the concept of word to describe the expected coming of the messiah, the New Testament significantly develops its theological meaning by equating the Old Testament concept of word of God with the person and work of Jesus Christ. Whereas extrabiblical concepts may have influenced, to a limited degree, the New Testament formulation of Jesus as the Word, the main influence comes from the Old Testament itself. Exactly when the early church understood Jesus in this way is uncertain, but nothing demands that it was necessarily late (i.e., well toward the end of the first century). For, as John's Gospel especially stresses, all the criteria for making such a connection were present in Jesus' own teaching, work, and self-consciousness.

The first two words of John's Gospel are most instructive in this regard. The phrase en arche ("in the beginning") recalls the opening words of the Old Testament in  Genesis 1:1 . The association is deliberate. It establishes from the Gospel's outset how its author intended the reader to understand Jesus' person and work throughout the remainder of the book. But justification for doing so originates in the life of Jesus himself.

According to  Genesis 1 God created all things by his spoken word. The formula, "And God said, Let there be, ' and it was so" provides the pattern for how God created on each day of creation. God's word is supremely powerful, able to create ex nihilo ("out of nothing").

The opening verses of John's Gospel explicitly link God's creative word to the person and work of the preincarnate Jesus (1:1-3). The evidence for this christological claim comes from Jesus' own ministry. The Fourth Gospel recounts seven sign miracles of Jesus (2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-9; 6:5-14; 6:19-21; 9:1-7; 11:1-44). As "signs" these miracles indicate the importance of what Jesus did in conjunction with understanding him as the preincarnate word of God. Jesus performed these miracles through his spoken word . His creating anew expressly images the Father's creating of old. Jesus' words were all-powerful and able to create out of nothing.

The New Testament views the incarnate Jesus as none other than the Old Testament word of God personified ( John 1:14 a). The incarnation of the Word was a humble coming. Jesus came in the "flesh" ( sarx [   Exodus 25:8;  Leviticus 26:11-12 ). To see Jesus is to see God. As "the exact representation of his [God's] being, " Jesus sustains "all things by his powerful word" ( Hebrews 1:3 ). Jesus' words are life-giving ( John 6:63,68 ) and to be believed ( John 2:22 ). What he speaks is from the Father ( John 12:49-50;  14:10,24;  17:8 ). His words will never pass away ( Matthew 24:35;  Mark 13:31;  Luke 21:33 ) and are all-sufficient ( Matthew 7:24,26;  Luke 6:46-49;  John 8:51-59;  12:47-48;  15:7 ), even unto the granting of eternal life ( John 5:24 ). The incarnation personifies God's sending of his saving creative Word: through his Son, God has made something of eternal value out of nothing (cf.  John 3:16-18;  Revelation 1:2,9;  20:4 ).

Moreover, Jesus as the Word of life, the eternal life, had come into full human contact with others ( John 1:14 b;  1 John 1:1-3 ). The strength of John's high Christology is that it stems from Jesus' earthly life and was demonstrable by eyewitness testimony to it (19:35; 20:30-31; 21:24-25). Luke mentions in his Gospel preface that he uses reliable tradition from "eyewitnesses and servants of the word [i.e., of Jesus' life and work]" (1:2). Jesus also promised to send the Spirit to assist the apostles' accurate recollection and assessment of his life and teaching ( John 14:26;  16:14-15;  Song of Solomon 2:22 ).

Thus in connection to the Old Testament picture of the word of God, the New Testament understands Jesus as the ultimate means through which God created, revealed, and personified himself to creation. Jesus as the word of God discloses God's saving plan for and to creation, makes God better known to creation, is known firsthand by creation, has come for the saving good of creation, and is equal to the Father as supreme authority over all of creation. To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ is to preach in its fullness the word of God. Therefore, in most fitting description, at the consummation of history, Jesus will return "dressed in a robe dipped in blood, [whose] name is the Word of God" ( Revelation 19:13 ).

Human Words . In both Testaments, human words stand in stark contrast to those of God. Whereas God's words are creative, perfect, and of supreme authority, human words are finite, frail, and fallen. Yet despite the human condition, when controlled by the Holy Spirit, they become as the very words of God.

Human words can be true or false. They are testable ( Genesis 42:16,20 ), especially in the legal sense of eyewitness testimony ( Deuteronomy 19:15-19 ). Keeping one's word was highly esteemed ( Psalm 15:4 ) and an obligation in making vows and oaths ( Numbers 30:2;  Judges 11:30,36 ); but breaking one's word, especially of promises made to the Lord, was a serious offense holding grave consequences for the offender (cf.  Deuteronomy 23:21-23;  Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 ). In view of these Old Testament considerations, for a Gospel writer to profess that his testimony is true, reliable, is a weighty claim ( John 21:24; cf.  Zechariah 8:16-17 ). In effect, he asserts that its contents are true in the legal, investigative sense and as on oath before God because of its claims about God (cf.  John 3:33;  7:28;  8:26 ).

Words also reflect a person's true character. They show the person for what he or she truly is: "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" ( Matthew 12:34 ); "it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean" ( Mark 7:15 ). The righteous speak truth and wisdom to the praise and glory of God ( 2 Samuel 22:1;  Job 33:3;  Psalm 15:2;  19:14;  Proverbs 16:23 ), but the wicked speak folly and lies ( Proverbs 12:23 ) and blaspheme God ( 2 Kings 19:6 ) and his Spirit ( Matthew 12:31-32 ).

For this reason, words become sufficient for passing judgment upon those who utter them. On the day of judgment God will hold people accountable for what they have said: "For by your words you will be acquitted and condemned" ( Matthew 12:37 ). In this sense the tongue has the power of life and death ( Proverbs 18:21 ): the mouth of a fool will bring him to ruin ( Proverbs 10:14;  13:3 ), but the one who controls what he says is wise and virtuous ( James 3:1-12 ).

Under divine control, human words can have eternal value. The Spirit inspires and empowers the words of God's servants as they defend the faith ( Luke 12:11-12; cf.  Acts 4:8 ), proclaim the gospel ( Ephesians 6:19;  1 Thessalonians 1:5 ), and instruct and exhort other believers ( 1 Corinthians 14:6,26;  1 Thessalonians 4:18;  Hebrews 13:22 ). This divine enabling sets apart the Christian message from mere human wisdom or persuasive rhetoric ( 1 Corinthians 1:17;  2:4,13 ). The Christian becomes, as it were, "one speaking the very words of God" ( 1 Peter 4:11;  2 Peter 1:21 ).

Scripture . The word of God has also come to refer to Scripture itself. In the Old Testament, the words God had given Moses at Sinai became written law ( Exodus 24:3;  Deuteronomy 4:10-14;  27:3;  31:24-29 ). The Ten Commandments were called "the word of the covenant" ( Exodus 34:27-28 ); all of God's revelation to Moses was called "the words [book] of the law" ( Deuteronomy 28:58;  31:24;  Joshua 8:34;  2 Kings 22:13 ), "word of the Lord" ( 2 Chronicles 34:21 ), and "word of truth" ( Psalm 119:43 ). With God's powerful display of redeeming Israel from Egypt in view, God gave these decrees, laws, and commands to serve as an abiding written record to his person, presence, and ways before Israel and the nations ( Deuteronomy 4:5-8,32-40 ). The book of the Law then is none other than the revealed word of God put down into written form. It remained authoritative to Israel. Israel and their descendants were to search, learn, and obey it ( Deuteronomy 4:6;  Nehemiah 8:13;  Psalm 119:11 ). As such it becomes the guide for righteous living ( Psalm 119:9 ) and is synonymous with "the Book of the Law" (cf.  Deuteronomy 31:24,26 ).  Psalm 119 has it in view. The Old Testament word of God as written scripture represents "all the laws that come from your [God's] mouth" (v. 13). By Daniel's time prophetic material was being written down and preserved as well (cf.   Daniel 9:2 ).

By the New Testament era, the word of God as Scripture referred to the entire Old Testament, to the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (cf.  Matthew 15:6;  Mark 7:13;  John 10:35 ). The idea of Scripture as being "God-breathed" ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ) suggests that the entire Old Testament represents God's revealed word and holds supreme authority for faith and practice. At what point the early church began to view some of the New Testament writings in this way is uncertain. But given the church's proclamation of Jesus and of the gospel as the "Word of God" and the early recognized authority of apostolic teaching, many of the New Testament books were probably seen in this way well before the close of the first century.

In summary, on the basis of the word of God, all natural and human reality was created, sustained, redeemed, and will be consummated. As with the Giver, what is Given is unshakable and unstoppable: "my word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" ( Isaiah 55:11 ). God's word as his creative power and revelation is perfect and all-sufficient, especially as it is personified in his Son, Jesus Christ. Our response to God and to his revelation of himself in his Son as preserved in Scripture must therefore be as that of the royal official to Jesusto take him at his word ( John 4:50 ).

H. Douglas Buckwalter

See also Authority Of The Bible; Inspiration Of The Bible; Name And Titles Of Jesus Christ; Theology Of John

Bibliography . A. Debrunner, et al., TDNT, 4:69-136; H. Haarbeck, et al., NIDNTT, 3:1078-1146; D. H. Johnson, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, pp. 481-84; E. Linnemann, Historical Criticism of the Bible, pp. 81-159; H. D. McDonald, EDT, pp. 1185-88; S. Wagner, TDOT, 1:228-45.

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

The English substantive ‘word’ is used in the RV to translate two Greek originals, λόγος and ῥῆμα. Of these λόγος is by far the more common, occurring 194 times in the NT, excluding the Gospels. In 153 of these it is translated ‘word’; in the remainder it has a rather wider significance, e.g. ‘treatise’ ( Acts 1:1), ‘matter,’ ‘reason,’ or ‘account’ ( Acts 8:21;  Acts 10:29;  Acts 15:6;  Acts 18:14;  Acts 19:38;  Acts 19:40;  Acts 20:24,  Romans 14:12,  Philippians 4:15;  Philippians 4:17,  Hebrews 4:12;  Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13 : 1 Peter 3:15;  1 Peter 4:5). It is used generally to mean ‘speech’ or ‘utterance’ ( Acts 14:12;  Acts 20:2,  1 Corinthians 1:5;  1 Corinthians 2:1;  1 Corinthians 2:4;  1 Corinthians 14:9,  2 Corinthians 8:7;  2 Corinthians 10:10;  2 Corinthians 11:6,  Ephesians 4:29;  Ephesians 6:19,  Colossians 4:6). In  Acts 11:22 it is translated ‘report,’ in  Colossians 2:23 ‘show’ (i.e. ‘pretext’). In  Acts 6:5;  Acts 7:29,  1 Corinthians 15:54,  1 Timothy 1:15;  1 Timothy 3:1;  1 Timothy 4:9,  2 Timothy 2:11,  Titus 3:8 it is translated ‘saying.’ In the last five of these passages the phrase is the same, ‘faithful is the saying’ (πιστὸς ὁ λόγος), which seems to refer to a quotation from a Christian hymn or from some recognized liturgical formula.

Clement uses λόγος 11 times. In 9 of the passages it is simply equivalent to ‘word’ in the ordinary sense. But he twice introduces a quotation from the OT with the phrase ‘For the holy λόγος says’ (ad Cor. 13, 56), and there the sense seems to approach closely to that attached to the word in the quotations from the Pastoral Epistles given above, i.e. a statement of recognized authority.

λόγος is found three times in the Didache and twice in the Epistle of Barnabas. But in neither of these writings is it employed in any way which cannot be paralleled from the NT.

Ignatius has it three times (Magn. viii., Rom. ii, Smyrn. inscr.). In the first of these he refers to our Lord as the Word of God; in the second he calls himself a ‘Word of God,’ meaning that his life and death are a testimony which is not to be interfered with by his friends. He greets the church of Smyrna as being ‘in the Word of God,’ where the λόγος is conceived as the inward monitor which directs the Christian’s life (cf. J. B. Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, pt. ii. [1889] vol. ii. p. 288).

Outside the Gospels ῥῆμα is found only in 29 passages of the NT, 14 of these being in Acts. It is always translated ‘word’ in the RV except in  Acts 5:32 (‘things’) and  Acts 10:37 (‘saying’). Of the 15 passages in which it occurs elsewhere six are quotations from the OT. It is used once by Clement (ad Cor. 30) in a quotation from  Job 11:2-3. It is not found in the Didache, Ep. Barn., or Ignatius. There is nothing in its use by the NT writers which calls for special comment.

In many passages of the NT no special significance attaches to λόγος. It means simply ‘that which is said.’ But ‘the Word,’ or ‘the Word of God,’ or ‘the Word of the Lord’ is frequently used in a semi-technical sense for the content of the message which the Church is charged to deliver. Thus in  Acts 4:29 the infant Church prays for courage to speak ‘thy word’ with boldness in the face of persecution. In  Acts 6:2 the apostles refuse to forsake ‘the word of God’ to serve tables. After the appointment of the deacons ‘the word of God increased.’ It is unnecessary to multiply examples of this usage. In  Acts 16:36λόγος is used of the message sent by the magistrates at Philippi to St. Paul’s jailer. We find it combined with a number of different substantives: e.g. ‘grace’ ( Acts 14:3;  Acts 20:32), ‘exhortation’ ( Acts 13:15,  Hebrews 13:22), ‘salvation’ ( Acts 13:26), ‘promise’ ( Romans 9:9), ‘the Cross,’ i.e. the gospel of the Crucified Saviour ( 1 Corinthians 1:18), ‘wisdom and knowledge’ ( 1 Corinthians 12:8), ‘truth’ ( 2 Corinthians 6:7,  Ephesians 1:13,  Colossians 1:5,  2 Timothy 2:15,  James 1:18), ‘the word of Christ’ ( Colossians 3:16), ‘life’ ( Philippians 2:16,  1 John 1:1), ‘hearing’ ( Hebrews 4:2), ‘righteousness’ ( Hebrews 5:13), ‘oath’ ( Hebrews 7:28), ‘prophecy’ ( Revelation 1:3;  Revelation 22:7;  Revelation 22:9-10;  Revelation 22:18-19; cf. the προφητικὸς λόγος of  2 Peter 1:19), ‘patience’ ( Revelation 3:10), ‘testimony’ ( Revelation 12:11). ‘Word’ is contrasted with ‘power’ or ‘reality’ in  1 Corinthians 4:20,  2 Corinthians 10:11,  Colossians 3:17,  1 Thessalonians 1:5,  1 John 3:18. This distinction is common in writers of the classical period, e.g. Thucydides.

In most of these passages the meaning is a spoken message. The content is not precisely defined, and might vary a good deal from time to time. But λόγος is also applied to written documents. Thus the mention of the ‘word of promise’ in  Romans 9:9 is followed by a quotation of the angels’ pledge to Abraham ( Genesis 18:10). In  2 Peter 1:19 the whole corpus of the prophetic writings is summed up as the prophetic λόγος. In  Galatians 5:14 the whole Law is said to be summed up in one λόγος, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’ In  2 Timothy 1:13 the ‘pattern of sound words’ which the Apostle exhorts Timothy to hold may be presumed to be some definite doctrinal statement, of the nature of a creed. In Revelation 22 the phrase ‘the words of the prophecy of this book’ occurs 4 times, ‘the words of this book’ once, meaning the exact text which the writer has just completed. Thus as a rule ‘word’ in the NT means rather more than in current English. But the meaning is sometimes narrowed to the one customary among ourselves.

λόγος is personal in two passages in the apostolic writings:  1 John 1:1, where the author speaks of having seen and handled the Word of life; and  Revelation 19:13, where it is said that the name of the crowned heavenly horseman ‘is called The Word of God.’ But any discussion of the Johannine Logosdoctrine lies outside the scope of this article.

In  Hebrews 4:12 (‘For the word of God is living, and active,’ etc.) there is perhaps a slight approach towards a personification of the spoken or written Word. There is a somewhat similar metaphorical use of ῥῆμα in  Ephesians 6:17 (‘Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’).

R. H. Malden.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

Sometimes the Scripture ascribes to the word of God certain supernatural effects, and often represents it as animated and active: "He sent his word and healed them,"  Psalms 107:20 . It also signifies what is written in the sacred books of the Old and New Testament,  Luke 11:28;  James 1:22; the divine law which teaches and commands good things, and forbids evil,  Psalms 119:101; and is used to express every promise of God,  Psalms 119:25 , &c, and prophecy or vision,  Isaiah 2:1 . This term is likewise consecrated and appropriated to signify the only Son of the Father, the uncreated Wisdom, the second Person of the most holy Trinity, equal to and consubstantial with the Father. St. John the evangelist, more expressly than any other, has opened to us the mystery of the Word of God, when he tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made,"  John 1:1-3 . The Chaldee paraphrasts, the most ancient Jewish writers extant, generally make use of the word memra, which signifies "the Word," in those places where Moses puts the name Jehovah. They say, for example, that it was the Memra, or the Word, which created the world, which appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai, which gave him the law, which spoke to him face to face, which brought Israel out of Egypt, which marched before the people, and which wrought all those miracles that are recorded in Exodus. It was the same Word that appeared to Abraham in the plain of Mamre, that was seen of Jacob at Bethel, to whom Jacob made his vow, and acknowledged as God, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, then shall the Lord be my God,"   Genesis 28:20-21 . The manner in which St. John commences his Gospel is strikingly different from the introductions to the histories of Christ by the other evangelists; and no less striking and peculiar is the title under which he announces him— "the Word." It has therefore been a subject of much inquiry and discussion, from whence this evangelist drew the use of this appellation, and what reasons led him, as though intending to solicit particular attention, to place it at the very head of his Gospel. That it was for the purpose of establishing an express opinion, as to the personal character of him it is used to designate, is made more than probable from the predominant character of the whole Gospel, which is more copiously doctrinal, and contains a record more full of what Jesus "said" than the others. As to the source from which the term Logos was drawn by the Apostle, some have held it to be taken from the Jewish Scriptures; others, from the Chaldee paraphrases; others, from Philo and the Hellenizing Jews. The most natural conclusion certainly appears to be, that, as St. John was a plain, "unlearned" man, chiefly conversant in the Holy Scriptures, he derived this term from the sacred books of his own nation, in which the Hebrew phrase, Dabar Jehovah, "the Word of Jehovah," frequently occurs in passages which must be understood to speak of a personal Word, and which phrase is rendered Λογος Κυριου [the word of the Lord] by the Septuagint interpreters. Certainly, there is not the least evidence in his writings, or in his traditional history, that he ever acquainted himself with Philo or with Plato; and none therefore, that he borrowed the term from them, or used it in any sense approaching to or suggested by these refinements:—in the writings of St. Paul there are allusions to poets and philosophers; in those of St. John, none, except to the rising sects afterward known under the appellation of Gnostics. The Hebrew Scriptures contain frequent intimations of a distinction of Persons in the Godhead; one of these Divine Persons is called Jehovah; and, though manifestly represented as existing distinct from the Father, is yet arrayed with attributes of divinity, and was acknowledged by the ancient Jews to be, in the highest sense, "their God," the God with whom, through all their history, they chiefly "had to do." This Divine Person is proved to have been spoken of by the prophets as the future Christ; the evangelists and Apostles represent Jesus as that Divine Person of the prophets; and if, in the writings of the Old Testament, he is also called the Word, the application of this term to our Lord is naturally accounted for. It will then appear to be a theological, not a philosophic appellation, and one which, previously even to the time of the Apostle, had been stamped with the authority of inspiration.

Celebrated as this title of the Logos was in the Jewish theology, it is not, however, the appellation by which the Spirit of inspiration has chosen that our Saviour should be principally designated. It occurs but a very few times, and principally and emphatically in the introduction to St. John's Gospel. A cogent reason can be given why this Apostle adopts it; and we are not without a probable reason why, in the New Testament, the title "Son of God" should have been preferred, which is a frequent title of the Logos in the writings also of Philo. Originating from the spiritual principle of connection, between the first and the second Being in the Godhead; marking this, by a spiritual idea of connection; and considering it to be as close and as necessary as the Word is to the energetic mind of God, which cannot bury its intellectual energies in silence, but must put them forth in speech; it is too spiritual in itself, to be addressed to the faith of the multitude. If with so full a reference to our bodily ideas, and so positive a filiation of the second Being to the first, we have seen the attempts of Arian criticism endeavouring to resolve the doctrine into the mere dust of a figure; how much more ready would it have been to do so, if we had only such a spiritual denomination as this for the second! This would certainly have been considered by it as too unsubstantial for distinct personality, and therefore too evanescent for equal divinity. One of the first teachers of this system was Cerinthus. We have not any particular account of all the branches of his system; and it is possible that we may ascribe to him some of those tenets by which later sects of Gnostics were discriminated. But we have authority for saying, that the general principle of the Gnostic scheme was openly taught by Cerinthus before the publication of the Gospel of St. John. The authority is that of Irenaeus, a bishop who lived in the second century, who in his youth had heard Polycarp, the disciple of the Apostle John, and who retained the discourses of Polycarp in his memory till his death. There are yet extant of the works of Irenaeus, five books which he wrote against heresies, one of the most authentic and valuable monuments of theological erudition. In one place of that work he says, that Cerinthus taught in Asia that the world was not made by the Supreme God, but by a certain power very separate and far removed from the Sovereign of the universe, and ignorant of his nature. In another place, he says that John the Apostle wished, by his Gospel, to extirpate the error which had been spread among men by Cerinthus; and Jerom, who lived in the fourth century, says that St. John wrote his Gospel, at the desire of the bishops of Asia, against Cerinthus and other heretics, and chiefly against the doctrines of the Ebionites, then springing up, who said that Christ did not exist before he was born of Mary.

"It appears," says Dr. Hill, "to have been the tradition of the Christian church, that St. John, who lived to a great age, and who resided at Ephesus, in Proconsular Asia, was moved by the growth of the Gnostic heresies, and by the solicitations of the Christian teachers, to bear his testimony to the truth in writing, and particularly to recollect those discourses and actions of our Lord, which might furnish the clearest refutation of the persons who denied his preexistence. This tradition is a key to a great part of his Gospel. Matthew, Mark, and Luke had given a detail of those actions of Jesus which are the evidences of his divine mission; of those events in his life upon earth which are most interesting to the human race; and of those moral discourses in which the wisdom, the grace, and the sanctity of the Teacher shine with united lustre. Their whole narration implies that Jesus was more than man. But as it is distinguished by a beautiful simplicity, which adds very much to their credit as historians, they have not, with the exception of a few incidental expressions, formally stated the conclusion that Jesus was more than man; but have left the Christian world to draw it for themselves from the facts narrated, or to receive it by the teaching and the writings of the Apostles. St. John, who was preserved by God to see this conclusion, which had been drawn by the great body of Christians, and had been established in the epistles, denied by different heretics, brings forward, in the form of a history of Jesus, a view of his exalted character, and draws our attention particularly to the truth of that which had been denied. When you come to analyze the Gospel of St John, you will find that the first eighteen verses contain the positions laid down by the Apostle, in order to meet the errors of Cerinthus; that these positions, which are merely affirmed in the introduction, are proved in the progress of the Gospel, by the testimony of John the Baptist, and by the words and the actions of our Lord; and that after the proof is concluded by the declaration of Thomas, who, upon being convinced that Jesus had risen, said to him, ‘My Lord, and my God,' St. John sums up the amount of his Gospel in these few words: ‘These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;' that is, that Jesus and the Christ are not distinct persons, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Apostle does not condescend to mention the name of Cerinthus, because that would have preserved, as long as the world lasts, the memory of a name which might otherwise be forgotten. But, although there is dignity and propriety in omitting the mention of his name, it was necessary, in laying down the positions that were to meet his errors, to adopt some of his words, because the Christians of those days would not so readily have applied the doctrine of the Apostle to the refutation of those heresies which Cerinthus was spreading among them, if they had not found in the exposition of that doctrine some of the terms in which the heresy was delivered; and as the chief of these terms, Logos, which Cerinthus applied to an inferior spirit, was equivalent to a phrase in common use among the Jews, ‘the Word of Jehovah,' and was probably borrowed from thence, John by his use of Logos rescues it from the degraded use of Cerinthus, and restores it to a sense corresponding to the dignity of the Jewish phrase."

The Logos was no fanciful term, merely invented by St. John, pro re nata, [according to circumstances,] or even suggested by the Holy Spirit, as a suitable title for a prophet by whom God chose to reveal himself or his Word. It was a term diversely understood in the world before St. John began his Gospel. Is it possible, therefore, that he should have used the term without some express allusion to these prevailing opinions? Had he contradicted them all, it would, of course, have been a plain proof, that they were all equally fabulous and fanciful; but by adopting the term, he certainly meant to show, that the error did not consist in believing that there was a Logos, or Word of God, but in thinking amiss of it. We might, indeed, have wondered much had he decidedly adopted the Platonic or Gnostic notions, in preference to the Jewish; but that he should harmonize with the latter, is by no means surprising; first, because he was a Jew himself; and, secondly, because Christianity was plainly to be shown to be connected with, and, as it were, regularly to have sprung out of, Judaism. It is certainly, then, in the highest degree consistent with all we could reasonably expect, to find St. John and others of the sacred writers expressing themselves in terms not only familiar to the Jews under the old covenant, but, in such as might tend, by a perfect revelation of the truth, to give instruction to all parties; correcting the errors of the Platonic and oriental systems, and confirming, in the clearest manner, the hopes and expectations of the Jews.

While the reasons for the use of this term by St. John are obvious, the argument from it is irresistible; for, first, the Logos of the evangelist is a person, not an attribute, as many Socinians have said, who have, therefore, sometimes chosen to render it wisdom. For if it be an attribute, it were a mere truism to say, that "it was in the beginning with God;" because God could never be without his attributes. The Apostle also declares, that the Logos was the Light; but that John Baptist was not the light. Here is a kind of parallel supposed, and it presumes, also, that it was possible that the same character might be erroneously ascribed to both. Between person and person this may, undoubtedly, be the case; but what species of parallel can exist between man and an attribute? Nor will the difficulty be obviated by suggesting, that wisdom here means not the attribute itself, but him whom that attribute inspired, the man Jesus Christ, because the name of our Saviour has not yet been mentioned; because that rule of interpretation must be inadmissible, which at one time would explain the term Logos by an attribute, at another by a man, as best suits the convenience of hypothesis; and because, if it be, in this instance, conceived to indicate our Saviour, it must follow, that our Saviour created the world, (which the Unitarians will by no means admit,) for the Logos, who was that which John the Baptist was not, the true Light, is expressly declared to have made the world. Again: the Logos was made flesh, that is, became man; but in what possible sense could an attribute become man? The Logos is "the only begotten of the Father;" but it would be uncouth to say of any attribute, that it is begotten; and, if that were passed over, it would follow, from this notion, either that God has only one attribute, or that wisdom is not his only begotten attribute. Farther: St. John uses terms decisively personal, as that he is God, not divine as an attribute, but God personally; not that he was in God, which would properly have been said of an attribute, but with God, which he could only say of a person; that "all things were made by him;" that he was "in the world;" that "he came to his own;" that he was "in the bosom of the Father;" and that "he hath declared the Father." The absurdity of representing the Logos of St. John as an attribute seems, at length, to have been perceived by the Socinians themselves, and their new version accordingly regards it as a personal term.

If the Logos be a person, then is he Divine; for, first, eternity is ascribed to him: "In the beginning, was the Word." The Unitarian comment is, "from the beginning of his ministry," or "the commencement of the Gospel dispensation;" which makes St. John use another trifling truism, and solemnly tell his readers, that our Saviour, when he began his ministry, was in existence! "in the beginning of his ministry the Word was!" It is true, that αρχη , "the beginning," is used for the beginning of Christ's ministry, when he says that the Apostles had been with him from the beginning; and it may be used for the beginning of any thing whatever. It is a term which must be determined in its meaning by the context; and the question, therefore, is, how the connection here determines it. Almost immediately it is added, "All things were made by him;" which can only mean the creation of universal nature. He, then, who made all things was prior to all created things; he was when they began to be, and before they began to be; and, if he existed before all created things, he was not himself created, and was, therefore, eternal. Secondly, he is expressly called God; and, thirdly, he is as explicitly said to be the Creator of all things. The two last particulars have often been largely established, and nothing need be added, except, as another proof that the Scriptures can only be fairly explained by the doctrine of a distinction of divine Persons in the Godhead, the declaration of St. John may be adduced, that "the Word was with God, and the Word was God." What hypothesis but this goes a single step to explain this wonderful language? Arianism, which allows the preexistence of Christ with God, accords with the first clause, but contradicts the second. Sabellianism, which reduces the personal to an official, and therefore a temporal, distinction, accords with the second clause, but contradicts the first; for Christ, according to this theory, was not with God in the beginning, that is, in eternity. Socinianism contradicts both clauses; for on that scheme Christ was neither with God in the beginning, nor was he God. "The faith of God's elect" agrees with both clauses, and by both it is established: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." See Unitarians .

Holman Bible Dictionary

Old Testament Dabar is the primary Hebrew expression for word. It has various meanings. It can refer to a spoken utterance, a saying, a command, a speech, a story—linguistic communication in general. Dabar can also mean a thing, event, or action (  Genesis 18:14 ). Occasionally, difficulty arises in distinguishing between these meanings ( Psalm 35:20 NRSV, “deceitful words”; KJV, “deceitful matters”; REB, “intrigues”; NIV, “false accusations”). The frequent construction “the word of the Lord” or “the word of Yahweh” refers to communication made by God to people. The means of this communication are seldom related, nor must the phrase refer to a particular set of words. Three aspects of this word demand special attention.

1. A prophetic word. The prophets claimed to deliver the “word of God” ( Jeremiah 1:9 ). For this purpose they were commissioned ( Isaiah 6:8 ). This word of God addressed human beings and demanded a response. Thus God's word may be visualized as a great salvation ( Isaiah 2:2-5 ) or a great judgment ( Jeremiah 26:4-6 ).

2. A legal word. In the covenant law God spoke the words of the law to Moses ( Exodus 20:1;  Exodus 24:3-8 ). The heart of the law is called the ten words ( Exodus 34:28;  Deuteronomy 4:13 ). The entire law represents the will of God and so can be called a single “word” ( Deuteronomy 4:2 KJV). This word also demands response: faithful obedience will bring God's blessing while disobedience will lead to a curse (  Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ).

3. Creative word. God created the world by His word ( Genesis 1:1;  Isaiah 48:13;  Psalm 33:9 ). This world reveals God's majesty ( Psalm 19:1 ) and thus extends the sphere of His revelation beyond His work with covenant Israel to all people. The word is spoken of as if it were a person who directs the events of nature ( Psalm 147:15-18;  Psalm 148:8 ), saves ( Psalm 107:20 ), and gives life ( Ezekiel 37:1-4 ).

New Testament Logos and Rhema are the two primary Greek words meaning “word.” They are used interchangeably and variously as with the Old Testament dabar . The New Testament can use these words to apply to Jesus' message, the message about Jesus, and Jesus Himself.

Jesus' message of the coming kingdom can be called a “word” (  Mark 2:2;  Mark 4:33;  Luke 5:1 ) as can His individual sayings ( Matthew 26:75;  Luke 22:61;  John 7:36 ). Significantly, Jesus avoided citing rabbinic authorities or using the traditional language of a prophet who would claim “that the word of the Lord came to me” or declare “thus says the Lord.” Perhaps these phrases did not significantly honor His special relationship with the Father and His own authority ( Matthew 11:27; compare  Matthew 5:21-26;  Mark 3:28-29 ). As in the Old Testament, so also Jesus' word demanded decision on the part of the hearers ( John 8:51;  John 12:47 ).

The message concerning Jesus can also be called “a word.” Paul spoke of “the word of God that you heard from us” that is mediated by his human words (  1 Thessalonians 2:13 NRSV). The content of this word is certainly the good news story concerning Jesus' death and resurrection—the heart of the gospel (  1 Corinthians 15:3-5 ). This message is the word of the cross ( Galatians 3:1 ) and is the core content of Paul's preaching ( 1 Corinthians 2:2 ). Because of His sacrifice and resurrection, the gospel message is a “word of reconciliation” ( 2 Corinthians 5:19 ) and a “word of life” ( Philippians 2:16 ). The word is witnessed and proclaimed by Jesus' followers ( Luke 1:2;  Acts 4:2;  Acts 6:7 ). The word revealed through His son ( Hebrews 1:1-4 ) brings illumination and judgment.

Jesus Himself is the Word—the living Word. The preexistent Word who was with God “in the beginning” has now become flesh ( John 1:1-18 ). Scholars have frequently claimed that John used logos in a philosophical sense to refer to the world's controlling rational principle (Stoicism) or to the created intermediary between God and His world (Philo). However, John's word is not a principle or divine characteristic. It is a preexistent, life-giving person . John opposed Greek philosophy by arguing that salvation comes not by mankind's escape from this world but by God entering and redeeming creation. More probably logos was chosen because of its meaning in the Old Testament, its Greek translation, and contemporary Hebrew literature, where the concepts of wisdom and word were being spoken of as a distinct manifestation of God. John saw that the same agent of God who gave life in the first creation was also giving life in the new creation inaugurated by Jesus' coming. The creative Word of God became flesh; being divine He embodied divine communication. Now the Word dwells among us revealing the glory of God (  John 1:14 ).

Power of the Word It is often assumed that in Hebrew thought words had a mysterious binding authority. For example, when Isaac discovered he had been deceived and wrongly gave his blessing to Jacob, he declared that his blessing had been given and Jacob “shall be blessed” ( Genesis 27:33 ). Isaac's word seems magical—like an arrow once shot, it could not be recalled. Caution must be exercised here. Actually, only God's word has this type of irresistible potency ( Isaiah 55:11 ) and absolute creative power ( Genesis 1:3-31;  Luke 1:32-35; compare  Isaiah 9:8;  Isaiah 31:2;  Isaiah 45:23 ). Most occurrences like Isaac's may be explained in terms of their social custom. Following a prescribed social custom, a person may form a bond, or a will, by speaking a word. Even today a couple can make or create a marriage by saying “I do.” We must also note that Scripture teaches that a person's word is often powerless ( 1 Corinthians 2:4;  1 Corinthians 4:19-20 ) and frequently fails ( Matthew 21:28-32 ).

Words are capable of great good and evil ( Matthew 12:36;  James 3:5-6 ,James 3:5-6, 3:8 ). Words can deeply injure ( Proverbs 12:18;  Proverbs 18:14 ), and revive ( Proverbs 12:18 ,Proverbs 12:18, 12:25;  Proverbs 16:24 ). Words can have a widespread influence; words from the wicked are like a fire-spreading torch ( Proverbs 16:27-28 ); words from the good bring good fruit ( Proverbs 12:14;  Proverbs 10:11 ).

Randy Hatchett

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Λόγος (Strong'S #3056 — Noun Masculine — logos — log'-os )

denotes (I) "the expression of thought," not the mere name of an object, (a) as embodying a conception or idea, e.g.,  Luke 7:7;  1—Corinthians 14:9,19; (b) a saying or statement, (1) by God, e.g.,  John 15:25;  Romans 9:9;  9:28 , RV, "word" (AV, "work");  Galatians 5:14;  Hebrews 4:12; (2) by Christ, e.g.,  Matthew 24:35 (plur.);   John 2:22;  4:41;  14:23 (plur.); 15:20. In connection with (1) and (2) the phrase "the word of the Lord," i.e., the revealed will of God (very frequent in the OT), is used of a direct revelation given by Christ,   1—Thessalonians 4:15; of the gospel,  Acts 8:25;  13:49;  15:35,36;  16:32;  19:10;  1—Thessalonians 1:8;  2—Thessalonians 3:1; in this respect it is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power (cp.  Acts 10:36 ); for other instances relating to the gospel see  Acts 13:26;  14:3;  15:7;  1—Corinthians 1:18 , RV;  2—Corinthians 2:17;  4:2;  5:19;  6:7;  Galatians 6:6;  Ephesians 1:13;  Philippians 2:16;  Colossians 1:5;  Hebrews 5:13; sometimes it is used as the sum of God's utterances, e.g.,  Mark 7:13;  John 10:35;  Revelation 1:2,9; (c) discourse, speech, of instruction, etc., e.g.,  Acts 2:40;  1—Corinthians 2:13;  12:8;  2—Corinthians 1:18;  1—Thessalonians 1:5;  2—Thessalonians 2:15;  Hebrews 6:1 , RV, marg.; doctrine, e.g.,  Matthew 13:20;  Colossians 3:16;  1—Timothy 4:6;  2—Timothy 1:13;  Titus 1:9;  1—John 2:7;

 John 1:1-18 John 1:1,2  John 1:3  John 1:14  John 1:18 1—John 1:1 John 1:1,4  Revelation 19:13  1—John 5:7

2: Ῥῆμα (Strong'S #4487 — Noun Neuter — rhema — hray'-mah )

denotes "that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing;" in the singular, "a word," e.g.,  Matthew 12:36;  27:14;  2—Corinthians 12:4;  13:1;  Hebrews 12:19; in the plural, speech, discourse, e.g.,  John 3:34;  8:20;  Acts 2:14;  6:11,13;  11:14;  13:42;  26:25;  Romans 10:18;  2—Peter 3:2;  Jude 1:17; it is used of the Gospel in  Romans 10:8 (twice),17, RV, "the word of Christ" (i.e., the "word" which preaches Christ); 10:18;   1—Peter 1:25 (twice); of a statement, command, instruction, e.g.,   Matthew 26:75;  Luke 1:37 , RV, "(no) word (from God shall be void of power);"  Luke 1:38;  Acts 11:16;  Hebrews 11:3 .

 Ephesians 6:17 Hebrews 7:9 Romans 16:18 1—Peter 2:2Milk.Bring Matthew 2:13 Colossians 2:4 1—Timothy 6:4 2—Timothy 2:14StrifeStrive.  Acts 24:4FewFew

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

To the Israelites of Old Testament times, God’s word was not simply something written down or spoken out, but something active. It had within it the power of God, so that when God expressed his will, that will was carried out. When God said, ‘Let there be light’, there was light ( Genesis 1:3). Through the active word of God, the universe was created ( Genesis 1:3;  Genesis 1:6;  Genesis 1:9;  Genesis 1:14;  Genesis 1:20;  Genesis 1:24;  Genesis 1:26;  Hebrews 11:3;  2 Peter 3:5). God’s word could not fail. Whatever it said would happen had to happen ( Isaiah 55:10-11). God’s word had such life and power that people often thought of it almost as if it was a person – the living agent or messenger of God ( Psalms 33:6;  Psalms 107:20;  Psalms 147:15;  Psalms 147:18).

Jesus the Word

In the New Testament Jesus is called the Word (Greek: logos) ( 1 John 1:1-3). Greek philosophers of the first century used logos in reference to what they believed to be the principle of reason in the universe, but this is not necessarily the way the Bible uses the word. The word logos as used in the New Testament may contain some reference to the Greek ideas, but it is better understood in relation to the Old Testament meaning of ‘word’.

The Word of God is the living and active agent of God. It existed before creation and was the means by which God created. The New Testament shows that this Word is more than merely likened to a person, it is a person; no longer ‘it’, but ‘he’. He is not only with God, he is God. This Word is Jesus Christ, who came into the world as a human being. He is the living Word, the living expression of God. His words and deeds are the words and deeds of God ( John 1:1-4;  John 1:14; cf.  Genesis 1:1;  Genesis 1:3;  Colossians 1:15-17;  Hebrews 1:1-3;  Revelation 19:13;  Revelation 19:16). (For details see Jesus Christ; Son Of God )

The written and spoken Word

Because God has spoken to the world through Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is the Word. Similarly, because he has spoken through the Scriptures, the Scriptures are the Word ( Psalms 119:105;  Matthew 15:6;  John 10:35). When, however, the Bible writers speak of the written or spoken Word of God, they are usually referring not to a one-volume book such as our Bible, but to the Word of God as announced or preached by God’s representatives. (For details of the Bible as the Word of God see Inspiration ; Scriptures .)

Prophets, for example, were God’s spokesmen, and their announcements were the authoritative Word of God for his people ( Isaiah 1:2-4;  Isaiah 1:18;  Jeremiah 23:22;  Ezekiel 1:3;  Hosea 4:1;  Joel 1:1;  Amos 1:3;  Hebrews 1:1-2; see Prophecy ). Likewise the preaching of the gospel by the New Testament apostles was the proclamation of the Word of God ( Acts 4:31;  Acts 13:44;  Ephesians 1:13;  Colossians 1:5-6;  1 Peter 1:23;  1 Peter 1:25; see Gospel ; Preaching ). The instruction in Christian doctrine that followed was the teaching of the Word of God ( Acts 18:11;  Colossians 3:16;  1 Thessalonians 2:13;  Hebrews 13:7; see TEACHER).

This spoken Word became also the written Word and, like the personal Word Jesus, was living and active. It is still living and active today, and does God’s work in the hearts and lives of those who hear it or read it ( Hebrews 4:12).

King James Dictionary

WORD, n. G., L., to speak. A word is that which is uttered or thrown out.

1. An articulate or vocal sound, or a combination of articulate and vocal sounds, uttered by the human voice, and by custom expressing an idea or ideas a single component part of human speech or language. Thus a in English is a word but few words consist of one letter only. Most words consist of two or more letters, as go, do, shall, called monosyllables, or of two or more syllables, as honor, goodness, amiable. 2. The letter or letters, written or printed, which represent a sound or combination of sounds. 3. A short discourse.

Shall I vouchsafe your worship a word or two?

4. Talk discourse.

Why should calamity be full of words?

Be thy words severe.

5. Dispute verbal contention as, some words grew between us. 6. Language living speech oral expression. The message was delivered by word of mouth. 7. Promise. He gave me his word he would pay me.

Obey they parents keep thy word justly.

8. Signal order command.

Give the word through.

9. Account tidings message. Bring me word what is the issue of the contest. 10. Declaration purpose expressed.

I know you brave, and take you at your word.

11. Declaration affirmation.

I desire not the reader should take my word.

12. The Scripture divine revelation, or any part of it. This is called the word of God. 13. Christ.  John 1 . 14. A motto a short sentence a proverb.

A good word, commendation favorable account.

And gave the harmless fellow a good word.

In word, in declaration only.

Let us not love in word only, neither in tongue but in deed and in truth.  1 John 3 .

WORD, To dispute. Little used.

WORD, To express in words. Take care to word ideas with propriety.

The apology of the king is the same, but worded with greater deference to that great prince.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) Hence, the written or printed character, or combination of characters, expressing such a term; as, the words on a page.

(2): ( n.) Talk; discourse; speech; language.

(3): ( n.) Account; tidings; message; communication; information; - used only in the singular.

(4): ( v. t.) To express in words; to phrase.

(5): ( n.) Verbal contention; dispute.

(6): ( n.) Language considered as implying the faith or authority of the person who utters it; statement; affirmation; declaration; promise.

(7): ( n.) The spoken sign of a conception or an idea; an articulate or vocal sound, or a combination of articulate and vocal sounds, uttered by the human voice, and by custom expressing an idea or ideas; a single component part of human speech or language; a constituent part of a sentence; a term; a vocable.

(8): ( v. t.) To ply with words; also, to cause to be by the use of a word or words.

(9): ( n.) Signal; order; command; direction.

(10): ( n.) A brief remark or observation; an expression; a phrase, clause, or short sentence.

(11): ( v. i.) To use words, as in discussion; to argue; to dispute.

(12): ( v. t.) To flatter with words; to cajole.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

WORD . Apart from the personal use of ‘Word’ as a title of Christ (see Logos), its Biblical interpretation presents few difficulties. Both in the OT and in the NT the original terms employed may pass from the meaning ‘speech’ to signify ‘the subject matter of speech.’ In some passages there is uncertainty as to whether the tr. [Note: translate or translation.] should be ‘word’ or ‘thing.’ For example,   1 Kings 11:41 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] has ‘or words , or matters ’ as alternatives to ‘the acts of Solomon.’ In   Acts 8:21 ‘thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter’ probably means’ in the matter in dispute,’ which was the coveted power of imparting the gifts of the Holy Spirit; but the RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘word’ is preferred by some expositors, who think that the reference is to the word preached by the Apostles and its attendant blessings (cf.   Mark 1:45 ,   Luke 1:2 ). The EV [Note: English Version.] retains ‘word’ in   Matthew 18:16 and   2 Corinthians 13:1 , although   Deuteronomy 19:15 reads: ‘At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall every matter be established.’

J. G. Tasker.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

One of the titles of the second person of the Trinity, indicating perhaps that by his acts and teachings God is revealed, somewhat as thought is by words,  1 John 1:1   5:7   Revelation 19:13 . "The word of the Lord" was a common phrase in the Old Testament, always denoting some revelation of Jehovah. Long before the coming of Christ, the Jewish paraphrasts of the Bible used "The Word" in the passage where Jehovah occurred in the original; and the term was familiar to Jewish writers as the name of a divine being, the Son of God.

To show its true meaning and its application to our Savior, was of great importance to John, the last of the inspired writers, in whose later years certain errors as to the person of Christ, borrowed from Eastern philosophy, had begun to creep into the Christian church. He describes "The Word" as a personal and divine Being, self-existent, and coexistent from eternity with the Father, yet distinguished from him as The Son, the creator of all created things, the source of all life and light to men, and in the fullness of time incarnate among men,  John 1:13,14 . John's gospel is full and clear respecting the divinity of Christ,  John 20:31 .

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 John 1:1 (a) This is a personification of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus spoke and His Godhead and Deity were revealed at once. His words revealed His character. When He spoke everyone knew at once that it was the voice of GOD. He spoke with life-giving power. He spoke with transforming power. It is as when one speaks on the telephone to a friend many miles away. The moment the voice is heard, the friend recognizes the person, and visualizes his appearance. Christ is the Word of GOD.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Word (Logos ). The, is one of the titles of Jesus Christ. The term occurs only in the writings of John.  John 1:1-14;  1 John 1:1;  Revelation 19:13.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

In Scripture this is used for the uncreated word, which John calls Christ by, in relation to his eternal power and GODHEAD, ( John 1:1) etc.—and also the written word, the word of God, which the Hebrews called Dabar. See Christ

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

wûrd  : The commonest term in the Old Testament for "word" is דבר , dābhār (also "matter" "thing"); in the New Testament λόγος , lógos ("reason," "discourse," "speech"); but also frequently ῥῆμα , rhḗma . Rhēma is a "word" in itself considered; logos is a spoken word , with reference generally to that which is in the speaker's mind. Some of the chief applications of the terms may thus be exhibited:

(1) We have the word of Yahweh (or God ; see below) ( a ) as the revelation to the patriarch, prophet, or inspired person (  Genesis 15:1;  Exodus 20:1;  Numbers 22:38 , etc.); ( b ) as spoken forth by the prophet (  Exodus 4:30;  Exodus 34:1;  2 Kings 7:1;  Isaiah 1:10 , etc.). (2) The word is often a commandment, sometimes equivalent to "the Law" ( Exodus 32:28;  Numbers 20:24;  Deuteronomy 6:6;  Psalm 105:8;  Psalm 119:11 ,  Psalm 119:17;  Isaiah 66:2 , etc.). (3) As a promise and ground of hope ( Psalm 119:25 ,  Psalm 119:28 ,  Psalm 119:38 , etc.;  Psalm 130:5 , etc.). (4) As creative, upholding, and preserving ( Psalm 33:6; compare  Genesis 1:3 ff;   Psalm 147:15 ,  Psalm 147:18;  Hebrews 1:3;  Hebrews 11:3;  2 Peter 3:5 ,  2 Peter 3:7 ). (5) As personified (in Apocrypha, The Wisdom of Solomon 18:15; Ecclesiasticus 1:5, the Revised Version margin "omitted by the best authorities"). (6) As personal ( John 1:1 ). Logos in Philo and Greek-Jewish philosophy meant both reason or thought and its utterance, "the whole contents of the divine world of thought resting in the Noús of God, synonymous with the inner life of God Himself and corresponding to the logos endiáthetos of the human soul; on the other hand, it is the externalizing of this as revelation corresponding to the logos prophorikós in which man's thought finds expression (Schultz). Compare also the references to Creation by "the word of God" and its personifications; see Logos; incarnated in Jesus Christ ( John 1:14;  1 John 1:1 ,  1 John 1:2;  Revelation 19:13 , "His name is called, The Word of God," Ho Lógos toú Theoú ). See Person Of Christ . (7) Cannot be broken, endureth forever ( 2 Kings 10:10;  Psalm 119:89;  Isaiah 40:8 , etc.). (8) A designation of the gospel of Christ: sometimes simply "the word"; with Jesus "the word of the Kingdom" ( Matthew 13:19;  Mark 2:2;  Acts 4:4 ,  Acts 4:29 ,  Acts 4:31 , etc.). In John's Gospel Jesus frequently speaks of His "word" and "works" as containing the divine revelation and requirements made through Him, which men are asked to believe in, cherish and obey ( John 5:24;  John 6:63 ,  John 6:68 , etc.); "the words of God" ( John 3:34;  John 8:47;  John 14:10;  John 17:8 ,  John 17:14 , etc.); His "word" ( logos and rhēma ) is to be distinguished from laliá , speech (compare  Matthew 26:73;  Mark 14:70 ), translated "saying,"  John 4:42 (  John 4:41 , "Many more believed because of his own word" ( logos );  John 4:42 , "not because of thy saying" (lalia), the Revised Version (British and American) "speaking"); in the only other occurrence of lalia in this Gospel ( John 8:43 ) Jesus uses it to distinguish the outward expression from the inner meaning, "Why do ye not understand my speech?" ( lalia ), "Even because ye cannot hear my word" ( logos ). (9) "Words" are distinguished from "power" ( 1 Corinthians 4:20;  1 Thessalonians 1:5 ); are contrasted with "deed" ( Malachi 2:17;  1 Corinthians 4:20;  1 John 3:18 ). (10) Paul refers to "unspeakable words" ( árrhēta rhḗmata ) which he heard in Paradise ( 2 Corinthians 12:4 ), and to "words ( logoi )...which the Spirit teacheth" ( 1 Corinthians 2:13 ).

For "word" the Revised Version (British and American) has "commandment" ( Numbers 4:45 , etc.); for "words," "things" ( John 7:9;  John 8:30;  John 9:22 ,  John 9:40;  John 17:1 ), "sayings" ( John 10:21;  John 12:47 ,  John 12:48 ); for "enticing words," "persuasiveness of speech" ( Colossians 2:4 ); conversely, "word" for "commandment" ( Numbers 24:13;  Numbers 27:14;  Joshua 8:8 , etc.), with numerous other changes.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

is in Hebrew ( דָּבָר ) often put for Thing or matter; as  Exodus 2:14. "Surely this thing [Heb. Word] is known;" "Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing [Heb. Word] in the land" (9:5); "I will do a thing [Heb. Word ] in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle " ( 1 Samuel 3:11); "And the rest of the acts [Heb. Words ] of Solomon" ( 1 Kings 11:41). So likewise the Gr. Ῥῆμα , which properly signifies an Utterance, came to denote any sensible object or occurrence.