Using the Theological Wordbook of the OT

Let’s face it, studying the Old Testament can be hard work. This is extremely true once you dive into the original languages, Hebrew in particular. There are a plethora of useful resources to choose from when studying Biblical Greek. Examples are BDAG, EDNT, TDNT, NIDNTTE, Louw & Nida, to name a few. Yet when it comes to studying Hebrew the pickings are slim. In Olive Tree, outside of the Strong’s Dictionary, you’re limited to a few titles including: NIDOTTE, HALOT, and TWOT. Although the pickings are slim, they are still powerful study tools.

So, let’s take a look inside one of our favorites: the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT).

Studying with TWOT: Strong’s

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament is, essentially, a Hebrew lexicon. It is primarily intended for pastors and serious students who want to study original languages. However, we’ve equipped the TWOT with a few features, making it easier for Hebrew-beginners to pick it up.

I highly recommend using the TWOT in conjunction with a Strong’s Bible. I’ll show you how to do this in the following screenshots.

To see how TWOT works, let’s look at 1 Samuel 16. In this passage, we find Samuel anointing David as the new king of Israel.

Not only is anointing an important topic in relation to this passage, it is found throughout Scripture. So, it is important to understand its cultural context. And, that makes it a great example for our study.

To research anointing in TWOT, tap on the word “anoint” in 1 Samuel 16:3 to bring up the Strong’s definition.

Studying with TWOT: Articles

The definition from the Strong’s dictionary is rather sparse, in comparison to the TWOT article. Tap “Look up” to get to the article.

Here it is! If you want to open this article in the split window, you can do so in the upper-right corner.

There is some theological significance to this word! TWOT talks about the divine enablement that accompanied someone being anointed king over Israel. This information most certainly is not in my study Bible. Thanks to TWOT, we can gain a richer understanding of the importance of Samuel anointing David as king.

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

Because the TWOT is an enhanced Olive Tree product, it is extremely easy to use. Anywhere you find a tagged Hebrew word, you’ll be able to quickly get to its TWOT entry. It doesn’t matter if you’re reading your Hebrew and Strong’s Bibles or looking at another Hebrew lexicon. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament is always right at your fingertips.