If I’m honest, I never imagined myself doing a word study. That phrase alone used to sound like something reserved for pastors, seminary students, or people with color-coded notebooks and theological degrees. Definitely not me — a wife, mom, and believer simply wanting to understand the Bible for myself.
But during my study of Genesis with Jen Wilkin’s God of Creation, one word kept showing up over and over again:
Covenant.
And not in a casual way — it felt like a thread God kept pulling forward in the story. I’d seen it before, of course, but this time something in me paused.
I wanted to know why it mattered so much.
I wanted to understand what it meant.
So one morning, with my coffee in hand and my Bible open, I decided:
Okay… let’s try a word study.
This is what happened.
Where It Began: A Word That Wouldn’t Let Go
I was deep in the story of Noah, paying attention to repeated words the way Jen encourages in her study. That’s when “covenant” started jumping off the page.
I found myself rereading Genesis 6, flipping back to Genesis 2, and wondering:
What does covenant really mean?
What did Noah hear when God said it?
What does it reveal about who God is?
So instead of just moving on with the next chapter that morning, I took a breath, opened my notebook, and decided to follow the word wherever it appeared.
It felt like stepping into a new part of Bible study — one I had never tried before.
The Two Tools That Made This Easy
I didn’t use anything fancy.Just two simple resources:
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Tyndale Bible Dictionary — for the definition and overview
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Bible Hub (free) — to find the Strong’s number and every place the word appears
Bible Hub told me that the Hebrew word for covenant is:
בְּרִית (berith)
Strong’s #1285
Then Tyndale gave me a definition that stopped me:
“An arrangement between two parties involving mutual obligation, especially in connection with God’s covenants in the Bible.”
Suddenly covenant didn’t feel like a distant idea — it felt foundational, like something God wanted His people to understand from the very beginning.
Step 1: Start With the First Mention
The first explicit mention appears in Noah’s story:
“But I will establish my covenant with you…”
This wasn’t a negotiation.
It wasn’t a mutual discussion.
It was God declaring a commitment He would uphold.
But even before that, the shape of covenant was already there:
Adam is given purpose, presence, and responsibility — early glimpses of a relational bond between God and humanity.
Seeing these passages side-by-side made me realize:
Covenant is not a new idea — it’s an ancient one.
Step 2: Follow the Word (Thank You, Bible Hub)
Bible Hub became my roadmap.
With one click, I could see everywhere “covenant” appeared and in what context.
Here are the verses that helped everything click for me:
Marriage as Covenant
God’s Covenant with Israel
God’s Covenant with Abram
Seeing these together made my understanding deepen:
Covenant is woven through the whole Bible — a thread of God’s faithfulness that doesn’t break.
Step 3: Seeing Covenant Fulfilled (While Reading Acts With My Hubby)
Around this time, my husband and I were reading Acts together as part of our daily plan. And suddenly, all those covenant threads from Genesis started showing up again — but this time on the other side of the cross.
In the sermons of Peter, Stephen, and Paul, I could hear echoes of the same promises:
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God keeps His covenant
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Jesus fulfills God’s covenant with Israel
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The Spirit forms a new covenant people
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The church is built on God’s ancient promises
Studying covenant in Genesis made Acts feel like the second half of a story I had unknowingly started.
It all connected.
Step 4: What This Means for Us
Tracing one word led me to a much bigger question:
What does it mean to live under a covenant-keeping God?
Here’s what I learned:
We are held by a God who keeps His promises.
We walk in a story He has been writing since the beginning.
And we get to live out the reality of God’s faithfulness every day.
The more I studied, the more I realized:
Covenant isn’t just something God said.
It’s something God does.
He keeps His word — always.
How You Can Try Your Own Word Study
If the idea of doing this feels intimidating, here’s the good news:
It’s simple.
1. Pick a word
Something you keep noticing.
2. Look it up on BibleHub.com
Search the verse → click “Hebrew” or “Greek” → find Strong’s number → view all occurrences.
3. Read a dictionary entry
Tyndale was incredibly helpful, but any basic Bible dictionary works.
4. Trace the word through Scripture
Follow the references on Bible Hub.
5. Write what you notice
Patterns, themes, first mentions, connections.
6. Ask: “What does this reveal about God?”
Because that’s the whole point.
If I can do this — truly — you can too.
Resources I Used
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Bible Hub — for Strong’s numbers + verse lists
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Tyndale Bible Dictionary — for definition and overview
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Bible Nerds Word Study Worksheet — to help keep things organized
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