Know the parts of a card.

How to Read the Word Cards

Every Hebrew or Greek word has its own card. This page takes one real card apart, from Genesis 1:1.

Part I

Know this first

  • The blue box is the Bible. It holds the verse in the American Standard Version.
  • The cards are study helps. People made them from old dictionaries and word lists. They help you read the verse. They are not the Bible.
  • A word can mean more than one thing. The verse decides which meaning fits.
  • The words run in Hebrew order, not English order. In Genesis 1:1 the action comes before God: “In the beginning created God.”
Part II

The verse box

Genesis 1:1

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

Word By Word, In Hebrew Order1In the beginning | 2created | 3God | 5the heavens | 6and | 7the earth

Under the verse is the line Word By Word, In Hebrew Order. Each small number is one Hebrew word, and the same number is on that word’s card. The English on each word is the ASV’s own English for that Hebrew word.

A … means the English for one Hebrew word is split around other words. In Jonah 1:1, “Now … came” is one Hebrew word.

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Part III

One card, five parts

This is card 1 of Genesis 1:1, copied from the chapter page. Read it from the top down.

1
In the beginning
Card 1
2
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖יתbeh-reh-SHEET
3
Letters
בְּ + רֵאשִׁ֖ית
4
The Pieces
בְּHebrew prefixרֵאשִׁ֖יתHebrew noun, feminine
5
What It Can Mean
בְּin/on/withרֵאשִׁ֖יתfirst: beginningBeginning, chief.רֵאשִׁית n.f . beginning , chief beginning first first , chiefScroll for more
  1. 1The English and the card number. “In the beginning” is the ASV’s English for this word. Card 1 matches the 1 in the verse box.
  2. 2The Hebrew, and how to say it. The big letters are the word as it stands in the verse. Hebrew reads right to left. The line under it shows how to say it. Say the capital letters strongest: beh-reh-SHEET.
  3. 3Letters. The word again, split where pieces join. A plus sign shows a join:בְּ + רֵאשִׁ֖יתThat is “in” + “beginning.”
  4. 4The Pieces. Each piece, with what kind of word it is. Here, בְּ is a Hebrew prefix and רֵאשִׁ֖ית is a Hebrew noun, feminine.
  5. 5What It Can Mean. Each piece has its own bold short meaning: “in/on/with,” then “first: beginning.” Next is a short explanation from the dictionary: “Beginning, chief.” Below that is the full dictionary entry. A long meaning sits in a box with a scroll bar beside it. Slide the box up to read the rest.

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Part IV

Cards that look different

God’s personal name

Where the Hebrew has God’s name, the card’s English is the ASV’s word, Jehovah. Under it are the four Hebrew letters, then YHWH, then how to say the letters: Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh. Jonah 1:1, card 3. See The Name of God.

of Jehovah
Card 3
יהוהYHWHYud-Heh-Vav-Heh
Letters
יהוה
The Pieces
יהוהname of a title or other name
What It Can Mean
God's personal nameThe proper name of the God of Israel.יהוה c. 6823 i.e. יהוה n.pr.dei YHWH , the proper name of the God of Israel—(1. MT יְהֹוָה 6518 (Qr אֲדֹנָי ), or יֱהֹוִה 305 (Qr אֱלֹהִים ) 2. Many recent scholars explain יהוה as Hiph. of הוה (= היה ) the one bringing into being , life-giver ) יהוה is not used by E in Gn, but is given Ex 3:12-15 as the name of the God who revealed Himself to Moses at Horeb יהוה is used with אלהים and suffixes, especially in D the phrase † אֲנִי יהוה is noteworthy יהוה is also used with several predicates, to form sacred names of holy places of YHWHScroll for more

Names of people

A person’s name shows the name only. Jonah 1:1, card 5.

Jonah
Card 5
יוֹנָ֥הyoh-NAH
Letters
יוֹנָ֥ה
The Pieces
יוֹנָ֥הname of a person
What It Can Mean
Jonah

A card with no English

Some Hebrew words have no English word in the verse. Genesis 1:1, card 4, has a blank English line. It marks the word that receives the action. Its meaning says so: “object marker.”

 
Card 4
אֵ֥תet
Letters
אֵ֥ת
The Pieces
אֵ֥תHebrew particle
What It Can Mean
object markerMark of the accusative.אֵת the mark of the accusative , prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definiteScroll for more

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Part V

New Testament cards

Now
Card 2
δὲdeh
The Pieces
δὲGreek conjunction
What It Can Mean
thenA weak adversative particle, generally placed second in its clause; but, on the other hand, and.δέ (before vowels δ’; on the general neglect of the elision in NT, v. WH, App., 146; Tdf., Pr., 96), post-positive conjunctive particle; copulative, but, in the next place, and, now (Abbott, JG, 104): Mt 1:2 ff., II Co 6:15, 16, II Pe 1:5-7; in repetition for emphasis, Ro 3:21, 22, 9:30, I Co 2:6, Ga 2:2, Phl 2:8; in transition to something new, Mt 1:18 2:19, Lk 13:1, Jo 7:14, Ac 6:1, Ro 8:28, I Co 7:1 8:1, al.; in explanatory parenthesis or addition, Jo 3:19, Ro 5:8, I Co 1:12, Eph 2:4 5:32, al.; ὡς δέ, Jo 2:9; καὶ... δέ, but also, Mt 10:18, Lk 1:76, Jo 6:51, Ro 11:23, al.; καὶ ἐὰν δέ, yea even if, Jo 8:16. Adversative, but, on the other hand, prop., answering to a foregoing μέν (q.v.), and distinguishing a word or clause from one preceding (in NT most freq. without μέν; Bl., §77, 12): ἐὰν δέ, Mt 6:14, 23, al.; ἐγὼ ( σὺ, etc.) δέ, Mt 5:22 6:6, Mk 8:29, al.; ὁ δέ, αὐτὸς δέ, Mk 1:45, Lk 4:40, al.; after a negation, Mt 6:19, 20, Ro 3:4, I Th 5:21, al.Scroll for more

Acts 13:1, card 2

New Testament cards work the same way, in Greek order. Greek reads left to right, like English.

Greek cards have no Letters row. The Pieces comes straight after the word.

Greek order shows here too. Acts 13:1 begins “Now there were,” but in Greek the word for “Now” comes second: card 1 is “there were,” card 2 is “Now.”

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Part VI

Matching words

Genesis 1:1, with Match on and card 3 picked

Match: OnClear32 matching words in 26 verses

VERSE

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031
In the beginningCard 1בְּרֵאשִׁ֖יתbeh-reh-SHEET
createdCard 2בָּרָ֣אbah-RAH
GodCard 3אֱלֹהִ֑יםeh-loh-HEEM
 Card 4אֵ֥תet
the heavensCard 5הַשָּׁמַ֖יִםhah-shah-MAH-yeem
andCard 6וְאֵ֥תveh-ET
the earthCard 7הָאָֽרֶץhah-AH-rets
  1. Turn Match on. The button beside the verses reads Match: Off. Tap it. It turns green and reads Match: On.
  2. Tap a card. Its Hebrew word box turns green, and so does every use of that word in the chapter. Here, card 3 is God.
  3. Read the count. The line under the buttons counts them: 32 matching words in 26 verses.
  4. Find the verses. Each verse that holds the word has a green number. Tap a number to go to that verse.
  5. Clear or turn off. Clear takes the green off. Tap Match: On to turn matching off.

Match goes by the word’s dictionary entry, not its exact letters. In Genesis 1:1, card 4 אֵ֥ת and card 6 וְאֵ֥ת are one word; card 6 has “and” joined on. Tap either card and both turn green: 26 matching words in 13 verses.

A few cards have no dictionary entry to match. Tapping one shows: No matching-word link is available for this card.

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