Is Strongs dictionary and concordance a good resource for studying Hebrew words?
One of the best tools written to begin learning about Hebrew is Strong’s dictionary. Many concordances and some Bibles are keyed to this resource. Using Psalm 51:1 as an example – Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me, the word “right” is listed in Strong’s dictionary as number 3559 and we find that the Hebrew word is “kun” which means to be firm or stable. This provides a deeper understanding of the verse than from the English alone. However, it must be understood that Strong’s dictionary has many limitations which, if not known, can cause some problems. In Deuteronomy 15:6 we find the words “lend” and “borrow” and when we look both of these words up in Strong’s we find that they are both the same Hebrew word – avat. How can the same Hebrew word be translated as lend and as borrow? What cannot be determined through Strong’s is some of the nuances of Hebrew words. The Hebrew word avat literally means “to give a pledge” and is translated as borrow b
