Let’s continue to dive into our verse from yesterday, 2 Corinthians 2:14. Using the websites www.BibleGateway.com and www.biblehub.com, we’ll focus on the second word that was underlined and use the same method as yesterday to see how different translators have translated the word “fragrance.”

On the last word, “knowledge,” most of the translators use that term. But what kind of knowledge did Paul have in mind when he used that term? Let’s go deeper on this word, all the way back to the original word! Click on www.biblehub.com and in the white box at the top center of the screen, type 2 Corinthians 2:14. You’ll notice several versions come up down of the left side of the screen (which can save a lot of time), and you’ll also notice several tabs across the middle of the screen. Click on the “Greek” tab. You’ll see the verse written with the Greek alphabet and below, you’ll see the King James version of the verse. Below that is a “table” with all the words of the verse, with a number key to “Strong’s” (Strong’s is a Concordance that references EVERY word in the KJV of the Bible in alphabetical order, showing where each English word occurs in the Bible; Strong’s also uses a numeral to represent EVERY Greek word used in the original text of the Bible). If you scroll down the table, you’ll see the word “knowledge” and the Greek word gnōseōs and the Strong’s reference number. Click on that reference number, and you’ll see a new screen that defines the word, and discusses how the word has been translated into English. Below that, you’ll see the word gnōseōs again, with the phrase “12 Occurrences.” Click that and you’ll see EVERY verse that the original Greek word is used. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO ALL THE WAYS THAT PAUL USES THE WORD KNOWLEDGE IN HIS WRITINGS (Romans – Philemon). This is truly forensic Bible study at its best! 11 of the 12 times the word is used in the New Testament, Paul is the author of the text. Notice how one of the verses noted, 1 Timothy 6:20 contrasts the word “knowledge.” “Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge…” “Knowledge,” as Paul uses the word in his writings, is not a random and meaningless collection of ideas. It is, rather, something that has solid meaning and connects together a godly lifestyle with knowing important facts and truths that have bearing even on our speech and conversation. Notice that 1 Timothy 6:20 helps to define the nuance of how Paul uses gnōseōs. Take this back to 2 Corinthians 2:14 and write the verse in your own language, based on your version study and word studies.