The story behind ‘pledge’, from Germanic guardianship to the Greek and Latin language of binding promise in Matthew 1.18.

Pregnancy traces back to Latin ‘praegnantia’, meaning ‘carrying before birth’. Other European languages picture the idea through weight, enclosure, and taking together. Greek adds its own structure with ‘syllambanō’. 

Hebrews 12 describes faith as a long race. This word card explores the history of ‘perseverance’ alongside the Greek term in the passage, paired with an image from Nant Ffrancon Pass that echoes the steady climb of the text.

A short look at the word ‘righteous’, its Old English and Hebrew roots, and how Scripture uses the idea of the straight and upright way. Written with an orthodox evangelical understanding of God’s justice and Christ’s fulfilment. 

The phrase ‘wonderful counsellor’ in Isaiah 9 points to the Messiah whose wisdom rises above ordinary human insight. This word card explores the Hebrew ‘pele yo‘etz’, the English forms, and the major European translations that shaped how the title entered English.

A short exploration of how ‘perfect’ first meant something completed or fulfilled, from Latin and Greek roots to European Bible translations in Hebrews 11:40. 

A study of ‘strength’ in Hebrews 11, tracing the Greek and Old English roots behind the idea of weakness becoming strength, with examples from French, Spanish, German, and other European translations.

Old English ‘wilcuma’ meant ‘a wished-for guest’. The Greek ‘δέχομαι’ in Hebrews 11:31 adds another layer — to receive with the right hand. ‘Welcome’ joins will, friendship and faith into one open gesture. 

A reflection on Hebrews 11:27 through the history of the word ‘anger’. From Norse sorrow to Greek fire, this short piece links language, Scripture, and the village beacon that marks the start of Christmas.

From Latin sacer ‘holy’ and facere ‘to make’, ‘sacrifice’ first meant ‘to make something holy’. The Greek ‘προσφέρω’ adds the sense of offering or bringing near to God.

The word ‘country’ once meant the open land beyond the walls. From Latin ‘contrata’ and Greek ‘χώρα’, it described a region or homeland rather than a nation. Hebrews 11:16 speaks of ‘a better country’ — the true homeland God prepares.

From Greek ‘ἐπαγγελία’ and Latin ‘promissio’, ‘promise’ means a word sent forward — something spoken in faith before fulfilment.

From Latin ‘extraneus’, meaning ‘from outside’, ‘stranger’ once meant traveller or guest. In Hebrews 11:9, Abraham lives ‘beside’ rather than ‘within’—a pilgrim waiting for home.

The phrase ‘in holy fear’ comes from a single Greek word meaning reverent awe. In English, holy once meant ‘whole,’ and fear meant ‘danger.’ Together they trace how peril turned into reverence—wholeness preserved through awe before what is sacred.

From Greek ‘αἰών’ to Latin ‘universum’, the story of how one word came to mean all things created and held together by God’s word.

More than belief alone, ‘faith’ in the Bible is trust in God’s faithfulness — confidence in what he has said, even when it is not yet seen.

In a Flemish supermarket, the word groenten caught my eye. It means ‘vegetables’, but it shares its history with English green.

In Belgium, a supermarket sign reads ‘Huisdieren’ (‘house animals’). Dutch ‘dieren’ shares its root with English ‘deer’ and German ‘Tier’. Once the same word, their meanings diverged over time.

Discover the etymology of ‘butcher’: Flemish ‘beenhouwerij’ means ‘bone-hacker’s shop’, Danish ‘slagter’ comes from ‘to slaughter’, and English ‘butcher’ from French ‘goat-slayer’. Explore how German, Italian, Portuguese, Celtic, and Basque languages name this everyday trade.

From cranes to bogs, the name ‘cranberry’ traces a northern path through Low German Kraanbere and Dutch Kraanbes, linking birds, berries, and marshland speech.