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True Words Baptist Church — Revelation 21:5
DEEP KJV WORD STUDY

Better

Begin with the exact English word as it appears in the King James Bible. Follow its whole-Bible usage, book distribution, related indexed forms, Webster 1828, every occurrence, and the occurrence-specific Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek mappings behind it.

117exact KJV occurrences 82Old Testament 35New Testament 32books containing the word 17mapped Strong's IDs 113occurrence-specific Strong's links
FIRST OCCURRENCE

Genesis 29:19

And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.

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LAST OCCURRENCE

2 Peter 2:21

For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

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KJV DISTRIBUTION

Where better appears.

This is exact English-word usage from the canonical KJV token index, not a Strong's estimate.

ORIGINAL-LANGUAGE MAP

Which Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek words stand behind this KJV word?

These relationships come from exact verse + token-position mappings. We do not assume that one English spelling always equals one Strong's number. A single English token can also carry more than one source tag, so the Strong's-link total can exceed the number of English occurrences.

HebrewH2896
טוֹב

ṭôwb · tobe

72 times translated as this KJV form558 total Strong's occurrences

a n-m n-f

good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well)

Strong's KJV usage: beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, × fair (word), (be in) favour, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, × most, pleasant, pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well(-favoured).

Strong's first: Genesis 29:19Strong's last: Jonah 4:8

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GreekG2570
καλός

kalós · kal-os'

5 times translated as this KJV form99 total Strong's occurrences

properly, beautiful, but chiefly (figuratively) good (literally or morally), i.e. valuable or virtuous (for appearance or use, and thus distinguished from G18, which is properly intrinsic)

Strong's KJV usage: :--X better, fair, good(-ly), honest, meet, well, worthy.

Strong's first: Matthew 18:8Strong's last: 1 Corinthians 9:15

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HebrewH3190
יָטַב

yâṭab · yaw-tab'

4 times translated as this KJV form110 total Strong's occurrences

v

to be (causative) make well, literally (sound, beautiful) or figuratively (happy, successful, right)

Strong's KJV usage: be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, be content, diligent(-ly), dress, earnestly, find favour, give, be glad, do (be, make) good(-ness), be (make) merry, please ( well), shew more (kindness), skilfully, × very small, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well (said, seen).

Strong's first: 1 Kings 1:47Strong's last: Nahum 3:8

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GreekG1308
διαφέρω

diaphérō · dee-af-er'-o

3 times translated as this KJV form18 total Strong's occurrences

to bear through, i.e. (literally) transport; usually to bear apart, i.e. (objectively) to toss about (figuratively, report); subjectively, to "differ", or (by implication) surpass

Strong's KJV usage: :--be better, carry, differ from, drive up and down, be (more) excellent, make matter, publish, be of more value.

Strong's first: Matthew 6:26Strong's last: Luke 12:24

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GreekG3081
λυσιτελεῖ

lysiteleî · loo-sit-el-i'

1 times translated as this KJV form1 total Strong's occurrences

impersonally, it answers the purpose, i.e. is advantageous

Strong's KJV usage: :--it is better.

Other KJV renderings

Strong's first: Luke 17:2Strong's last: Luke 17:2

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GreekG4052
περισσεύω

perisseúō · per-is-syoo'-o

1 times translated as this KJV form41 total Strong's occurrences

to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous; also (transitively) to cause to superabound or excel

Strong's KJV usage: :--(make, more) abound, (have, have more) abundance (be more) abundant, be the better, enough and to spare, exceed, excel, increase, be left, redound, remain (over and above).

Strong's first: 1 Corinthians 8:8Strong's last: 1 Corinthians 8:8

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GreekG4284
προέχομαι

proéchomai · pro-ekh-om-ahee

1 times translated as this KJV form1 total Strong's occurrences

to hold oneself before others, i.e. (figuratively) to excel

Strong's KJV usage: :--be better.

Strong's first: Romans 3:9Strong's last: Romans 3:9

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GreekG4851
συμφέρω

symphérō · soom-fer'-o

1 times translated as this KJV form22 total Strong's occurrences

to bear together (contribute), i.e. (literally) to collect, or (figuratively) to conduce; especially (neuter participle as a noun) advantage

Strong's KJV usage: :--be better for, bring together, be expedient (for), be good, (be) profit(-able for).

Strong's first: Matthew 18:6Strong's last: Matthew 18:6

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HebrewH3027
יָד

yâd · yawd

1 times translated as this KJV form1,573 total Strong's occurrences

n-f

a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote [as follows]

Strong's KJV usage: ( be) able, × about, armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, × bounty, broad, (broken-) handed, × by, charge, coast, consecrate, creditor, custody, debt, dominion, × enough, fellowship, force, × from, hand(-staves, -y work), × he, himself, × in, labour, large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, × mine, ministry, near, × of, × order, ordinance, × our, parts, pain, power, × presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, swear, terror, × thee, × by them, × themselves, × thine own, × thou, through, × throwing, thumb, times, × to, × under, × us, × wait on, (way-) side, where, wide, × with (him, me, you), work, yield, × yourselves.

Strong's first: Daniel 1:20Strong's last: Daniel 1:20

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Strong's data is a concordance/lexical reference layer. Scripture context controls interpretation. Lexical source data is shown separately from future TWBC editorial teaching.

EVERY OCCURRENCE

Read the word in context.

117 occurrences match the current filters. Each row keeps its exact KJV token position so Original Word and TSK remain occurrence-specific.

Genesis 29:19
H2896

And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me.

Exodus 14:12
H2896

Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

Numbers 14:3
H2896

And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

Judges 8:2
H2896

And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

Judges 9:2
H2896

Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

Judges 11:25
H2896

And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,

Judges 18:19
H2896

And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?

Ruth 4:15
H2896

And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.

1 Samuel 1:8
H2896

Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

1 Samuel 15:22
H2896

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:28
H2896

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

1 Samuel 27:1
H2896

And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

2 Samuel 17:14
H2896

And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

2 Samuel 18:3
H2896

But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city.

1 Kings 1:47
H3190

And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed.

1 Kings 2:32
H2896

And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

1 Kings 19:4
H2896

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

1 Kings 21:2
H2896

And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.

2 Kings 5:12
H2896

Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

2 Chronicles 21:13
H2896

But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself:

Esther 1:19
H2896

If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate unto another that is better than she.

Psalms 37:16
H2896

A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.

Psalms 63:3
H2896

Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Psalms 69:31
H3190

This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

Psalms 84:10
H2896

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

WEBSTER’S 1828

English meaning and historical usage.

Dictionary data is kept visibly separate from Scripture and from lexical Strong's data.

better

BET'TER, a comparative of bet. See Best.]

1. Having good qualities in a greater degree than another; applied to physical, acquired or moral qualities; as a better soil, a better man, a better physician, a better house, a better air, a better harvest.

2. More advantageous.

Were it not better for us to return to Egypt:Exodus 14:12.

3. More acceptable.

To obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22.

4. More safe.

It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man. Psalms 118:8.

5. Improved in health; less affected with disease; as, the patient is better

6. To be better off, to be in a better condition. Beddoes, Hygeia. This is a very common phrase; but ought not off, to be of? It is not elegant.

7. To have the better is to have the advantage or superiority, followed by of before him or that over which the advantage is enjoyed; as, the English had the better of the Spaniards.

8. To get or gain the better is to obtain the advantage, superiority or victory; as, to get the better of an enemy.

9. For the better is for the advantage or improvement.

BET'TER, adverb In a more excellent manner; with more skill and wisdom, virtue, advantage or success; as, to perform work better; to plan a scheme better; land better cultivated; laws better executed; government better administered.

1. More correctly, or fully; as, to understand a subject better than another.

2. With superior excellence; as, to write or speak better than another.

3. With more affection; in a higher degree; as, to love one better than another.

It is not easy to specify and exemplify the various applications of better In general, it implies what is more excellent, advantageous, useful, or virtuous, than something else.

BET'TER, verb transitive

1. To improve; to meliorate; to increase the good qualities of; as, manure betters land; discipline may better the morals.

2. To surpass; to exceed.

The works of nature do always aim at that which cannot be bettered.

Qu.is not the sense, made better:

3. To advance; to support; to give advantage to; as, to better a party; to better a cause.

BET'TER, noun A superior; one who has a claim to precedence on account of his rank, age, or office; as, give place to your betters. It is generally or always used in the plural.

Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). A conservative base-form lookup may be used when the exact inflected KJV form is not a Webster headword.

SOURCE & METHOD

Know what each layer is—and what it is not.

KJV English usageExact token counts, verse counts, first/last occurrence, and book distribution come from the canonical TWBC PCE KJV index.
Webster 1828Historical English dictionary material is reproduced as dictionary data, not as inspired Scripture or TWBC commentary.
Original Word / Strong'sHebrew, Aramaic, and Greek links attach by exact verse + KJV token position. No global “English word always equals Strong's ID” rule is used.

Curated TWBC teaching will remain a separate editorial layer. Raw source data is never silently rewritten to force a doctrinal conclusion.