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Jethro
[People]Jethro is a priest of Midian in the Book of Exodus, the father-in-law of Moses and the father of Zipporah. In Exodus 2 he appears under the name Reuel. He is known for advising Moses to appoint leaders over the people and to share the work of judging with them.
1 John 5:14–15
[Bible Verses]A passage expressing confidence that God hears those who ask according to his will. It is frequently cited as a basis for answered prayer, and its interpretation centers on how to understand the condition "according to his will."
Assyria
[Bible]Assyria was an ancient empire centered on the Tigris River valley in northern Mesopotamia. In the Bible it is the nation that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and invaded Judah. It is portrayed both as an instrument of God's judgment and as a proud power that itself comes under judgment.
Matthew 23:4
[Bible Verses]A verse in which Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for laying heavy burdens on others while refusing to lift a finger themselves. It is frequently cited as a warning against legalism and against inconsistency between the words and deeds of religious leaders.
1 John 4:20–21
[Bible Verses]This passage declares that anyone who claims to love God while hating his brother is a liar, showing that love for God and love for one's brother cannot be separated. It is frequently cited as a key text for measuring the genuineness of faith by the practice of love.
Hebrews 11:3
[Bible Verses]Hebrews 11:3 stands at the head of the "by faith" list in Hebrews 11 and declares that through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. It is frequently cited as a key text for creation out of nothing (creatio ex nihilo) and is also invoked in discussions of creation and evolution.
Cleansing of the Temple
[Bible]The cleansing of the Temple is the event in which Jesus drove the merchants and money changers out of the Temple in Jerusalem. Recorded in all four Gospels, it is read as a passage that raises questions about the true meaning of the Temple and of worship.
Scribe
[Bible]A scribe was originally a professional who wrote documents and kept records. After the Babylonian exile, the term came to refer to experts who copied and taught the Law. In the New Testament, scribes appear as a group that frequently disputes with Jesus.
New Jerusalem
[Bible]The New Jerusalem is the holy city in the Book of Revelation that comes down out of heaven at the end of the age and in which God dwells with his people forever. It is portrayed as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets' hope for a restored Jerusalem.
Denarius
[Bible]The denarius was a silver coin of the Roman Empire in the New Testament era. In the Gospels it appears as the standard of a laborer's daily wage, and in passages such as the feeding of the five thousand and the parable of the laborers in the vineyard it serves as a benchmark for gauging the size of a sum.
Tyre
[Bible]Tyre was a Phoenician port city on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. In the Old Testament it appears as a neighboring kingdom that dealt with David and Solomon and as a target of the prophets' oracles of judgment. In the New Testament it is a Gentile region visited by Jesus and Paul.
Tophet
[Bible]Tophet was a site in the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem. The Old Testament presents it as a place where children were burned as offerings in idolatrous worship, and the prophet Jeremiah made it a symbol of judgment.
Daughter of Zion
[Bible]The Daughter of Zion is a poetic Old Testament expression that personifies Jerusalem and its inhabitants as a woman. It appears frequently in the Prophets and in Lamentations, and the New Testament quotes the title in its accounts of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.
Stem of Jesse
[Bible]The "stem of Jesse" is an image from Isaiah 11:1 in which a shoot springs from the stump of Jesse, the father of David. The expression prophesies an ideal king who will arise from the house of David. Christians generally read it as a messianic prophecy concerning Jesus Christ.
Migdol
[Bible]Migdol is an Egyptian place-name derived from the Hebrew word for "tower" or "fortress." It appears as a site near Israel's encampment before the crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus, and in Jeremiah and Ezekiel it is used as a place-name marking the northern extremity of Egypt.
Papyrus
[Bible]Papyrus is an aquatic plant that grows in the marshes of the Nile Valley, and the name also refers to the ancient writing material made from its stalks. In the Old Testament it appears mainly as a plant, and in the New Testament as "paper." It is also important as the material of early New Testament manuscripts.
Redemption of the Firstborn
[Bible]The redemption of the firstborn is a provision of the Mosaic Law by which the firstborn son in Israel was set apart as belonging to God and then redeemed by a payment of five shekels of silver. The institution served as a reminder that God spared Israel's firstborn sons at the time of the Exodus.
Greece
[Bible]Greece is a biblical place name referring to the land of present-day Greece and its people. The Old Testament, in books such as Daniel, uses it for a kingdom yet to arise. The New Testament uses it for a region where Paul preached the gospel and as a name representing the Gentiles.
Madaba Map
[History]The Madaba Map is a sixth-century Byzantine mosaic map preserved in the floor of the Church of Saint George in Madaba, Jordan. It is known as the oldest surviving original map of the Holy Land.
Psalm 22
[Bible]Psalm 22 is a psalm of David that moves from lament over suffering, as though forsaken by God, to praise for deliverance. In the New Testament it is one of the psalms most closely associated with the suffering of Jesus on the cross.