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Seir
[Bible]Seir is an Old Testament place name for the mountainous region south of the Dead Sea. Because Esau and his descendants, the Edomites, lived there, Scripture often uses the name as a synonym for Edom.
Purification after Childbirth
[Bible]Purification after childbirth is an Old Testament ordinance under which a woman who had given birth, after completing a prescribed period, brought offerings to the sanctuary to have her ritual purity restored. It is set out in Leviticus 12, and in Luke 2 Mary observes it.
Calah
[Bible]Calah is an ancient city in the land of Assyria mentioned alongside Nineveh in Genesis 10. Its Akkadian name was Kalhu, and its site is identified with the ruins of Nimrud in northern Iraq.
Eunuch
[Bible]A eunuch was an official who served the king and the royal household closely in ancient palaces; in many cases he was a castrated man. The Hebrew and Greek terms appear across both Testaments, and the Korean Revised Version renders the same original term with several different words depending on context.
Ahikam
[People]Ahikam was an official in the reign of King Josiah of Judah, the son of Shaphan the scribe, and the father of Gedaliah, governor of Judah. He is known for protecting Jeremiah when the prophet's life was in danger.
Zephaniah (Prophet)
[People]Zephaniah was an Old Testament prophet who ministered during the reign of King Josiah of Judah. The Old Testament Book of Zephaniah preserves his prophecies, in which he proclaimed judgment on "the day of the LORD" and the restoration of the remnant.
Potiphar
[People]Potiphar is an Egyptian who appears in the Book of Genesis. An officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, he bought Joseph, who had been sold into Egypt by his brothers, and placed him in charge of his household. After hearing his wife's false accusation, he had Joseph put in prison.
Shethar-boznai
[People]Shethar-boznai was an official during the reign of the Persian king Darius who investigated the authority for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. In Ezra 5–6 his name always appears together with that of Tatnai, governor of the province Beyond the River.
Onesiphorus
[People]Onesiphorus was an early Christian mentioned in 2 Timothy who sought out and cared for Paul while the apostle was imprisoned in Rome. Paul prayed that the Lord would show mercy to him and to his household.
Sosipater
[People]Sosipater was an early Christian whom Paul names as one of his "kinsmen" in Romans 16:21. He was with Paul when the letter was written and sent greetings to the church in Rome.
Chief Baker
[People]The chief baker was an official of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appears in Genesis 40. While in prison he had a dream, and three days later he was executed, just as Joseph had interpreted it. His name is not given in the Bible.
Shobi
[People]Shobi was an Ammonite who brought food and household goods to David when David reached Mahanaim while fleeing Absalom's rebellion. He is introduced as the son of Nahash of Rabbah (2 Samuel 17:27).
Simeon Called Niger
[People]Simeon called Niger is an early church figure named in Acts 13:1 as one of the "prophets and teachers" of the church at Antioch in Syria.
Rezon
[People]Rezon was an Aramean who, in the time of David, fled from Hadadezer king of Zobah, gathered a band of men, became king in Damascus, and was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (1 Kings 11:23-25).
Ram
[People]Ram was an Old Testament figure of the tribe of Judah, the son of Hezron and the father of Amminadab. His name appears in the genealogies of David in Ruth and 1 Chronicles and in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew.
Potiphar's Wife
[People]Potiphar's wife is an Egyptian woman in Genesis 39 who tried to seduce Joseph, her husband's servant, and, when he refused her, falsely accused him and had him sent to prison. The Bible does not give her name.
Eubulus
[People]Eubulus was an early Christian who appears once in Scripture, at the close of the apostle Paul's letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:21), as one of those sending greetings to Timothy.
Achbor
[People]Achbor was an official under King Josiah of Judah and a member of the delegation sent to the prophetess Huldah to inquire about the book of the law found in the temple. The same name also belongs to the father of Baal-hanan, a king of Edom.
Zobah
[Bible]Zobah was an Aramean kingdom mentioned in the Old Testament. Located in the region of Syria north of Damascus, it fought against Israel during the reigns of Saul and David. Its king was Hadadezer, who was defeated by David.
Ransom
[Bible]Ransom is an Old Testament term for a price paid in place of a life or a person. The half shekel paid at the census in Exodus 30 is a representative example, and the concept is linked to the New Testament idea of Christ's life given as a ransom.