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Parable of the Talents
[Bible]The Parable of the Talents is a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 25:14-30. Before going on a journey, a master entrusts his property to his servants. On his return, he settles accounts with each of them over how they used what they had been given.
Psalm 119:97–104
[Bible Verses]The thirteenth stanza of Psalm 119, in which the psalmist meditates on God's word all day long and confesses that it makes him wiser than his enemies, his teachers, and the aged, and that it is sweeter than honey. The passage is often cited to encourage meditation on Scripture and the practice of quiet time.
Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
[Bible]The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is a parable of Jesus found in Luke 18:9–14. A Pharisee boasts of his own righteousness, while a tax collector pleads for mercy, and it is the tax collector who goes home justified. The parable teaches humility and the proper attitude in prayer.
Feast of Weeks
[Bible]The Feast of Weeks was one of Israel's three pilgrimage festivals, at which the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were offered. It was observed after counting seven weeks from the day the first sheaf of grain was presented, and in the New Testament it is called Pentecost.
Ark of the Covenant
[Bible]The Ark of the Covenant was a gold-overlaid wooden chest made at God's command in the time of Moses. It held the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments and was kept in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle and later of the temple. It is also called the "ark of the law."
Elohim
[Bible]Elohim is the most common Hebrew word for God in the Old Testament. Although it is grammatically plural, it usually takes a singular verb when it refers to the God of Israel. Korean Protestant Bibles generally render it as Hananim ("God").
Angel
[Bible]In the Bible, an angel is a spiritual being who serves God and conveys His will. The Hebrew mal'akh and the Greek angelos both mean "one who is sent," that is, a messenger.
Seraphim and Cherubim
[Bible]Seraphim and cherubim are winged heavenly beings in the Old Testament who appear near God's throne and in holy places. The seraphim praise God in Isaiah 6, and the cherubim appear in the Garden of Eden, on the ark of the covenant, in the temple, and in Ezekiel's visions.
Mercy Seat
[Bible]The mercy seat was the slab of pure gold that covered the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle. On the Day of Atonement the high priest sprinkled blood on it, and it was the place where God met with Moses and spoke to him.
Casting Lots
[Bible]Casting lots was a customary way of settling matters that people found difficult to decide for themselves by drawing marked objects. In the Bible it was used to divide land, assign duties, and choose an apostle, and its outcome was accepted as the will of God.
Darius
[People]Darius is the name of several kings of the Persian period mentioned in the Bible. The best known are Darius king of Persia, who permitted the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem, and Darius the Mede, who had Daniel cast into the lions' den.
Mesopotamia
[Bible]Mesopotamia is the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the homeland of Abraham. It is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments.
Nadab and Abihu
[People]Nadab and Abihu were the eldest and second sons of Aaron. Appointed as priests, they offered incense with "strange fire," which the LORD had not commanded, and were killed by fire that went out from before the LORD.
Gilead
[Bible]Gilead is an Old Testament place name for the highland region east of the Jordan River. It was known for livestock raising and spices, and Scripture names it as the home of the judge Jephthah and the prophet Elijah.
Tent of Meeting
[Bible]The Tent of Meeting is the tent where God met with Moses and Israel and spoke to them. In the Old Testament the term is used chiefly as another name for the tabernacle.
Shemaiah
[People]Shemaiah was a prophet in the reign of Rehoboam, the first king of the southern kingdom of Judah. He delivered the word of God that prevented war with the northern tribes. When Shishak king of Egypt invaded, he brought God's warning to the leaders of Judah.
Darius the Mede
[People]Darius the Mede is the king who, according to the book of Daniel, received the kingdom after the death of the Babylonian king Belshazzar. He is known as the king who had Daniel cast into the lions' den. Because he is not attested in sources outside the Bible, his identity is the subject of several competing views.
Cushan-rishathaim
[People]Cushan-rishathaim is a king of Mesopotamia who appears in Judges 3. Early in the period of the judges, he ruled over Israel for eight years and was defeated by Othniel, the first judge.
Nathan's Parable
[Bible]Nathan's parable is the story of a poor man's ewe lamb, told by the prophet Nathan to convict David of his sin after David lay with Bathsheba and caused the death of her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 12:1-4).
Merab
[People]Merab was the elder daughter of Saul, the first king of Israel. An Old Testament figure, she was promised to David as his wife but was instead given in marriage to Adriel the Meholathite. Her younger sister was Michal, who became David's wife.