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Acts 20:34–35
[Bible Verses]Acts 20:34–35 is the closing section of Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders. Paul reminds them of his example of working with his own hands to help the weak, and he passes on a saying of Jesus not found in the Gospels: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." The passage is often cited in discussions of charitable giving and self-supporting (tentmaking) ministry.
Jephthah
[People]Jephthah was a judge from Gilead in the Book of Judges. He is widely known for defeating the Ammonites and for losing his only daughter because of a rash vow.
1 Samuel 8
[Bible]1 Samuel 8 is the chapter in which, after Samuel's sons become corrupt, the elders of Israel demand a king "like all the nations." Samuel warns them about the manner of the king, and the LORD then grants their request.
Halakha
[Bible]Halakha refers to the body of Jewish legal interpretation and regulation that organizes the commandments of the Pentateuch for application to daily life. The practices on which it rests appear in the New Testament under the name "the tradition of the elders."
Ezekiel 20
[Bible]In Ezekiel 20, God answers the elders of Israel who have come to inquire of him by recounting Israel's history of rebellion in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in Canaan, and declares that he will gather his scattered people, judge them, and restore them.
Genesis 48
[Bible]In Genesis 48 the aged and ailing Jacob adopts Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own. Crossing his arms as he lays his hands on them, he blesses the younger, Ephraim, ahead of the elder, Manasseh.
Abihu
[People]Abihu, the second son of the high priest Aaron in the Old Testament, was consecrated as a priest along with his older brother Nadab. He died by fire that came out from before the LORD after offering incense with "strange fire," which the LORD had not commanded.
Exodus 4
[Bible]Exodus 4 is the chapter in which, as Moses hesitates to accept his calling, God gives him three signs and appoints his brother Aaron to help him; Moses then leaves Midian, returns to Egypt, and delivers God's word to the elders of Israel.
Isaiah 3
[Bible]Isaiah 3 is a prophecy declaring that God will remove the leaders and provisions on which Judah and Jerusalem relied, and that He will judge both the elders and princes who exploited the poor and the daughters of Zion who adorned themselves in pride.
Numbers 11:29
[Bible Verses]Numbers 11:29 records Moses' reply to Joshua, who had urged him to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying in the camp. Moses answers that he wishes the LORD would put his Spirit on all the people so that all might be prophets. The verse is frequently cited in discussions of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, spiritual gifts, and lay ministry.
Interim Moderator of Session
[Organization & Polity]In Presbyterian churches, an interim moderator of session is a minister whom the presbytery temporarily appoints to preside over a congregation's session when the church has no senior pastor or the session cannot otherwise be led by its pastor.
Diotrephes
[People]Diotrephes was an early Christian mentioned in 3 John. He is described as one who loved to have the preeminence, refused to receive the elder's letter and his workers, and cast out of the church those members who wished to welcome them.
High Priest
[Bible]The high priest held the foremost position among the priests of Old Testament Israel, an office whose holder entered the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the people. The New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews presents Jesus Christ as the eternal High Priest.
Moab
[Bible]Moab is the name of a people who lived on the plateau east of the Dead Sea and of the land they inhabited. The Bible presents the Moabites as descendants of Lot, and Ruth, the central figure of the Book of Ruth, was a Moabite woman.
James 5:16–18
[Bible Verses]A passage that urges believers to pray for one another when sick and to confess their sins to one another, citing the prayer of Elijah as an example. It is frequently cited in discussions of intercessory prayer, divine healing, and the practice of confession.
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.
Mark 7:18–19
[Bible Verses]In this passage Jesus explains to his disciples that food entering a person from outside cannot defile that person. Its closing clause, often rendered "declaring all foods clean," is frequently debated because translations and interpretations differ over whether it abolishes the Old Testament food laws.
Faith Chapter
[Bible]The "Faith Chapter" is a common name for Hebrews 11. After defining faith, the chapter recounts in turn what Old Testament figures, from Abel to the prophets, did "by faith."
Deuteronomy 21
[Bible]Deuteronomy 21 is a chapter of laws concerning the handling of a murder whose perpetrator is unknown, the taking of a female war captive as a wife, the inheritance rights of the firstborn, the punishment of a rebellious son, and the burial of a body hanged on a tree.
Rachel and Leah
[People]Rachel and Leah are the two daughters of Laban in the Book of Genesis. The sisters both became wives of Jacob and the mothers of the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel.