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Exodus 19:5–6
[Bible Verses]Exodus 19:5–6 is the passage in which God promises Israel, newly arrived at Mount Sinai, that if they obey his voice and keep his covenant, they will be his "peculiar treasure," "a kingdom of priests," and "an holy nation." As the background to 1 Peter 2:9, it is frequently cited in discussions of the priesthood of all believers and of ecclesiology.
Revelation 1:16
[Bible Verses]A verse describing the figure "like unto the Son of man" (the risen Christ) in the vision John saw on Patmos. Interpretations differ on the meaning of the seven stars, the sharp two-edged sword proceeding from his mouth, and the face shining like the sun.
Revelation 7:9-17
[Bible Verses]Revelation 7:9-17 is a vision of a countless multitude from every nation, clothed in white robes, praising God for salvation before his throne. Interpreters differ over the multitude's relationship to the 144,000 and over the meaning of "great tribulation." The passage is frequently read as a word of comfort at funeral services.
Psalm 32:5
[Bible Verses]Psalm 32:5 is a verse from Psalm 32, a psalm traditionally attributed to David. In it the psalmist testifies that when he stopped concealing his sin and confessed it to God, he was promptly forgiven. It is one of the passages most often cited on the confession and forgiveness of sin.
Malachi 3:6
[Bible Verses]A verse declaring that because God does not change, the sinful descendants of Jacob are not destroyed. It is commonly cited in discussions of God's immutability and of his faithfulness in keeping his covenant.
Numbers 21:8–9
[Bible Verses]This passage records how God commanded Moses to set a bronze serpent on a pole for the Israelites who had been bitten by fiery serpents in the wilderness; whoever looked at it lived. It is frequently cited because in John 3:14 Jesus compared his own crucifixion to this event.
Ezekiel 36:25–27
[Bible Verses]A promise delivered by Ezekiel, a prophet of the Babylonian exile, in which God declares that he will cleanse Israel with water, give the people a new heart and a new spirit, and put his own Spirit within them so that they will keep his statutes. It is frequently cited as a key Old Testament text on regeneration and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 1:1–3
[Bible Verses]Hebrews 1:1–3 is the opening passage of the Epistle to the Hebrews. It declares that the God who spoke through the prophets has in these last days spoken through his Son, and it presents the Son as the agent of creation, the brightness of God's glory, and the express image of his being. It is frequently cited as one of the principal Christological texts of the New Testament.
Korah
[People]Korah was a Levite who, according to Numbers 16, joined Dathan and Abiram in challenging the authority of Moses and Aaron and was judged for it. His descendants, the "sons of Korah," are named in the superscriptions of several psalms.
Jesse
[People]Jesse was a man of Bethlehem in the Old Testament, the son of Obed and the father of King David. Because of the prophecy of the "stem of Jesse" in Isaiah 11, his name also serves as a symbol of the messianic line.
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.
Mephibosheth
[People]Mephibosheth, the grandson of King Saul and the son of Jonathan, became lame in both feet as a child. He appears in 2 Samuel and is best known for the account in which David, remembering his covenant with Jonathan, received him at the king's table.
Abigail
[People]Abigail is a woman in 1 Samuel 25. The wife of Nabal the Carmelite, she turned back David, who was on his way to attack her husband, through wise words and gifts, and after Nabal's death she became David's wife.
Acts 20:33–34
[Bible Verses]In this passage the apostle Paul tells the elders of the church at Ephesus that he coveted no one's possessions and that he provided for his own needs and those of his companions with his own hands. It is frequently cited in discussions of pastoral integrity, self-supporting ministry, and bivocational ministry.
Uzziah
[People]Uzziah was an eighth-century BC king of the southern kingdom of Judah who is called Azariah in 2 Kings. He had a long reign and strengthened the nation, but when he attempted to burn incense in the temple he was struck with leprosy and lived apart until his death.
Genesis 3:17–19
[Bible Verses]The sentence God pronounced on Adam after the Fall: the ground is cursed, man must labor by the sweat of his face in order to eat, and he will finally return to the dust. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of sin, death, and the meaning of work, and it is often read at funerals.
Acts 5:1–4
[Bible Verses]In this passage Peter rebukes Ananias, a member of the early church, for secretly keeping back part of the price of his land while presenting the rest as a gift. Because Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God, the passage is often cited as evidence for the deity of the Holy Spirit. It is also frequently quoted in sermons on giving and honesty.
Asa
[People]Asa was the third king of the southern kingdom of Judah during the period of the divided monarchy. Scripture evaluates him favorably for reforms that removed idols, but in his later years he was rebuked for allying with Aram and imprisoning a seer.
Hosea (Prophet)
[People]Hosea was a prophet active in the northern kingdom of Israel in the eighth century BC and is the central figure of the biblical Book of Hosea. The account of his marriage to his unfaithful wife Gomer, whom he continued to love, is read as a symbol of the relationship between God and Israel.
Mordecai
[People]Mordecai was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin who appears in the Old Testament Book of Esther. He raised his cousin Esther, thwarted Haman's plot to massacre the Jews, and rose to become second only to the king in the Persian Empire.