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Proverbs 22:6
[Bible Verses]Proverbs 22:6 is the proverb that reads, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (KJV). It is widely used as a motto for Christian education, and interpreters disagree over whether it is a promise that will certainly be fulfilled or a general principle.
Joel 2:28-29
[Bible Verses]Joel 2:28-29 is God's promise that afterward he will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, so that sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions, and that he will pour out his Spirit even upon servants and handmaids. Peter quoted the passage in his Pentecost sermon, and it is a central text in interdenominational debates over the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and women's ministry.
Matthew 5:17–18
[Bible Verses]In this saying Jesus declares that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. The passage is a starting point from which different denominations reach different conclusions about the relationship between Christians and the Old Testament law.
Matthew 6:9-13
[Bible Verses]Matthew 6:9-13 contains the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, which the church recites together as the Lord's Prayer. Discussion of the passage addresses how its form differs from the version in Luke, the absence of the closing doxology from the oldest manuscripts, and the translation of several of its words.
Matthew 7:1
[Bible Verses]"Judge not, that ye be not judged" is a saying of Jesus that warns against the hypocrisy of condemning others. It is frequently noted, however, that the verse is often used to rule out all judgments of right and wrong.
Matthew 18:20
[Bible Verses]Matthew 18:20 records a promise of Jesus: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." It is widely used to offer comfort that Christ is present even in small gatherings, although some interpreters note that its original context concerns the church's judgment and prayer.
Mark 1:15
[Bible Verses]Mark 1:15, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel," is Jesus' first proclamation in the Gospel of Mark. It is regarded as a summary of Jesus' entire teaching, and scholars have long debated whether the kingdom of God has already come or is yet to come.
Mark 11:24
[Bible Verses]Mark 11:24 is a saying of Jesus: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." The verse encourages the prayer of faith, but it has become a focus of controversy because it is cited in support of so-called "positive confession" and prosperity theology.
Genesis 2:18
[Bible Verses]Genesis 2:18 records God's declaration, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (KJV). It is one of the passages most frequently read at weddings, and interpretations of "help meet" diverge on the roles of men and women.
Genesis 3:15
[Bible Verses]Genesis 3:15 is God's declaration to the serpent that the seed of the woman "shall bruise thy head." The church has called this verse the Protoevangelium, the first announcement of Christ's victory, and interpreters differ over the identity of the seed.
Numbers 6:24–26
[Bible Verses]Numbers 6:24–26 is the Aaronic Blessing, the words God instructed Aaron and his sons to use in blessing the people of Israel. One of the oldest prayers in the Bible, it is widely used today as a benediction at the close of worship.
Psalm 23:1–6
[Bible Verses]A psalm of David that begins, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Portraying God as a shepherd and as the host of a banquet, it confesses His lifelong care and is among the most widely known and beloved psalms in the Bible.
Aaron
[People]Aaron, a Levite who appears in the Old Testament books from Exodus through Deuteronomy, was the elder brother of Moses and the first high priest of Israel. His descendants inherited Israel's priesthood.
Deborah
[People]Deborah was a prophetess and judge in the Old Testament Book of Judges, known for defeating the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, together with Barak, and for the Song of Deborah, which commemorates the victory.
Rahab
[People]Rahab is a woman of Jericho in the Old Testament book of Joshua (chapters 2 and 6) who hid the Israelite spies and was saved together with her family. The New Testament names her in the genealogy of Jesus and presents her as an example of both faith and works.
Miriam
[People]Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron and a prophetess who, according to Exodus, took up a timbrel and sang with the women after the crossing of the Red Sea. Numbers records that she was struck with a skin disease after speaking against Moses, and that she died at Kadesh.
Ruth
[People]Ruth is a Moabite woman and the central figure of the Old Testament Book of Ruth. She followed her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem, married Boaz, and became the great-grandmother of King David.
Samuel
[People]Samuel was the last judge of Israel and a prophet whose life is recounted in 1 Samuel. Born in answer to Hannah's prayer and raised under the priest Eli, he anointed Saul and David and ushered in the era of the monarchy.
Eli
[People]Eli was an Israelite priest who served at the sanctuary in Shiloh at the close of the period of the judges. He raised the boy Samuel but failed to restrain the wickedness of his two sons, and his house came under judgment. His story is told in 1 Samuel 1–4.
Nathan (Prophet)
[People]Nathan was a prophet of Israel during the reigns of King David and King Solomon. He delivered the promise that David's dynasty would endure forever, used a parable to confront David with his sin after the Bathsheba affair, and played a part in Solomon's accession to the throne.