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Hallelujah
[Bible]Hallelujah is a Hebrew exclamation meaning "Praise the LORD." In the Old Testament it appears only in the Psalms, and in the New Testament only in Revelation 19. Today it is widely used in churches as an expression of praise and as a greeting.
Dead Sea Scrolls
[Bible]The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Jewish documents discovered beginning in 1947 in caves around Qumran, northwest of the Dead Sea. They include the oldest extant Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament and are an important resource for the study of the biblical text.
Paradise
[Bible]Paradise is a New Testament term for the place where the righteous dead are with Christ, or for the blessed place where God dwells. The word derives from a term originally meaning "an enclosed garden."
Antichrist
[Bible]In the Epistles of John, "antichrist" refers to anyone who denies or opposes Christ. Christian tradition has linked the term to an adversary expected at the end of the age and has interpreted it in a variety of ways.
Davidic Covenant
[Bible]The Davidic covenant is God's promise, delivered to David through the prophet Nathan, to establish his house (dynasty) and throne forever. It forms an important foundation for Old Testament messianic expectation and for the New Testament understanding of Jesus.
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.
Shamgar
[People]Shamgar is a figure from the period of the judges recorded in the Book of Judges. Coming after Ehud, he is said to have delivered Israel by killing six hundred Philistines with an ox goad.
Agag
[People]Agag was a king of the Amalekites during the reign of King Saul. First Samuel 15 records that Saul disobeyed God's command by sparing him, an act that led to Saul's rejection as king.
Maachah
[People]Maachah was the wife of Rehoboam, king of Judah, and the mother of Abijah (Abijam). During the reign of King Asa, she was removed from her position as queen mother for making an abominable image for Asherah.
Necho
[People]Necho was a king (pharaoh) of Egypt in the late seventh century BC. After King Josiah of Judah died at Megiddo in an encounter with him, Necho replaced the king of Judah. He was later defeated by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at the Battle of Carchemish.
Lawyer (New Testament)
[Bible]In the New Testament, especially the Gospel of Luke, a lawyer was an expert who studied and interpreted the Law of Moses. The best-known example is the lawyer who asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, which prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Sin Offering
[Bible]The sin offering is one of the Old Testament sacrifices prescribed in Leviticus. It was offered for sins committed unknowingly and for ritual impurity, and its rite involved putting an animal's blood on the altar and sprinkling it. The New Testament connects it with the death of Christ.
Hasmonean Dynasty
[History]The Hasmonean dynasty was a Jewish priestly dynasty that ruled Judea following the Maccabean Revolt of the second century BC. It came to an end when Herod took Jerusalem in 37 BC.
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
[Denominations]The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, officially the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, is an ancient Christian church centered in Ethiopia. It belongs to the Oriental Orthodox churches, which did not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon.
Naamah
[People]Naamah was a wife of Solomon and the mother of Rehoboam, king of Judah. First Kings and Second Chronicles identify her as an Ammonite. A different woman with the same name appears in Genesis.
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.
Nadab (King of Israel)
[People]Nadab was the son of Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He succeeded his father and reigned for two years before being assassinated in a revolt led by Baasha. His death brought the dynasty of Jeroboam to an end.
Myrrh
[Bible]Myrrh is the fragrant resin of trees native to southern Arabia and northeastern Africa. In the Bible it was used as a spice, a cosmetic, and an ingredient in the holy anointing oil, and it appears as one of the gifts of the Magi and as a burial spice for Jesus.
Mount Ebal
[Bible]Mount Ebal is a mountain north of Shechem that faces Mount Gerizim. There, in obedience to Moses' command, Joshua built an altar and inscribed the law, and the curses of the law were proclaimed.
Hoshea (King of Israel)
[People]Hoshea was the last king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He came to the throne by killing Pekah, and during his reign Assyria captured the capital, Samaria, bringing the northern kingdom to an end (2 Kings 17).