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Gentile
[Bible]In the Bible, "Gentile" refers to a people or nation other than Israel (the Jews), or to a person belonging to such a people. In the New Testament, the inclusion of Gentiles in the people of God through faith is a major theme.
Messiah
[Bible]Messiah, from the Hebrew for "anointed one," is a title applied in the Old Testament to kings, priests, and others; it later came to designate the deliverer whom God would send. The New Testament confesses Jesus as the Messiah, that is, the Christ.
"I Am" Sayings
[Bible]The "I am" sayings (Greek ego eimi) are the sayings in which Jesus Christ identified himself with the words "I am …." They appear mainly in the Gospel of John and are read in connection with Old Testament passages in which God reveals himself.
Wisdom Literature
[Bible]Wisdom literature is the body of biblical writings that addresses the principles governing life, suffering, and the meaning of human existence within a faith grounded in the fear of God. In the Old Testament the term refers chiefly to Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
Shalom
[Bible]Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning "wholeness, well-being, peace." In the Old Testament it is used widely as a greeting, in blessings, and to describe the state of wholeness that God gives. The New Testament carries the concept forward through the Greek word eirēnē.
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
[Bible]The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2–3 whose fruit God commanded Adam not to eat, but which Adam and Eve ate.
Book of Life
[Bible]The Book of Life is the heavenly register in which, according to Scripture, God records the names of those who will be saved. The concept begins with "thy book" in the Old Testament and culminates in "the Lamb's book of life" in Revelation.
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.
Goshen
[Bible]Goshen was the land in Egypt where Jacob's family settled after going down there in the time of Joseph. In Exodus it appears as the land that God set apart as the dwelling place of the Israelites when He sent the plagues.
Nathanael
[People]Nathanael was a disciple of Jesus who appears in the Gospel of John. A native of Cana in Galilee, he was introduced to Jesus by Philip and confessed Him as "the Son of God" and "the King of Israel."
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.
Meribah
[Bible]Meribah is a Hebrew place name meaning "strife." It is the place where the Israelites in the wilderness quarreled with Moses because they had no water and where God brought water out of a rock. It appears in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20.
Vineyard
[Bible]A vineyard is a plot of land where grapevines are planted and cultivated. In the Bible it is part of agricultural life, and it frequently serves as a symbol of the people (Israel) whom God tends and from whom He expects fruit.
Beelzebub
[Bible]Beelzebub (Beelzebul) is a name used in the New Testament Gospels for the "prince of the devils." It is generally thought to derive from Baalzebub, the god of the Philistine city of Ekron mentioned in 2 Kings.
Ben-hadad
[People]Ben-hadad is the name of a king, or kings, of Aram (capital Damascus) in the Old Testament. The name means "son of Hadad," Hadad being the Aramean storm god, and it appears in accounts from the reigns of Asa, Ahab, and Joash. Scholars disagree on whether it refers to one king or to several.
Tarshish
[Bible]Tarshish is an Old Testament place name for a distant land across the sea. Scripture portrays it as a center of trade in metals such as silver and tin, and it is best known as the destination to which Jonah tried to flee from God.
Fiery Serpents
[Bible]The fiery serpents were venomous snakes that bit the Israelites, killing many, after the people murmured against God in the wilderness, as recorded in Numbers 21. The episode forms the background to the account of the bronze serpent that Moses made.
Holy Place
[Bible]The holy place, or sanctuary, is a sacred place set apart for God. In its narrower sense, it refers to the outer room of the tabernacle and the temple, located in front of the Most Holy Place, where the lampstand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense stood.
Hardness of Heart
[Doctrine & Theology]Hardness of heart is a biblical expression for a state in which the heart has become hardened and obstinate against the word and will of God. It appears most prominently in the account of Pharaoh in the Book of Exodus.
False Prophet
[Bible]A false prophet, in biblical usage, is a prophet who claims to speak the word of God without having been sent by God, or who leads people away from God.