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Circumcision
[Bible]Circumcision is the rite of cutting away the foreskin of the male genital organ. In the Old Testament it was the sign of the covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham; in the New Testament it is interpreted in connection with circumcision of the heart and with baptism.
Scribe
[Bible]A scribe was originally a professional who wrote documents and kept records. After the Babylonian exile, the term came to refer to experts who copied and taught the Law. In the New Testament, scribes appear as a group that frequently disputes with Jesus.
Christ
[Bible]Christ is the English form of the Greek Christos, meaning "anointed one," and corresponds to the Hebrew Messiah. The New Testament applies this title to Jesus of Nazareth.
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.
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.
Son of God
[Bible]"Son of God" is a biblical expression denoting a special relationship with God. In the Old Testament it refers to angels, Israel, and the king. In the New Testament it refers chiefly to Jesus Christ, and it is also applied to believers.
Hosanna
[Bible]"Hosanna" is a transliteration of a Hebrew expression meaning "save now." It derives from Psalm 118, and the Gospels record it as the acclamation the crowds shouted when Jesus entered Jerusalem.
Jehovah-jireh
[Bible]Jehovah-jireh is the name Abraham gave to the place on the mountain where he was about to offer Isaac, as recorded in Genesis 22:14. It means "the LORD sees" or "the LORD will provide."
Hades
[Bible]Hades is the biblical term for the place to which the dead go. It renders the Old Testament Hebrew word Sheol and the New Testament Greek word Hades.
Diaspora
[Bible]Diaspora is a Greek word meaning "scattering." It refers to the Jews who lived in various regions outside Palestine and to their communities. In the New Testament the term was also applied to Christians living scattered throughout the world.
Shushan
[Bible]Shushan (Susa) was a royal city of the Persian Empire that appears in the Old Testament books of Esther, Nehemiah, and Daniel. It is identified with the area around modern Shush in southwestern Iran.
Leprosy
[Bible]Leprosy is the biblical term for an "unclean" disease of the skin and for blemishes on garments and houses. Leviticus sets out the regulations for its diagnosis and for purification, and leprosy also figures in the accounts of Miriam, Naaman, and Uzziah and in the healing narratives of Jesus.
Gath
[Bible]Gath was one of the five principal cities of the Philistines in the Old Testament. It was the hometown of Goliath and the place where David sought refuge while fleeing from Saul.
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.
Mesopotamia
[Bible]Mesopotamia is the region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and the homeland of Abraham. It is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments.
Archangel
[Bible]An archangel is a chief of the angels. In the Bible the term appears only in two New Testament passages, 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 1:9. Michael is the only being whom Scripture both names and calls an archangel.
Jehovah-nissi
[Bible]Jehovah-nissi is the name Moses gave to the altar he built after Israel's victory over Amalek in Exodus 17. It means "The LORD is my banner."
Aaron's Rod That Budded
[Bible]An event recorded in Numbers 17 in which, of the rods belonging to the leaders of the twelve tribes, only Aaron's rod sprouted, blossomed, and bore fruit overnight. It is recorded as a sign confirming that God had chosen the house of Aaron for the priesthood.
Rabbah
[Bible]Rabbah was the capital of the Ammonites, east of the Jordan River. During David's reign, Uriah was killed while Joab was besieging the city. It is generally identified with the site of Amman, the present-day capital of Jordan.
Benaiah
[People]Benaiah was a warrior who commanded King David's bodyguard and, under King Solomon, succeeded Joab as commander of the army. He appears in 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles.