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Belial
[Bible]Belial is a Hebrew word in the Old Testament meaning "worthlessness" or "wickedness," used mainly in the expression "son (or man) of Belial" to describe a base or wicked person. In the New Testament it appears once, in 2 Corinthians 6:15, as a name for the power of evil opposed to Christ, that is, Satan.
Christian Council of Korea
[Institutions]The Christian Council of Korea (CCK; Korean abbreviation Hangichong) is an interdenominational body of Korean Protestant denominations founded in 1989 under the leadership of Rev. Han Kyung-chik and other senior conservative church leaders. It was long regarded as the representative organization of conservative Korean Protestantism, but after a series of schisms in the 2010s its major member denominations withdrew.
Temple Tax
[Bible]The temple tax was a payment made by adult Israelite men for the upkeep of the sanctuary (the tabernacle and later the temple) and its worship. It originated in the half-shekel regulation of Exodus and appears in the New Testament in Matthew 17.
Galilee
[Bible]Galilee is a biblical place name referring to the northern region of Israel and to the lake on its eastern side, the Sea of Galilee. Jesus grew up there and carried out most of his public ministry in the region, making it a principal setting of the Gospels.
Song of Deborah
[Bible]The Song of Deborah is a victory song recorded in Judges 5. Deborah, a prophetess and judge, sang it to God together with Barak after they defeated the army of the Canaanite commander Sisera.
Jeremiah 52
[Bible]The final chapter of the Book of Jeremiah records the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon under Zedekiah, the burning of the temple, the number of captives taken in three deportations, and the release of King Jehoiachin from prison in Babylon.
Taxes
[Bible]Taxes are money or goods collected from the people by a state or by the temple. Scripture mentions taxes under Egypt, the Israelite monarchy, Persia, and Rome, as well as the temple tax. The subject is best known through the saying "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's."
Genesis 37
[Bible]Genesis 37 tells how Joseph, Jacob's favored son, provokes his brothers' hatred by recounting his dreams and is then sold by them for twenty pieces of silver and carried off to Egypt.
Judges 16
[Bible]Judges 16 recounts how Samson carried off the gates of Gaza, revealed the secret of his strength to Delilah and was captured by the Philistines, and finally brought down the temple of Dagon, dying in its collapse.
Ahab and Jezebel
[People]Ahab was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the ninth century BC, and Jezebel, a native of Sidon, was his queen. The books of Kings record them as the rulers who introduced Baal worship and opposed the prophet Elijah.
Ezekiel 11:19–20
[Bible Verses]In this passage God promises the exiled Israelites that He will give them one heart and a new spirit, replacing their stony heart with a heart of flesh. It is frequently cited as a text on the new covenant and regeneration, and interpreters differ over what God does and what human beings do in the transformation of the heart.
Deuteronomy 31:6–8
[Bible Verses]Deuteronomy 31:6–8 records the words of encouragement Moses spoke shortly before his death to the people of Israel and to his successor Joshua, urging them to "be strong and of a good courage" and assuring them that God would not fail them nor forsake them. The passage is frequently cited at changes of leadership and at new beginnings.
Nahor
[People]Nahor is the name of two members of Abraham's family in the Book of Genesis: Abraham's grandfather (the father of Terah) and Abraham's brother (the son of Terah).
Sisera
[People]Sisera was the commander of the army of Jabin, the Canaanite king who oppressed Israel during the period of the judges. In Judges 4–5 he is defeated by the Israelite forces led by Deborah and Barak, and while fleeing he is killed by Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite.
Pharaoh Necho
[People]Pharaoh Necho was a king of Egypt who pressed hard upon Judah in the late seventh century BC. He killed King Josiah of Judah at Megiddo, deposed and installed kings of Judah, and was defeated by Babylon at Carchemish.
Leviticus 27
[Bible]Leviticus 27, the final chapter of Leviticus, sets out the valuation and redemption of persons, animals, houses, and fields vowed to the LORD, along with regulations on devoted things and the tithe.
Judges 7
[Bible]Judges 7 recounts how Gideon, following God's instructions, reduces his army to three hundred men and defeats the vast Midianite host with trumpets, pitchers, and torches.
2 Kings 18
[Bible]Second Kings 18 records the accession and religious reforms of Hezekiah, king of Judah; the fall of Samaria, capital of the northern kingdom of Israel; the invasion of Judah by Sennacherib, king of Assyria; and the threats the Rabshakeh delivered before the walls of Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 25
[Bible]2 Chronicles 25 recounts the reign of Amaziah, king of Judah. After defeating Edom, he worships the gods of Edom and provokes Joash, king of Israel, to battle, only to be defeated. The chapter closes with his death in a conspiracy.
2 Chronicles 29
[Bible]2 Chronicles 29 recounts how Hezekiah, king of Judah, reopened the house of the LORD in the first year of his reign after it had been shut under Ahaz. He directed the priests and Levites to cleanse the temple and then restored worship through sin offerings, burnt offerings, and songs of praise.