- Adelphi: a Greek word for believers in Jesus, whether male or female. #Gal1
- Adonai: Another name for the Lord, which include Yahveh, El Shaddai, Elohim, Tetragrammaton, Hashem. It appears many times in the Hebrew Bible, but rarely in Christian Bible translations. See, e.g., #Prv6:16 (NIV) and entry under Elohim.
- Aram: also called Aramea, is the land that is covered by present-day Syria.
- Asherah pole: a carved sacred tree or pole that honored the Canaanite mother goddess Asherah. It symbolizes the tree of life.
- Ashtoreth: Canaanite goddess and moon deity of the Phoenicians. She is the principal female deity of Canaan (compare Baal). See entry under Ishtar.
- Baal, or Baalim (plural), the principal deity of the Canaanites; also the fertility god or gods of the Semitic peoples in Canaan.
- Chaldea: southern region of ancient Babylon & the home of Abram. Chaldeans descend from Shem’s son Arphaxad (#Gn11:28,31) and refer to the people of Babylon (e.g., #Is43:14, #Jer37:13).
- Code of Hammurabi (6th king of 1st Dynasty of Babylon) is a legal text composed in the ancient Babylonian/Akkadian dialect c.1750 BC, more than 2 centuries before Mosaic law. It is well known for lex talionis justice, eye for an eye, tooth for tooth… (#Ex21:24, #Dt19:21)
- Conies are rabbits & hyraxes are small rock badgers (#Lv11:5, #Psa104:18, #Prv30:26).
- Cush: the son of Ham, who was the son of Noah, supposed to be the ancestor of the region of the Nile associated with ancient Ethiopia, also called Cush.
- Deuterocanonical: books of the Old Testament included in the canon of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, & some other orthodox Christian Churches. Also refers to some books or parts of books included in the Septuagint but not in the Masoretic texts.
- Dimon: refers to a city in Moab or the rivers in Moab east of the Jordan (#Is15:9).
- Distaff is a spindle used to make thread (#Prv31:19).
- Doxology. A prayer or hymn of praise to God. The five books of the Psalms end in Doxologies (#Psa41, #Psa72, #Psa89, #Psa106, #Psa150). #Rev1 contains a doxology to Jesus.
- Elam, the land beyond the Chaldeans,
located in present-day Iran.
- Elohim, one of various names of God found in the OT, including 2. Yahweh 3. Adonai: Lord and Master 4. El Shaddai: God Almighty 5. El Elyon: Most High God 6. El Olam: the Everlasting God, the Age-lasting God, the God of the Ages 7. Yahweh Sabaoth: Lord of Hosts
- Emerods: these are the tumors spoken of in #1Sam5, of which models are made and conveyed to Bethshemesh in Judah by cart in #1Sam6. They could refer to piles or hemorrhoids.
- Ephah: a unit of weight corresponding to about 30 pounds.
- Ephod: a long vest made of linen worn in the temple by the high priests. It was often embroidered with gold thread & covered with gold leaf and precious jewels, upon which a breast plate holds the Urim & Thummim.
- Gilead (pronounced with a hard “g”): mountainous region east of the Jordan river where Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh are located.
- Gog & Magog: refers to the hostile nations of the world who do not follow Jesus in #Rev20.
- Guardian-redeemer. When an Israelite is forced to sell property, a wealthy relative may redeem the property according to rules laid out in #Lv25. Boaz, in #Ruth, was a guardian-redeemer for Naomi.
- Hashem, יהוה: literally, “the name.” Used in Hebrew conversation to avoid saying the name of (he who must not be named) the Lord (#Ex20:7, #Dt5:11). Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
- High places: generally, this term refers to the hills where idolators make sacrifice and offerings to their gods, but it can also refer to the place where the a brass altar was used for sacrifice before the temple was built in the City of David (#2Cr1:3).
- A heave offering, or terumah (Hebrew: תְּרוּמָה ), plural terumot, is an offering to God.
- Ishtar, the queen of heaven (#Jer7:18), is the chief Assyrian fertility goddess. Also, Babylonian goddess of war, wisdom, & sexuality.
- Jannes and Jambres: Though not explicitly named in the Bible, these are the names given in Christian and Jewish tradition to the Egyptian magicians who contend with Moses in #Ex7.
- Jerusalem, formerly, Jebus, and place of the Jebusites. City of David on a high place. Capital of Judah after division of Kingdoms. Is this the city that men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? (#Lm2:16)
- Kedar: Abraham’s grandson, the second of Ishmael’s sons, who fathered the Kedars, a tribe who dwelt in the Arabian desert. (#Gn25:13,#1Cr1:29,#Is21:17,42:11).
- Kohen: the line of Levitical priests claiming to be directly descended from Aaron, brother of Moses. Ezra was a Kohen, as was the prophet Ezekiel.
- Mandrake: Mediterranean plant with root herb containing hallucinogenic or aphrodisiacal qualities. See #Gn30:14-16, where Rachel barters with Leah for them, and #Sol7:12-13, where the scent of a mandrake, and all manner of fruit is laid up for thee, my beloved.
- Masorah or Masoretic texts: the authoritative rabbinical collection of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) compiled by Jewish scholars, known as the Masorites in the Christian Era. It is written in Hebrew and Aramaic.
- Midrash: Biblical exegesis through textual studies of, in particular, the Torah.
- Nazirite: one who has consecrated vows to the Lord, subject to behavior and practices specified in #Nm6.
- NkB—Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, born c. 626 BC. Reigned c. 605 BC – c. 562 BC, during the times of the exile of Judah to Babylon (c. 586 BC).
- Pharisees: A Jewish priestly sect attached to the Levites that rigorously observed the Mosaic law, shunned Gentiles, and preached the coming of the Messiah. They believed in the resurrection (#Ac23:8).
- Pentateuch: The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the five books of Moses.
- Put surety: On the strength of a handshake, to make a bond to repay a second-party loan.
- Rahab: besides the Canaanite harlot Rahab (#Jsh2,6) who wed Joshua following her conversion, Rahab is a literary term used to refer to Egypt, as in #Psa89. See also #Job26.
- Sadducees: a Jewish aristocratic priestly class that upheld Roman rule, denied the resurrection of the body, and had dealings with Gentiles. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both (#Ac23:8). See also #Mk12.
- Samaria: capitol of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, or Kingdom of Israel, after the Division of the Kingdoms.
- Sanhedrin: assembly of Jewish rabbis, numbering either 23 or 71, who formed a tribunal.
- Scribes: scholars in the time of Jesus knowledgable in the Mosaic law, the Talmud, Torah, and ancient Hebrew. They interpreted the law and ordinances related to observances and ceremonies.
- Seir and Mount Seir: [TBC]
- Selah: a term whose meaning is not precisely known, but may be a musical instruction when singing the Psalms. It could specify an instrumental interlude.
- Septuagint: The Greek Old Testament. According to tradition, 70 (or 72) scholars were assigned in the third century BC to translate the Hebrew Bible into Greek for the non-Hebrew-speaking Greeks, producing identical translations.
- Shaddai: El Shaddai, Hebrew: אֵל שַׁדַּי, one of the names for the Hebrew deity, the God of Israel, roughly translated as God Almighty.
- Shema: the essential prayer of Judaism. Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Sh’ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. #Dt6:4. See Commentaries.
- Sheol: In the Hebrew bible, Sheol is the place of darkness where the dead—both the wicked dead and the righteous dead— go. Alternately, Paradise is where the righteous dead go.
- Surety: The act of guaranteeing another’s loan. See #Prv6:1.
- Synoptic: literally, with one eye. Term used to refer to the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke due to the similarity of their accounts of Jesus’s life.
- Talent: (OT) a unit of weight amounting to about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms of mass. In the NT (#Mt25), it refers to an amount of money that a worker would make in 15-20 years.
- Talmud: Collection of texts of Jewish scholarship expounding on subjects such as theology, laws, customs, folklore, & religious practice.
- Tanakh: The 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, which span the same range of books as the KJV, though with different designations. For example, Samuel in the Tanakh includes both #1Sam and #2Sam, and similarly for Kings and Chronicles. The 12 minor prophets comprise a single book.
- Teraphim: A household idol (or idols), mentioned in #Gn31 when Rachel takes and hides it from her father Laban, and in #1Sam19, when Michal uses it to appear as if David is in bed while he makes his escape from Saul.
- Terebinth: a tree found in the Middle East, cited as many as 16 times in the (Darby) Bible; often translated as “oak.” The terebinth, though deciduous, is a source of turpentine (as are conifer pines). See #Is1:29-30, #Is6:13, #Ho4:13. Some pagan ceremonies used terebinths.
- Torah: The written Torah refers to either the Pentateuch, namely the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible, or the Hebrew Bible through Chronicles. The oral Torah consists of later writings that pertain to Jewish culture, laws, and tradition.
- Urim and Thummin: objects on the breastplate covering the ephod that are used for divination by lot in, e.g., #1Sam14:41. Those not in the genealogy were barred from eating holy things until a priest with Urim and Thummin intervened (#Ez2:63,64).
- Uz, or land of Uz: homeland of Job, located south of Edom near the northwest coast of the Red Sea. It is mentioned in the Bible in these three verses: #Job1:1, #Jer25:20, #Lm4:21. The people of Uz descend from Ishmael (#Gn36:28) and was conquered by Edom.
- Yahweh Sabaoth: Lord of Hosts. See entry under Elohim.
- Yeshurun: the upright devout people of Israel (#Dt33:5, #Is44:2).
- Zion: A term originally referring to Mt. Zion (where the City of David was located), later to Jerusalem & then to the land of Israel. It is often used as a reference to a utopian community of the righteous, its opposite being Babylon.