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OATH — a statement used to confirm a promise.
OBADIAH [o-ba-di-ah] (servant of the Lord) — the governor of Ahab’s palace (1 Kings 18:3–7, 16) who was a prophet of Judah (Obad. 1). He was the fourth of the “minor” prophets. There were also twelve other men named Obadiah in the Old Testament.
OBADIAH, BOOK OF — a prophetic book of the Old Testament that tells of God’s coming judgment against the Edomites. The book is the shortest book in the Old Testament, containing one chapter of only twenty-one verses.
The Book of Obadiah makes it clear that God takes His promises to His covenant people seriously, even if His people are disobedient and don’t deserve it.
OBED [o´-bed] (worshiper) — a son of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:17–22; 1 Chron. 2:12) and an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:5). Obed is also the name of four other men in the Old Testament (1 Chron. 2:37–38; 1 Chron. 11:47; 1 Chron. 26:7; 2 Chron. 23:1).
OBEDIENCE — the act of doing what someone asks you to do, especially doing what God asks you to do.
OBEISANCE — an act of submission. The KJV translation of a Hebrew verb that means “to bow down.” The NKJV translates the word as “bowed down to” (Gen. 37:7, Exod. 18:7), “prostrated” (2 Sam. 1:2), and “did homage” (1 Kings 1:16).
OBLATION — an offering (Jer. 14:12, KJV).
OBSERVE — to watch; to keep or practice, as in observe the Sabbath (Deut. 5:12, NKJV).
ODIOUS — repulsive; disgusting (1 Chron. 19:6, KJV).
ODOR, ODOUR — a fragrance; an aroma; a smell (Eccles. 10:1).
OFFENSE, OFFEND — something that causes a person to stumble (a temptation); to cause a person to stumble (give in to a temptation) (Matt. 16:23, NKJV).
OG [ahg] — an Amorite king of the land of Bashan (Num. 21:33; 32:33). Og was king over sixty cities, including Ashtaroth and Edrei. Moses and the Israelites defeated him (Deut. 3:6) and gave his kingdom to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Og was the last survivor of the race of giants. His huge iron bed frame was kept on display in Rabbah long after he died (Deut. 3:11).
OIL — a substance (usually from olive trees) that had many uses such as for food, health and beauty, and energy (Matt. 25:3). (See Ointment.)
OINTMENT — scented oil.
The term “ointment” usually means oil, particularly olive oil, mixed with aromatic ingredients such as spices, myrrh, and plant extracts. Many of these ingredients were expensive. The Egyptians were the first people known to use ointment. Ointment was often imported from Phoenicia in small alabaster boxes because the boxes helped keep the scent in the oil. Good ointments could last for hundreds of years.
OLD TESTAMENT — the first major set of books (thirty-nine) in the Bible.
These books tell the story of God’s creation of the universe and the mighty acts of God in and through His people, the nation of Israel.
OLIVE — the fruit of an olive tree (Deut. 6:11; Rom. 11:17). The branch of the olive tree is also known as a symbol of peace.
OLIVET DISCOURSE — Jesus’ discussion on the Mount of Olives about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world (Matt. 24:1–25:46; Mark 13:1–37; Luke 21:5–36).
OMEGA [o´-me-gah] — the last letter of the Greek alphabet. The phrase “the Alpha and the Omega” is used to describe the Lord Jesus Christ as the beginning and the end (Rev. 1:8). Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet.
OMEN — a sign used by magicians and fortunetellers to predict the future. God told the Israelites not to allow one who interprets omens to live among them (Deut. 18:10; an augur, NRSV).
OMER — a unit of dry measure (Exod. 16:16, NKJV). (See Weights and Measures of the Bible.)
OMNIPOTENCE [om-nip´-o-tence] — a word that means God has power over everything.
OMNIPRESENCE [om-ne-pres´-ence] — a word that means God is everywhere.
OMNISCIENCE [om-nish´-ence] — a word that means God knows everything.
OMRI [om´-ri] — the name of four men in the Old Testament:
1. The sixth king of the northern kingdom of Israel (885–874 B.C.).
The temple of Apollo at Delphi. The oracle of Delphi was revered throughout the ancient world because people believed it had the power to foretell the future.
2. A member of the tribe of Benjamin and a son of Becher (1 Chron. 7:8).
3. A member of the tribe of Judah and a son of Imri (1 Chron. 9:4).
4. The son of Michael and a prince of the tribe of Issachar (1 Chron. 27:18).
ONESIMUS [o-nes´-i-mus] (useful) — a slave of Philemon (Col. 4:9; Philem. 10). When Onesimus ran away from his master, he went to Rome and met the apostle Paul. Paul witnessed to him, and he became a Christian. Paul sent him back to Philemon with a letter telling Philemon that Onesimus had become like a son to him, and asking Philemon to treat him as a Christian brother instead of a slave.
ONYX — a gemstone that was used on Aaron’s ephod (holy vest), and also to decorate the temple (Exod. 25:7).
ORACLE [or´-i-cal] — a prophetic speech or saying. In Greek religion, an oracle was a pagan god’s answer to a human’s question. The most famous oracle was the Oracle at Delphi. Delphi was the shrine of Apollo. Apollo was the Greek god of the sun, prophecy, music, medicine, and poetry.
ORDAIN, ORDINATION — the process of commissioning or consecrating a priest for service or a pastor or other officer of the church. This process is rarely mentioned in the New Testament. Even though the technical sense of the term does not occur in the New Testament, there are several references that do indicate an official ordination ceremony.
ORDER — proper arrangement (1 Cor. 14:40, NKJV).
ORDINANCE — a law or a rule (Exod. 12:24, NKJV).
OTHNIEL [oth´-ne-el] — the first judge of Israel (Judg. 1:13; 3:9, 11). Othniel was a son of Kenaz and probably was a nephew of Caleb. Another man named Othniel was an ancestor of Heldai (1 Chron. 27:15).
OUTCASTS — a word used in the Old Testament that refers to refugees or exiles from the land of Israel (Ps. 147:2, NKJV; Isa. 11:12, NKJV; 56:8, NKJV). The modern idea of outcasts refers to people who are rejected by society.
OVERCOME — to prevail; to defeat; to have victory over (Num. 13:30, NKJV).
OVERLAID — covered (Exod. 26:32, NKJV; Heb. 9:4, NKJV).
OVERSEER — an administrator; a person in charge (Acts 20:28, NKJV).
OVERWHELM — taken over; covered (Ps. 55:5, NKJV).
OX, OXEN — what we think of as cattle, the Bible calls oxen. A wild ox was a massive, untamable beast (Job 39:9–10).
Cattle needed a lot of food and space because of their large size, so a person who owned many cattle probably had a lot of money.