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SABBATH [sab´-bath] — the practice of observing one day in seven as a time for rest and worship. This practice apparently started in creation, because God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh (Gen. 1–2:1–3).
SACKCLOTH — a rough, coarse cloth, or a baglike garment made of this cloth and worn as a symbol of mourning or repentance (Gen. 37:34, NKJV; Joel 1:8, NKJV; Esther 4:1–4, NKJV; Job 16:15, NKJV; 1 Kings 21:27, NKJV).
SACRIFICE — the ritual through which the Hebrew people offered the blood or the flesh of an animal to God as a substitute payment for their sin. Sacrifice and sacrificing started in the Garden of Eden soon after the first sin (fall of man).
SADDUCEES [sad´-du-sees] — the members of a Jewish faction (group) that opposed (was against) Jesus. The Sadducees did not believe in bodily resurrection. They came from the leading families of the nation—the priests, merchants, and aristocrats. The high priests and the most powerful members of the priesthood were mainly Sadducees (Acts 5:17).
SAINTS — the people who have been separated from the world and consecrated (set apart) to the worship and service of God. Believers are called “saints” (Rom. 1:7, NKJV) and “saints in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:1, NKJV) because they belong to the One who provided their sanctification.
Sacrificial altar for wine and fruit at the Nabatean city of Petra in southern Canaan.
SALVATION — deliverance from the power of sin; redemption.
In the Old Testament, the word “salvation” sometimes refers to deliverance from danger (Jer. 15:20, NKJV), deliverance of the weak from an oppressor (Ps. 35:9–10, NKJV), the healing of sickness (Isa. 38:20, NKJV), and deliverance from bloodguiltiness and its consequences (Ps. 51:14, NKJV). It may also refer to national deliverance from a military threat (Exod. 14:13, NKJV) or release from captivity (Ps. 14:7, NKJV). But salvation finds its deepest meaning in the spiritual realm of life. Our need for salvation is one of the clearest teachings of the Bible.
SAMARIA, CITY OF [sa-ma´-re-ah] (lookout) — the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel built about 880 B.C. by Omri, the sixth king of Israel (1 Kings 16:24).
SAMARITANS [sa-mar´-i-tans] — the people who were born in or who lived in Samaria, a territory in central Canaan.
SAMUEL [sam´-u-el] (name of God) — a great Hebrew prophet and the last judge of Israel. Samuel led his people against the Philistines. When he was an old man, Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel and later anointed David to be king after Saul. Samuel is recognized as one of the greatest leaders of Israel (Jer. 15:1; Heb. 11:32).
SAMUEL, BOOKS OF — two historical books of the Old Testament that tell about the nation of Israel’s transition (change) from a tribal form of government to a united kingship under Saul and David. The books are named for the prophet Samuel, who anointed Saul and David.
SANCTIFICATION — the process of God’s grace by which the believer is separated from sin and becomes dedicated to God’s righteousness. Holiness, or purification from the guilt and power of sin, happen when sanctification is accomplished by the Word of God (John 17:7) and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:3–4).
SANCTIFY — to set apart (Gen. 2:3, NKJV); to dedicate for God’s use (Exod. 13:2, NKJV).
SANHEDRIN [san´-he-drin] — the highest ruling body and court of justice for the Jewish people during the time of Jesus.
SAPPHIRA [saf-fi´-rah] — a dishonest woman who was married to Ananias. She and her husband agreed to share everything with the early Christian community, but they didn’t honor their agreement and lied about keeping some of the things they were supposed to share. They died because of their bad behavior (Acts 5:1–11). Death may seem like a severe punishment, but it clearly shows the need and importance for absolute honesty in all our dealings with God.
A fragment of 1 Samuel 23:9–16 discovered at Qumran. It dates from the third century B.C.
These copper scrolls were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. Most scrolls in ancient times were written on papyrus, parchment, or leather.
SARAH, SARAI [sa´-rah, sa´-rahee] (noble lady) — the wife of Abraham, and the mother of Isaac. Sarah’s name was originally Sarai, but God changed it to Sarah at the same time he changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Asher also had a daughter named Sarah (Num. 26:46, KJV; Serah, ICB).
SATAN [sa´-tun] (adversary) — the great adversary of God and humankind. Satan is the name of the devil.
SAUL [sawl] (asked [of God]) — the name of three men in the Bible:
1. The sixth of the ancient kings of Edom (Gen. 36:36–38; 1 Chron. 1:48–49).
2. The first king of Israel (1 Sam. 9:2–31:12; 1 Chron. 5:10–26:28).
3. The original name of Paul, a persecutor of the church, who became an apostle of Christ and a missionary of the early church (Acts 7:58–9:26; 11:25–13:9).
SAVIOR — a person who rescues others from evil, danger, or destruction. In the Old Testament, people saw God as the Savior (Isa. 45:21).
In the New Testament the word for “savior” describes both God the Father (1 Tim. 1:1; Jude 25) and Jesus Christ the Son (Acts 5:31; Phil. 3:20). The apostles rejoiced that in Christ, God had become the “Savior of all people” (1 Tim. 4:10). He was the Savior of Gentiles as well as Jews. As Christians, we are taught to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).
SCAPEGOAT — a live goat over whose head Aaron confessed all the sins of the people of Israel. The goat was then sent into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement, symbolically taking away their sins (Lev. 16:8, 10, 26, NKJV; Azazel, NRSV).
SCROLL — a roll of papyrus, leather, or parchment that ancient documents were written on (Ezra 6:2). Rolled up on a stick, a scroll was usually about thirty-five feet long. The Book of Luke or the Book of Acts would have fit on one scroll; longer books of the Bible would have needed two or more scrolls.
SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER — the “once saved, always saved” concept taught from the Bible (Rom. 8:38–39; Phil. 1:6). Denominations have different opinions about this subject.
SELAH [se´-lah] — a word found seventy-one times in the Book of Psalms. Scholars agree that the word is a musical direction of some sort, but they do not agree on what the direction is. It may mean: (1) an interlude—a pause in the singing while the orchestra continues; (2) the equivalent of today’s “Amen”; as such it would separate psalms or sections of psalms which have different liturgical purposes; or (3) an acrostic that means “a change of voices” or “repeat.”
SEMITES — the descendants of Noah’s son, Shem. This included the people of Assyria (Gen. 5:32; Luke 3:36).
SEPTUAGINT — a Bible translation where the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek for the benefit of the Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria, Egypt. These Jews had used the Greek language for so long, they forgot their Palestinian language (Hebrew).
This translation (version) is called the Septuagint, from the Latin word for seventy because of the seventy elders of Israel who were brought to Alexandria specifically for the purpose of translating the Pentateuch into Greek.
SEPULCHER, SEPULCHRE — a tomb (Matt. 27:61, KJV).
SERAPHIM [ser´-a-fim] (fiery, burning ones) — angelic or heavenly beings associated with Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple when he was called to his ministry (Isa. 6:1–7, NKJV).
Names of Satan
1. Accuser
Opposes believers beforeGod
Rev. 12:10
2. Adversary
Against God
1 Pet. 5:8
3. Beelzebub
Lord of the fly
Matt. 12:24
4. Belial
Worthless
2 Cor. 6:15
5. Devil
Slanderer
Matt. 4:1
6. Dragon
Destructive
Rev. 12:3, 7, 9
7. Enemy
Opponent
Matt. 13:28
8. Evil one
Intrinsically evil
John 17:15
9. God of this age
Influences wordly thinking
2 Cor. 4:4
10. Liar
Distorts the truth
John 8:44
11. Murderer
Leads people to eternal death
John 8:44
12. Prince of the power of the air
Control of unbelievers
Eph. 2:2
13. Roaring lion
One who destroys
1 Pet. 5:8
14. Ruler of demons
Leader of fallen angels
Mark 3:22
15. Ruler of this world
Rules in world system
John 12:31
16. Satan
Adversary
1 Tim. 5:15
17. Serpent of old
Deceiver in garden
Rev. 12:9; 20:2
18. Tempter
Encourages people to sin
1 Thess. 3:5
SERPENT — a crawling reptile, or snake, often associated in the Bible with temptation, sin, and evil.A serpent is the Bible’s first—and last—animal villain (Gen. 3, NKJV; Rev. 20:2, NKJV).
SERVANT — a slave (Rom. 1:1).
SETH [seth] (appoint, compensate) — the third son of Adam and Eve, born after Cain murdered Abel (Gen. 4:25–26; 5:3–8; Sheth, KJV). Seth was the father of Enosh (or Enos) and an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:38). He died at the age of 912.
SHADRACH [sha´-drak] (command of [the god] Aku) — the name that Ashpenaz gave to Hananiah (Dan. 1:7; 3:12–30).
Shadrach was one of the three faithful Jews who refused to bow down and worship the golden idols of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3:1). Along with his two friends, Meshach and Abednego, he was thrown into “the burning fiery furnace,” but they were kept safe from harm by the power of God (Dan. 3).
SHEKEL — a unit of measure (Exod. 30:23–24, NKJV). (See Weights and Measures of the Bible.)
SHEKINAH [she-ki´-nah] (dwelling) — a visible manifestation of the presence of God (also spelled Shechinah and Shekhinah). Although the word is not found in the Bible, it occurs frequently in later Jewish writings.
SHEMA, THE [she-mah´] (hear thou) —the Jewish confession of faith that begins, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the LORD is one!” (Deut. 6:4, KJV). The complete Shema is found in three passages from the Old Testament: Numbers 15:37–41, Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21.
SHEOL [she´-ol] — the abode (place) of the dead. Sheol is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Hades, which means “the unseen world.”
SHOWBREAD — holy or consecrated (blessed) bread placed in the sanctuary of the tabernacle or temple every Sabbath as a symbol of God’s presence and provision for the people. The ritual always involved twelve loaves of bread, representing the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel.
SIN — lawlessness (1 John 3:4) or transgression of God’s will, either by omitting to do what God’s law requires or by doing what it forbids. The transgression can occur in thought (1 John 3:15), word (Matt. 5:22), or deed (Rom. 1:32).
SIN OFFERING — an offering given out of repentance (Lev. 4:2–35).
SINAI [si´-nai] — the name of a peninsula, a wilderness, and a mountain in the Bible.
SOLEMN ASSEMBLY — a day during a festival (feast) set aside to devote one’s self to God and be humble (Lev. 23:36). It is different from the Sabbath.
SOLOMON [sol´-o-mon] (peaceful) — the first king of Israel to trade commercial goods with other nations to make money. He was also the builder of the temple in Jerusalem and the author of most of the Book of Proverbs. He is also believed to be the author of the Song of Solomon and the Book of Ecclesiastes.
SONG OF SOLOMON, THE — an Old Testament book written in the form of a love song. Some people believe this song is speaking symbolically about the love of God for the nation of Israel. Other people say it is an example of romantic love between a man and a woman.
The message of the Song of Solomon is the beauty of love between a man and a woman as experienced in the relationship of marriage. The song praises the mutual love that a husband and wife feel toward each other in this highest of all human relationships.
The physical side of marriage is a natural and proper part of God’s plan. God’s plan didn’t change—this is the same truth presented at the beginning of time. God created man and woman and brought them together to share their lives with one another and start a family (Gen. 2:24).
SOUTHERN KINGDOM — the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (1 Kings 14:19–30).
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD — a term that refers to the unlimited power of God (Isa. 45:9–19; Rom. 8:18–39).
SPAN — the distance between the extended thumb and the little finger (Exod. 28:16, NKJV). (See Weights and Measures of the Bible.)
SPIRIT — a word with three distinct meanings in the Bible:
1. A general reference to the spirit of human beings (Matt.5:3; Rom.8:16; Heb.4:12).
2. Good and evil spirits—a reference to beings other than God and humans. An example of a good spirit is an angel; an example of an evil spirit is a demon (Mark 9:25; Acts 19:12–17; Rev. 18:2).
3. The word “spirit” also refers to the Spirit of God, known as the Holy Spirit.
SPIRITUAL — of the spirit, not physical. The word “spiritual” refers to nonmaterial things, including a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:44–46) and spiritual things as distinct from earthly things (Rom. 15:27; 1 Cor. 9:11). But the most important use of the word is in reference to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gave the law (Rom. 7:14) and supplied Israel with water and food (1 Cor. 10:3–4).
Rom. 12:6–8
1 Cor. 12:8–10
1 Cor. 12:28–80
Eph. 4:11
1 Pet. 4:9–11
Prophecy
Word of Wisdom
Apostleship
Apostleship
Speaking
Serving
Word of Knowledge
Prophecy
Prophecy
Serving
Teaching
Faith
Teaching
Evangelism
Exhortation
Healings
Miracles
Pastor/Teacher
Giving
Miracles
Healing
Leading
Prophecy
Helping
Showing Mercy
Discerning of Spirits
Administrating
Tongues
Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
SPIRITUAL GIFTS — special gifts given to Christians by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building up the church. The list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10 includes wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
STATUTE — a decree or law issued by a ruler or governing body, especially by God who is the supreme ruler (Gen. 26:5, NKJV; Ps. 18:22, NKJV; Ezek. 5:6, NKJV).
STEPHEN [ste´-ven] — one of the first seven deacons of the early church and the first Christian martyr. The story of Stephen is found in Acts 6:7–7:60.
STEWARD, STEWARDSHIP — a person who manages money or property for another; the management of another person’s property, finances, or household affairs. For a Christian, stewardship involves the responsibility of managing God’s work through the church (1 Cor. 9:17, NKJV).
A synagogue at Masada. The synagogue was a place of worship, instruction, teaching of Scripture, and prayer for the Jewish people (Acts 13:13–15).
SUBJECT — obedient to (Luke 2:51, NKJV); under control of (Heb. 2:15, NKJV).
SUBMISSION, SUBMIT — to yield or give in; can be by force or voluntary (Eph. 5:21, NKJV; James 4:7, NKJV).
SUFFER, SUFFERING — agony; affliction; distress; intense pain or sorrow. Suffering has been part of the human experience since people fell into sin (Gen. 3).
SUPPLICATION — to request (ask) humbly and earnestly (sincerely), usually in the form of prayer (Job 8:5, NKJV).
SWADDLE — to wrap in swaddling clothes. These were long, narrow strips of cloth wrapped around a newborn infant. This was believed to help the child properly develop. Swaddling was a mark of parental love and care, while the need for swaddling was a symbol for the humble, dependent position of the newborn child (Job 38:9, NKJV; Ezek. 16:4, NKJV; Luke 2:7, 12, NKJV).
Remains of a synagogue at Capernaum. It was probably built during the third or fourth century A.D.
SYCAMORE — a large tree good for climbing (Luke 19:4) but probably not the same as a modern-day sycamore tree.
SYNAGOGUE [syn´-a-gog] — a congregation of Jews for worship or religious study. The word “synagogue” comes from the Greek synagoge (literally, “a leading or bringing together”), which refers to any assembly or gathering of people for secular or religious purposes. Eventually the term came to refer exclusively to an assembly of Jewish people.
The synagogue was a place where local groups of Jews in cities and villages could gather for the reading and explanation of the Jewish sacred Scriptures and for prayer. The original emphasis was not on preaching but on teaching the Law of Moses.
SYRIA [sihr´-e-ah] — a major nation northeast of Palestine that served as a political threat to the nations of Judah and Israel during much of their history.