A
AARON [a´-ur-un] — the older brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Hebrew nation.
When God told Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, Moses argued with God because he did not believe that he would be able to talk in a way that would make Pharaoh understand and do what God wanted. God listened to Moses and had Aaron speak for Moses (Exod. 4:14–16).
AARON’S ROD — a rod used by Aaron to perform miracles.
When Moses and Aaron stood in front of Pharaoh, Aaron threw down his rod and it turned into a serpent (snake). When the magicians of Egypt did the same thing, “Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” (Exod. 7:12).
ABADDON [ab-ad´-dun] (destruction) —comes from a Hebrew word that usually means destruction (Job 26:6; 28:22).
In the Book of Revelation, Abaddon is an evil angel who is the ruler of the bottomless pit.
ABASE — realizing that we have needs that only God can take care of (Phil. 4:12, NKJV).
ABATE — pull away from (Gen. 8:8, NKJV; Lev. 27:18, NKJV).
ABBA [ab´-bah] (father) — a word in the Aramaic language that is like the English word “Daddy” (Mark 14:36).
ABEDNEGO [ab-ed´-ne-go] (servant of Nebo) — the Chaldean name given to Azariah in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court when he was chosen to be one of the king’s servants (Dan. 1:7–2:49). Abednego was thrown into the fiery furnace, along with Shadrach and Meshach, because he would not bow down and worship a golden image. A miracle happened, and God protected them from the fire (Dan. 3:12–30).
ABEL [a´-bel] (breath, vapor) — the second son of Adam and Eve (Gen. 4:2) killed by his jealous brother, Cain (Gen. 4:4–8).
ABHOR — to hate something or someone (Rom. 12:9, NKJV).
ABIATHAR [ab-i´-uth-ur] (father of abundance) — the son of Ahimelech and a priest in the royal court of King David.
When Saul destroyed the village of Nob for helping David, Abiathar was the only one to escape (1 Sam. 22:6–23). When David became king he made Abiathar a priest in the royal court (2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chron. 18:16).
ABIDE — stay; continue (1 Sam. 1:22, NKJV).
ABIGAIL [ab´-e-gul] (father of joy) — the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. After Nabal died, she became the wife of David (1 Sam. 25:3, 14–42; 2 Sam. 2:2; 1 Chron. 3:1).
ABIHU [a-bi´-hew] (he is my father) — the second son of Aaron and Elisheba (Exod. 6:23).Abihu and his brother Nadab were killed in the Wilderness of Sinai for making a bad offering (Lev. 10:1) to the Lord.
ABIMELECH [a-bim´-e-lek] (my father is king) — the name of five men in the Old Testament:
1. The king of Gerar in the time of Abraham (Gen. 20:1–18; 21:22–34).
2. The king of Gerar in the time of Isaac (Gen. 26:1–31).
3. The son of Gideon and the ruler of the city of Shechem (Judg. 8:30–10:1; 2 Sam. 11:21). His mother was a slave from Shechem.
4. A priest in the time of David (1 Chron. 18:16).
5. Abimelech was probably the royal title of Achish, the king of Gath (1 Sam. 21:10–15). He was a Philistine king who met David while David was running from King Saul (Ps. 34).
ABLUTION — the ceremonial washing of your body, clothing, and other personal items to make them pure (Heb. 9:10, RSV).
ABNER [ab´-nur] (the father is a lamp) —the commander-in-chief of Saul’s army (1 Sam. 14:50–51; 17:55).
After Saul died (1 Sam. 31:1–6), Abner tried to make Saul’s son Ishbosheth become king. There was a war between David and Ishbosheth. During this war, Abner killed Joab’s brother in self-defense. Joab was one of David’s military officers (2 Sam. 2:12–3:1). Joab killed Abner for murdering his brother (2 Sam. 3:22–30).
ABODE — the place where you stay; home (John 14:23, NKJV).
ABOLISH — to make something end; destroy completely (2 Tim. 1:10, NKJV).
ABOMINABLE, ABOMINATION — anything that upsets you so much that you feel really disgusted, or makes you feel like you hate something or someone.
Sacrificing weak or sick animals to God was abominable (Deut. 17:1, NKJV). The carved images of pagan gods were an abomination (Deut. 7:25–26, NKJV).
ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION —using the temple of the Lord for something so horrible that it would make the people stop coming to the temple. The prophet Daniel predicted this would happen.
The phrase is found in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 as a quotation from Daniel 11:31 and 12:11 (NKJV).
ABOUND — to increase; to grow (Prov. 28:20, NKJV).
ABRAHAM [a´-bra-ham] (father of a multitude) — the first great Patriarch of ancient Israel and a good example of faithfulness for Christians. The stories about Abraham are found in the Book of Genesis 11:26–25:11.
ABRAHAM’S BOSOM — a phrase that means life after death. In the Old Testament, when a person died, he went to “be with his fathers” (Gen. 15:15, NKJV; 47:30, NKJV; Deut. 31:16, NKJV; Judg. 2:10, NKJV).
ABRAM [a´-brum] (exalted father) — the original name of Abraham (Gen. 17:5).
ABSALOM [ab´-sal-um] (father of peace) — the selfish, greedy son of David who tried to take the kingship from his father (2 Sam. 15–2 Sam. 18).
ABSTAIN, ABSTINENCE — to do without something, or to not do something because you think it is the right thing to do (Acts 15:20, 29, NKJV; 1 Thess. 4:3, NKJV; 5:22, NKJV; 1 Tim. 4:3, NKJV; 1 Pet. 1:11, NKJV).
ABUNDANCE — much more than is needed (John 10:10, NKJV).
ABUSE — when used as a noun it means very bad treatment; when used as a verb it means to hurt someone on purpose (Heb. 10:33, NKJV).
ABYSS [a-biss] — the bottomless pit. This word is used in the Bible to describe the prison of disobedient spirits, or the world of the dead (Luke 8:31, NKJV; Rom. 10:7, NKJV; Rev. 20:1–3). “The pit” and “bottomless pit” represent the place where the wicked go when they die.
ACACIA [a-cay´-shih] — a large tree that was an excellent source of wood. The Ark of the Covenant was made from the wood of this tree (Deut. 10:3).
ACCEPT — to receive; to treat with favor. In the Bible, a person is accepted by the grace, mercy, or covenant love of God through faith and repentance (Eph. 1:6, NKJV).
ACCESS — being allowed to go to someone, especially a person who holds a position of authority. We have access to God through Jesus (Heb. 10:20, NKJV).
ACCOMPLISH — to succeed; to finish; to complete (Isa. 55:11, NKJV).
Traditional well of Abraham in the plains of Mamre (Gen. 21:22–32).
ACCORD — agreement; conformity; harmony (Acts 2:46, NKJV; 7:57, NKJV; 15:25, NKJV).
ACCOUNT, ACCOUNTABILITY — the biblical truth that says we have to answer to God for our thoughts, words, and actions. The Bible plainly teaches that “the whole world [is] accountable to God” (Rom. 3:19, NASB).
ACCURSED — under a curse; doomed; anything that a curse has been placed on (Josh. 6:17–18, NKJV; Gal. 1: 8–9, NKJV).
ACCUSE — to blame; to say that someone did something (Luke 11:54, NKJV).
ACHAIA [ak-ah´-yah] — the name for all of Greece, except Thessaly (Acts 19:21, NKJV). The Romans gave the region this name when they captured Corinth and destroyed the Achaian League in 146 B.C. Later it included several Greek cities, including Athens.
ACHAN [a´-kan] — the son of Carmi of the tribe of Judah. He accidentally caused the Israelites to lose the battle at Ai (Josh. 7:1, 18–24; 1 Chron. 2:7).
ACHOR [a´-kor] (trouble) — a valley near Jericho where Achan was stoned to death. Also called the Valley of Trouble (Josh. 7:24, 26).
ACKNOWLEDGE — to recognize; to agree with (Deut. 21:17, NKJV; 1 Cor. 14:37, NKJV).
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES — the only historical book of the New Testament. It tells about the growth of the early church after the ascension of Jesus.
A doctor named Luke who traveled with Paul wrote it. The Book of Acts tells how Peter and Paul taught people how to become Christians.
A.D. — abbreviation for Anno Domini, which is Latin for “in the year of our Lord.”
ADAM [ad´-um] (red, ground) — the name of the first man. He was created by God on the sixth day of creation and placed in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:19–23; 3:8–9, 17, 20–21; 4:1, 25; 5:1–5). His wife Eve was created from one of his ribs (Gen. 2:21–22). Adam and Eve are the ancestors of all people.
ADAR — the Babylonian name of the twelfth month of the Jewish year (Ezra 6:15; Esther 3:7, 13; 8:12; 9:1, 15–21).
ADDAR [a´-dar] (cloudy) — the name of a town in southern Judah (Josh. 15:3).
ADDER — a snake; a serpent (Gen. 49:17, NKJV).
ADHERE — to stick to; to obey; to show loyalty (2 Kings 17:34, NIV).
ADJURE, ADJURATION — to ask for something or tell something with strong feelings (Matt. 26:63, NKJV). Adjuration is the power (authority) that makes one person keep a promise to another (1 Sam. 14:24, NKJV; 1 Kings 22:16, NKJV; Mark 5:7, NKJV; Acts 19:13, NKJV).
ADMONISH — to suggest; to encourage; to inspire; to motivate (Col. 3:16, NKJV; 2 Thess. 3:15, NKJV).
ADONIJAH [ad-on-i´-jah] (the Lord is my Lord) — the name of three men in the Old Testament, but it usually refers to David’s fourth son (2 Sam. 3:4).
This Greek inscription at Athens contains the text of Paul’s speech which he delivered at the Areopagus (Acts 17:22–31).
When David was old, Adonijah tried to become king even though he knew his father wanted Solomon to become king (1 Kings 1:13).
ADULTERY — breaking marriage vows by having sexual relations with someone you are not married to. Jesus said the act of adultery also included wrong thoughts (Exod, 20:14; Mark 10:11, 12; John 8:3–5). This can also mean breaking vows (not necessarily by sexual relations). The Bible states that the nation of Israel committed adultery (Jer. 3:8–9; Ezek. 23–37).
ADVERSARY — a person who fights you or holds you back; an enemy. In the Bible, this word is used when talking about Satan. Satan is the adversary of God and His perfect plan for the world (1 Pet. 5:8, NKJV; 1 John 2:1, NKJV).
ADVERSITY — a difficult situation (Prov. 24:10, NKJV).
ADVOCATE — a person who tells another person’s side of the story before a court, like an attorney. The Bible refers to Jesus (1 John 2:1, NKJV) and the Holy Spirit as a “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).
AFFECTION — a feeling; liking (Rom. 1:26, NKJV).
AFFLICTION — any condition or problem that causes suffering or pain. The Bible says affliction can be caused by sin (Isa. 53:4, NKJV; Matt. 24:29, NKJV; Rom. 2:9, NKJV), but sometimes affliction can help people trust Jesus (Rom. 5:3–5, NKJV; 2 Thess. 1:4–7, NKJV).
AGABUS [ag´-ab-us] — a Christian prophet of Jerusalem who went to Antioch of Syria while Paul and Barnabas were there. The Holy Spirit told him to tell the people about a great famine that was going to happen (Acts 11:28).
AGAPE [a-gah´-pay] — a Greek word that means love that is used in the New Testament (John 13:35, NKJV; 1 Cor. 13, NKJV; 1 John 4:7–18, NKJV).
AGE — a certain period of time during which certain things will happen. In the New Testament, age generally refers to now instead of the future (Col. 1:26, NKJV).
AGRIPPA I [a-grip´-pah] — a Roman ruler of Galilee. He eventually ruled over the same territory that his grandfather, Herod the Great, used to rule. Agrippa was very mean. He tortured and killed many of the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:1–23).
AGRIPPA II [a-grip´-pah] — the son of Agrippa I and the great-grandson of Herod the Great. Shortly before the apostle Paul was taken prisoner in Rome, he had to appear before Agrippa II (Acts 25:13–26:32).
AGUE — fever (Lev. 26:16, NKJV; Deut. 28:22, NKJV).
AHAB [a´-hab] (father is brother) — the seventh king of Israel (1 Kings 16:30).
Ahab was a wicked king who was married to Jezebel. She was evil and worshiped Baal, a false god. Jezebel asked Ahab not to worship the Lord anymore. He listened to her and decided to destroy the altars to God and kill the prophets of God.
AHASUERUS [a-has-u-e´-rus] (mighty man) — the name of two kings in the Old Testament:
1. A king of Persia and the husband of Esther. Ahasuerus is the same person as Xerxes I (485–464 B.C.).
2. A king of the Medes and the father of Darius (Dan. 9:1).
AHAZ [a´-haz] — the name of two men in the Old Testament:
1. A son of Jotham and the eleventh king of Judah (2 Kings 15:38; 16:1–20; Achaz, KJV).
2. A Benjaminite and descendant of King Saul.Ahaz was a son of Micah and the father of Jehoaddah (1 Chron. 8:35–36; 9:42).
Remains of a palace from Ahab’s time, uncovered in an excavation at the site of ancient Samaria.
AHAZIAH [a-haz-i´-ah] (the Lord sustains) — the name of two kings in the Old Testament:
1. The son of Ahab and the ninth king of Israel (1 Kings 22:40, 49, 51). He reigned from 853 to 852 B.C.
2. The son of Jehoram and the nephew of the first Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:24–26; 2 Chron. 21:17). He is also called Jehoash (2 Chron. 25:23), and Joram (2 Chron. 22:6). He was the sixth king of Judah, and he reigned for only one year (841 B.C.).
AI [a´-i] (the ruin) — a Canaanite city (Josh. 10:1) located east of Bethel (Gen. 12:8). Many years before Joshua’s time, Abraham set up his tent at Ai before traveling to Egypt (Gen. 12:8). Ai is also an Ammonite city in Moab (Jer. 49:3).
ALABASTER — a smooth stone used to make containers for perfumes and ointments (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3; Luke 7:37).
ALAS — an expression of sadness or grief; can also be used in a warning (Josh. 7:7, NKJV).
ALEXANDER [al-ex-an´-dur] (defender of men) — the name of five or six men in the Bible, but usually referring to Alexander the Great, the founder of the Greek Empire.
ALIEN — a “foreigner,” “traveler,” or “stranger” from a country other than Israel. Aliens were not allowed to have the same rights as the Israelites (Deut. 14:21; Job 19:15; Ps. 69:8).
ALLEGORY — a symbolic explanation of a truth about human behavior.
The apostle Paul used allegories in his writing. In Ephesians 6:11–17, he urges his readers to “wear the full armor of God” and then gives the symbolic explanation for each item worn by the Christian soldier.
ALLELUIA [al-e-loo´-yah] (praise the Lord) — a Greek form of the Hebrew word Hallelujah, used to express joy, praise, and thanksgiving (Ps. 104:35; 116:19; 147:1, NKJV).
ALLOTMENT — a system of land management in the Old Testament. Israel used this system to distribute the land to the tribes, clans, and families (Josh. 13–19).
ALMIGHTY — all powerful; having total control (Gen. 17:1, NKJV).
Bust of Alexander the Great, Greek military conqueror.
(Daniel 2, 7, 8, 11)
ALMS — money given to the poor (Deut. 15:11, NKJV).
ALPHA AND OMEGA [al´-fah, oh-may´guh] — the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
This title is given to God the Father and God the Son (Rev. 1:8; 21:6). Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:13). The writer of the Book of Revelation called Jesus the “Alpha and Omega,” because he knew and understood that Jesus is the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Final Judge of all things.
ALPHAEUS [al-fe´-us] (leader or chief) —the name of two men in the New Testament:
1. The father of the apostle James (Matt. 10:3; Acts 1:13).
2. The father of Levi (or Matthew), the apostle and writer of the first gospel (Mark 2:14).
ALTAR — a table, platform, or elevated place on which a priest placed a sacrifice as an offering to God (Gen. 8:20).
AMALEK [am´-al-ek] — a grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12; 1 Chron. 1:36) and a chief of an Edomite tribe (Gen. 36:16). The Amalekites got their name from Amalek.
AMBASSADOR — a representative (Eph. 6:19–20, NKJV).
AMEN (so be it) — a solemn word spoken by a person who agrees with a statement, an oath, or a covenant (Neh. 5:13). In worship it is said to agree with a sermon, a psalm, or a prayer.
Excavations at ancient Megiddo, showing the ancient round altar used for pagan sacrifices.
AMOS [a´-mos] (burden bearer) — the famous shepherd and prophet of the Old Testament who told the people of the northern kingdom of Israel that they were sinners. His prophecies and the few facts known about his life are found in the Book of Amos.
AMOS, BOOK OF — a prophetic book of the Old Testament. The book is named for its author, the prophet Amos, whose name means “burden bearer.” Amos had the burden of sharing God’s message of coming judgment to a sinful and disobedient people.
Amos was a humble shepherd who was brave enough to tell God’s message to the proud rich people of his day. He begged the people to return to a life of justice and righteousness. The message of Amos is also right for us today because God still places a higher value on justice and righteousness than on all the things that money will buy.
ANANIAS [an-an-i´-as] (the Lord is gracious) — the name of three men in the New Testament:
1. A Christian in the early church at Jerusalem (Acts 5:1–11). He and his wife, Sapphira, sold a piece of property and gave only part of the money made from its sale to Peter. When Peter scolded him for lying about the money, Ananias died. Later, his wife Sapphira told the same lie, and she also died.
2. A Christian disciple living in Damascus at the time of Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:10–18; 22:12–16). In a vision, the Lord told Ananias about Paul and told him to go welcome Paul into the church. Ananias was scared but when the Lord told him,“I have chosen [Paul] for an important work” (Acts 9:15), he went to Paul and laid his hands upon him. Paul was able to see again and he was baptized (Acts 9:18).
3. The Jewish high priest who spoke against Paul to the Roman governor Felix (Acts 24:1).
ANATHEMA [a-nath´-em-ah] (accursed) — a Greek word that means “accursed” or “separated” (Rom. 9:3, NKJV; Gal. 1:8–9, NKJV).
ANCIENT OF DAYS — a name the prophet Daniel called God (Dan. 7:9, 13, 22, NKJV).
ANDREW [an´-drew] (manly) — the brother of Simon Peter and one of Jesus’ first disciples. Andrew and Peter were fishermen (Matt. 4:18; Mark 1:16–18) from Bethsaida (John 1:44).
At the feeding of the 5,000, Andrew told Jesus about the boy with five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:5–9).
ANGEL — a spiritual being (Heb. 1:14). Angels are stronger and smarter than human beings (2 Sam. 14:17, 20; 2 Pet. 2:11). God uses angels to deliver messages and help people. They are not like God, though; they are not all-powerful and all-knowing (Ps. 103:20; 2 Thess. 1:7).
ANGER — a strong feeling of frustration. God and humans can both feel anger. God feels anger when people sin. People feel anger because of their own sins or the sins of another person (Ps. 37:8).
ANNA [an´-nah] (favor) — the daughter of Phanuel (Luke 2:36), a widow, and a prophetess. She was at the temple in Jerusalem when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to be dedicated (Luke 2:27). Anna knew Jesus was the Messiah (Luke 2:37–38).
ANNAS [an´-nas] (grace of the Lord) — a high priest at Jerusalem when John the Baptist began his ministry, about A.D. 26 (Luke 3:2).
ANNIHILATE — to completely destroy; to eliminate; to “wipe out” (Esther 3:13).
ANNUNCIATION — the announcement made by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:26–38) to the Virgin Mary about the forthcoming birth of Jesus. The angel told Mary that the Holy Spirit would cause her to become pregnant and that the child would be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).
ANOINT, ANOINTING — to give a person the authority to do a particular job (Isa. 61:1, NKJV). In the New Testament, everyone who was a disciple of Christ was anointed. This meant that they had the power and the authority to serve God and do His will (2 Cor. 1:21, NKJV).
ANTICHRIST, THE — a false prophet and evil being who will try to stand up against Christ and the people of God in the last days before the Second Coming (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7).
ANTIOCH OF PISIDIA [an´-te-ok, pihsid´-e-uh] — a city of southern Asia Minor, located just north of Pisidia. Antioch was a busy commercial area and an important place for the teaching of the gospel. It was founded by Seleucus I Nicator around 300 B.C. and named for his father Antiochus.
ANTIOCH OF SYRIA [an´-te-ok, sihr´-euh] — the capital of the Roman province of Syria that played an important part in the early growth of the church. Antioch was located about 16.5 miles from the Mediterranean Sea and three hundred miles north of Jerusalem. Seleucus I Nicator founded this city around 300 B.C.
APOCRYPHA, THE [a-pock´-rih-fuh] — a group of books written during a difficult time in the history of the Jewish people. These books have two main divisions, Old Testament apocryphal books and New Testament apocryphal books.
APOLLOS [a-pol´-os] (destroyer) — a Jewish teacher from Alexandria and a leader in the early church.Apollos was a disciple of John the Baptist (Acts 18:25).
APOSTLE — a person who Jesus picked to do special jobs and help spread the gospel. The word “apostle” is the title given to the twelve disciples of Jesus (Mark 3:14; 6:30).
The Order of the Books of the Apocrypha
1. First Esdras
2. Second Esdras
3. Tobit
4. Judith
5. The Additions to Esther
6. The Wisdom of Solomon
7. Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach
8. Baruch
9. The Letter of Jeremiah
10. The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men
11. Susanna
12. Bel and the Dragon
13. The Prayer of Manasseh
14. First Maccabees
15. Second Maccabees
APOSTOLIC COUNCIL — a group of apostles and elders of the New Testament church in Jerusalem. This council had to decide if Gentiles had to be circumcised and follow other laws of the Jewish faith in order to be members of the church (Acts 15). They decided that a Gentile does not have to become a Jew in order to be a Christian.
APPAREL — clothes (1 Tim. 2:9).
APT — likely (Prov. 15:23, NKJV).
AQUILA [ac´-quil-ah] (eagle) — a Jewish Christian living in Corinth when Paul arrived there from Athens (Acts 18:2). Aquila and his wife Priscilla lived in Rome until Claudius ordered all the Jewish people to leave the city. They moved to Corinth and began making tents.
ARCHANGEL — a spiritual being that is the leader of God’s angels.
The word “archangel” is found several times in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Michael is described as “one of the most important angels” (Dan. 10:13) and is the ruling angel (Dan. 10:21), especially in the “time of much trouble” in the last days (Dan. 12:1).
(in the order in which they are mentioned)
Matthew 10:2’4
Mark 3:16’19
Luke 6:14’16
Acts 1:13
Matthew and Mark have the name Thaddaeus while Luke, in his two lists (Luke 6 and Acts 1), has Judas (of James). Some think Judas may have been his original name and that it was changed later to Thaddaeus (meaning perhaps “warm-hearted”) in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot.
It is interesting that all four lists begin with Simon Peter and end with Judas Iscariot (except the Acts 1 list, for Judas had already killed himself). Also, the names would appear to be in groups of four. Peter, Andrew, James, and John are always in the first group—though not always in that order—and Philip. Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew are in the second group in all four lists.
In all four lists, Peter’s name heads the first group, Philip heads the second, and James (of Alphaeus) heads the third.
The Areopagus (Mars’ Hill) is a little hill near the acropolis in Athens where Paul may have been brought before the philosophers of this city (Acts 17:16–34).
In the New Testament the voice of an archangel and the sounding of the trumpet of God will signal the coming of Jesus for His people (1 Thess. 4:16). Michael the archangel argued with the devil about the body of Moses (Jude 9).
AREOPAGUS [a-re-op´-a-gus] (hill of the god Ares) — a limestone hill in Athens between the Acropolis and the Agora. Areopagus is also the name of the council that met near the hill (Acts 17:16–34).
ARIMATHEA [ar-im-ath-e´-ah] (height) — a city in the hills of Judea, northwest of Jerusalem. A member of the Jewish Sanhedrin named Joseph lived there. Joseph placed the body of Jesus in the tomb at Arimathea (Luke 23:50).
ARK OF THE COVENANT — a sacred portable chest that—along with the Mercy Seat and Cherubim—was the most important sacred object of the Israelites while they wandered in the wilderness.
ARK OF MOSES — a small basketlike container that Moses’ mother hid him in to save him from the slaughter of Hebrew children by the Egyptian Pharaoh (Exod. 2:3–6). The basket was made of woven bulrushes and sealed with a tarlike substance called pitch. The lid on the basket kept insects and the sun off of Moses so he could sleep. The Pharaoh’s daughter found the ark when she came to the river to take a bath.
ARK, NOAH’S — a giant boat built by Noah to save him, his family, and the animals from the Flood (Gen. 6:14–9:18).
ARMAGEDDON [ar-mag-ed´-don] (mountain of Megiddo) — the place of the final battle between God and Satan. God will destroy the armies of Satan and throw Satan into the bottomless pit (Rev. 16:16).
ART — the use of skill and creativity to create beautiful objects. Not much is known about the art of the Hebrew people. Except for the descriptions of the tabernacle and the temple in the Bible, art is really not mentioned in the Scriptures. Most of the information that is known about art comes from archaeologists.
ASCENSION OF CHRIST — the rising of Jesus into heaven forty days after His resurrection (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50–51; Acts 1:9–11).
ASHER [ash´-ur] (happy) — the eighth son of Jacob (Gen. 30:13), and the name of a city located east of Shechem (Josh. 17:7).
ASHERAH [ash-er´-ah] — a pagan goddess (Judg. 3:7).
ASHTORETH [ash´-ta-roth] — many pagan goddesses. The Philistines had a temple to the Ashtoreth (1 Sam. 31:10). The Ashtoreth were often worshiped with the male god Baal (Judg. 2:13). A pagan goddess worshiped by the Sidonians (1 Kings 11:5).
ASLEEP — in the state of sleep (Matt. 8:24), and also a reference to death (1 Thess. 4:13, NKJV).
ASP — a snake or a serpent. A cobra-like snake (Isa. 11:8).
ASS — a donkey (Num. 22:21, NKJV).
ASSEMBLY — a group of people with a common cause or purpose (Joel 1:14, NKJV).
ASSURANCE — being sure; without doubt. Assurance is the believers’ confidence that their sins have been paid for and they will go to heaven. They know this because of Christ’s death and resurrection (1 John 5:12, NKJV).
ASSYRIA [as-sir´-e-ah] — a kingdom between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Assyria often controlled many of the smaller countries around it. After defeating the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C., the Assyrians sent away thousands of Israelites and made them live in other parts of the Assyrian Empire. This was a terrible situation that the nation of Israel never recovered from.
ASTROLOGER — a person who looked for answers about life by studying the sun, moon, planets, and stars (Isa. 47:13).
A stone carving that may represent the Ark of the Covenant, discovered at the excavation of a synagogue in Capernaum.
A fine example of mosaic art, this map shows Palestine in the sixth century A.D. Note the city of Jericho in the lower part of the mosaic.
ASUNDER — a division or separation, usually a bad thing (Acts 15:39, NKJV).
ATONEMENT — the act of God’s atoning grace and forgiveness that restores a relationship of harmony and unity between God and humans. The word can be broken into three parts to show this great truth in simple terms: “at-one-ment.”
ATONEMENT, DAY OF — a Jewish holy day. Its modern name is its Hebrew name, Yom Kippur. The Day of Cleansing (Lev. 16). On this day the nation of Israel asked for forgiveness of its sins (Lev. 23:27; Num. 29:7). The Day of Atonement was the only time fasting was required by the law (Lev. 16:29, 23:31). It was a solemn, holy day with many ceremonies.
AUGUSTUS [aw-gus´-tus] (consecrated, holy, sacred) — a title of honor given to the first Roman emperor, Octavian (27 B.C.–A.D. 14). Luke refers to him as “Caesar Augustus” (Luke 2:1). Octavian eventually became the ruler of Rome and ruled for more than forty-four years, until he died in A.D. 14. Jesus was born during the time Octavian ruled (Luke 2:1).
AUTHORITIES — those who hold a position of power (Luke 12:11, NKJV; Eph. 3:10, NKJV). This position of power can be physical, spiritual, or both.
AUTHORITY — the power or right to do something, especially to give orders and make sure they are followed (Rom. 13:1, NKJV).
Bust of Augustus Caesar, first emperor of the Roman Empire.
AVENGE — to provide full justice (Jer. 46:10, NKJV).
AWAKE — to revive (Dan. 12:2).
AWE — admiration; amazement (Ps. 33:8, NKJV).
AZARIAH [az-a-ri´-ah] (the Lord has helped) — the Hebrew name of Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar placed him, Shadrach, and Meshach in the fiery furnace because they refused to worship his golden idols (Dan. 1:6–7, 11, 19; 2:17).
AZAZEL [az´-a-zel] — a word that means scapegoat (Lev. 16:8, 10, NKJV).