Category: Bible Terms

Definitions to key words found in the Bible and words that relate to faith and Bible reading.

Bible Term: Judah

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Judah refers to a person, a tribe, and a nation.

Judah, the person, was one of Jacob’s twelve sons.

Jacob’s descendants grew in number and became the tribe of Judah, one of twelve tribes comprising the nation of Israel. Each tribe settled in an assigned geographic area, which would be similar to a state or province today.

Later, when the nation of Israel was divided, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, split off, forming a new nation that was known as the nation of Judah.

Key verse about Judah: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun (Genesis 35:23, NIV).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Jew

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

The term Jew, or Jewish, can refer to either a nationality or a religion.

In biblical times these were one in the same. Nowadays a person can be one without the other. That is, they can be Jewish by birth but not belief, or they could be Jewish in faith but not biologically.

A person can be Jewish by birth, technically a child of a Jewish mother, or become Jewish, in a religious sense, through conversion.

From a human standpoint, Abraham is the founder of the Jewish nation..

Traditionally, the Jewish language is Hebrew, so Jews are sometimes called Hebrews.

[Read verses in the Bible with the word Jew and Jews.]

Key verse about Jew: So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia (Ezra 6:14, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Jesus

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Jesus is God who came to earth as a man.

The purpose of Jesus’ coming to earth was to die in place of all of us for the wrongs we have done. In essence, he paid our fine and did our time — so we won’t have to.

If we accept this act of Jesus, it makes us right with God the Father, thereby allowing us to serve him now and be with him for eternity. It’s easy to accept this gift (it’s free) and start on a journey with Jesus. Jesus simply said, “Come, follow me,”(Mark 1:17).

After Jesus died, he rose from the dead, thereby overcoming death, and waits for his followers to join him in heaven.

The Bible sometimes calls him “Jesus of Nazareth” or “Jesus the son of Joseph.”

Jesus referred to himself as the Son of man. Son of God is another apt title, which others used for him, but which Jesus seldom used himself, because doing so would inflame the religious leaders who would charge him with blasphemy and prematurely execute him.

Later, when the time was right, they did execute him (Luke 23:33).

Jesus, along with the Father and Holy Spirit, make up the Trinity.

Key verse about Jesus: She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Israelite

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

In the Bible, the Israelites were the descendants of the twelve sons of Israel (that is, the twelve tribes of Israel).

The man Israel, originally called Jacob, was Abraham’s grandson and Isaac’s son.

Israelites, then are people from the nation of Israel. However, today, Israelis is used instead of Israelites.

Also see Israel.

Key verse about Israelite: Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number (Genesis 47:27, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Israel

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

In the Bible, Israel refers to a person, a people, a nation, and a place.

The person Israel (originally called Jacob, Genesis 32:28) was Abraham’s grandson (Isaac’s son) .

Jacob/Israel had twelve sons, which eventually became the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28), the people of Israel, and later the nation of Israel. In the Bible, they were called the Israelites; nowadays, they are called Israelis.

The land in which they eventually settled was also called Israel.

Key verse about Israel: God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel (Genesis 35:10, NIV)

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Bible Term: Intercession

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Intercession is a prayer to God on behalf of others.

Also, intercession is done for us by Jesus (Hebrews 7:25) and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). An example of Jesus interceding for us is in John 17:20-26.

[Read verses in the Bible about intercession and intercede.]

Key verse about Intercession: I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people (1 Timothy 2:1, NIV)

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Bible Term: Incarnation

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Incarnation means to personify or take on bodily form.

The words incarnate and incarnation are not found in the Bible, but the concept is; it refers to Jesus. Jesus, as God, became human through his incarnation.

As such, Jesus is fully God and fully human (a difficult, but profound paradox to grasp).

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Bible Term: Idolatry

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

Idolatry is literally the worship of an idol, a man-made image for a false god.

Figuratively, idolatry is a devotion to anything or anyone other than God. This can include the worship or idolizing of nature, people, material things, even leisure and a life of ease.

Key verse about Idolatry: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry Colossians 3:5, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Idol

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

An idol is literally a man-made image that is worshiped or an object of excessive admiration or devotion. Often idols were crafted for false gods.

In a figurative sense, an idol is anything that replaces God as a priority or becomes preeminent in one’s life.

In today’s culture, that could mean money and the unwavering pursuit of it, possessions (such as homes, cars, and other toys), expensive clothes, prestige, amassing power, and even the accumulation of knowledge. These are but a few common idols.

The word idol appears over one hundred times in the Bible, while idols occurs hundreds more. The context is never positive.

Perhaps the most familiar mention is in the Ten Commandments, to not make or worship an idol (Exodus 20:4-5).

Key verse about Idol: They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt’ (Exodus 32:8, NIV).

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Bible Terms

Bible Term: I Am

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 1, 2014

“I Am” is a name that God uses to describe himself (Exodus 3:14).

It was considered a sacred name by the Jewish people, so when Jesus cleverly used to to apply to himself, he caused quite an uproar (Mark 14:61-63).

Key verse about I Am: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless (Genesis 17:1, NIV).

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