Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Bridgeway Publications
BridgewayBible DictionaryAn A to Z of biblical informationfor the people of today's worldDon FlemingBRIDGEWAY
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Don Fleming 1990, 1999, 2004First published 1990 as Bridge Bible DirectoryReprinted 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997First published as Bridge Bible Dictionary 1999First published as Bridgeway Bible Dictionary 2004ISBN 0 947342 66 4All Rights ReservedBridgeway PublicationsGPO Box 2547Brisbane 4001Australia
To my wifeGae
PrefaceThis book, like most of my books, began life in the Thai language when I lived with my wife andfamily in Bangkok. The aim was to produce material that would be a credible aid to biblical knowledge,but in an easy-read non-technical style that any Christian could understand.First came a series of mini-commentaries that later appeared in English as the eight-volume BridgeBible Handbooks (now combined into the one-volume Bridgeway Bible Commentary). Only after acommentary was available on the whole Bible did I think about writing a Bible Dictionary. I amconvinced this is the best sequence to follow, not just in publishing but in Bible study in general. We needfirst to understand the biblical books if we are to have confidence in using material from those books tostudy biblical topics.The original English title of this book used the word Directory rather than Dictionary, partly toappeal to readers who may not want a book that sounds academic, and partly because the book does not,like a ‘proper’ dictionary, deal with all the words and names in the Bible. But over the years I have foundthat people refer to the book as a dictionary anyway, so this edition has changed the title to BridgewayBible Dictionary. The ‘bridge’ element in the title reflects the aim of all Bridgeway books, which is tobridge two gaps at once – the gap between the word of the Bible and the world of today, and the gapbetween the technical reference works and the ordinary reader.God’s Word gives meaning to life, but only if people read and obey it. The trouble is many do notread it as they should, the reason often being that they do not understand it. My desire is that this bookwill help give the kind of help that will encourage people to read and enjoy the Bible. And when thathappens, they will soon find that the Bible has its own way of making itself relevant to them.Don Fleming
AARONFrom the time Moses set out to free Israel from Egypt, Aaron his brother played an important part inthe young nation’s development. He remained in a position of influence and responsibility until the day ofhis death, forty years later (Exod 7:7; Num 33:39).Early developmentsAlthough Aaron was three years older than Moses (Exod 7:7), he willingly accepted Moses’ supremeleadership of the nation. He became Moses’ chief spokesman and personal assistant (Exod 4:10-16; 4:2930; 7:1-2,10,19; 8:5,17,25). As Moses grew in confidence, he became less dependent upon Aaron in hispublic activities (Exod 9:13,22,33). Aaron, however, continued to support Moses, especially in prayer(Exod 17:12).Aaron was one of the privileged few who went with Moses up on to the mountain of God. He wasalso one of those to whom Moses entrusted the leadership of Israel during his absence (Exod 24:1-2,9,14).Aaron proved to be a weak leader, and was easily persuaded to build an idol as a visible symbol of theinvisible God (Exod 32:1-6,21-25). When Moses challenged the faithful to fight against this idolatry, themen of the tribe of Levi responded. God rewarded them by promising that in the new religious order, theLevites would be his chosen religious servants (Exod 32:26-29).Levi was the tribe to which Moses and Aaron belonged (Exod 6:16-20). God had already told Mosesthat in the new religious order, Aaron and his sons were to be the priests, with Aaron the high priest(Exod 28:1-4). In the generations to follow, although all Levites were to be religious officials, only thoseof the family of Aaron could be priests (Num 3:3-10; see LEVITE; PRIEST).Troubles along the wayIn spite of his devoted service to God, Aaron had his disappointments and failures. His two older sonsmade an offering contrary to the way God had instructed them, and were punished with instant death (Lev10:1-3). On another occasion, he and his sister Miriam showed some jealousy against Moses because ofMoses’ supreme position in Israel. When Miriam, who had led the criticism, was punished with leprosy,Aaron confessed his wrong and asked God to heal her (Num 12:1-2,9-12).Just as Aaron had been jealous of Moses’ position as supreme leader, so other Levites grew jealous ofAaron’s position as high priest (Num 16:1-11). God destroyed the rebels (Num 16:31-35) and sent aplague on the people who had supported them; but Aaron prayed for them and the plague stopped (Num16:47-48). By the miraculous budding of Aaron’s rod, God emphasized afresh that only those of thefamily of Aaron were to be priests (Num 17:1-11).Moses and Aaron were guilty of disobedience to God when, in anger at the people’s constantcomplaining, they struck the rock at Meribah. God punished them by assuring them that they would neverenter the promised land (Num 20:2,10-13). Soon after, when the journeying Israelites reached Mt Hor,Aaron died. Before he died, however, there was a public ceremony to appoint Eleazar, Aaron’s eldestsurviving son, as the replacement high priest (Num 20:22-29).ABARIMBordering the Jordan River on its eastern side was aregion that in the south was commonly known as thePlains of Moab. Within this region was a mountainousarea known as Abarim, which contained the prominentpeak, Mt Nebo. Israel camped on the Plains of Moabwhile making final preparations to cross Jordan andconquer Canaan. From Mt Nebo Moses viewed the landon the other side of the river before he died (Num 33:4748; Deut 32:49; 34:1,7).ABBAAbba was a common word in the Aramaic and Hebrew languages, and meant ‘father’. It was a warmand informal term used in the everyday language of family life.
Jews of Old Testament times never used abba when addressing God, but Jesus used it when prayingto his Father (Mark 14:36). The early Christians also addressed God as Abba; for, through Christ, Godhas adopted believers as his sons and made them joint heirs with Christ of his heavenly inheritance (Rom8:15-17; Gal 4:5-6; cf. 3:26; see ADOPTION).ABELThe second son of Adam and Eve, Abel was a keeper of sheep. Like his elder brother Cain, he madean offering to God of things God had given him (Gen 4:1-4). Abel was a righteous man (Matt 23:35), andhe offered his sacrifice in a thankful attitude of sincere faith (Gen 4:4; Heb 11:4). Cain was anunrighteous man (1 John 3:12) and offered his sacrifice in the wrong attitude. God therefore rejected hissacrifice (Gen 4:5; for further details see SACRIFICE).In envy and anger, Cain killed Abel (Gen 4:8). But God gave to Adam and Eve another son, Seth,who helped maintain the sort of faith in God that Abel had shown (Gen 4:25-26).ABIATHARWhen Saul ordered the slaughter of Ahimelech and the other priests at Nob, only one person escaped,and that was Ahimelech’s son, Abiathar (1 Sam 22:18-20). He joined David and the others who werefleeing from Saul, and acted as priest for them (1 Sam 23:6,9; 30:7).Later, when David became king, Abiathar and another priest, Zadok, became part of David’s royalcourt (2 Sam 8:17). At the time of Absalom’s rebellion, when David was forced to flee Jerusalem, the twopriests stayed behind to become spies on David’s behalf (2 Sam 15:24-29,35; 19:11). At the time ofAdonijah’s rebellion, however, the two took different sides, Abiathar supporting Adonijah, and Zadoksupporting Solomon. Upon becoming king, Solomon promoted Zadok to chief priest, but sent Abiatharinto exile (1 Kings 1:5-8,43-45; 2:26,35).ABIGAILTwo women named Abigail are mentioned in the Bible (1 Sam 25:3; 2 Sam 17:25). The better knownof the two is the wife of the foolish farmer, Nabal. Nabal almost brought disaster upon his household byhis insulting refusal to supply David and his men with food in return for their service in protecting hisfarmlands against the raiding Philistines. Only quick thinking and wise words from Abigail saved thesituation (1 Sam 25:2-35).When Nabal unexpectedly died, David married Abigail (1 Sam 25:39-42). She became the mother ofDavid’s second son, Chileab (2 Sam 3:3).ABIJAH (ABIJAM)The Judean king Abijah (or Abijam) was one of several people of that name in the Bible. He was thesecond king of Judah after the division of the kingdom, and reigned from 913 to 910 BC (1 Kings 15:1-2).Abijah was not wholly loyal to Yahweh, for he tolerated false religion in Judah (1 Kings 15:3).However, he was not as bad as his contemporary in Israel, Jeroboam, who had set up an official rivalreligion in the northern kingdom. When Abijah went to war with Jeroboam, he presumed God would givehim victory because his kingdom was based on the Davidic dynasty and the Levitical priesthood (2 Chron13:1-12). He did, in fact, defeat Jeroboam, not because God was in any way obliged to help him, butbecause his soldiers fought in an attitude of genuine reliance on God (2 Chron 13:13-22).ABIMELECHIt seems that ‘Abimelech’ was used both as a royal title (among the Philistines) and as a personalname (among the Israelites). The meaning of the word was ‘father-king’. The Bible mentions threePhilistine rulers by this name and one notorious Israelite.Among the PhilistinesAfter the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Sarah moved through the south ofCanaan and settled in the Philistine district of Gerar. Abraham, fearing that the Philistine king Abimelechmight kill him in order to take Sarah for his own wife, preserved his life by saying that Sarah was hissister (Gen 20:1-2,13; cf. 12:11-13). Abimelech did indeed take Sarah, but before he had any sexual
relation with her, God warned him that she was Abraham’s wife (Gen 20:3-7). Abimelech avoided God’sjudgment by giving Sarah back to Abraham, along with compensation for the damage he had done toSarah’s honour (Gen 20:8-18).Abraham remained in the region by Abimelech’s permission (Gen 20:15), but his increasingprosperity made Abimelech wary. At Abimelech’s suggestion, the two men made a treaty to ensurepeaceful cooperation; but before entering the treaty, Abraham insisted that Abimelech’s herdsmen returnto him a well they had seized. The arrangement was sealed by Abimelech’s acceptance of a gift fromAbraham (Gen 21:22-32).Eighty or so years later, when Abraham’s son Isaac settled for a time in Gerar, he created tensionwith a later Abimelech through the same sort of deceit as Abraham’s (Gen 26:1,7-11). In spite ofopposition from Abimelech’s men in repeatedly denying Isaac water, Isaac continued to prosper (Gen26:17-22). This made Abimelech fear him, and on Abimelech’s suggestion the two men renewed thetreaty between the former Abimelech and Abraham (Gen 26:26 -32).The other Philistine ruler whom the Bible calls Abimelech was Achish, ruler of the city of Gath (seeIntroduction to Psalm 34). David, in fleeing from Saul, had looked for safety in Gath, but when Achishwas warned that David could be an Israelite spy, he decided to kill him. When David acted as a madman,Achish was easily deceived and drove him out of the city (1 Sam 21:10-15).Among the IsraelitesDuring the period of the judges, an ambitious Israelite named Abimelech was the cause of muchunnecessary bloodshed. He was one of Gideon’s seventy sons, and his mother was a Shechemite. UponGideon’s death, Abimelech killed all his brothers (except one who escaped) and established himself‘king’ in Shechem (Judg 9:1-6). When, after three years, the Shechemites plotted to assassinate him,Abimelech discovered the plot and slaughtered the plotters (Judg 9:22-41).With his pride hurt, Abimelech was now driven on in senseless fury. He massacred the innocentcitizens of Shechem, along with those of another town whom he thought might have been opposed to him.But his blind rage led to a lack of caution, and this in turn brought about his death (Judg 9:42-56).ABISHAGWhen David was old and sick, the nurse chosen to be with him constantly was Abishag. One of herduties was to lie with him in bed to give him warmth. Although she was not a concubine, some peopleapparently thought she was (1 Kings 1:1-4). After David’s death, his son Adonijah asked the new kingSolomon for Abishag as a wife. Since a new king inherited the concubines of the former king (cf. 2 Sam3:7-10; 12:7-8; 16:22), Solomon considered Adonijah’s request to be an attempt to gain David’s throne.He therefore executed Adonijah for treason (1 Kings 2:13-25).ABISHAIWith his brothers Joab and Asahel, Abishai joined David during David’s flight from Saul. Thebrothers, though related to David and strong supporters of him, were a constant worry to David becauseof their hotheadedness. Abishai seems to have been the most violent of the three (1 Sam 26:6-9; 2 Sam2:18-24; 3:30,39; 16:9-10; 19:21-22; 21:16-17). He became one of the highest ranked officers in David’sarmy, being commander of that group of ‘mighty men’ known as The Thirty (2 Sam 23:18-19). In battlehe commanded large divisions of the fighting forces (2 Sam 10:9-10; 18:2).ABNERWhen Saul, the first king of Israel, established his administration, he appointed his cousin Abner ascommander-in-chief of his army (1 Sam 14:50-51). Abner first met David on the occasion of Goliath’sdefeat (1 Sam 17:55-57). David served under Abner as a loyal officer (1 Sam 18:5), but later Abner ledSaul’s troops in trying to capture the fleeing, yet innocent, David (1 Sam 26:5,14-15).After Saul’s death, Abner appointed Saul’s son Ishbosheth as king in opposition to David (2 Sam2:8). Although Abner was a strong leader, his troops were not as good as David’s and they steadily lostground over the next two years (2 Sam 3:1,6). Meanwhile Ishbosheth became increasingly jealous ofAbner, who was the real power supporting him. When Ishbosheth accused Abner of wanting the thronefor himself, Abner deserted Ishbosheth and joined David (2 Sam 3:7-11).
Abner then set to work to win allegiance to David from all the previous supporters of Ishbosheth(2 Sam 3:17-21). But he was treacherously murdered by David’s commander Joab, in retaliation forAbner’s earlier killing of Joab’s brother in battle (2 Sam 3:24-30; cf. 2:12-23). Without the leadership ofAbner, Ishbosheth’s ‘kingdom’ quickly collapsed (2 Sam 4:1-5:1).ABRAHAMOriginally called Abram, Abraham received his new name from God in confirmation of God’spromise that he would be father of a multitude of people (Gen 17:5-7). In fulfilment of this promise,Abraham became the physical father of the Israelite nation (Matt 3:9; John 8:37). Because he acceptedGod’s promise by faith, he is also the spiritual father of all who accept God’s promises by faith,regardless of their nationality. As God in his grace declared Abraham righteous, so he declares righteousall who trust in him (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:11).Response to GodAbraham was brought up in Mesopotamia, and the people among whom he lived were idolworshippers (Gen 11:28-31; Josh 24:2). But he worshipped the one true God (Gen 14:22; 18:25; 21:33).Abraham gave proof of his faith by obeying God whenGod told him to move out from his family group to anew land to which God would direct him (about 1925BC; Gen 12:1,4; Neh 9:7; Acts 7:2-4; Heb 11:8-10).God’s purpose in choosing Abraham was toproduce through him a nation (Israel; 2 Cor 11:22), togive that nation a land to dwell in (Canaan; Gen 12:5-7),and to bring from that nation one man (Jesus Christ;Rom 9:4-5) who would be saviour of the world.Through Abraham, people of all nations would receivethe life-giving blessing that God had prepared for theworld (Gen 12:1-3; Gal 3:14,29).At the time of their migration to Canaan, Abrahamand his wife Sarah (originally Sarai) had no children. Abraham was at that time seventy-five years of age.He and Sarah were accompanied by Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and a large household of labourers whomAbraham needed to look after his flocks, herds andworking animals (Gen 12:4,16; 14:14). A drought inCanaan convinced Abraham that he should look forbetter pastures in Egypt. But the Egyptian ruler foundhim deceitful, and Abraham was forced to leave Egyptin disgrace (Gen 12:10,20; 13:1).Nevertheless, Abraham and Lot continued toprosper. In fact, they became so wealthy that when theyreturned to Canaan, they had to settle in different partsof the land to prevent trouble between their households(Gen 13:1-2,6). Lot settled in the fertile region east ofthe Dead Sea (Gen 13:10-11). Abraham settled in thecentre of Canaan, and received God’s reassuringpromise that one day his descendants would possessCanaan as their national homeland (Gen 13:14-18).Later he rescued Lot from an invading army ofMesopotamians. He demonstrated his belief that Godalone controlled Canaan’s affairs, when he made asacrificial offering to God’s priest (Melchizedek) andrefused to accept any reward from the Canaanite rulers(Gen 14:1-24; cf. Heb 7:1-2,4,6).God’s covenantGod’s promise to Abraham (namely, that he would be the father of a great nation) originated entirelyin the sovereign will of God. God chose Abraham, Abraham believed God’s promise, and in response
God accepted Abraham as righteous (Gen 15:6). In confirmation of his promise, God told Abraham toprepare a covenant ceremony where normally the two parties to the covenant would pass between theparts of slaughtered animals. In this case, however, only God (symbolized by a smoking fire-pot and aflaming torch) passed between the animals, showing again that God alone took responsibility to fulfil thecovenant promises. All that Abraham had to do was believe (Gen 15:7-10,17-21).After ten years in Canaan, Sarah and Abraham had not been able to produce a son. Sarah thereforesuggested that Abraham obtain his son through their slave-girl, Hagar (Gen 16:1-3). But the son born ofthis relationship was not the one God had promised. Abraham’s promised heir would come through hiswife Sarah. It was at this time that God gave the names ‘Abraham’ and ‘Sarah’. The new namesemphasized that they would yet be the parents of a multitude of people (Gen 17:1-7,15-19).In further confirmation of his covenant with Abraham, God commanded Abraham and all future maledescendants to make a permanent mark in their bodies. This mark, circumcision, was both a symbol ofGod’s faithfulness to his covenant and a sign that Abraham believed God’s promises and acted uponthem. Circumcision sealed Abraham’s faith and demonstrated his obedience (Gen 17:9-11; 17:23; Rom4:9-12; Acts 7:8; see CIRCUMCISION; COVENANT).Sarah found it difficult to believe that she would yet have a child. God had just reassured Abraham(Gen 17:17-19), and now he sent heavenly messengers to reassure Sarah (Gen 18:9-14). The samemessengers told Abraham that judgment was about to fall on the wicked cities of the region where Lotlived (Gen 18:16-21). Abraham hoped that God might spare the cities, but he did not realize how bad theywere. The cities were destroyed, though Lot escaped (Gen 18:32; 19:29).Abraham’s heirUpon moving with his flocks and herds into the Philistine region, Abraham again brought disgraceupon himself when he deceived the ruler in whose territory he dwelt (Gen 20:1-3). This failure ofAbraham, particularly at a time so close to the birth of the promised son, showed again that God’sblessing upon Abraham depended entirely upon divine grace, not upon human good works (Rom 4:1-5).The promised heir, Isaac, was born to Abraham and Sarah when Abraham was about one hundredyears old. Abraham had accepted God’s promise by faith, in spite of the apparent impossibility of such anold couple producing children. God was faithful to his promise (Gen 21:2-3; Rom 4:17-21).An even greater test of faith came when God told Abraham to offer his son as a human sacrifice. IfIsaac was killed, God could no longer fulfil his promise of a multitude of descendants
Jews of Old Testament times never used abba when addressing God, but Jesus used it when praying to his Father (Mark 14:36). The early Christians also addressed God as Abba; for, through Christ, God has adopted believers as his sons and made them joint heirs with Christ of his heavenly inheritance (Rom
The Tyndale Bible Dictionary includes all the significant people, places, and terms in the Bible. The dictionary also has comprehensive articles on all the books of the Bible, significant words in the Bible, translations of the Bible, manuscripts of the Bible, and the canon of Scripture (inc
aspell-eo An Esperanto Dictionary for Aspell L2 aspell-es A Spanish Dictionary for ASpell L2 aspell-et An Estonian dictionary for aspell L2 aspell-fa A Persian dictionary for aspell L2 aspell-fi Finnish Dictionary Package L2 aspell-fo A Faroese Dictionary for ASpell L2 aspell-fr A French Dictionary for ASpell L2 aspell-ga An Irish Dictionary .
format, the fifteen volumes were revised and reissued in eight volumes under the series title, Bridge Bible Handbooks. Those eight books are now combined into the one-volume Bridgeway Bible Commentary, which is a companion in size, style and format t
Jun 02, 2019 · Bible Handbooks — Hayford’s Bible Handbook; Halley’s Bible Handbook; Eerdman’s Handbook . Concordances — Strong’s Concordance; Young’s Concordance . Bible Dictionaries — The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary; Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary . Word Study Books —
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17:14; Num 33:2) and he wrote poems and songs (Exod 15:1; Deut 1:22,30). As leader of the nation, Moses was no doubt familiar with the family records, traditional stories and ancient songs that people of former gene
3. Overview of the Bible 2. How did the Bible come into being? 4. The First process of the Bible GPS is Understanding. 5. The Second process of the Bible GPS is Application. The Third process of the Bible GPS is Communication. 6. The Bible GPS on Galatians 5: 16-26 7. The Bible GPS on Ephesians 5: 8-20 8. The Bible GPS on Romans 3: 21-26
MP Board Intermediate Syllabus 2020-Commerce Stream: Down below the MP Board Intermediate Syllabus 2020 for Commerce Stream is given which comprises three broad subjects i.e Economics, Business Studies, and Accountancy. The MP Board class 12th syllabus for Commerce stream can be accessed below. MP Board Intermediate Syllabus 2020 for Economics: P a r t Na me Un i t Na me .
