Glossary

The following words used in the World English Bible (WEB) are not very common, either because they refer to ancient weights, measures, or money, or because they are in some way unique to the Bible.

Abaddon

Abaddon is Hebrew for destruction.

Abba

Abba is a Chaldee word for father,
used in a respectful, affectionate, and familiar way, like papa, dad, or daddy.
Often used in prayer to refer to our Father in Heaven.

adultery

Adultery is having sexual intercourse with someone besides your own husband or wife. In the Bible, the
only legitimate sexual intercourse is between a man and a woman who are married to each other.
alpha Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. It is sometimes used to mean the beginning or the first.
amen Amen means “So be it” or “I believe it is certainly so.”

angel “Angel” literally means “messenger” or “envoy,” and is usually used to refer to spiritual beings who normally are invisible to us, but can also appear as exceedingly strong creatures or as
humans. Apollyon Apollyon is Greek for destroyer. apostle “Apostle” means a delegate,
messenger, or one sent forth with orders. This term is applied in the New
Testamentin both a general sense connected with a ministry of establishing and strengthening church fellowships, as well as in a specific sense to “The 12 Apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:14). The former category applies to a specific ministry that continues in the Church (Ephesians 4:11-13)
and which includes many more than

12 people, while the latter refers to the apostles named in Matthew 10:2-4, except with Judas Iscariot replaced by Matthias (Acts 1:26). Armageddon See Har-magedon. assarion An assarion is a small Roman copper coin worth one tenth of a drachma, or about an hour’s wages for an agricultural laborer.
aureus An aureus is a Roman gold coin, worth 25 silver denarii. An aureus weighed from 115 to 126.3 grains (7.45 to 8.18 grams). baptize Baptize means to immerse in, or wash with something, usually water. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, fire, the Body of Christ, and suffering are also mentioned in the New Testament,
along with baptism in water. Baptism is not just to cleanse the body, but as anoutward signof aninward spiritual cleansing and commitment. Baptism is a sign of repentance, as practiced by John the Baptizer, and of faith in Jesus Christ, as practiced by Jesus’ disciples. bath A bath is a liquid measure of about
22 liters, 5.8 U. S. gallons, or 4.8 imperial gallons. batos A batos is a liquid measure of
about 39.5 liters, 10.4 U. S. gallons, or 8.7 imperial gallons. Beelzebul literally, lord of the flies. A
name used for the devil. Beersheba Beersheba is Hebrew for “well of the oath” or “well of the
seven.” A city in Israel. behold Look! See! Wow! Notice this! Lo!
cherub A cherub is a kind of angel with wings and hands that is associated with the throne room of God and
guardian duty. See Ezekiel 10.
cherubim Cherubim means more than
one cherub or a mighty cherub.
choenix A choenix is a dry volume measure that is a little more than a liter
(which is a little more than a quart). A
choenix was the daily ration of grain
for a soldier in some armies.
concubine a woman who is united to
a man for the purpose of providing
him with sexual pleasure and children, but not being honored as a full
partner in marriage; a second-class
wife. In Old Testament times (and
in some places now), it was the custom of middle-eastern kings, chiefs, and wealthy men to marry multiple
wives and concubines, but God commanded the Kings of Israel not to
do so (Deuteronomy 17:17) and Jesus encouraged people to either remain single or marry as God originally
intended: one man married to one
woman (Matthew 19:3-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-13).
cor A cor is a dry measure of about 391
liters, 103 U. S. gallons, or 86 imperial
gallons.
corban Corban is a Hebrew word for an
offering devoted to God.
crucify Crucify means to execute
someone by nailing them to a cross
with metal spikes. Their hands are
stretched out on the crossbeam with
spikes driven through their wrists
or hands. Their feet or ankles are
attached to a cross with a metal spike.
The weight of the victim’s body tends
to force the air out of his lungs. To
rise up to breathe, the victim has to
put weight on the wounds, and use a
lot of strength. The victim is nailed
to the cross while the cross is on the
ground, then the cross is raised up
and dropped into a hole, thus jarring
the wounds. Before crucifixion, the
victim was usually whipped with a
Roman cat of nine tails, which had bits
of glass and metal tied to its ends. This
caused chunks of flesh to be removed
and open wounds to be placed against
the raw wood of the cross. The
victim was made to carry the heavy
crossbeam of his cross from the place
ofjudgmentto the place of crucifixion,
but often was physically unable after
the scourging, so another person
would be pressed into involuntary
service to carry the cross for him.
Roman crucifixion was generally
done totally naked to maximize both
shame and discomfort. Eventually,
the pain, weakness, dehydration, and
exhaustion of the muscles needed to
breathe make breathing impossible,
and the victim suffocates.
cubit A cubit is a unit of linear measure,
from the elbow to the tip ofthe longest
finger of a man. This unitis commonly
converted to 0.46 meters or 18 inches,
although that varies with height of the
man doing the measurement. There
is also a “long” cubit that is longer
thana regular cubit by a handbreadth.
(Ezekiel 43:13)
cummin Cummin is an aromatic seed
from Cuminum cyminum, resembling
caraway in flavor and appearance. It
is used as a spice.
darnel Darnel is a weed grass (probably bearded darnel or Lolium temulentum) that looks very much like
wheat until it is mature, when the
seeds reveal a great difference. Darnel
seeds aren’t good for much except as
chicken feed or to burn to prevent the
spread of this weed.
denarii denarii: plural form of denarius, a silver Roman coin worth about
a day’s wages for a laborer.
denarius A denarius is a silver Roman
coin worth about a day’s wages for an
agricultural laborer. A denarius was
worth 1/25th of a Roman aureus.
devil The word “devil” comes from the
Greek “diabolos,” which means “one
prone to slander; a liar.” “Devil” is
used to refer to a fallen angel, also
called “Satan,” who works to steal, kill,
destroy, and do evil. The devil’s doom
is certain, and it is only a matter of
time before he is thrown into the Lake
of Fire, never to escape.
didrachma A didrachma is a Greek silver coin worth 2 drachmas, about as
much as 2 Roman denarii, or about 2
days wages. It was commonly used to
pay the half-shekel temple tax.
disciple a student who follows a teacher
to learn both by precept and example.
distaff part of a spinning wheel used for
twisting threads.
drachma A drachma is a Greek silver
coin worth about one Roman denarius, or about a day’s wages for an agricultural laborer.
El-Elohe-Israel El-Elohe-Israel means
“God, the God of Israel” or “The God of
Israel is mighty.”
ephah An ephah is a measure of volume
of about 22 liters, 5.8 U. S. gallons, 4.8 imperial gallons, or a bit more than
half a bushel.
Gehenna Gehenna is one word used for
Hell. It comes from the Hebrew GeyHinnom, literally “valley of Hinnom.”
This word originated as the name for a
place south ofthe old city ofJerusalem
where the city’s rubbish was burned.
At one time, live babies were thrown
crying into the fire under the arms of
the idol, Moloch, to die there. This
place was so despised by the people
after the righteous King Josiah abolished this hideous practice that it was
made into a garbage heap. Bodies of
diseased animals and executed criminals were thrown there and burned.
gittith Gittith is a musical term possibly
meaning “an instrument of Gath.”
goad a sharp, pointed prodding device
used to motivate reluctant animals
(such as oxen and mules) to move in
the right direction.
gospel Gospel means “good news” or
“glad tidings,” specifically the Good
News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection for our salvation, healing,
and provision; and the hope of eternal
life that Jesus made available to us by
God’s grace.
Hades Hades: The nether realm of the
disembodied spirits. Also known as
“hell.” See also “Sheol”.
Har-magedon Har-magedon, also
called Armegeddon, is most likely a
reference to hill (“har”) of Megiddo,
near the Carmel Range in Israel.
This area has a large valley plain
with plenty of room for armies to
maneuver.
hin A hin is a measure of volume of
about about 6.5 liters or 1.7 gallons.
homer Onehomer is about 220 liters, 6.2
U. S. bushels, 6.1 imperial bushels, 58
U. S. gallons, or 48.4 imperial gallons.
hypocrite a stage actor; someone who
pretends to be someone other than
who they really are; a pretender; a
dissembler
Ishmael Ishmael is the son of Abraham
and Hagar. Ishmael literally means,
“God hears.”
Jehovah See “Yahweh.”
Jesus “Jesus” is Greek for the Hebrew
name “Yeshua,” which is a short version of “Yehoshua,” which comes from
“Yoshia,” which means “He will save.”
kodrantes A kodrantes is a small coin
worth one half of an Attic chalcus or
two lepta. It is worth less than 2%
of a day’s wages for an agricultural
laborer.
lepta Lepta are very small, brass, Jewish
coins worth half a Roman quadrans
each, which is worth a quarter of the
copper assarion. Lepta are worth less
than 1% of an agricultural worker’s
daily wages.
leviathan Leviathan is a poetic name
for a large aquatic creature, possibly a
crocodile or a dinosaur.
mahalath Mahalath is the name of a
tune or a musical term.
manna Name for the food that God
miraculously provided to the Israelites while they were wandering in
the wilderness between Egypt and the
promised land. From Hebrew man-hu
(Whatis that?) or manan (to allot). See
Exodus 16:14-35.
marriage the union of a husband and a
wife for the purpose of cohabitation,
procreation, and to enjoy each other’s
company. God’s plan for marriage
is between one man and one woman
(Mark 10:6-9; 1 Corinthians 7). Although there are many cases of a man
marrying more than one woman in
the Old Testament, being married to
one wife is a requirement to serve in
certain church leadership positions (1
Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:5-6).
maschil Maschil is a musical and literary term for “contemplation” or “meditative psalm.”
michtam A michtam is a poem.
mina A mina is a Greek coin worth
100 Greek drachmas (or 100 Roman
denarii), or about 100 day’s wages for
an agricultural laborer.
myrrh Myrrh is the fragrant substance
that oozes out of the stems and
branches of the low, shrubby tree
commiphora myrrha or commiphora
kataf native to the Arabian deserts
and parts of Africa. The fragrant gum drops to the ground and hardens into
an oily yellowish-brown resin. Myrrh
was highly valued as a perfume, and
as an ingredient in medicinal and
ceremonial ointments.
Nicolaitans Nicolaitans were most
likely Gnostics who taught the detestable lie that the physical and spiritual realms were entirely separate
and that immorality in the physical
realm wouldn’t harm your spiritual
health.
omega Omega is the last letter of the
Greek alphabet. It is sometimes used
to mean the last or the end.
Peniel Peniel is Hebrew for “face of
God.”
phylactery a leather container for holding a small scroll containing important Scripturepassages thatis wornon
the arm or forehead in prayer. These
phylacteries (tefillin in Hebrew) are
still used by orthodox Jewish men. See
Deuteronomy 6:8.
Praetorium Praetorium: the Roman
governor’s residence and office building, and those who work there.
quadrans A quadrans is a Roman coin
worth about 1/64 of a denarius. A
denarius is about one day’s wages for
an agricultural laborer.
rabbi Rabbi is a transliteration of the
Hebrew word for “my teacher,” used
as a title of respectfor Jewish teachers.
Rahab Rahab is either (1) The prostitute who hid Joshua’s 2 spies in Jericho (Joshua 2,6) and later became an
ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) and
an example of faith (Hebrews 11:31;
James 2:25); or (2) Literally, “pride” or
“arrogance” —possibly a reference to a
large aquatic creature (Job 9:13; 26:12;
Isaiah 51:9) or symbolically referring
to Egypt (Psalms 87:4; 89:10; Isaiah
30:7).
repent to change one’s mind; turn away
from sin and turn toward God; to abhor one’s past sins and determine to
follow God.
Rhabboni Rhabboni: a transliteration of the Hebrew word for “great
teacher.”
Sabbath The seventh day of the week,
set aside by God for man to rest.
saints The Greek word for “saints” literally means “holy ones.” Saints are people set apart for service to God as holy
and separate, living in righteousness.
Used in the Bible to refer to all Christians and to all of those who worship
Yahweh in Old Testament times.
Samaritan A Samaritan is a resident of
Samaria. The Samaritans and the Jews
generally detested each other during
the time that Jesus walked among us.
sanctify To declare or set apart something as holy. To purify and separate
a person from sin.
sata A sata is a dry measure of capacity
approximately equal to 13 liters or 1.5
pecks.
Satan Satan means “accuser.” This is
one name for the devil, an enemy of
God and God’s people.
scribe A scribe is one who copies God’s
law. They were often respected as
teachers and authorities on God’s law.
selah Selah is a musical term indicating
a pause or instrumental interlude for
reflection.
seraphim Seraphim are 6-winged angels. See Isaiah 6:2-6.
sexual immorality The term “sexual
immorality” in the New Testament
comes from the Greek “porneia,”
which refers to any sexual activity
besides that between a husband and
his wife. In other words, prostitution
(male or female), bestiality, homosexual activity, any sexual intercourse
outside of marriage, and the production and consumption of pornography
all are included in this term.
shekel A measure of weight, and when
referring to that weight in gold, silver,
or brass, of money. A shekel is approximately 16 grams, about a half an
ounce, or 20 gerahs (Ezekiel 45:12).
Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead. See
also “Hades”.
Shibah Shibah is Hebrew for “oath” or
“seven.” See Beersheba.
shigionoth Victorious music.
soul “Soul” refers to the emotions and intellect of a living person, as well as
that person’s very life. It is distinguished in the Bible from a person’s
spirit and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23,
Hebrews 4:12)
span A span is the length from the tip
of a man’s thumb to the tip of his little
finger when his hand is stretched out
(about half a cubit, or 9 inches, or 22.8
cm.)
spirit Spirit, breath, and wind all derive from the same Hebrew and Greek
words. A person’s spirit is the very
essence of that person’s life, which
comes from God, who is a Spirit being (John 4:24, Genesis 1:2; 2:7). The
Bible distinguishes between a person’s spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12). Some beings may exist as spirits without necessarily having a visible body, such as
angels and demons (Luke 9:39, 1 John
4:1-3).
stadia Stadia is plural for “stadion,” a
linear measure of about 184.9 meters
or 606.6 feet (the length of the race
course at Olympia).
stater A stater is a Greek silver coin
equivalent to four Attic or two Alexandrian drachmas, or a Jewish shekel:
just exactly enough to cover the halfshekel Temple Tax for two people.
tabernacle a dwelling place or place of
worship, usually a tent.
talent A measure of weight or mass of
3000 shekels.
Tartarus Tartarus is the Greek name for
an underworld for the wicked dead;
another name for Gehenna or Hell.
teraphim Teraphim are household
idols that may have been associated
with inheritance rights to the household property.
Yah “Yah” is a shortened form of “Yahweh,” which is God’s proper name.
This form is used occasionally in the
Old Testament, mostly in the Psalms.
See “Yahweh.”
Yahweh “Yahweh” is God’s proper
name. In Hebrew, the four consonants
roughly equivalent to YHWH were
considered too holy to pronounce, so
the Hebrew word for “Lord” (Adonai)
was substituted when reading it
aloud. Whenvowel points were added
to the Hebrew Old Testament, the
vowel points for “Adonai” were mixed
with the consonants for “Yahweh,”
which if you pronounced it literally as
written, would be pronounced “Yehovah” or “Jehovah.” When the Old
Testament was translated to Greek,
the tradition of substituting “Lord”
for God’s proper name continued
in the translation of God’s name
to “Lord” (Kurios). Some English
Bibles translate God’s proper name
to “LORD” or “GOD” (usually with
small capital letters), based on that
same tradition. This can get really
confusing, since two other words
(“Adonai” and “Elohim”) translate
to “Lord” and “God,” and they are
sometimes used together. The ASV
of 1901 (and some other translations)
render YHWH as “Jehovah.” The
most probable pronunciation of God’s
proper name is “Yahweh.” In Hebrew,
the name “Yahweh” is related to the
active declaration “I AM.” See Exodus
3:13-14. Since Hebrew has no tenses,
the declaration “I AM” can also be
interpreted as “I WAS” and “I WILL
BE.” Compare Revelation 1:8.
Zion Zion is a name which originally
referred one of the mountains of
Jerusalem. It became a term synonymous with Jerusalem itself. The term
“Heavenly Zion” is also used to refer
the future dwelling place of God’s
people.