vocabulary

Scripture Studies Vocabulary

Updated April 2003

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

This page will be developed throughout the year as part of our coursework. Please bookmark this and check back regularly for a developing word list.

Aaron - Moses' brother and the first high priest
Abram - original name for Abraham
Abraham - first ancestor of the Jews.
Alexandrian Canon - the biblical texts used by Jews (and later Christians) outside the Holy Land. It was in Greek, as many of them no longer spoke or read Hebrew
angel - a messenger of God
angelophany - a revelation by an angel
apotropaic rite - a rite which is intended to ward off evil; the blood on the doorposts of Exodus was an apotropaic rite
Aramaic - Semitic language which became popular after the Exile

Canaan - the pre-Israelite name for the land conquered by Joshua and the Israelites.This land was promised to Abraham by God.
canon - the accepted body of authorized texts

Hebrew - a Semitic language of the Middle East which was used by the Jewish people. It is the language of most of the Old Testament
henotheism - belief system which acknowledges many gods but believes in only one
Horeb - alternate term for Mt. Sinai

Isaac - from the Hebrew term for "laughter"; son of Abraham and Sarah in their old age
Ishmael - Abraham's first son, by his wife's maidservant Hagar. He is the ancestor of the Arabs

Jacob - son of Isaac husband of Leah and Rachel, and father of twelve sons (including Joseph) and one daughter. He is also know as Israel
Jordan River
Jospeh - son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his brothers and brought his family to Egypt. (Gen 37-50)
Judea

Masoretic Text - the "traditional" Hebrew Bible
massebah - a memorial stone used to mark a sacred place
Miriam - sister of Moses and Aaron
monotheism - the belief in only one god
Moses - from the Egyptian "is born".Exodus sees it as a play on the word for "to draw out". He led the Israelites out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land

Palestinian Canon - the Hebrew canon, used by the Jewsin Ancient Israel. It comes to be identified with the Masoretic Text and is the Old Testament chosen by the Protestant Reformers
papyrus -
parchment -
Pentateuch - Greek term for the first five books of the Bible (Toarh)
polytheism - belief in many gods
proverb
psalm

Rachel - (Hb) "ewe"; younger daughter of Laban, Jacob's favorite wife, mother of Joseph.The Bible says she was beautiful.
Rahab
Rebekah -(Hb) etymology uncertain; wife of Isaac, mother of the twins Esau and Jacob. She helps Jacob steal the blessing of the firstborn from Isaac. Buried at the Cave of Machpelah.
Reuel

Samuel - an early prophet of Israel, who anointed Saul and David
Sarah - (Hb) "princess"; wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
Sarai - former name of Abraham's wife
Saul - Israel's first king who died in a battle against the Philistines. As a king he was remembered as a failure, having disobeyed God and looking to take David's life, and later consulting the witch of Endor in order to communicate with the dead prophet Samuel.
Septuagint - (LXX) the Greek translation of the Old Testament
Sinai - the "mountain of God"; where Moses received the Ten Commandments, aka Mt. Horeb
Solomon
sympathetic magic -

Tanakh - The Hebrew term for the compilation of the Torah, Nebi'im and Ketubim aka the Pentateuch
terebinth - a type of tree in the pistachio family
theophany - a revelation of God
theophoric - a word containing a form of a word for God
Torah - "Law" or "Instruction" (Hb); the first section of the Tanakh

Vulgate - The Latin translation of the Bible produced by St. Jerome at the end of the Fourth Century

yam suph - (Hb) "sea of reeds" It is this, unnamed body of water that Exodus says Moses and the Israelites crossed with God's help.

Developed by Rev. Bruce Janiga and his Scripture Studies students at Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, NJ