Sometime before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians (586 B.C.), the prophet Habakkuk wonders why God appears to have ignored Judah’s sins. The Lord informs the bewildered prophet that he is pl...

After Judah’s initial return from Babylonian captivity (536 B.C.), God’s people had begun the work of rebuilding the temple. Then, due to opposition from certain enemies, the Hebrews became discour...

Certain first-century Jews sought to persuade Christians (perhaps in the region of Jerusalem) to abandon the faith, return to Judaism, and wait for the real Messiah. The design of this letter, by a...

“Heresy” takes its rise from the Greek, hairesis (nine times in the N.T.). Originally, the term meant simply “to choose” (Lev. 22:18, 21 — LXX). Then it came to signify a choice, i.e., an opinion ...

Homosexual activity is sexual intimacy between two persons of the same gender. This form of sexual conduct is uniformly condemned in the Bible. (a) It stands outside the divinely prescribed realm o...

Hosea lived in that era just prior to the Assyrian invasion of the kingdom of Israel (722/21 B.C.). His mission was to admonish Israel for her idolatry (Baal worship), and to urge her to repentance...

Ethics concerns the system or code by which attitudes or actions are determined to be right or wrong. Only two sources can serve as the basis for ethical conduct: ethical conduct is either regulate...

The Greek term, found in various forms about forty-five times in the N.T., means “the possession of a lot,” or portion. Some ideas associated with the word are these: (a) It can suggest a possessio...

The idea of “intercession” is expressed in both Testaments of the Bible. The Greek verb entunchano suggests the concept of making an appeal to someone with reference to another person. It can mean ...

Isaiah was a prophet who lived in Judah in the eighth century before Christ. He foretold coming judgments from God to be visited upon Israel, Judah, and several heathen nations, because of their si...

After Jacob had his famous encounter with the “messenger” of Jehovah (Gen. 32:29; cf. Hos. 12:4-5), his name was changed to “Israel,” suggesting, “he who strove with God.” Later, the name is applie...

A Jewish historian who lived around A.D. 37-103. He was initially a resistor against the Roman invasion of Judaea (A.D. 70), but he surrendered eventually. He went to Rome where he was commissioned...

The Greek word krino means to render a verdict (Lk. 7:43; Acts 15:9). Prepositions may be attached as prefixes to provide some direction to the term. For example, diakrino suggests the idea of dist...

Kindness (chrestos) may be defined as that which is characterized by honesty, friendliness, goodness, generosity, compassion, etc. The term is used in the N.T. in two main senses. (a) Kindness desc...

This is the title of a sovereign who exercises regal authority over a certain territory. The term is used in the following senses in Scripture. (a) Jehovah God is king over the entire earth (1 Sam....

Knowledge refers to a body of factual data that is received and understood by a rational human being. The acquisition of spiritual knowledge is fundamental to Christianity. The prophets foretold th...

The word “kingdom” (basileia) is a noun that generally refers to a territory over which a king rules. Three senses are prominent in the theology of the N.T. 
• Jesus uses the term to denote the rei...

The book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah. It actually is a funeral song designed to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem by the invading Babylonians (586 B.C.). The song is ...

Prior to the incident at Babel (Gen. 11:1ff), the people of the earth spoke one language. Because of ancient man’s ambition to “make a name” for himself, and due to his resistance to dispersing and...

The text of the Bible consists of three languages. (a) The O.T. was composed principally in Hebrew. This Semitic tongue was well adapted to emotional, poetic, and religious expression. It was ideal...