This small book contains one of the 1,005 songs penned by king Solomon (1 Kgs. 4:32). It extols the passion and bliss of wedded love, and praises the king's "beloved." Many scholars have suggested ...

The word "soul" is used in several senses in the Bible. (a) It may signify an individual person (Ezek. 18:20). (b) It may be employed of mere biological life (Gen. 1:30). (c) It can have to do with...

The term "sovereign" denotes the right that God has to rule the Universe. Note that the word "reign" is contained within "sovereign." Jehovah has this "right" because he is the Creator, and theref...

The adjective "spiritual" has several senses. (a) It may refer to a being that is "spirit" in nature, e.g., angels (Eph. 6:12). (b) Spiritual may denote that which is from God, thus is lofty in its...

"Suffering" is a term that embraces the various physical and emotional ills to which the human family is heir. Skeptics charge that human suffering is irreconcilable with the idea of an all-powerfu...

The term "synoptic" derives from the Greek word sunoptikos, which means "seeing the whole together." The word is used to describe the first three Gospel narratives -- Matthew, Mark, and Luke -- bec...

The Greek word skene (rendered "tabernacle") means a "tent." (a) The tabernacle of Moses' day was a tent of worship, designed by God, and provided for the children of Israel as they wandered in the...

The Talmud is an encyclopedia of Jewish cultural tradition that was designed to supplement the Hebrew Old Testament. It evolved over a era from about 450 B.C. to A.D. 500. The Talmud (from a Hebrew...

The role of the Christian teacher is sobering indeed, for those who presume to "teach" will receive a "heavier judgment" (Jas. 3:1). This warning is not designed to discourage teaching (a divine ob...

The original words that are rendered by the English "tempt" are employed in two broad senses in the Scriptures, depending upon the context in which they are found. First, the concept may be that of...

The "Ten Commandments" constituted the core element of the law of Moses (see Ex. 19:16-20:17). They were written by God himself on the two tables of stone (Ex. 31:18; 32:15-16; 34:1, 28; Dt. 10:4)....

The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew (with certain minor portions in Aramaic), while the New Testament was penned in Koine Greek. None of the original documents (called autographs) of...

The church in Thessalonica was established on Paul's second missionary journey (Acts 17:1ff). After he left the region, he received a report regarding the congregation in Thessalonica, containing b...

Paul's second letter to the saints in Thessalonica was written not long after the first one, while the apostle was still at Corinth (Acts 18:11). This epistle seeks to correct an erroneous impressi...

This is Paul's first letter to his convert, Timothy, who was from the city of Lystra (Acts 16:1). It appears to have been written after Paul's release from his initial Roman imprisonment (Acts 28)....

This is Paul's last letter before his execution. It was written during his final Roman imprisonment. The epistle summons Timothy to Paul's side. It is intended to help Timothy understand the events...

In the N.T. (cf. Heb. 7:6, 9), this term derives from the Greek, dekatos, meaning "tenth." (a) In the Patriarchal period of history, it appears to have been the practice that godly men gave a tenth...

Titus was a Gentile co-worker of Paul's whom the apostle had left on the island of Crete to "set in order" certain matters and to work toward the ordination of elders within the local congregations...

Literally speaking, the "tongue" is an organ of taste and speech within the mouth. By metaphorical extension, it is used in literature for a human language. In the N.T., the gift of being able to "...

The term "tradition" renders a Greek word that suggests the idea of "instruction that has been handed down." It takes on two senses in Scripture. (a) "Tradition" may be instruction that is divinely...