Dictionary
Key Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic words from Scripture — their original meaning, usage, and theological significance, Strong's-style.
- Agape
Agape — the Greek word for selfless, sacrificial love, used throughout the New Testament for both God's love toward humanity and the love Christians are commanded to show one another.
- Grace
Grace (charis) — the Greek word for unearned favor, at the center of the New Testament's teaching that salvation is a gift from God rather than a wage earned by good works.
- Faith
Faith (pistis) — the Greek word for trust or belief, the New Testament's term for the reliance on God through which salvation and righteousness are received.
- Covenant
Covenant (berith) — the Hebrew word for a binding agreement between two parties, the structural backbone of the Bible's story from Noah and Abraham through the new covenant in Christ.
- Messiah
Messiah (mashiach) — the Hebrew word for "anointed one," originally a title for kings and priests set apart by anointing, later the title for God's promised deliverer, fulfilled in the New Testament by Jesus, the Christ.
- Gospel
Gospel (euangelion) — the Greek word for "good news," used in the Roman world for the announcement of a great victory or a new ruler's reign, adopted by the New Testament for the announcement of salvation through Jesus Christ.
- Sin
Sin (hamartia) — the Greek word for missing the mark, the New Testament's primary term for moral failure and rebellion against God, both as individual acts and as a condition inherited from Adam.
- Redemption
Redemption (lutron) — the Greek word for a ransom price paid to free a slave or captive, used by the New Testament to describe Christ's death as the price paid to free sinners from bondage to sin.
- Atonement
Atonement (kippurim) — the Hebrew word behind Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, describing the covering or removal of sin that restores a right relationship between God and his people.
- Propitiation
Propitiation (hilasterion) — the Greek word for the mercy seat atop the ark of the covenant, and for the turning away of God's wrath through sacrifice, applied by the New Testament to Christ's death.
- Justification
Justification (dikaiosis) — the Greek word for being declared righteous, the New Testament's legal term for God's verdict that a sinner who trusts in Christ is acquitted and counted righteous.
- Sanctification
Sanctification (hagiasmos) — the Greek word for being made holy or set apart, describing the New Testament's picture of ongoing growth in godliness after a believer has been justified.
- Righteousness
Righteousness (tsedeq) — the Hebrew word for what is right, just, and in proper order, describing both God's own moral perfection and the standard he holds his people to.
- Holy
Holy (qadosh) — the Hebrew word for what is set apart and consecrated, the Bible's most repeated description of God's own nature and of what he calls his people to be.
- Glory
Glory (kabod) — the Hebrew word for weight or heaviness, used for the visible, weighty splendor of God's presence and, by extension, for his honor and reputation.
- Spirit
Spirit (ruach) — the Hebrew word for wind, breath, and spirit, used for the animating breath of life, the human spirit, and above all the Spirit of God active in creation and among his people.
- Logos
Logos — the Greek word for word, reason, or account, used by John to identify Jesus Christ as the eternal, divine Word who was with God, and was God, before all creation.
- Shalom
Shalom — the Hebrew word for peace, meaning far more than the absence of conflict: completeness, wholeness, welfare, and right relationship between people and with God.
- Hesed
Hesed (chesed) — the Hebrew word for God's covenant loyalty: a steadfast, faithful love that keeps promises even when the other party has not earned or deserved it.
- Repentance
Repentance (metanoia) — the Greek word for a change of mind, the New Testament's term for the deep turning away from sin and toward God that John the Baptist and Jesus both preached as necessary for salvation.
- Baptism
Baptism (baptisma) — the Greek word for immersion or washing, the New Testament's rite of initiation signifying repentance, union with Christ's death and resurrection, and entry into the church.
- Church
Church (ekklesia) — the Greek word for a called-out assembly, the New Testament's term for the gathered community of believers, both a local congregation and the whole body of Christ.
- Fellowship
Fellowship (koinonia) — the Greek word for partnership, sharing, or common participation, describing the New Testament church's shared life together and shared union with Christ.
- Soul
Soul (nephesh) — the Hebrew word for the whole living being, not merely an immaterial inner part, describing a person (or animal) as a complete, breathing, desiring creature.
- Sabbath
Sabbath (shabbat) — the Hebrew word for rest or cessation, the seventh-day observance rooted in creation and commanded in the Ten Commandments as a weekly rest for Israel.
- Torah
Torah — the Hebrew word for instruction or teaching, most narrowly the first five books of the Bible given through Moses, and more broadly the whole of God's revealed law and guidance.
- Amen
Amen — the Hebrew word for truly or so be it, used to affirm the truthfulness or binding force of a statement, oath, blessing, or prayer, carried untranslated into both Greek and English.
- Hallelujah
Hallelujah — the Hebrew call to praise the LORD, combining the imperative praise (halelu) with the short form of God's covenant name (Yah), used throughout the Psalms and carried into Christian worship untranslated.
- Kyrios
Kyrios — the Greek word for lord or master, ranging from a courteous "sir" to a slave owner to the title the Greek Old Testament uses for God's name, and the title the earliest Christians gave Jesus.
- Adonai
Adonai — the Hebrew title "my Lord," used only of God in its plural-of-majesty form, and the word Jewish readers speak in place of the unpronounced divine name YHWH.
- Elohim
Elohim — the Hebrew word for God or gods, a plural form that takes singular verbs when it names the God of Israel and the most common divine title in the Old Testament.
- YHWH
YHWH — the four-letter personal name of the God of Israel, rendered "the LORD" in most English Bibles and linked in Exodus 3 with the Hebrew verb "to be."
- Pneuma
Pneuma — the Greek word for wind, breath, and spirit, used in the New Testament for the human spirit, for spirit beings, and above all for the Holy Spirit.
- Psyche
Psyche — the Greek word for life, soul, or self, used in the New Testament for physical life, for the whole person, and for the inner being that outlasts the body.
- Sarx
Sarx — the Greek word for flesh, meaning the physical body, human nature and descent, and in Paul's letters the weakness of humanity in its pull against the Spirit.
- Soteria
Soteria — the Greek word for salvation, meaning rescue, safety, and deliverance, used in the New Testament for God's saving work in Christ from physical danger up to final deliverance from sin and death.
- Zoe
Zoe — the Greek word for life, used in the New Testament for ordinary living existence and above all for the eternal, God-given life that Jesus offers.
- Eirene
Eirene — the Greek word for peace, used in the New Testament for the end of hostility, inner calm, and the whole-life wellbeing of the Hebrew shalom that Christ is said to bring.
- Elpis
Elpis — the Greek word for hope, meaning confident expectation of something not yet seen, and in the New Testament a firm trust in what God has promised rather than a wish.
- Doxa
Doxa — the Greek word for glory, which in the New Testament carries the Hebrew sense of the weighty, visible splendor of God and of the honor that belongs to him.
- Dunamis
Dunamis — the Greek word for power or ability, used in the New Testament for God's power at work in Christ and the gospel, for miracles, and for the strength given to believers through the Spirit.
- Aletheia
Aletheia — the Greek word for truth, used in the New Testament for what is real and reliable, and applied by John to God's word, to the Spirit, and to Jesus himself.
- Sophia
Sophia — the Greek word for wisdom, meaning skill and insight in living, which the New Testament applies to God, to Christ, and to the practical understanding believers are told to ask for.
- Chokmah
Chokmah — the Hebrew word for wisdom, meaning skill in living rightly under God, whether in craftsmanship, in government, or in the ordinary choices of daily life.
- Apostolos
Apostolos — the Greek word for a person sent out with a commission, applied in the New Testament above all to the Twelve and to Paul as those sent by Christ, and more broadly to other messengers.
- Diakonos
Diakonos — the Greek word for servant or minister, used in the New Testament for anyone who serves and for a recognized office of service in the church, from which English gets "deacon."
- Episkopos
Episkopos — the Greek word for overseer, used in the New Testament for those who supervise and care for a local church and the source of the English word "bishop."
- Doulos
Doulos — the Greek word for slave, used in the New Testament for literal bond servants and, as a title of honor and devotion, for those who belong entirely to Christ.
- Parakletos
Parakletos — the Greek word for one called alongside to help, translated Comforter, Advocate, Helper, or Counselor, and used in John's writings for the Holy Spirit and for Jesus.
- Parousia
Parousia — the Greek word for presence or arrival, which the New Testament uses especially for the coming of Christ and which Christian theology treats as the name for his return.
- Mysterion
Mysterion — the Greek word for mystery, meaning a divine purpose once hidden and now revealed, and in the New Testament above all the gospel's inclusion of the Gentiles and the union of Christ with his people.
- Charisma
Charisma — the Greek word for a gift of grace, used by Paul for both salvation itself and the varied abilities God gives believers for the good of the church.
- Hypomone
Hypomone — the Greek word for endurance, meaning steadfast perseverance under pressure, which the New Testament links to hope and treats as a mark of maturing faith.
- Parabole
Parabole — the Greek word for parable, meaning something placed alongside something else for comparison, used in the Gospels for Jesus's short stories and sayings and translating the Hebrew mashal.
- Adam
Adam — the Hebrew word for humanity or a human being, related to the word for ground, which is also used as the proper name of the first man.
- Bara
Bara — the Hebrew verb for create, used in the Old Testament only with God as its subject, for his making of the heavens and earth, humanity, and the new things he will bring about.
- Avon
Avon — the Hebrew word for iniquity, which covers the twisted act, the guilt it creates, and the punishment it brings, and is the burden God is said to forgive and the Servant to bear.
- Chata
Chata — the Hebrew verb meaning to miss, and so to sin, which pictures wrongdoing as falling short of a mark and gives its name to the sin offering.
- Emet
Emet — the Hebrew word for truth, which means reliability and faithfulness as well as accuracy, and describes God's character, his word, and the honesty required of his people.
- Emunah
Emunah — the Hebrew word for firmness or faithfulness, describing the steady reliability of God and of a person who can be trusted, and the word behind Habakkuk's statement that the just live by faith.
- Mishpat
Mishpat — the Hebrew word for justice or judgment, covering the act of judging, a legal decision, and the ordering of society in fairness, especially care for the vulnerable.
- Olam
Olam — the Hebrew word for a very long or indefinite time, translated forever, everlasting, or ancient, and used of God's existence, his covenants, and the distant past and future.
- Pesach
Pesach — the Hebrew word for Passover, the name of the lamb and of the spring festival that commemorates God's passing over the Israelite houses on the night of the exodus from Egypt.
- Sheol
Sheol — the Hebrew word for the realm of the dead, translated grave, pit, or hell in older Bibles, and pictured in the Old Testament as the shadowy place where all the dead go.
- Shema
Shema — the Hebrew verb "hear," which means to listen and obey, and the name of Israel's central confession, "Hear, O Israel," from Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
- Rachamim
Rachamim — the Hebrew plural word for compassion or tender mercy, drawn from the word for womb, and used for the deep feeling of a parent for a child that the Bible applies to God.
- Kapporet
Kapporet — the Hebrew word for the gold lid of the ark of the covenant, translated "mercy seat," where the high priest sprinkled blood on the Day of Atonement and where God promised to meet Israel.
- Nabi
Nabi — the Hebrew word for prophet, meaning a person who speaks for God, and the main title for figures from Moses to the writing prophets.
- Anastasis
Anastasis — the Greek word for resurrection, literally a "standing up again," the New Testament's term for the bodily raising of the dead and the central hope of the Christian faith.
- Stauros
Stauros — the Greek word for cross, originally a plain upright stake or execution post, the New Testament's central symbol for Christ's death and for the self-denial he asks of his followers.
- Kardia
Kardia — the Greek word for heart, the New Testament's term for the inner center of a person's thought, will, and emotion, not merely the seat of feeling.
- Nomos
Nomos — the Greek word for law, used in the New Testament chiefly for the Mosaic Law given through Moses and for the broader question of how that law relates to grace and faith in Christ.
- Eleos
Eleos — the Greek word for mercy, God's compassionate response to human need and weakness, distinct from grace in that it responds specifically to misery and helplessness rather than guilt.
- Martys
Martys — the Greek word for witness, one who testifies to what they have seen or know firsthand, and the root of the English word "martyr" through those whose testimony cost them their lives.
- Kerygma
Kerygma — the Greek word for proclamation or preaching, the New Testament's term for the public, authoritative announcement of the gospel message itself, not merely the act of speaking it.
- Presbyteros
Presbyteros — the Greek word for elder, used in the New Testament for older, respected leaders who governed and cared for the early church, closely tied to the office of overseer.
- Hagios
Hagios — the Greek word for holy or set apart, describing God's own consecrated nature and, as a plural noun, believers themselves — the "saints" or "holy ones" of the New Testament.
- Soma
Soma — the Greek word for body, used in the New Testament for the physical human body and, most distinctively, for the church as the collective body of Christ.
- Christos
Christos — the Greek word for "anointed one," the New Testament's title identifying Jesus as the promised Messiah, and the origin of the name "Christ" and the word "Christian."
- Huiothesia
Huiothesia — the Greek word for adoption as sons, Paul's term for the believer's new legal and relational status as a child of God through Christ.
- Mitzvah
Mitzvah — the Hebrew word for a commandment, God's binding directive to his covenant people, used of individual laws and, collectively, of the whole body of Torah instruction.
- Goel
Goel — the Hebrew word for a kinsman-redeemer, the near relative obligated by custom and law to rescue, buy back, or avenge a member of the family in need.
- Melek
Melek — the Hebrew word for king, applied to Israel's monarchs, foreign rulers, the LORD's own kingship, and the promised messianic king.
- Malak
Malak — the Hebrew word for messenger, used of both human envoys and heavenly beings sent by God, translated variously as "messenger" or "angel."
- Selah
Selah — an untranslated Hebrew term appearing throughout the Psalms and Habakkuk, most likely a musical or liturgical pause marking a moment to stop and reflect.
- Immanuel
Immanuel — the Hebrew name meaning "God with us," given as a sign to King Ahaz in Isaiah 7:14 and applied by Matthew's Gospel to the birth of Jesus.
- Abba
Abba — the Aramaic word for "father," an intimate family address that Jesus used to pray to God and that Paul says the Spirit gives believers to use as well.
- Chen
Chen — the Hebrew word for favor or grace, describing unearned kindness shown by one person to another and, especially, by God to his people.
- Qahal
Qahal — the Hebrew word for assembly or congregation, the gathered body of Israel summoned before the LORD; translated in the Greek Old Testament by ekklesia.
- Tehillah
Tehillah — the Hebrew word for praise, the root behind "Hallelujah" and the source of Tehillim, the traditional Hebrew title of the book of Psalms.
- Ger
Ger — the Hebrew word for a sojourner or resident alien, the foreigner living among Israel whom the law repeatedly commands the people to protect rather than oppress.
- Berakhah
Berakhah — the Hebrew word for blessing, a spoken pronouncement of favor that God gives to people and that people, in turn, give to God and to one another.