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Key names:
AARON
The name Aaron means “exalted” or “strong.” It has also been interpreted to mean “teacher” or "high mountain", "mountain of strength", "enlightened", or "bearer of martyrs" While it's spelled Aharon in Hebrew, the “h” is dropped in the Greek variation. Aaron has an important role as priest in the Bible, particularly in the Hebrew Bible. When he is first introduced in (Exodus 4:14), he is identified as the brother of Moses and as a Levite, one of the groups of priests. Hence, from the beginning, Aaron is seen as a priest. He is the son of Amram, the brother of Moses and Miriam (Numbers 26:50), and the eponymous ancestor of the priestly group called the Aaronites (the “Sons of Aaron”) (Exodus 28:1). The portrayal of Aaron is mixed. At times it is very positive, with Aaron and his sons serving as the priests for the ancient Israelites (Exodus 28–29). At other times, Aaron appears in a negative light, associated with the building of the golden calf (Exodus 32), the opposition to Moses (Numbers 12), and the incident at Meribah (Numbers 20).
ABRAHAM
The meaning of Abraham is “The Father of Many” Terah, the ninth in descent from Noah, was the father of Abram (Genesis 11:26) Abraham (originally Abram) (Genesis 17:5) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.“The Father of Many Nations” Abraham a native of Ur in Mesopotamia (Genesis 11:31), is called by God (Yahweh) to leave his own country and people and journey to an undesignated land (Genesis 12:1), where he will become the founder of a new nation (Genesis 12:7). He obeys the call unquestioningly and proceeds with his barren wife, Sarai, later named Sarah, his nephew Lot (Genesis 12:4), and other companions to the land of Canaan (between Syria and Egypt). Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and the substance and souls that they had acquired, and traveled to Shechem in Canaan (Genesis 12:4-6). Then he pitched his tent in the east of Bethel, and built an altar which was between Bethel and Ai (Genesis 12:7). There was a severe famine in the land of Canaan, so that Abram and Lot and their households traveled to Egypt. On the way Abram told Sarai to say that she was his sister, so that the Egyptians would not kill him (Genesis 12:10-13). When they entered Egypt, the Pharaoh's officials praised Sarai's beauty to Pharaoh, and they took her into the palace and gave Abram goods in exchange. God afflicted Pharaoh and his household with plagues, which led Pharaoh to try to find out what was wrong ((Genesis 12:14-17)). Upon discovering that Sarai was a married woman, Pharaoh demanded that Abram and Sarai leave (Genesis 12:18-20). When they lived for a while in the Negev after being banished from Egypt and came back to the Bethel and Ai area (Genesis 13:1), Abram's and Lot's sizable herds occupied the same pastures. This became a problem for the herdsmen, who were assigned to each family's cattle(Genesis 13:4-7). Abram suggested that Lot choose a separate area, either on the left hand or on the right hand, that there be no conflict amongst brethren. Lot decided to go eastward to the plain of Jordan (Genesis 13:14). During the rebellion of the Jordan River cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, against Elam, (Genesis 14:1-9) Abram's nephew, Lot, was taken prisoner along with his entire household (Genesis 14:12) by the invading Elamite forces. Once Abram received this news, he immediately assembled 318 trained servants. Abram's force headed north in pursuit of the Elamite army (Genesis 14:14). Abram's unit chased and slaughtered the Elamite King Chedorlaomer at Hobah, just north of Damascus. They freed Lot, as well as his household and possessions, and recovered all of the goods from Sodom that had been taken (Genesis 14:13-16). Abram and Sarai tried to make sense of how he would become a progenitor of nations, Sarai then offers her Egyptian slave, Hagar, to Abram with the intention that she would bear him a son (Genesis 16:1-3). After Hagar found she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress (Genesis 16:5), Sarai. Sarai responded by mistreating Hagar, and Hagar fled into the wilderness. An angel spoke with Hagar at the fountain on the way to Shur. He instructed her to return to Abram's camp and that her son would be "a wild ass of a man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren." She was told to call her son Ishmael (Genesis 16:15). Thirteen years later, when Abram was 99 years of age, God declared Abram's new name: "Abraham" (Genesis 17:5). God declared Sarai's new name: "Sarah", blessed her, and told Abraham, "I will give thee a son also of her" (Genesis 17:15-16). Not long afterward, Abraham saw three men in the presence of God (Genesis 18:2). One of the visitors told Abraham that upon his return next year, Sarah would have a son. Sarah overheard what was said and she laughed to herself about the prospect of having a child at their ages (Genesis 18:13). After eating, Abraham and the three visitors got up. They walked over to the peak that overlooked the 'cities of the plain' to discuss the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16) for their detestable sins that were so great, it moved God to action. Because Abraham's nephew was living in Sodom, God revealed plans to confirm and judge these cities. Abraham turned to God and pleaded decrementally with Him (from fifty persons to less) that "if there were at least ten righteous men found in the city, would not God spare the city?" For the sake of ten righteous people, God declared that he would not destroy the city (Genesis 18:30-32). Early the next morning, Abraham went to the place where he stood before God. He "looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah" and saw what became of the cities of the plain, where not even "ten righteous" had been found, as "the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace (Genesis 19:27-28). Abraham then settled between Kadesh and Shur in "the land of the Philistines" (Genesis 20:1). While he was living in Gerar, Abraham openly claimed that Sarah was his sister (Genesis 20:2). Upon discovering this news, King Abimelech had her brought to him. God then came to Abimelech in a dream and declared that taking her would result in death because she was a man's wife. Abimelech informed his servants of his dream and approached Abraham inquiring as to why he had brought such great guilt upon his kingdom (Genesis 20:9). Abraham defended what he had said as not being a lie at all: "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife (Genesis 20:11-12). Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham, and gave him gifts (Genesis 20:14). As had been prophesied in Mamre the previous year, (Genesis 17:21) Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham, on the first anniversary of the covenant of circumcision. Abraham was "an hundred years old (Genesis 21:2), and his son whom he named Isaac was born (Genesis 21:3). Isaac continued to grow and on the day he was weaned, Abraham held a great feast to honor the occasion. During the celebration, however, Sarah found Ishmael mocking (Genesis 21:9); an observation that would begin to clarify the birthright of Isaac. Ishmael was fourteen years old when Abraham's son Isaac was born to Sarah. When she found Ishmael teasing Isaac, Sarah told Abraham to send both Ishmael and Hagar away (Genesis 21:10). Early the next morning, Abraham brought Hagar and Ishmael out together. He gave her bread and water and sent them away (Genesis 21:14). At some point in Isaac's youth, Abraham was commanded by God to offer his son up as a sacrifice in the land of Moriah. The patriarch traveled three days until he came to the mount that God told him of (Genesis 22:1-2). Just as Abraham was about to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22:9), he was interrupted by the angel of the Lord, and he saw behind him a "ram caught in a thicket by his horns", which he sacrificed instead of his son (Genesis 22:13). he place was later named as Jehovah-jireh. For his obedience he received another promise of numerous descendants and abundant prosperity. After this event, Abraham went to Beersheba. Sarah died (Genesis 23:2), and Abraham buried her in the Cave of the Patriarchs, near Hebron which he had purchased along with the adjoining field from Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23:16). After the death of Sarah, Abraham took another wife, a concubine named Keturah (Genesis 25:1), by whom he had six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (Genesis 25:2). Abraham lived to see his son marry Rebekah, and to see the birth of his twin grandsons Jacob and Esau. He died at age 175, and was buried in the cave of Machpelah by his sons Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 25:7) (Genesis 25:10) (1 Chronicles 1:32). Abraham is given a high position of respect in three major world faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the covenant, the special relationship between the Jewish people and God, leading to the belief that the Jews are the chosen people of God. In Christianity, Paul the Apostle taught that Abraham's faith in God – preceding the Mosaic law – made him the prototype of all believers, Jewish or gentile; and in Islam he is seen as a link in the chain of prophets that begins with Adam and culminates in Muhammad.
ADAM
The meaning of Adam is "earth; soil; ground" Adam was the first man to ever exist (Genesis 1:27) (1 Corinthians 15:45). He was created by God as the first human being and placed in the Garden of Eden designed just for him (Genesis 2:8). Adam is the father of all mankind; every human being who has ever existed is a direct descendant of Adam, and it is through Adam that every human being has inherited a sinful nature (Romans 5:12). God spoke everything else in the universe into existence (Genesis 1). But on the sixth day God did something different. He got down in the dirt and formed Adam from the clay . God then breathed His own breath into the man’s nostrils, “and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The breath of God is what separates human beings from the animal kingdom (Genesis 1:26–27). The first woman, Eve, was made from one of Adam’s ribs (Genesis 2:21–22). God placed them in His perfect world, with only one restriction: they were not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16–17).
ANDREW
The meaning of Andrew is "manly" or "brave" The Apostle Andrew was one of the twelve main disciples of Jesus Christ and the brother of Simon Peter. Andrew was the first apostle Jesus called and the first apostle to claim Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 4:18). Despite his seemingly important role as an early follower of Christ, Andrew is only mentioned 12 times in the entire New Testament—and four of those times are simply lists of the 12 Apostles. In the Gospel of John, we find that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist before Jesus’ call. "Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus" (John 1:40). Andrew had spent his earlier years as a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. Still, on learning of the fame of John the Baptist he departed along with a band of his countrymen to Bethabara (or "Bethany") beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing and preaching repentance (John 1:35-40). There Andrew learned for the first time the greatness of the "Lamb of God". He was the means at this time of bringing his brother Simon Peter also to Christ.
ASHER
The meaning of Asher is "Happy; blessed" Asher was the eighth son of Jacob. Asher’s mother was Leah’s servant, Zilpah (Genesis 35:26). According to the laws at the time regarding children born of servants, Asher would have been seen as Leah’s son rather than Zilpah’s. Asher had a total of eleven brothers, including a full brother by Zilpah; two half-brothers from Jacob’s other wife, Rachel; two half-brothers from Rachel’s servant, Bilhah; and six half-brothers from Leah. He also had a sister named Dinah. Each of Jacob’s sons, including Asher, would become the head of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. As God had promised to Asher’s great-grandfather, Abraham, He was making Abraham’s descendants into a great nation (Genesis 12:1-3). Asher and his four sons and daughter settled in Canaan. On his deathbed, Jacob blesses Asher by saying that "his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties" (Genesis 49:20). Moses said of Asher: "May Asher be blessed above other sons; may he be esteemed by his brothers; may he bathe his feet in olive oil." (Deuteronomy 33:24). Asher is represented as the younger brother of Gad; these two being the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah (Genesis 35:26).
BARNABAS
The meaning of Barnabas is "Son of consolation or son of exhortation, son of comfort." Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew (Acts 4:36). Named an apostle in (Acts 14:14), he and Paul the Apostle undertook missionary journeys together and defended Gentile converts against the Judaizers. They traveled together making more converts, and participated in the Council of Jerusalem. (Acts 14:23) (Acts 15:25). Because Barnabas was notable for encouraging others, the disciples nicknamed him Barnabas, meaning the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36). Barnabas sold a piece of land and “brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37). To avoid burdening the churches by asking them for support, he worked to support himself while in ministry. (1 Corinthians 9:6). After Paul’s dramatic conversion, the believers were hesitant to take him in because he was formerly a persecutor of the saints. Barnabas took Paul to the apostles and recommended him saying how Paul had “seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27). Through Barnabas’ ministry with Paul, the believers in Antioch learned to be like Jesus in their words, actions and overall conduct. In fact, Barnabus and Paul were so much like Christ, that early “Christ-followers” were called Christians for the first time in Antioch. (Acts 11:26)
BATHSHEBA
The meaning of Bathsheba is "daughter of the oath.” Bathsheba, also spelled Bethsabee, (2 Samuel 11-12) (1 Kings 1-2), wife of Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:3). King David (reigns c. 1005–965 BCE) sees beautiful Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, bathing, and he lies with her. Uriah is summoned from the front to cover for the resulting pregnancy, but when he refuses to go home, the king has him slain in battle. David then marries the widowed Bathsheba, who bears a son. In response to the adultery and murder, the prophet curses David’s House, the first consequence being the death of the infant conceived in adultery. Yet Bathsheba ensures that their second son, Solomon (1 Chronicles 3:5)
CHRIST
The meaning of Christ is "the 'Anointed One" The predominant theme of the Scriptures is the Person and the work of Jesus Christ. He is God. He became a human being (John 17:1-4), died by crucifixion (Acts 4:10), and was buried. He rose again from the dead (Romans 1:4). He is the only, all-sufficient Savior of the world. He will come again to this earth. Removing this from the Scriptures robs them of all coherent meaning and continuity. (Mark 1:1) ("The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God") identifies Jesus as both Christ and the Son of God. (Matthew 1:1) uses Christ as a name and (Matthew 1:16) explains it again with: "Jesus, who is called Christ".
CHRISTIAN
The meaning of Christian is "Nazarene" A Christian is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ. Followers of Jesus were first called “Christians” in Antioch. (Acts 11:26) The original usage in all three New Testament verses reflects a derisive element in the term Christian to refer to followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome. (1 Peter 4:16)
DANIEL
Daniel is the main character of the Book of Daniel. He was a noble Jewish youth of Jerusalem taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, and is the hero of the Book of Daniel who interprets dreams and receives apocalyptic visions (Daniel 1:17) (Ezekiel 14:14), he is known as a prophet (Matthew 24:15)
DAVID
The meaning of David is "beloved" David was the youngest of eight sons of Jesse, a farmer and sheep breeder of the Israelite tribe of Judah (Ruth 4:22).One day he was summoned from the fields by the prophet Samuel, who anointed him king of Israel while Saul was still king (1 Samuel 16:1). In the story of David and Goliath, Goliath was a heavily armed Philistine giant, challenged Saul for 40 days to send out a man to fight him. No one would face this warrior until David, armed only with a sling and stones, volunteered (1 Samuel 17:1). He continued to distinguish himself as a warrior in the ongoing battles against the Philistines, and his resultant popularity aroused Saul’s jealousy (1 Samuel 18:5). Fearing that the people would make David king, Saul plotted to kill him (1 Samuel 19:1). After mourning the death of Saul and executing an Amalekite who claimed to have killed the former king, David began to consolidate his position as the successor to Saul (2 Samuel 2:1) (2 Samuel 5:1).
ELEAZAR
The meaning of Eleazar is "God is my help" Eleazar was one of four sons born to Aaron, Moses’ brother and high priest of the Israelites. Eleazar was consecrated as a priest in service to the Lord (Exodus 28:1). On the day of Aaron’s death on Mount Horeb, Moses had taken both Aaron and Eleazar up the peak to transfer Aaron’s priestly garments to Eleazar (Numbers 20:22–29). This gesture was a ceremonial confirmation that Eleazar was taking over for his father as high priest. Eleazar continued as high priest for the rest of his life. Eleazar commissioned Joshua as Moses’ successor and later helped with such matters as the division of land when the Israelites finally took possession of Canaan (Numbers 34:17) (Joshua 14:1) (Joshua 19:51).
ELI
The meaning of Eli is "height; ascended" Eli was a priest of Shiloh, the second-to-last Israelite judge (succeeded only by Samuel (I Samuel 7:15) before the rule of the Kings of Israel and Judah. The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas (1 Samuel 1:3), they were behaving wickedly (1 Samuel 2:12). Eli was aware of their behavior but he rebuked them too lightly and ultimately did not stop them. A man of God prophesied to Eli that Eli and his family would be punished for this (1 Samuel 2:27). As a sign of the accuracy of this future, Eli was told that his sons would die on the same day. Some years later, the Philistines attacked Eben-Ezer, eventually capturing the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites and killing Eli's sons who had accompanied the Ark to battle. In reaction to the news that the Ark of God had been captured, Eli fell backwards out of the chair and struck his head, whence he died (1 Samuel 4:13) (1 Samuel 4:18).
ELIJAH
The meaning of Elijah is "Yahweh is my God" Elijah was a prophet and a miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab. Elijah defended the worship of the Hebrew God over that of the Canaanite deity Baal. God also performed many miracles through Elijah, including resurrection, bringing fire down from the sky, and entering heaven alive "by fire" (2 Kings 2:11). He is also portrayed as leading a school of prophets known as "the sons of the prophets" (2 Kings 2:3). Following his ascension, Elisha, his disciple and most devoted assistant, took over his role as leader of this school. The Book of Malachi prophesies Elijah's return "before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD" (Malachi 4:5), making him a harbinger (a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another) of the Messiah. The Christian New Testament notes that some people thought that Jesus was, in some sense, Elijah (Matthew 16:14) (Mark 8:28), but it also makes clear that John the Baptist is "the Elijah" (Luke 1:11–17) (Matthew 11:14) (Matthew 17:10–13) who was promised to come in (Malachi 3:1) (Malachi 4:5). Under Ahab's kingship, the seventh king of Israel, tensions exacerbated. Ahab built a temple for Baal, and his wife Jezebel brought a large entourage of priests and prophets of Baal and Asherah into the country. In this context Elijah is introduced in as Elijah "the Tishbite". He warns Ahab that there will be years of catastrophic drought (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah's challenge is bold and direct. Baal was the Canaanite god responsible for rain, thunder, lightning, and dew. Elijah thus, when he initially announces the drought, not only challenges Baal on behalf of God himself, but he also challenges Jezebel, her priests, Ahab and the people of Israel (1 Kings 18:17-19). After Elijah's confrontation with Ahab, God tells him to flee out of Israel, to a hiding place by the brook Chorath, east of the Jordan, where he will be fed by ravens (1 Kings 17:2). When the brook dries up (1 Kings 17:7), God sends him to a widow living in the town of Zarephath in Phoenicia. When Elijah finds her and asks to be fed, she says that she does not have sufficient food to keep her and her own son alive. Elijah tells her that God will not allow her supply of flour or oil to run out, saying, "Do not be afraid (1 Kings 17:13). For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth." (1 Kings 17:14) Some time later the widow's son dies. Elijah prays that God might restore her son so that the trustworthiness of God's word might be demonstrated, and "God listened to the voice of Elijah (1 Kings 17:22). After more than three years of drought and famine, God tells Elijah to return to Ahab and announce the end of the drought (1 Kings 18:1). When Ahab confronts Elijah, he denounces him as being the "troubler of Israel" (1 Kings 18:17) but Elijah retorts that Ahab himself is the one who troubled Israel by allowing the worship of false gods. At Elijah's instruction, Ahab summons the people of Israel, 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah to Mount Carmel. Elijah proposes a direct test of the powers of Baal and Yahweh (1 Kings 18:25). Elijah and Baal's prophets will each take one of two bulls, prepare it for sacrifice and lay it on wood, but put no fire to it. Elijah then invites them to pray for fire to light the sacrifice. They pray from morning to noon without success, and Elijah ridicules their efforts. (1 Kings 18:27). They continue praying until evening without success. They continue praying until evening without success (1 Kings 18:31). Elijah digs a trench around it and prepares the other bull for sacrifice as before. He then orders that the sacrifice and altar be drenched with water. He asks Yahweh to accept the sacrifice. Fire falls from the sky, consuming the sacrifice, the stones of the altar itself, the earth and the water in the trench as well (1 Kings 18:37-39). When the people see this, they declare, "The LORD—he is God; the LORD—he is God."[40] Elijah then orders them to seize the prophets of Baal, which they do, and Elijah kills them beside the River Kishon, at which the rains begin, signaling the end of the famine (1 Kings 18:40). Jezebel, enraged that Elijah has killed the prophets of Baal, threatens to kill him (1 Kings 19:1-3). Elijah flees to Beersheba in Judah, continues alone into the wilderness, and finally sits down under a shrub, praying for death and eventually falling asleep. At length an angel of the Lord rouses him gently, telling him to wake up and eat (1 Kings 19:9). Elijah travels for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb,[42] where Moses had received the Ten Commandments. Elijah is the only person described in the Bible as returning to Horeb, after Moses and his generation had left Horeb several centuries before. Elijah is told to "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by (1 Kings 19:11). which God bids Elijah go forth again - this time to Damascus to anoint Hazael as king of Aram, Jehu as king of Israel, and Elisha as the old prophet’s successor. Elijah encounters Ahab again, after Ahab has acquired possession of a vineyard by murder. God again speaks to Elijah and sends him to confront Ahab with a question and a prophecy: "Have you killed, and also taken possession?" and, "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood (1 Kings 21:19)." Ahab begins the confrontation by calling Elijah his enemy. Elijah responds by throwing the charge back at him, telling him that he has made himself the enemy of God by his own actions (1 Kings 21:20). When Ahab hears this he repents so sincerely that God stays his hand in punishing Ahab, choosing instead to vent his wrath upon Jezebel and her son by Ahab, Ahaziah. Elijah's story continues now from Ahab to an encounter with Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:1-4). The scene opens with Ahaziah seriously injured in a fall (2 Kings 1:2-4). Ahaziah dies without recovering from his injuries in accordance with Elijah's word (2 Kings 1:17). According to 2 Kings, Elisha and "the sons of the prophets" knew beforehand that Elijah would one day be assumed into heaven (2 Kings 2:3–9). What is important to note with Elijah's departure is the Bible never says Elijah died, it only says "Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven" (2 Kings 2:1), it tells us "suddenly, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appear and Elijah is lifted up in a whirlwind. As Elijah is lifted up, his mantle falls to the ground and Elisha picks it up." (2 Kings 2:11). Only one other time in the Bible does it say a patriarch had not died, and that was with Enoch as well as (Hebrews 11:5). There is also a belief that Moses was assumed bodily into Heaven after his death.
ELIZABETH
The meaning of Elisabeth is "God's promise; God is my oath" Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:13), the wife of Zechariah (Luke 1:5), and maternal aunt of Mary, mother of Jesus. Elizabeth was "of the daughters of Aaron". She and her husband Zachariah were "righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:5–7), but childless. While he was in the temple of the Lord (Luke 1:8–12), Zachariah was visited by the angel Gabriel. The angel Gabriel was then sent to Nazareth in Galilee to her relative (Luke 1:36) Mary, a virgin, betrothed to a man called Joseph, and informed her that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit and bring forth a son to be called Jesus. Mary was also informed that her "relative Elizabeth" had begun her sixth month of pregnancy, and Mary traveled to "a town in the hill country of Judah", to visit Elizabeth (Luke 1:39)
ELISHA
The meaning of Elisha is "God is my salvation" A prophet and a wonder-worker of the Kingdom of Israel who was active during the reigns of Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash. Elisha was the son of Shaphat, a wealthy land-owner of Abel-meholah (1 Kings 19:16). He is a disciple and protégé of Elijah (1 Kings 19:19), and after Elijah was taken up in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1), Elisha received a double portion of his power (2 Kings 2:9) and he was accepted as the leader of the sons of the prophets. The command was given to Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor (1 Kings 19:15-17). Elisha then went on to perform twice as many miracles as Elijah. Elisha returned to Jericho, where he won the gratitude of the people by purifying the unwholesome waters of their spring and making them drinkable (2 Kings 2:19). To relieve a prophet's widow importuned by a harsh creditor, Elisha so multiplied a little oil as to enable her, not only to pay her debt but to provide for her family needs (2 Kings 4:1). Elijah resuscitated a Phoenician boy in the city of Zarephath (2 Kings 4:8). Elisha obtained for a rich lady of Shunem the birth of a son. When the child died some years later, Elisha successfully resurrected the child by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (2 Kings 4:35). To nourish the sons of the prophets pressed by famine, Elisha changed a pottage made from poisonous gourds into wholesome food (2 Kings 4:38). Elisha cured the Syrian military commander Naaman of leprosy but punished his own servant Gehazi, who took money from Naaman (2 Kings 5:10). Elisha's actions included repeatedly saving King Jehoram of Israel from the ambushes planned by Benhadad, ordering the elders to shut the door against the messenger of Israel's ungrateful king (2 Kings 6:25-32). While Elisha lay on his death-bed in his own house, (2 Kings 13:14) Jehoash of Israel, the grandson of Jehu, came to mourn over his approaching departure,
ENOCH
The meaning of Enoch is "Dedicated, trained, disciplined" Enoch is a biblical figure, the seventh patriarch in the book of Genesis prior to Noah's flood, and the son of Jared (Genesis 5:18) and father of Methuselah (Genesis 5:21). The text of the Book of Genesis says Enoch lived 365 years before he was taken by God (Genesis 5:24), which is interpreted as Enoch's entering heaven alive. This happens 57 years after Adam's death and 69 years before Noah's birth. Genesis recounts that each of the pre-Flood Patriarchs lived for several centuries. Genesis 5 provides a genealogy of these ten figures (from Adam to Noah), providing the age at which each fathered the next, and the age of each figure at death. Enoch is considered by many to be the exception, who is said to "not see death" (Hebrews 11:5). He was considered the author of the Book of Enoch and also called the scribe of judgment.
ESAU
The meaning of Esau is "hairy" Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca, and the grandsons of Abraham and Sarah. Of the twins, Esau was the first to be born with Jacob following (Genesis 25:26). Esau is the founder of the Edomites and the elder brother of Jacob, the patriarch of the Israelites. Esau, a "man of the field", became a hunter who had "rough" (Genesis 25:27) qualities that distinguished him from his twin brother. Among these qualities were his redness and noticeable hairiness. Esau returned to his twin brother Jacob, famished from the fields. He begs Jacob to give him some "red pottage" (Genesis 25:29), Jacob offers Esau a bowl of lentil stew in exchange for Esau's birthright (Genesis 26:33), the right to be recognized as firstborn son with authority over the family, and Esau agrees. Thus Jacob acquires Esau's birthright. Later Jacob uses deception, motivated by his mother Rebekah, to lay claim to his blind father Isaac's blessing that was inherently due to the firstborn, Esau (Genesis 27:15) (Genesis 27:19). Jacob in an elaborate deception through which Jacob pretends to be Esau, in order to steal from Esau his blessing from Isaac and his inheritance. When Esau learns of his brother's thievery, he is livid and begs his father to undo the blessing. Isaac responds to his eldest son's plea by saying that he only had one blessing to give and that he could not reverse the sacred blessing. Esau is furious and vows to kill Jacob (Genesis 27:41). Jacob flees to a distant land to work for his uncle Laban (Genesis 28:5). Esau marries at the age of forty to two Canaanite women, Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite (Genesis 36:2). Esau was also known as Edom, the progenitor of the Edomites who were established to the south of the Israelites. They were an ancient enemy nation of Israel (Psalm 137:7). But the prophecy of Obadiah insists on the literal "violence done" by Esau "unto your brother Jacob" when the Edomites "entered the gate of my people..., looted his goods..., stood at the parting of the ways to cut off the fugitive,... delivered up his survivors on his day of distress"(Obadiah 10:13-14).
ESTHER
The meaning of Esther is "Secret, hidden" king Ahasuerus (King Xerxes) seeks a new wife after his queen, Vashti (Esther 2:1), is deposed for disobeying him. Esther (called Hadassah when first introduced) (Esther 2:7) is chosen to fulfill this role due to her beauty. Ahasuerus' grand vizier, Haman, is offended by Esther's cousin and guardian, Mordecai, due to his refusal to prostrate himself before Haman. Consequently, Haman plots to have all the Jewish subjects of Persia killed. However, Esther foils the plan by revealing Haman's eradication plans to Ahasuerus, who then has Haman executed (Esther 7:8) and grants permission to the Jews to kill their enemies instead (Esther 9:12). Her story provides the traditional explanation for the Jewish holiday of Purim, celebrated on the date given in the story for when Haman's order was to go into effect, which is the day that the Jews killed their enemies after the plan was reversed.
EVE
The meaning of Eve is "life; living; living one; source of life" The first woman according to the biblical creation story in Genesis. Eve is perhaps the best-known female figure in the Hebrew Bible, and known also as Adam's wife (Genesis 3:20). Eve was created by God (Yahweh) by taking her from the rib of Adam, to be Adam's companion (Genesis 2:21-22). Adam is charged with guarding and keeping the garden before her creation; she is not present when God commands Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit – although it is clear that she was aware of the command (Genesis 3:2-3). She decides to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil after she hears the serpent's argument that it would not kill her but bring her benefits (Genesis 3:1-2). She shares the fruit with Adam, and before they could eat of the tree of life, they are expelled from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:17-19). Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1). After the death of Abel (Genesis 4:10), Eve gave birth to a third son, Seth, from whom Noah is descended (Genesis 5:4).
EZEKIEL
The meaning of Ezekiel is "strength of God" The Book of Ezekiel is the third of the Latter Prophets in the Tanakh and one of the major prophetic books, following Isaiah and Jeremiah. The Book of Ezekiel reveals prophecies regarding the destruction of Jerusalem, and the restoration to the land of Israel. Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, born into a priestly lineage (Ezekiel 1:3). Ezekiel describes his calling to be a prophet by going into great detail about his encounter with God and four "living creatures" with four wheels that stayed beside the creatures (Ezekiel 1:1) (Ezekiel 2:1). Ezekiel and his wife lived during the Babylonian captivity on the banks of the Kebar Canal in Tel Abib near Nippur with other exiles from the Kingdom of Judah.
EZRA
The meaning of Ezra is "help; helper" Ezra, also called Ezra the Scribe and Ezra the Priest was a Jewish scribe and priest. He was a descendant of Seraiah, (Ezra 7:1) the last High Priest to serve in Solomon's Temple (2 Kings 25:18), and a close relative of Joshua, the first High Priest of the Second Temple (Ezra 3:2). He returned from Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah in Jerusalem (Ezra 7:25) (Nehemiah 8:1). The Book of Ezra describes how he led a group of Judean exiles living in Babylon to their home city of Jerusalem (Ezra 8:2-14) where he is said to have enforced observance of the Torah. He was described as exhorting the Israelite people to be sure to follow the Torah Law so as not to intermarry with people of particular different religions (Ezra 9:1).
GABRIEL
The meaning of Gabriel is "God is my strength; God is a strong man" Gabriel is an archangel with power to announce God's will to men. and was the archangel who announced to the Virgin Mary that she had been chosen to bear the Son of God (Luke 1:27-38). Gabriel also appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions (Daniel 8:15–26) (Daniel 9:21–27). The archangel also appears Alongside the archangel Michael, Gabriel is described as the guardian angel of Israel, defending its people against the angels of the other nations. In the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke relates the stories of the Annunciation, in which the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, announcing to each the births of John the Baptist (Luke 1:11–38). Islam regards Gabriel as an archangel sent by God to various prophets, including Muhammad.
GIDEON
The meaning of Gideon is "great destroyer; one who cuts down" Gideon was a judge over Israel, known as the greatest judge of Israel. When Gideon hears he will save the Israelite people from his oppressors, he doesn’t really believe it at first. So he tests God (Deuteronomy 6:16). But Gideon appears to test God a lot. When God wanted Gideon to bring an army to take on the enormous Midianite army, he brings 32,000 men (Judges 7), God has other plans. He decides to enlist a series of tests of His own on Gideon (Judges 7:7-9).
GOD
God in Christianity is the eternal, supreme being who created and preserves all things. Christians believe in a monotheistic conception of God, which is both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and immanent (involved in the material universe). Christian teachings on the transcendence, immanence, and involvement of God in the world and his love for humanity exclude the belief that God is of the same substance as the created universe but accept that God the Son assumed hypostatically united human nature, thus becoming man in a unique event known as "the Incarnation". His greatness lacks nothing, but contains all things. Although the New Testament does not have a formal doctrine of the Trinity as such, "it does repeatedly speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit... in such a way as to compel a Trinitarian understanding of God". Although the New Testament does not have a formal doctrine of the Trinity as such, "it does repeatedly speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit... in such a way as to compel a Trinitarian understanding of God". It is believed that Abraham was the first to affirm monotheism (one God) and had an ideal relationship with God. The Abrahamic religions believe that God continuously interacted with the descendants of Abraham over millennia; both Christians and Jews believe that this covenant is recorded in the Hebrew Bible, which most Christian denominations consider to be and refer to as the Old Testament.
HAGAR
The meaning of Hagar is "Flight, forsaken" she was an Egyptian slave, a handmaiden of Sarah (Genesis 16:1), whom Sarah gave to her own husband Abram (later renamed Abraham) as a wife to bear him a child (Genesis 16:2-4). Abraham's firstborn son, through Hagar, Ishmael, became the progenitor of the Ishmaelites, generally taken to be the Arabs (Genesis 17:20). Hagar became pregnant, and tension arose between the two women. Hagar fled into the desert on her way to Shur (Genesis 16:7). At a spring en route, an angel appeared to Hagar, who instructed her to return to Sarai and submit to her mistress, so that she may bear a child (Genesis 16:15) who "shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren" (Genesis 16:9-12). Later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, and the tension between the women returned. At a celebration after Isaac was weaned, Sarah found the teenage Ishmael mocking her son (Genesis 21:9). She was so upset by the idea of Ishmael inheriting their wealth, that she demanded that Abraham send Hagar and her son away (Genesis 21:14). She and her son wandered aimlessly until their water was completely consumed. In a moment of despair, she burst into tears. God heard her and her son crying and came to rescue them (Genesis 21:17). The angel opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water. He also told Hagar that God would "make a great nation" of Ishmael (Genesis 21:18).
HEROD
The meaning of Herod is "song of the hero" Herod I was a Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian Kingdom of Judea. Herod also appears in the Christian Gospel of Matthew as the ruler of Judea who orders the Massacre of the Innocents at the time of the birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:16). In the Gospel of Matthew, King Herod found out the Jewish Messiah was born who was being called ''king of the Jews,'' a title Herod had used for around 30 years. Herod tried to have Jesus killed so there would not be challenges to Herod's authority (Matthew 2:3) (Matthew 2:7). Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison (Matthew 14:3). Upon Herod's death, the Romans divided his kingdom
IMMANUEL
The meaning of Immanuel is "God; God with us" The word Emmanuel appears 3 times in the Bible—three times in Isaiah and once in Matthew. Emmanuel means “God with us” and is a name for Jesus (Isaiah 7:14) (Isaiah 8:8). It is found only once in the New Testament, (Matthew 1:23) toward the end of the birth narrative of Jesus. Here Matthew is citing Isaiah 7:14, and the word is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word from the Old Testament. Matthew says that the birth of Jesus by the Virgin Mary is to “fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’. Thus, Matthew tells his readers that Jesus’ birth fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah and goes on to explain what the word “Emmanuel” means, “God with us.”
ISAAC
The meaning of Isaac is "he will laugh; He laughs" Isaac is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites. He was the son of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:19) (Genesis 21:1), the father of Jacob and Esau, and the grandfather of the twelve tribes of Israel. Isaac's name means "he will laugh", reflecting the laughter, in disbelief, of Abraham and Sarah, when told by God that they would have a child (Genesis 17:15–19) (Genesis 18:10–15). He is the only patriarch whose name was not changed, and the only one who did not move out of Canaan. After God changes Abram and Sarai's names to Abraham and Sarah, he tells Abraham that he will bear a second son by Sarah named Isaac, with whom a new covenant would be established (Genesis 17:21). Although this was Abraham's second son (Genesis 16:15) (Abraham's first son was Ishmael, with Hagar) it was Sarah's first and only child. After Isaac had been weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael playing with him, and urged her husband to cast out Hagar the bondservant and her son, so that Isaac would be Abraham's sole heir. Abraham was hesitant, but at God's order he listened to his wife's request (Genesis 21:8–12). Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah. At God's command, Abraham was to build a sacrificial altar and sacrifice his son Isaac upon it (Genesis 22:2). After he had bound his son to the altar and drawn his knife to kill him (Genesis 22:9), at the last moment an angel of God prevented Abraham from proceeding. Instead, he was directed to sacrifice a nearby ram that was stuck in thickets (Genesis 22:12-13). Before Isaac was 40 Abraham sent Eliezer, his steward, into Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac, from his nephew Bethuel's family. Eliezer chose the Aramean Rebekah for Isaac (Genesis 25:20). Rebekah gave birth to twin boys, Esau and Jacob. Isaac was 60 years old when his two sons were born (Genesis 25:26). Isaac favored Esau, and Rebekah favored Jacob (Genesis 25:28). Isaac moved to Beer-lahai-roi after his father died (Genesis 25:11). When the land experienced famine, he moved to the Philistine land of Gerar where his father once lived. This land was still under the control of King Abimelech as it was in the days of Abraham (Genesis 26:1). Like his father, Isaac also pretended that Rebekah was his sister due to fear that Abimelech would kill him in order to take her (Genesis 26:9). Isaac grew old and became blind. He called his son Esau (Genesis 27:1) and directed him to procure some venison for him, in order to receive Isaac's blessing. While Esau was hunting, Jacob, after listening to his mother's advice, deceived his blind father by misrepresenting himself as Esau (Genesis 27:20) and thereby obtained his father's blessing, such that Jacob became Isaac's primary heir and Esau was left in an inferior position (Genesis 27:27) (Genesis 27:32).
ISAIAH
The meaning of Isaiah is "Salvation of the Lord; God Is Salvation" Isaiah, also known as Isaias, also known as Isaias. Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah (or Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1). Isaiah's wife was called "the prophetess" (Isaiah 8:3), either because she was endowed with the prophetic gift, like Deborah (Judges 4:4) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14–20), or simply because she was the "wife of the prophet" They had two sons, naming the elder Shear-jashub, meaning "A remnant shall return" (Isaiah 7:3), and the younger Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, meaning, "Quickly to spoils, plunder speedily." (Isaiah 8:3). War broke out, Sennacherib led an army into Judah, one detachment of which threatened Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:2), Isaiah on that occasion encouraged Hezekiah to resist the Assyrians (Isaiah 37:5-7), whereupon Sennacherib sent a threatening letter to Hezekiah, which he "spread before the LORD" (Isaiah 37:14). According to the account in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles an angel of God fell on the Assyrian army and 185,000 of its men were killed in one night (2 Kings 19:35) (2 Chronicles 32:20-21).
ISCARIOT (JUDAS ISCARIOT)
The meaning of Judas is "a person who betrays another; traitor; a man from Kerioth" Full name being Judas Iscariot, better known as just Judas. He was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing him on the cheek and addressing him as "master" to reveal his identity in the darkness to the crowd who had come to arrest him (Matthew 26:14) (Matthew 26:47) (Mark 14:10) (Mark 14:42) (Luke 22:47) (John 13:18). The Gospel of Mark gives no motive for Judas' betrayal (Matthew 26:14) (Mark 14:10), but does present Jesus predicting it at the Last Supper (John 13:2) (John 13:26). The Gospel states that Judas committed the betrayal in exchange for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). It was also suggested that he was possessed by Satan (Luke 22:3) (John 13:27). After learning that Jesus was to be crucified, Judas attempted to return the money he had been paid for his betrayal to the chief priests and committed suicide by hanging (Matthew 27:1–10). The priests used the money to buy a field to bury strangers in, which was called the "Field of Blood" because it had been bought with blood money (Acts 1:18-19). His place among the Twelve Apostles was later filled by Matthias.
ISHMAEL
The meaning of Ishmael is "God will hear" Ishmael was the first son of Abraham and is considered as a prophet in Islam. His mother was the Egyptian Hagar (Genesis 16:1-3). Ishmael is to be considered the ancestor of the Ishmaelites, and regarded as an ancestor of Muhammad. Ishmael thereby founded a great nation as promised by God in the Old Testament (Genesis 17:20). The birth of Ishmael was planned by the Patriarch Abraham's first wife, who at that time was known as Sarai. She and her husband Abram (Abraham) sought a way to have children in order to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant that was established in Genesis 15 (Genesis 15:1). Sarai was 75 years old and had yet to bear a child. She had the idea to offer her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar to her husband so that they could have a child by her. Abraham took Hagar as his wife and begat her child (Genesis 16:1-3). Hagar began to show contempt for Sarah, who responded by treating her harshly. Hagar then fled into the desert region between Abraham's settlement and Shur. An angel appears and speals of God's promise to Hagar concerning Ishmael and his descendants and "I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count" (Genesis 16:7–16). This occurred at the well of Beer-lahai-roi. God would make of Ishmael a great nation because he was of the seed of Abraham. However, God told Hagar that her son would be living in conflict with his relatives (Genesis 16:12). When he was 13 years old, Ishmael was circumcised at the same time as all other males in Abraham's household, becoming a part of the covenant in a mass circumcision. His father Abram, given the new name "Abraham", then 99, was circumcised along with the others (Genesis 17:23). At the time of the covenant, God informed Abraham that his wife Sarah would give birth to a son, whom he was instructed to name Isaac. God told Abraham that He would establish his covenant through Isaac, and when Abraham inquired as to Ishmael's role, God answered that Ishmael has been blessed and that he "will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 17:20). A year later, Ishmael's half-brother Isaac was born to Abraham by his first wife Sarah when she was 90 years old (Genesis 17:17), after she had ceased showing any signs of fertility (Genesis 18:11). On the day of feasting during which Abraham celebrated the weaning of Isaac, Ishmael was "mocking" or "playing with" Isaac, and Sarah asked Abraham to expel Ishmael and his mother. Her demand was painful for Abraham, but Abraham agreed (Genesis 21:8). At the age of 14, Ishmael was freed along with his mother. Abraham gave Ishmael and his mother a supply of bread and water and sent them away. Hagar entered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba where the two soon ran out of water and Hagar, not wanting to witness the death of her son, set the boy some distance away from herself, and wept. "And God heard the voice of the lad" and sent his angel to tell Hagar And God "opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water", from which she drew to save Ishmael's life and her own. "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer." (Genesis 21:14–21)
ISRAEL
The meaning of Israel is "struggle with God; wrestles with God; triumphant with God; let God prevail" Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, is given the name Israel in Gen 32. Alone in the wilderness, Jacob is beset by a man with whom he wrestles throughout the night. Jacob tells the man he will not let him go until he blesses Jacob, and the man replies that he shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel (Genesis 32:28) (Genesis 35:10). Jacob's descendants came to be known as the Israelites, eventually forming the twelve tribes of Israel and ultimately the kingdom of Israel, whence came the name of modern-day State of Israel. Following the death of Jacob, the name Israel passes on to his descendants who form the twelve tribes of Israel. At that point, we find the designations “Israelite,” (Genesis 36:31) “sons of Israel” and “house of Israel” used to describe God’s chosen people. The name Israel is also used to describe the geographical region promised to Abraham and his descendants in Gen 15 (Genesis 15:18-21): “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.” Following the Exodus from Egypt the Israelites conquer and settle in a small area of this land (Numbers 34:3-12) before expanding their reach in the books of Joshua and Judges. During the reign of King David, the twelve tribes united to form the “Kingdom of Israel” with Jerusalem as its capital. The united monarchy dissolved during the reign of David’s grandson Rehoboam when the ten northern tribes rebelled and created a new kingdom. This northern kingdom continued to be called the “Kingdom of Israel” or Samaria. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam and formed the “Kingdom of Judah” in the south.
JACOB
The meaning of Jacob is "someone who seizes; he who follows upon the heels of one, be behind" Jacob, later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites. Jacob and his twin brother, Esau, were born to Isaac and Rebecca after 20 years of marriage, when Isaac was 60 years of age (Genesis 25:20). When the time came for Rebecca to give birth, the firstborn, Esau, came out covered with red hair, as if he were wearing a hairy garment, and his heel was grasped by the hand of Jacob, the secondborn (Genesis 25:26). The boys displayed very different natures as they matured. "... and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents" (Genesis 25:27). Esau returned to his twin brother Jacob, famished from the fields. He begs Jacob to give him some "red pottage" (Genesis 25:29), Jacob offers Esau a bowl of lentil stew in exchange for Esau's birthright (Genesis 26:33), the right to be recognized as firstborn son with authority over the family, and Esau agrees. Thus Jacob acquires Esau's birthright. Later Jacob uses deception, motivated by his mother Rebekah, to lay claim to his blind father Isaac's blessing that was inherently due to the firstborn, Esau (Genesis 27:15) (Genesis 27:19). Jacob in an elaborate deception through which Jacob pretends to be Esau, in order to steal from Esau his blessing from Isaac and his inheritance. When Esau learns of his brother's thievery, he is livid and begs his father to undo the blessing. Isaac responds to his eldest son's plea by saying that he only had one blessing to give and that he could not reverse the sacred blessing. Esau is furious and vows to kill Jacob (Genesis 27:41). Jacob flees to a distant land to work for his uncle Laban (Genesis 28:5). Esau marries at the age of forty to two Canaanite women, Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite (Genesis 36:2). Esau was also known as Edom, the progenitor of the Edomites who were established to the south of the Israelites. They were an ancient enemy nation of Israel (Psalm 137:7). But the prophecy of Obadiah insists on the literal "violence done" by Esau "unto your brother Jacob" when the Edomites "entered the gate of my people..., looted his goods..., stood at the parting of the ways to cut off the fugitive,... delivered up his survivors on his day of distress"(Obadiah 10:13-14).
JAMES (JESUS’ BROTHER)
The meaning of James is "supplanter; substitute" Jesus came from a big family. James was a son of Mary and Joseph and therefore a half-brother to Jesus and brother to Joseph, Simon, Judas, and their sisters (Matthew 13:55-56). James is mentioned a couple of times, but at that time he misunderstood Jesus’ ministry and was not a believer (John 7:2-5). James becomes one of the earliest witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). He then stays in Jerusalem and forms part of the group of believers who pray in the upper room (Acts 1:14). From that time forward, James’ status within the Jerusalem church begins to grow. James is still in Jerusalem when the recently converted Saul arrives to meet with him and Peter (Galatians 1:19). Several years later, when Peter escapes from prison, he reports to James about the miraculous manner of the escape (Acts 12:17). When the Jerusalem Council convenes, James is the apparent chairman (Acts 15:13-19). He is also an elder of the church, called a “pillar” in Galatians 2:9. Later, James again presides over a meeting in Jerusalem, this time after Paul’s third missionary journey. It is believed that James was martyred about A.D. 62. James is traditionally believed to be the author of the Book of James (James 1:1), and he became known as a pillar of the early church along with Peter and John. Some early Christian writings also refer to James the Just as a bishop of Jerusalem. James’ speech at the Jerusalem Council in (Acts 15:14-21) reveals his reliance on Scripture, his desire for peace within the church, his emphasis of grace over the law, and his care for Gentile believers, although he himself ministered almost exclusively to Jewish Christians.
JAMES SON OF ALPHAEUS "THE LESS"
The meaning of James is "supplanter; substitute" James, son of Alphaeus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus (Matthew 10:3), and one of three people named James mentioned in the New Testament. He is distinguished from the other James in the Bible by his father’s name Alphaeus. James, son of Alphaeus, is also called “James the Less” (Mark 15:40). The word less should be understood to mean “little” or “younger.” Some Bible versions call him “James the Younger”. (Mark 2:14) has an interesting detail that some connect with James son of Alphaeus: when Jesus calls Matthew (Levi) to follow Him, Levi is described as “the son of Alphaeus.” Some scholars take this to mean that Matthew and James were brothers. This is unlikely, however, because Scripture elsewhere clearly identifies two sets of brothers who followed Jesus: Peter and Andrew (John 1:40), and James and John (Mark 3:17). No such link is ever drawn between Matthew and James. The lack of information about James the son of Alphaeus is a lesson in itself. This James was just as much an apostle as were Peter and John. He will sit on a throne in Jesus’ earthly kingdom (Matthew 19:28) with as much authority and honor as the other apostles. His name will be engraved in a foundation of the walls of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14). James will not be considered “less” in eternity because he was faithful to his calling on earth.
JAMES SON OF ZEBEDEE "THE GREATER"
The meaning of James is "supplanter; substitute" The son of Zebedee and Salome (Matthew 4:21), James is styled "the Greater" to distinguish him from the Apostle James "the Less", with "greater" meaning older or taller, rather than more important. James the Great was the brother of John the Apostle. The Synoptic Gospels state that James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to follow him (Matthew 4:21-22) (Mark 1:19-20). James, along with his brother John and Peter, formed an informal arrangement among the Twelve Apostles. Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry, the Raising of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37), Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1) and Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). James and John asked Jesus to grant them seats on his right and left in his glory. Jesus rebuked them, asking if they were ready to drink from the cup he was going to drink from and saying the honor was not even for him to grant. The other apostles were annoyed with them (Mark 10:35–45). James and his brother wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town, but were rebuked by Jesus. (Luke 9:51-56). "Herod the king" had James executed by the sword. (Acts 12:2).
JEREMIAH
The meaning of Jeremiah is "the Lord exalts" Jeremiah the prophet lived in the final days of the crumbling nation of Judah. He was, appropriately, the last prophet that God sent to preach to the southern kingdom, which comprised the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Jeremiah, who was only about 17 when God called him (Jeremiah 1:4-5), had great inner turmoil over the fate of his people, and he begged them to listen. He is known as “the weeping prophet,” because he cried tears of sadness, not only because he knew what was about to happen but because, no matter how hard he tried, the people would not listen. Furthermore, he found no human comfort. God had forbidden him to marry or have children (Jeremiah 16:2), and his friends had turned their backs on him. So, along with the burden of the knowledge of impending judgment, he also must have felt very lonely. God knew that this was the best course for Jeremiah, because He went on to tell him how horrible conditions would be in a short time, with babies, children, and adults dying “grievous” deaths, their bodies unable to even be buried, and their flesh devoured by the birds (Jeremiah 16:3-4). The people of Israel had become so hardened by the numbing effects of sin that they no longer believed God, nor did they fear Him. Jeremiah preached for 40 years, and not once did he see any real success in changing or softening the hearts and minds of his stubborn, idolatrous people. God had delivered His people from bondage in Egypt, had performed miracles before them, and had even parted the waters of the sea for them. In spite of all these displays of God’s power, they returned to the false practices they had learned in Egypt. God finally turned them over to their idolatry, saying, “Go ahead, then; do what you promised! Keep your vows!” (Jeremiah 44:25). Jeremiah became discouraged. He sank into a quagmire where many believers seem to get stuck when they think their efforts are not making a difference and time is diminishing. Jeremiah was emotionally spent, even to the point of doubting God (Jeremiah 15:18), but God was not done with him.
JESUS (JESUS CHRIST) (JESUS OF NAZARETH)
The meaning of Jesus is "Savior; to rescue; to deliver" Virtually all modern scholars agree that Jesus existed historically. Jesus has been acclaimed as the greatest religious leader who ever lived, as being the most influential person to have lived on our planet, and as being unique to the degree that no one can be compared to Him. The debate begins with the discussion of Jesus’ full identity. Almost every major religion teaches that Jesus was a prophet or a good teacher or a godly man. But the Bible tells us that Jesus was infinitely more than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly man. So, who did Jesus claim to be? Who does the Bible say He is? First, He is God in the flesh. Jesus said “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30). At first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be God. However, look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement. They tried to stone Him “for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). The Jews understood Jesus’ statement as a claim to be God. In the following verses, Jesus never corrects the Jews or attempts to clarify His statement. He never says, “I did not claim to be God.” When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one”, He truly was claiming equality with God. In (John 8:58) Jesus claims pre-existence, an attribute of God: “‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” In response to this statement, the Jews again took up stones to stone Jesus (John 8:59). In claiming pre-existence, Jesus applied a name for God to Himself—I AM (Exodus 3:14). The Jews rejected Jesus’ identity as God Incarnate, but they understood exactly what He was saying. Other biblical clues that Jesus is God in the flesh include (John 1:1), which says, “The Word was God,” coupled with (John 1:14), which says, “The Word became flesh.” Thomas the disciple declared to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), Jesus does not correct him. The apostle Paul describes Jesus as “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The apostle Peter says the same, calling Jesus “our God and Savior” (2 Peter 1:1). God the Father bears witness of Jesus’ identity as well: “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” (Psalm 45:6). Old Testament prophecies such as (Isaiah 9:6) announce the deity of Christ: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” Jesus had to be both God and man. As God, Jesus could satisfy God’s wrath. As a man, Jesus had the capability of dying. As the God-man, Jesus is the perfect Mediator between heaven and earth (1 Timothy 2:5). Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. As He proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
The Gospels
The four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the foremost sources for the life and message of Jesus. But other parts of the New Testament also include references to key episodes in his life, such as the Last Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). Acts of the Apostles refers to Jesus' early ministry and its anticipation by John the Baptist. Acts says more about the Ascension of Jesus than the canonical gospels do (Acts 1:1-11). In the undisputed Pauline letters, which were written earlier than the Gospels, Jesus' words or instructions are cited several times (1 Corinthians 7:10–11) (1 Corinthians 9:14) (1 Corinthians 9:14) (1 Corinthians 11:23–25) (2 Corinthians 12:9). Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek "together" and "view", because they are similar in content, narrative arrangement, language and paragraph structure, and one can easily set them next to each other and synoptically compare what is in them. The Synoptics emphasize different aspects of Jesus. In Mark, Jesus is the Son of God whose mighty works demonstrate the presence of God's Kingdom. He is a tireless wonder worker, the servant of both God and man. This short gospel records few of Jesus' words or teachings. The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's will as revealed in the Old Testament, and the Lord of the Church. He is the "Son of David", a "king", and the messiah. Luke presents Jesus as the divine-human savior who shows compassion to the needy. He is the friend of sinners and outcasts, come to seek and save the lost. This gospel includes well-known parables, such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. The prologue to the Gospel of John identifies Jesus as an incarnation of the divine Word. As the Word, Jesus was eternally present with God, active in all creation, and the source of humanity's moral and spiritual nature. Jesus is not only greater than any past human prophet but greater than any prophet could be. He not only speaks God's Word; he is God's Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals his divine role publicly. Here he is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the True Vine and more. In general, the authors of the New Testament showed little interest in an absolute chronology of Jesus or in synchronizing the episodes of his life with the secular history of the age. As stated, the Gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events in Jesus' life (John 21:25). The accounts were primarily written as theological documents in the context of early Christianity, with timelines as a secondary consideration.
Birth
Jesus was Jewish, born to Mary, wife of Joseph (Matthew 1:1-16) (Luke 3:23-38). Matthew and Luke each describe Jesus' birth, especially that Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary in Bethlehem in fulfillment of prophecy. Both accounts state that Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, his betrothed, in Bethlehem, and both support the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:18), according to which Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb when she was still a virgin. At the same time, there is evidence, at least in the Lukan Acts of the Apostles, that Jesus was thought to have had, like many figures in antiquity, a dual paternity, since there it is stated he descended from the seed or loins of David. By taking him as his own, Joseph will give him the necessary Davidic descent. In Matthew, Joseph is troubled because Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant (Matthew 1:19-20) but in the first of Joseph's four dreams an angel assures him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. In Matthew, wise men or Magi from the East bring gifts to the young Jesus as the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1). They find him in a house in Bethlehem. Matthew focuses on an event after the Luke Nativity where Jesus was an infant (Matthew 2:1–12). In Matthew Herod the Great hears of Jesus' birth and, wanting him killed, orders the murders of male infants in Bethlehem under the age of 2. But an angel warns Joseph in his second dream, and the family flees to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14), later to return and settle in Nazareth with the death of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:15-23). In Luke Mary learns from the angel Gabriel that she will conceive and bear a child called Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31–38). When Mary is due to give birth, she and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. While there Mary gives birth to Jesus, and as they have found no room in the inn, she places the newborn in a manger (Luke 2:1–7). An angel announces the birth to a group of shepherds, who go to Bethlehem to see Jesus, and subsequently spread the news abroad (Luke 2:8–20). Joseph and Mary have their baby circumcised on the eighth day after birth, and name him Jesus, as Gabriel had commanded Mary (Luke 2:21).
Family & Early Years
Jesus' childhood home is identified in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew as the town of Nazareth in Galilee, where he lived with his family. Although Joseph appears in descriptions of Jesus' childhood, no mention is made of him thereafter. His other family members being his mother, Mary, his brothers Joseph, Judas and Simon and his unnamed sisters are mentioned in the Gospels and other sources. Jesus' maternal grandparents are named Joachim and Anne in the Gospel of James. The Gospel of Luke records that Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-36). Jesus and John the Baptist would be second cousins through the belief that Elizabeth was the daughter of Sobe, the sister of Anne.The Gospel of Mark reports that at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus comes into conflict with his neighbors and family. Jesus' mother and brothers come to get him (Mark 3:31-35) because people are saying that he is crazy (Mark 3:21). Jesus responds that his followers are his true family (Mark 3:33-34). In the Gospel of John, Jesus and his mother attend a wedding at Cana, where he performs his first miracle at her request (John 2:1-11). Later, she follows him to his crucifixion, and he expresses concern over her well-being (John 19:25-27).
First Temple Visit
Jesus is called a carpenter but it could cover makers of objects in various materials, including builders (Mark 6:3). When Jesus is presented as a baby in the Temple in Jerusalem per Jewish Law, a man named Simeon says to Mary and Joseph that Jesus " “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against (Luke 2:28-35). When Jesus, at the age of twelve, goes missing on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, his parents find him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions, and the people are amazed at his understanding and answers; Mary scolds Jesus for going missing, to which Jesus replies that he must "be in his father's house" (Luke 2:41-52).
Baptism
The gospels describe Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, and the temptations he received while spending forty days in the Judaean Desert, as a preparation for his public ministry. Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John in the River Jordan. John rightly recognized that the sinless Son of God needed no baptism of repentance, and that he was certainly not worthy to baptize his own Savior. But Jesus answered John’s concern by requesting baptism "to fulfill all righteousness," meaning that He was identifying Himself with sinners for whom He would ultimately sacrifice Himself, thereby securing all righteousness for them (2 Corinthians 5:21). In humility, John obeyed and consented to baptize Jesus (Matthew 3:13–15). As Jesus came up out of the water, “heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16–17). The accounts of Jesus' baptism are all preceded by information about John the Baptist. They show John preaching penance and repentance for the remission of sins and encouraging the giving of alms to the poor as he baptizes people in the area of the Jordan River around Perea and foretells the arrival of someone "more powerful" than he (Luke 3:16).
Early Ministry
The Gospels depict two distinct geographical settings in Jesus' ministry. The first takes place north of Judea, in Galilee, where Jesus conducts a successful ministry, and the second shows Jesus rejected and killed when he travels to Jerusalem. Often referred to as "rabbi", Jesus preaches his message orally. Notably, Jesus forbids those who recognize him as the messiah to speak of it, including people he heals and demons he exorcises. John depicts Jesus' ministry as largely taking place in and around Jerusalem, rather than in Galilee. Jesus' divine identity is openly proclaimed and immediately recognized. The ministry of Jesus can be divided into several stages. The Galilean ministry begins when Jesus returns to Galilee from the Judaean Desert after rebuffing the temptation of Satan. Jesus preaches around Galilee, and his first disciples, who will eventually form the core of the early Church, encounter him and begin to travel with him (Matthew 4:18–20). This period includes the Sermon on the Mount, one of Jesus' major discourses, as well as the calming of the storm, the feeding of the 5,000, walking on water and a number of other miracles and parables. It ends with the Confession of Peter and the Transfiguration. As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the Perean ministry, he returns to the area where he was baptized, about a third of the way down from the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan River (John 10:40-42). The final ministry in Jerusalem begins with Jesus' triumphal entry into the city on Palm Sunday. During that week Jesus drives the money changers from the Second Temple and Judas bargains to betray him. This period culminates in the Last Supper and the Farewell Discourse.
The Apostles
Near the beginning of his ministry, Jesus appoints twelve apostles. In Matthew and Mark, despite Jesus only briefly requesting that they join him, Jesus' first four apostles, who were fishermen, are described as immediately consenting, and abandoning their nets and boats to do so (Matthew 4:18–22) (Mark 1:16–20). In John, Jesus' first two apostles were disciples of John the Baptist. The Baptist sees Jesus and calls him the Lamb of God; the two hear this and follow Jesus. In addition to the Twelve Apostles, the opening of the passage of the Sermon on the Plain identifies a much larger group of people as disciples (Luke 6:17). Also, in Luke Jesus sends 70 or 72 of his followers in pairs to prepare towns for his prospective visit (Luke 10:1–16). They are instructed to accept hospitality, heal the sick, and spread the word that the Kingdom of God is coming. In Mark, the disciples are notably obtuse. They fail to understand Jesus' miracles, his parables (Mark 4:13), or what "rising from the dead" means (Mark 9:9-10). When Jesus is later arrested, they desert him.
Teachings & Miracles
Jesus teaches extensively, often in parables, about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, The Kingdom is described as both imminent (Mark 1:15) and already present in the ministry of Jesus (Luke 17:21). Jesus promises inclusion in the Kingdom for those who accept his message (Mark 10:13-27). He talks of the "Son of Man", an apocalyptic figure who will come to gather the chosen. Jesus calls people to repent their sins and to devote themselves completely to God. He tells his followers to adhere to Jewish law, although he is perceived by some to have broken the law himself, for example regarding the Sabbath. When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39). Other ethical teachings of Jesus include loving your enemies, refraining from hatred and lust, turning the other cheek, and forgiving people who have sinned against you. In the gospel accounts, Jesus devotes a large portion of his ministry by performing miracles, especially healings. The miracles can be classified into two main categories: healing miracles and nature miracles. The healing miracles include cures for physical ailments, exorcisms, and resurrections of the dead. The nature miracles show Jesus' power over nature, and include turning water into wine, walking on water, and calming a storm, among others. Jesus states that his miracles are from a divine source. When his opponents suddenly accuse him of performing exorcisms by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, Jesus counters that he performs them by the "Spirit of God" (Matthew 12:28) or "finger of God", arguing that all logic suggests that Satan would not let his demons assist the Children of God because it would divide Satan's house and bring his kingdom to desolation; furthermore, he asks his opponents that if he exorcises by Beel'zebub, "by whom do your sons cast them out?" In Matthew , he goes on to say that while all manner of sin, "even insults against God" or "insults against the son of man", shall be forgiven, whoever insults goodness (or "The Holy Spirit") shall never be forgiven; they carry the guilt of their sin forever (Matthew 12:31–32). In John, Jesus' miracles are described as "signs", performed to prove his mission and divinity. When asked by some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees to give miraculous signs to prove his authority, Jesus refuses, saying that no sign shall come to corrupt and evil people except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Also, in the Synoptic Gospels, the crowds regularly respond to Jesus' miracles with awe and press on him to heal their sick. In John's Gospel, Jesus is presented as unpressured by the crowds, who often respond to his miracles with trust and faith. One characteristic shared among all miracles of Jesus in the gospel accounts is that he performed them freely and never requested or accepted any form of payment. The gospel episodes that include descriptions of the miracles of Jesus also often include teachings, and the miracles themselves involve an element of teaching. Many of the miracles teach the importance of faith. In the cleansing of ten lepers and the raising of Jairus's daughter, for instance, the beneficiaries are told that their healing was due to their faith.
Last Week in Jerusalem
In the Synoptics, the last week in Jerusalem is the conclusion of the journey through Perea and Judea that Jesus began in Galilee. Jesus rides a young donkey into Jerusalem, reflecting the tale of the Messiah's Donkey, an oracle from the Book of Zechariah in which the Jews' humble king enters Jerusalem this way (Zechariah 9:9). People along the way lay cloaks and small branches of trees (known as palm fronds) in front of him and sing part of Psalms (Psalms 118:25-26) Jesus next expels the money changers from the Second Temple, accusing them of turning it into a den of thieves through their commercial activities. He then prophecies about the coming destruction, including false prophets, wars, earthquakes, celestial disorders, persecution of the faithful, the appearance of an "abomination of desolation", and unendurable tribulations (Mark 13:1-23). Jesus warns that these wonders will occur in the lifetimes of the hearers (Mark 13:28-32). Jesus comes into conflict with the Jewish elders, such as when they question his authority and when he criticizes them and calls them hypocrites. Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, secretly strikes a bargain with the Jewish elders, agreeing to betray Jesus to them for 30 silver coins (Matthew 26:14) (Matthew 27:5).
Last Supper
The Gospel of John recounts of two other feasts in which Jesus taught in Jerusalem before the Passion Week. In Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. This potent sign increases the tension with authorities, who conspire to kill him (John 11). Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus' feet, foreshadowing his entombment. Jesus then makes his Messianic entry into Jerusalem. The cheering crowds greeting Jesus as he enters Jerusalem add to the animosity between him and the establishment. The Last Supper is the final meal that Jesus shares with his twelve apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper is mentioned in all four canonical gospels; Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians also refers to it (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). During the meal, Jesus predicts that one of his apostles will betray him (Matthew 26:22-24) (John 13:26–27). Despite each Apostle's assertion that he would not betray him, Jesus reiterates that the betrayer would be one of those present. Jesus then takes bread, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you". He then has them all drink from a cup, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood," (Luke 22:19-20). The Christian sacrament or ordinance of the Eucharist is based on these events. In all four gospels, Jesus predicts that Peter will deny knowledge of him three times before the rooster crows the next morning. In Luke and John, the prediction is made during the Supper (Luke 22:34) (John 13:38). Jesus also predicts that all his disciples will desert him (Matthew 26:31–34) (Mark 14:27–30). The Gospel of John provides the only account of Jesus washing his disciples' feet after the meal (John 13:1-17). John also includes a long sermon by Jesus, preparing his disciples (now without Judas) for his departure (John 17:6-18). Chapters 14–17 of the Gospel of John are known as the Farewell Discourse and are a significant source of Christological content.
Betrayal
Jesus and his disciples go to the garden Gethsemane, where Jesus prays to be spared his coming ordeal. Then Judas comes with an armed mob, sent by the chief priests, scribes and elders. He kisses Jesus to identify him to the crowd, which then arrests Jesus. In an attempt to stop them, an unnamed disciple of Jesus uses a sword to cut off the ear of a man in the crowd. After Jesus' arrest, his disciples go into hiding, and Peter, when questioned, thrice denies knowing Jesus. After the third denial, Peter hears the rooster crow and recalls Jesus' prediction about his denial. Peter then weeps bitterly (Luke 22:34) (John 13:38). Jesus does not pray to be spared his crucifixion, as the gospel portrays him as scarcely touched by such human weakness (John 18:1–11). The people who arrest him are Roman soldiers and Temple guards. Instead of being betrayed by a kiss, Jesus proclaims his identity, and when he does, the soldiers and officers fall to the ground. The gospel identifies Peter as the disciple who used the sword, and Jesus rebukes him for it.
Arrest & Trial
After his arrest, Jesus is taken late at night to the private residence of the high priest, Caiaphas, who had been installed by Pilate's predecessor, the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus. Jesus is taken to the house of the high priest, Caiaphas, where he is mocked and beaten that night. Early the next morning, the chief priests and scribes lead Jesus away into their council (Matthew 26:57) (Mark 14:53) (Luke 22:54). Early the next morning, the chief priests and scribes lead Jesus away into their council. Jesus is first taken to Annas, Caiaphas's father-in-law, and then to the high priest (John 18:12–14). During the trials Jesus speaks very little, mounts no defense, and gives very infrequent and indirect answers to the priests' questions, prompting an officer to slap him. Jesus' unresponsiveness leads Caiaphas to ask him, "Have you no answer?" (Matthew 26:62). The high priest then asks Jesus, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus replies, "I am", and then predicts the coming of the Son of Man (Mark 14:61). This provokes Caiaphas to tear his own robe in anger and to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus' answer is more ambiguous "You have said so" (Matthew 26:64) "You say that I am" (Luke 22:70). The Jewish elders take Jesus to Pilate's Court and ask the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to judge and condemn Jesus for various allegations: subverting the nation, opposing the payment of tribute, claiming to be Christ, a King, and claiming to be the son of God. The use of the word "king" is central to the discussion between Jesus and Pilate. Jesus states, "My kingdom is not from this world", but he does not unequivocally deny being the King of the Jews (John 18:36). Pilate realizes that Jesus is a Galilean, and thus comes under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (Luke 23:7–15). Pilate sends Jesus to Herod to be tried, but Jesus says almost nothing in response to Herod's questions. Herod and his soldiers mock Jesus, put an expensive robe on him to make him look like a king, and return him to Pilate, who then calls together the Jewish elders and announces that he has "not found this man guilty". Observing a Passover custom of the time, Pilate allows one prisoner chosen by the crowd to be released. He gives the people a choice between Jesus and a murderer called Barabbas. Persuaded by the elders (Matthew 27:20), the mob chooses to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Pilate writes a sign in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that reads "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (abbreviated as INRI in depictions) to be affixed to Jesus' cross (John 19:19-20), then scourges Jesus and sends him to be crucified. The soldiers place a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and ridicule him as the King of the Jews. They beat and taunt him before taking him to Calvary, also called Golgotha, for crucifixion (John 19:16-18).
Crucifixion
After the trials, Jesus is led to Calvary carrying his cross; the route traditionally thought to have been taken is known as the Via Dolorosa. The three Synoptic Gospels indicate that Simon of Cyrene assists him, having been compelled by the Romans to do so. Jesus tells the women in the multitude of people following him not to weep for him but for themselves and their children (Luke 23:27–28). At Calvary, Jesus is offered a sponge soaked in a concoction usually offered as a painkiller. According to Matthew and Mark, he refuses it. The soldiers then crucify Jesus and cast lots for his clothes. Above Jesus' head on the cross is Pilate's inscription, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews". Soldiers and passersby mock him about it. Two convicted thieves are crucified along with Jesus. In Matthew and Mark, both thieves mock Jesus. In Luke, one of them rebukes Jesus, while the other defends him. Jesus tells the latter: "today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). The four gospels mention the presence of a group of female disciples of Jesus at the crucifixion. In John, Jesus sees his mother Mary and the beloved disciple and tells him to take care of her (John 19:26-27). Roman soldiers break the two thieves' legs to hasten their death, but not those of Jesus, as he is already dead. Instead, one soldier pierces Jesus' side with a lance, and blood and water flow out (John 19:33-34). The Synoptics report a period of darkness, and the heavy curtain in the Temple is torn when Jesus dies, and an earthquake breaks open tombs (Matthew 27:51–54). In Matthew and Mark, terrified by the events, a Roman centurion states that Jesus was the Son of God. On the same day, Joseph of Arimathea, with Pilate's permission and with Nicodemus's help, removes Jesus' body from the cross, wraps him in a clean cloth, and buries him in his new rock-hewn tomb. On the following day the chief Jewish priests ask Pilate for the tomb to be secured, and with Pilate's permission the priests place seals on the large stone covering the entrance (Matthew 27:62–66).
Resurrection
The Gospels do not describe the moment of the resurrection of Jesus. They describe the discovery of his empty tomb and several appearances of Jesus, with distinct differences in each narrative. In the four Gospels, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb on Sunday morning, and the other Mary went to look at the tomb (Matthew 28:1). The tomb is empty, with the stone rolled away, and an angel of the Lord came down from heaven (Matthew 28:2-3) The women are told that Jesus is not here and that he is risen (Mark 16:5-6) (Matthew 28:5-6) (Luke 24:4-6). In Mark and Matthew, the angel also instructs them to tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee (Mark 16:7) (Matthew 28:7). In Luke, Peter visits the tomb after he is told it is empty (Luke 24:12). In John, he goes there with the beloved disciple (John 20:2-8). Matthew mentions Roman guards at the tomb (Matthew 28:7), who report to the priests of Jerusalem what happened. The priests bribe them to say that the disciples stole Jesus' body during the night (Matthew 28:11-15). The four Gospels then describe various appearances of Jesus in his resurrected body. Jesus first reveals himself to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9) (John 20:14-17), along with "the other Mary" in Matthew (Matthew 28:9-10), while in Luke the first reported appearance is to two disciples heading to Emmaus, (Luke 24:13-31). Jesus then reveals himself to the eleven disciples, in Jerusalem or in Galilee. (Mark 16:14) (Matthew 28:16-17) (John 20:19-23). Jesus eats and shows them his tangible wounds to prove that he is not a spirit (Luke 24:36-43). He also shows them to Thomas to end his doubts (John 20:24-29), Jesus commissions the disciples to spread the gospel message to all nations, He tells Peter to take care of his sheep (), this was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead (John 21:14-16).
Jesus' Ascension
Jesus' ascension into Heaven is described in Luke (Luke 24:50–53) (Acts 1:1–11), and mentioned in 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 3:16). In the Acts of the Apostles, forty days after the Resurrection, as the disciples look on, "he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight". 1 Peter states that Jesus has "gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God" (1 Peter 3:22). The Acts of the Apostles describes several appearances of Jesus after his Ascension. In Acts, Stephen gazes into heaven and sees "Jesus standing at the right hand of God" just before his death (Acts 7:55). On the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul is converted to Christianity after seeing a blinding light and hearing a voice saying, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5). Also in Acts, Jesus instructs Ananias of Damascus in a vision to heal Paul (Acts 9:10–18). The Book of Revelation includes a revelation from Jesus concerning the last days of Earth (Revelation 1:1-7).
The Gospels
The four canonical gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are the foremost sources for the life and message of Jesus. But other parts of the New Testament also include references to key episodes in his life, such as the Last Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). Acts of the Apostles refers to Jesus' early ministry and its anticipation by John the Baptist. Acts says more about the Ascension of Jesus than the canonical gospels do (Acts 1:1-11). In the undisputed Pauline letters, which were written earlier than the Gospels, Jesus' words or instructions are cited several times (1 Corinthians 7:10–11) (1 Corinthians 9:14) (1 Corinthians 9:14) (1 Corinthians 11:23–25) (2 Corinthians 12:9). Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels, from the Greek "together" and "view", because they are similar in content, narrative arrangement, language and paragraph structure, and one can easily set them next to each other and synoptically compare what is in them. The Synoptics emphasize different aspects of Jesus. In Mark, Jesus is the Son of God whose mighty works demonstrate the presence of God's Kingdom. He is a tireless wonder worker, the servant of both God and man. This short gospel records few of Jesus' words or teachings. The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's will as revealed in the Old Testament, and the Lord of the Church. He is the "Son of David", a "king", and the messiah. Luke presents Jesus as the divine-human savior who shows compassion to the needy. He is the friend of sinners and outcasts, come to seek and save the lost. This gospel includes well-known parables, such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. The prologue to the Gospel of John identifies Jesus as an incarnation of the divine Word. As the Word, Jesus was eternally present with God, active in all creation, and the source of humanity's moral and spiritual nature. Jesus is not only greater than any past human prophet but greater than any prophet could be. He not only speaks God's Word; he is God's Word. In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals his divine role publicly. Here he is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the True Vine and more. In general, the authors of the New Testament showed little interest in an absolute chronology of Jesus or in synchronizing the episodes of his life with the secular history of the age. As stated, the Gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events in Jesus' life (John 21:25). The accounts were primarily written as theological documents in the context of early Christianity, with timelines as a secondary consideration.
Birth
Jesus was Jewish, born to Mary, wife of Joseph (Matthew 1:1-16) (Luke 3:23-38). Matthew and Luke each describe Jesus' birth, especially that Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary in Bethlehem in fulfillment of prophecy. Both accounts state that Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, his betrothed, in Bethlehem, and both support the doctrine of the virgin birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:18), according to which Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb when she was still a virgin. At the same time, there is evidence, at least in the Lukan Acts of the Apostles, that Jesus was thought to have had, like many figures in antiquity, a dual paternity, since there it is stated he descended from the seed or loins of David. By taking him as his own, Joseph will give him the necessary Davidic descent. In Matthew, Joseph is troubled because Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant (Matthew 1:19-20) but in the first of Joseph's four dreams an angel assures him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. In Matthew, wise men or Magi from the East bring gifts to the young Jesus as the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1). They find him in a house in Bethlehem. Matthew focuses on an event after the Luke Nativity where Jesus was an infant (Matthew 2:1–12). In Matthew Herod the Great hears of Jesus' birth and, wanting him killed, orders the murders of male infants in Bethlehem under the age of 2. But an angel warns Joseph in his second dream, and the family flees to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14), later to return and settle in Nazareth with the death of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:15-23). In Luke Mary learns from the angel Gabriel that she will conceive and bear a child called Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31–38). When Mary is due to give birth, she and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. While there Mary gives birth to Jesus, and as they have found no room in the inn, she places the newborn in a manger (Luke 2:1–7). An angel announces the birth to a group of shepherds, who go to Bethlehem to see Jesus, and subsequently spread the news abroad (Luke 2:8–20). Joseph and Mary have their baby circumcised on the eighth day after birth, and name him Jesus, as Gabriel had commanded Mary (Luke 2:21).
Family & Early Years
Jesus' childhood home is identified in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew as the town of Nazareth in Galilee, where he lived with his family. Although Joseph appears in descriptions of Jesus' childhood, no mention is made of him thereafter. His other family members being his mother, Mary, his brothers Joseph, Judas and Simon and his unnamed sisters are mentioned in the Gospels and other sources. Jesus' maternal grandparents are named Joachim and Anne in the Gospel of James. The Gospel of Luke records that Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-36). Jesus and John the Baptist would be second cousins through the belief that Elizabeth was the daughter of Sobe, the sister of Anne.The Gospel of Mark reports that at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus comes into conflict with his neighbors and family. Jesus' mother and brothers come to get him (Mark 3:31-35) because people are saying that he is crazy (Mark 3:21). Jesus responds that his followers are his true family (Mark 3:33-34). In the Gospel of John, Jesus and his mother attend a wedding at Cana, where he performs his first miracle at her request (John 2:1-11). Later, she follows him to his crucifixion, and he expresses concern over her well-being (John 19:25-27).
First Temple Visit
Jesus is called a carpenter but it could cover makers of objects in various materials, including builders (Mark 6:3). When Jesus is presented as a baby in the Temple in Jerusalem per Jewish Law, a man named Simeon says to Mary and Joseph that Jesus " “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against (Luke 2:28-35). When Jesus, at the age of twelve, goes missing on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, his parents find him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions, and the people are amazed at his understanding and answers; Mary scolds Jesus for going missing, to which Jesus replies that he must "be in his father's house" (Luke 2:41-52).
Baptism
The gospels describe Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, and the temptations he received while spending forty days in the Judaean Desert, as a preparation for his public ministry. Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John in the River Jordan. John rightly recognized that the sinless Son of God needed no baptism of repentance, and that he was certainly not worthy to baptize his own Savior. But Jesus answered John’s concern by requesting baptism "to fulfill all righteousness," meaning that He was identifying Himself with sinners for whom He would ultimately sacrifice Himself, thereby securing all righteousness for them (2 Corinthians 5:21). In humility, John obeyed and consented to baptize Jesus (Matthew 3:13–15). As Jesus came up out of the water, “heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16–17). The accounts of Jesus' baptism are all preceded by information about John the Baptist. They show John preaching penance and repentance for the remission of sins and encouraging the giving of alms to the poor as he baptizes people in the area of the Jordan River around Perea and foretells the arrival of someone "more powerful" than he (Luke 3:16).
Early Ministry
The Gospels depict two distinct geographical settings in Jesus' ministry. The first takes place north of Judea, in Galilee, where Jesus conducts a successful ministry, and the second shows Jesus rejected and killed when he travels to Jerusalem. Often referred to as "rabbi", Jesus preaches his message orally. Notably, Jesus forbids those who recognize him as the messiah to speak of it, including people he heals and demons he exorcises. John depicts Jesus' ministry as largely taking place in and around Jerusalem, rather than in Galilee. Jesus' divine identity is openly proclaimed and immediately recognized. The ministry of Jesus can be divided into several stages. The Galilean ministry begins when Jesus returns to Galilee from the Judaean Desert after rebuffing the temptation of Satan. Jesus preaches around Galilee, and his first disciples, who will eventually form the core of the early Church, encounter him and begin to travel with him (Matthew 4:18–20). This period includes the Sermon on the Mount, one of Jesus' major discourses, as well as the calming of the storm, the feeding of the 5,000, walking on water and a number of other miracles and parables. It ends with the Confession of Peter and the Transfiguration. As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, in the Perean ministry, he returns to the area where he was baptized, about a third of the way down from the Sea of Galilee along the Jordan River (John 10:40-42). The final ministry in Jerusalem begins with Jesus' triumphal entry into the city on Palm Sunday. During that week Jesus drives the money changers from the Second Temple and Judas bargains to betray him. This period culminates in the Last Supper and the Farewell Discourse.
The Apostles
Near the beginning of his ministry, Jesus appoints twelve apostles. In Matthew and Mark, despite Jesus only briefly requesting that they join him, Jesus' first four apostles, who were fishermen, are described as immediately consenting, and abandoning their nets and boats to do so (Matthew 4:18–22) (Mark 1:16–20). In John, Jesus' first two apostles were disciples of John the Baptist. The Baptist sees Jesus and calls him the Lamb of God; the two hear this and follow Jesus. In addition to the Twelve Apostles, the opening of the passage of the Sermon on the Plain identifies a much larger group of people as disciples (Luke 6:17). Also, in Luke Jesus sends 70 or 72 of his followers in pairs to prepare towns for his prospective visit (Luke 10:1–16). They are instructed to accept hospitality, heal the sick, and spread the word that the Kingdom of God is coming. In Mark, the disciples are notably obtuse. They fail to understand Jesus' miracles, his parables (Mark 4:13), or what "rising from the dead" means (Mark 9:9-10). When Jesus is later arrested, they desert him.
Teachings & Miracles
Jesus teaches extensively, often in parables, about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, The Kingdom is described as both imminent (Mark 1:15) and already present in the ministry of Jesus (Luke 17:21). Jesus promises inclusion in the Kingdom for those who accept his message (Mark 10:13-27). He talks of the "Son of Man", an apocalyptic figure who will come to gather the chosen. Jesus calls people to repent their sins and to devote themselves completely to God. He tells his followers to adhere to Jewish law, although he is perceived by some to have broken the law himself, for example regarding the Sabbath. When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39). Other ethical teachings of Jesus include loving your enemies, refraining from hatred and lust, turning the other cheek, and forgiving people who have sinned against you. In the gospel accounts, Jesus devotes a large portion of his ministry by performing miracles, especially healings. The miracles can be classified into two main categories: healing miracles and nature miracles. The healing miracles include cures for physical ailments, exorcisms, and resurrections of the dead. The nature miracles show Jesus' power over nature, and include turning water into wine, walking on water, and calming a storm, among others. Jesus states that his miracles are from a divine source. When his opponents suddenly accuse him of performing exorcisms by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, Jesus counters that he performs them by the "Spirit of God" (Matthew 12:28) or "finger of God", arguing that all logic suggests that Satan would not let his demons assist the Children of God because it would divide Satan's house and bring his kingdom to desolation; furthermore, he asks his opponents that if he exorcises by Beel'zebub, "by whom do your sons cast them out?" In Matthew , he goes on to say that while all manner of sin, "even insults against God" or "insults against the son of man", shall be forgiven, whoever insults goodness (or "The Holy Spirit") shall never be forgiven; they carry the guilt of their sin forever (Matthew 12:31–32). In John, Jesus' miracles are described as "signs", performed to prove his mission and divinity. When asked by some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees to give miraculous signs to prove his authority, Jesus refuses, saying that no sign shall come to corrupt and evil people except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Also, in the Synoptic Gospels, the crowds regularly respond to Jesus' miracles with awe and press on him to heal their sick. In John's Gospel, Jesus is presented as unpressured by the crowds, who often respond to his miracles with trust and faith. One characteristic shared among all miracles of Jesus in the gospel accounts is that he performed them freely and never requested or accepted any form of payment. The gospel episodes that include descriptions of the miracles of Jesus also often include teachings, and the miracles themselves involve an element of teaching. Many of the miracles teach the importance of faith. In the cleansing of ten lepers and the raising of Jairus's daughter, for instance, the beneficiaries are told that their healing was due to their faith.
Last Week in Jerusalem
In the Synoptics, the last week in Jerusalem is the conclusion of the journey through Perea and Judea that Jesus began in Galilee. Jesus rides a young donkey into Jerusalem, reflecting the tale of the Messiah's Donkey, an oracle from the Book of Zechariah in which the Jews' humble king enters Jerusalem this way (Zechariah 9:9). People along the way lay cloaks and small branches of trees (known as palm fronds) in front of him and sing part of Psalms (Psalms 118:25-26) Jesus next expels the money changers from the Second Temple, accusing them of turning it into a den of thieves through their commercial activities. He then prophecies about the coming destruction, including false prophets, wars, earthquakes, celestial disorders, persecution of the faithful, the appearance of an "abomination of desolation", and unendurable tribulations (Mark 13:1-23). Jesus warns that these wonders will occur in the lifetimes of the hearers (Mark 13:28-32). Jesus comes into conflict with the Jewish elders, such as when they question his authority and when he criticizes them and calls them hypocrites. Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, secretly strikes a bargain with the Jewish elders, agreeing to betray Jesus to them for 30 silver coins (Matthew 26:14) (Matthew 27:5).
Last Supper
The Gospel of John recounts of two other feasts in which Jesus taught in Jerusalem before the Passion Week. In Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. This potent sign increases the tension with authorities, who conspire to kill him (John 11). Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus' feet, foreshadowing his entombment. Jesus then makes his Messianic entry into Jerusalem. The cheering crowds greeting Jesus as he enters Jerusalem add to the animosity between him and the establishment. The Last Supper is the final meal that Jesus shares with his twelve apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper is mentioned in all four canonical gospels; Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians also refers to it (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). During the meal, Jesus predicts that one of his apostles will betray him (Matthew 26:22-24) (John 13:26–27). Despite each Apostle's assertion that he would not betray him, Jesus reiterates that the betrayer would be one of those present. Jesus then takes bread, breaks it, and gives it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you". He then has them all drink from a cup, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood," (Luke 22:19-20). The Christian sacrament or ordinance of the Eucharist is based on these events. In all four gospels, Jesus predicts that Peter will deny knowledge of him three times before the rooster crows the next morning. In Luke and John, the prediction is made during the Supper (Luke 22:34) (John 13:38). Jesus also predicts that all his disciples will desert him (Matthew 26:31–34) (Mark 14:27–30). The Gospel of John provides the only account of Jesus washing his disciples' feet after the meal (John 13:1-17). John also includes a long sermon by Jesus, preparing his disciples (now without Judas) for his departure (John 17:6-18). Chapters 14–17 of the Gospel of John are known as the Farewell Discourse and are a significant source of Christological content.
Betrayal
Jesus and his disciples go to the garden Gethsemane, where Jesus prays to be spared his coming ordeal. Then Judas comes with an armed mob, sent by the chief priests, scribes and elders. He kisses Jesus to identify him to the crowd, which then arrests Jesus. In an attempt to stop them, an unnamed disciple of Jesus uses a sword to cut off the ear of a man in the crowd. After Jesus' arrest, his disciples go into hiding, and Peter, when questioned, thrice denies knowing Jesus. After the third denial, Peter hears the rooster crow and recalls Jesus' prediction about his denial. Peter then weeps bitterly (Luke 22:34) (John 13:38). Jesus does not pray to be spared his crucifixion, as the gospel portrays him as scarcely touched by such human weakness (John 18:1–11). The people who arrest him are Roman soldiers and Temple guards. Instead of being betrayed by a kiss, Jesus proclaims his identity, and when he does, the soldiers and officers fall to the ground. The gospel identifies Peter as the disciple who used the sword, and Jesus rebukes him for it.
Arrest & Trial
After his arrest, Jesus is taken late at night to the private residence of the high priest, Caiaphas, who had been installed by Pilate's predecessor, the Roman procurator Valerius Gratus. Jesus is taken to the house of the high priest, Caiaphas, where he is mocked and beaten that night. Early the next morning, the chief priests and scribes lead Jesus away into their council (Matthew 26:57) (Mark 14:53) (Luke 22:54). Early the next morning, the chief priests and scribes lead Jesus away into their council. Jesus is first taken to Annas, Caiaphas's father-in-law, and then to the high priest (John 18:12–14). During the trials Jesus speaks very little, mounts no defense, and gives very infrequent and indirect answers to the priests' questions, prompting an officer to slap him. Jesus' unresponsiveness leads Caiaphas to ask him, "Have you no answer?" (Matthew 26:62). The high priest then asks Jesus, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?" Jesus replies, "I am", and then predicts the coming of the Son of Man (Mark 14:61). This provokes Caiaphas to tear his own robe in anger and to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus' answer is more ambiguous "You have said so" (Matthew 26:64) "You say that I am" (Luke 22:70). The Jewish elders take Jesus to Pilate's Court and ask the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to judge and condemn Jesus for various allegations: subverting the nation, opposing the payment of tribute, claiming to be Christ, a King, and claiming to be the son of God. The use of the word "king" is central to the discussion between Jesus and Pilate. Jesus states, "My kingdom is not from this world", but he does not unequivocally deny being the King of the Jews (John 18:36). Pilate realizes that Jesus is a Galilean, and thus comes under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea (Luke 23:7–15). Pilate sends Jesus to Herod to be tried, but Jesus says almost nothing in response to Herod's questions. Herod and his soldiers mock Jesus, put an expensive robe on him to make him look like a king, and return him to Pilate, who then calls together the Jewish elders and announces that he has "not found this man guilty". Observing a Passover custom of the time, Pilate allows one prisoner chosen by the crowd to be released. He gives the people a choice between Jesus and a murderer called Barabbas. Persuaded by the elders (Matthew 27:20), the mob chooses to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. Pilate writes a sign in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that reads "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" (abbreviated as INRI in depictions) to be affixed to Jesus' cross (John 19:19-20), then scourges Jesus and sends him to be crucified. The soldiers place a crown of thorns on Jesus' head and ridicule him as the King of the Jews. They beat and taunt him before taking him to Calvary, also called Golgotha, for crucifixion (John 19:16-18).
Crucifixion
After the trials, Jesus is led to Calvary carrying his cross; the route traditionally thought to have been taken is known as the Via Dolorosa. The three Synoptic Gospels indicate that Simon of Cyrene assists him, having been compelled by the Romans to do so. Jesus tells the women in the multitude of people following him not to weep for him but for themselves and their children (Luke 23:27–28). At Calvary, Jesus is offered a sponge soaked in a concoction usually offered as a painkiller. According to Matthew and Mark, he refuses it. The soldiers then crucify Jesus and cast lots for his clothes. Above Jesus' head on the cross is Pilate's inscription, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews". Soldiers and passersby mock him about it. Two convicted thieves are crucified along with Jesus. In Matthew and Mark, both thieves mock Jesus. In Luke, one of them rebukes Jesus, while the other defends him. Jesus tells the latter: "today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). The four gospels mention the presence of a group of female disciples of Jesus at the crucifixion. In John, Jesus sees his mother Mary and the beloved disciple and tells him to take care of her (John 19:26-27). Roman soldiers break the two thieves' legs to hasten their death, but not those of Jesus, as he is already dead. Instead, one soldier pierces Jesus' side with a lance, and blood and water flow out (John 19:33-34). The Synoptics report a period of darkness, and the heavy curtain in the Temple is torn when Jesus dies, and an earthquake breaks open tombs (Matthew 27:51–54). In Matthew and Mark, terrified by the events, a Roman centurion states that Jesus was the Son of God. On the same day, Joseph of Arimathea, with Pilate's permission and with Nicodemus's help, removes Jesus' body from the cross, wraps him in a clean cloth, and buries him in his new rock-hewn tomb. On the following day the chief Jewish priests ask Pilate for the tomb to be secured, and with Pilate's permission the priests place seals on the large stone covering the entrance (Matthew 27:62–66).
Resurrection
The Gospels do not describe the moment of the resurrection of Jesus. They describe the discovery of his empty tomb and several appearances of Jesus, with distinct differences in each narrative. In the four Gospels, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb on Sunday morning, and the other Mary went to look at the tomb (Matthew 28:1). The tomb is empty, with the stone rolled away, and an angel of the Lord came down from heaven (Matthew 28:2-3) The women are told that Jesus is not here and that he is risen (Mark 16:5-6) (Matthew 28:5-6) (Luke 24:4-6). In Mark and Matthew, the angel also instructs them to tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee (Mark 16:7) (Matthew 28:7). In Luke, Peter visits the tomb after he is told it is empty (Luke 24:12). In John, he goes there with the beloved disciple (John 20:2-8). Matthew mentions Roman guards at the tomb (Matthew 28:7), who report to the priests of Jerusalem what happened. The priests bribe them to say that the disciples stole Jesus' body during the night (Matthew 28:11-15). The four Gospels then describe various appearances of Jesus in his resurrected body. Jesus first reveals himself to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9) (John 20:14-17), along with "the other Mary" in Matthew (Matthew 28:9-10), while in Luke the first reported appearance is to two disciples heading to Emmaus, (Luke 24:13-31). Jesus then reveals himself to the eleven disciples, in Jerusalem or in Galilee. (Mark 16:14) (Matthew 28:16-17) (John 20:19-23). Jesus eats and shows them his tangible wounds to prove that he is not a spirit (Luke 24:36-43). He also shows them to Thomas to end his doubts (John 20:24-29), Jesus commissions the disciples to spread the gospel message to all nations, He tells Peter to take care of his sheep (), this was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead (John 21:14-16).
Jesus' Ascension
Jesus' ascension into Heaven is described in Luke (Luke 24:50–53) (Acts 1:1–11), and mentioned in 1 Timothy (1 Timothy 3:16). In the Acts of the Apostles, forty days after the Resurrection, as the disciples look on, "he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight". 1 Peter states that Jesus has "gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God" (1 Peter 3:22). The Acts of the Apostles describes several appearances of Jesus after his Ascension. In Acts, Stephen gazes into heaven and sees "Jesus standing at the right hand of God" just before his death (Acts 7:55). On the road to Damascus, the Apostle Paul is converted to Christianity after seeing a blinding light and hearing a voice saying, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:5). Also in Acts, Jesus instructs Ananias of Damascus in a vision to heal Paul (Acts 9:10–18). The Book of Revelation includes a revelation from Jesus concerning the last days of Earth (Revelation 1:1-7).
JEZEBEL
The meaning of Jezebel is "may God give seed" “Jezebel” is a name synonymous with evil; she is the epitome of the wicked woman. So infamous is her name that, to this day, no one names their baby daughter “Jezebel.” Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, a priest of the cruel, sensuous, false god Baal. Ethbaal, the priest-king of Tyre who murdered his own brother to take over the throne, was hardly a good father figure. But Jezebel followed in her father’s footsteps and was herself a power-hungry murderess who stopped at nothing to get what she wanted. The king of Israel at the time was Ahab, a weak, self-pitying man who abdicated his authority to his bride, the princess Jezebel. In spite of God’s laws forbidding idolatry and the worship of any god but the Lord, Ahab married this princess (1 Kings 16:30-32) who brought to Israel with her hundreds of priests of lewd Baal worship, a cult that tended to destroy manhood and drag womanhood into shame. One of her first acts was to order the extermination of the prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:4) (1 Kings 18:13) and set up altars to Baal. So pervasive was her idolatrous influence in Israel that Jesus later used her name to refer to a woman who led the church at Thyatira into immorality and the worship of false gods (Revelation 2:20). Jezebel’s strongest enemy was the great prophet Elijah, who defied her and opposed her evil rule. First, he pronounced the punishment of God upon Israel in the form of a drought which lasted three years (James 5:17). This culminated in a contest on Mount Carmel between the powers of Israel’s true God and the Baals. After the 450 priests of Baal and 400 priests of Asherah spent the day beseeching their gods with wailing and self-mutilation to end the drought, all to no avail, Elijah prayed to his omnipotent God who responded by accepting the sacrifice, having the false prophets slaughtered, and providing an abundance of rain (1 Kings 18:16-46). Instead of acknowledging the awesome power of the one true God, Jezebel was enraged and vowed to kill Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-2). Elijah fled from her wrath to the wilderness (1 Kings 19:3-8). In the meantime, Jezebel was proving herself to be the greedy, murderous, evil woman she truly was. A righteous man named Naboth owned a vineyard next to Ahab’s palace. Ahab offered to buy the vineyard, but Naboth, honoring God’s command to keep inheritances within the family, rightly refused to sell. Ahab became “sullen and angry” and went home to sulk on his bed. Jezebel ridiculed him for his weakness and told him to cheer up for she would get the vineyard for him. She plotted with two lying scoundrels to have Naboth falsely accused and denounced, then put to death. Then she calmly declared to Ahab that the vineyard was his (1 Kings 21:1-16). As with all who defy the Lord, Jezebel’s end was not a pretty one, although it was more gruesome than most, perhaps as an object lesson to all who set themselves up against the one true God. Her doom was sure, having been prophesied by Elijah (1 Kings 21:23). Even as she saw her death approaching, she remained defiant to the end, painting her face and adorning herself in queenly garments. She looked out the window and shouted her defiance to Jehu, the next king of Israel who came to take his throne (2 Kings 9:30-37). Jehu commanded her to be thrown out the window to her death, where she was trampled by the horses’ hooves and almost entirely consumed by dogs. Her thirty years of tyranny over Israel had ended.
JOAB
The meaning of Joab is "praise Jehovah" The nephew of King David and the commander of his army. Joab was the son of Zeruiah, a sister of king David (1 Chronicles 2:15-16). Joab had two brothers, Abishai and Asahel. Asahel was killed by Abner in combat, for which Joab took revenge by murdering Abner against David's wishes and shortly after David and Abner had secured peace between the House of David and the House of Saul (2 Samuel 2:13) (2 Samuel 3:21) (2 Samuel 3:27). After Joab led the assault on the fortress of Mount Zion, David made him captain of his army (2 Samuel 8:16; (2 Samuel 20:23) (1 Chronicles 11:4-6) (2 Samuel 18:15). He led the army against Aram, Ammon, Moab and Edom. He also colluded with David in the murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11:14-25). Joab played a pivotal role as the commander of David's forces during Absalom's rebellion. Absalom, one of David's sons, rallied much of Israel in rebellion against David, who was forced to flee with only his most trusted men. However, David could not bring himself to harm his son, and ordered that none of his men should kill Absalom during the ensuing battle. However, when a man reported that Absalom had been found alive and caught in a tree, Joab and his men killed him (2 Samuel 18:1-33). Hearing of David's grief over the reported death of Absalom, Joab confronted and admonished David. The king followed Joab's advice to make a public appearance to encourage his troops (2 Samuel 19:1-8). David later replaced him as commander of the army with David's nephew, Amasa (2 Samuel 19:13). Joab later killed Amasa (2 Samuel 20:8-13) (1 Kings 2:5). Joab and other commanders began questioning David's judgment (2 Samuel 24:2-4). As David neared the end of his reign, Joab offered his allegiance to David's eldest living son, Adonijah, rather than to the eventual king, Solomon (1 Kings 1:1-27). On the brink of death, David told Solomon to have Joab killed, citing Joab's past betrayals and the blood that he was guilty of. Solomon ordered Joab's death by the hand of Benaiah (1 Kings 2:29-34). Hearing this, Joab fled to the Tent of the Tabernacle and told Benaiah that he would die there. Benaiah killed Joab there and thereby replaced him as commander of the army. Joab was buried in 'the wilderness' (1 Kings 2:34).
JOB
The meaning of Job is "Persecuted" The life of Job demonstrates that humans are often unaware of the many ways God is at work in the life of each believer. Job was "blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1). He had ten children and was a man of great wealth. One day Satan presented himself before God and God asked Satan what he thought of Job. Satan accused Job of honoring God only because God had blessed him. So, God allowed Satan to take away Job’s wealth and his children. Later, God allowed Satan to afflict Job physically. Job grieved deeply but did not charge God with wrongdoing (Job 1:22) (Job 42:7–8). Job’s friends were certain that Job must have sinned in order to deserve punishment and argued with him about it. A younger man, Elihu, attempted to speak on God’s behalf before God, Himself, answered Job (Job 38—42). Job responded to God’s discourse in humility and repentance, saying he had spoken of things he did not know (Job 40:3–5) (Job 42:1–6). God told Job’s friends that He was angry with them for speaking falsehoods about Him, unlike Job who had spoken truth (Job 42:7–8). God told them to offer sacrifices and that Job would pray on their behalf and God would accept Job’s prayer. Job did so, likely forgiving his friends for their harshness himself. God restored Job’s fortunes two-fold (Job 42:10) and "blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part" (Job 42:12). Job lived 140 years after his suffering. Job never lost his faith in God, even under the most heartbreaking circumstances that tested him to his core. Though depressed enough to curse the day of his birth (Job 3:1–26), Job never cursed God (Job 2:9–10) nor did he waver in his understanding that God was still in control. When Job’s wife suggested he curse God and die, Job replied "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10). Job’s plight, from the death of his children and loss of his property to the physical torment he endured, plus the harangue of his so-called friends, never caused his faith to waver. He understood that man’s days are ordained (numbered) and they cannot be changed (Job 14:5).
JOHN THE APOSTLe
The meaning of John is "Yahweh has been gracious; graced by God" The Apostle John is the author of five New Testament books: the gospel of John, the three short epistles that also bear his name (1, 2, and 3 John) and the book of Revelation. John was part of Jesus’ “inner circle” and, along with Peter and James, John was given the privilege of witnessing Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah on the mount of the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9). His importance in the twelve grew as he matured, and after the crucifixion, he became a “pillar” in the Jerusalem church (Galatians 2:9), ministered with Peter (Acts 3:1) (Acts 4:13) (Acts 8:14), and finally was exiled to the island of Patmos by the Romans, where he received from God the majestic visions that comprise the book of Revelation. John is the brother of James, another of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Together, they were called by Jesus “Boanerges,” which means “sons of thunder,” and therein we find a key to John’s personality. Both brothers were characterized by zeal, passion and ambition. In his early days with Jesus, at times John acted rashly, recklessly, impetuously, and aggressively. We see him in Mark 9 forbidding a man to cast out demons in Jesus’ name because he was not part of the twelve (Mark 9:38-41). Jesus gently rebuked him, saying no one could cast out demons in Jesus’ name and then turn around and speak evil of Him. In Luke 9, we see the brothers wanting to call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who refused to welcome Jesus. Again, Jesus had to rebuke them for their intolerance and lack of genuine love for the lost (Luke 9:51-54). John’s zeal for Jesus was also influenced by his natural ambition, as seen in his request (through his mother) that he and his brother be seated on Jesus’ right and left hands in the kingdom, an incident that caused a temporary rift between the brothers and the other disciples (Matthew 20:20-24). In spite of these youthful expressions of misdirected passion, John aged well. He began to understand the need for humility in those who desired to be great. John’s is the only gospel that records Jesus washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:4-16). Jesus had enough confidence in the young man to turn the care of His mother over to him, a charge John took very seriously. From that day on, John cared for her as if she were his own mother (John 19:25-27). In the opening of the book of Revelation, which he received from the Holy Spirit during this time, he referred to himself as ‘your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus” (Revelation 1:9). He had learned to look beyond his earthly sufferings to the heavenly glory that awaits all who patiently endure. John was passionately devoted to the proclamation of truth. No one in Scripture, except the Lord Jesus, had more to say about the concept of truth. His joy was proclaiming the truth to others and then watching them walk in it (3 John 4). His strongest condemnation was for those who perverted the truth and led others astray, especially if they claimed to be believers (1 John 2:4). His passion for truth fueled his concern for the sheep who might be deceived by false teachers, and his warnings about them take up much of 1 John. He had no qualms about identifying as “false prophets” and “antichrists” those who tried to pervert the truth, even proclaiming them to be demonic in nature (1 John 2:18) (1 John 2:26) (1 John 3:7) (1 John 4:1-7). John is also called the “apostle of love.” In his own gospel, he refers to himself as “the one whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23) (John 20:2) (John 21:7) (John 21:20). He addresses his first epistle to a group of believers “whom I love in the truth” and exhorts them to “love one another” by walking in obedience to Jesus’ commands (2 John 1:1) (2 John 5-6).
JOHN THE BAPTISt
The meaning of John is "Yahweh has been gracious; graced by God" John the Baptist was an ascetic Jewish prophet known in Christianity as the forerunner of Jesus. John preached about God's Final Judgment and baptized repentant followers in preparation for it. John’s adult life was characterized by devotion and surrender to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. John’s voice was a "lone voice in the wilderness" (John 1:23) as he proclaimed the coming of the Messiah to a people who desperately needed a Savior. He is one of the most significant and well-known figures in the Bible. While John was known as "the Baptist," he was in fact the first prophet called by God since Malachi some 400 years earlier. John’s coming was foretold over 700 years previously by another prophet (Isaiah 40:3–5). John’s birth was miraculous. He was born of elderly parents who had never been able to have children (Luke 1:7). The angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah, a Levitical priest, that he would have a son, news that Zechariah received with incredulity (Luke 1:8-10). Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to John. At the circumcision ceremony, Zechariah said about his son, “You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; / for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him” (Luke 1:76). John was related to Jesus, as their mothers were relatives (Luke 1:36). In fact, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, he also told her about John. When Mary was carrying Jesus in her womb, she visited Elizabeth, and John leapt in his mother’s womb for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1:39-45). As an adult John lived a rugged life in the mountainous area of Judea, between the city of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. He wore clothes made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, the typical garb of a prophet. His diet was a simple one—locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4). John lived a simple life as he focused on the kingdom work set before him. John the Baptist’s ministry grew in popularity, as recounted in (Matthew 3:5–6): "People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River." The general opinion of John the Baptist was that he was a prophet of God (Matthew 14:5), and many people may have thought that he was the Messiah. This was not his intent, as he had a clear vision for what he was called to do. John says, "You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.'" (John 3:28). John was merely a messenger sent by God to proclaim the truth. His message was simple and direct: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 3:2). He knew that, once Jesus appeared on the scene, John’s work would be all but finished. He willingly gave up the spotlight to Jesus, saying, "He must become greater; I must become less" (John 3:30). Perhaps there is no greater example of humility than what is seen in both Jesus and John (Matthew 3:13–15). Jesus came from Galilee to be baptized by John in the River Jordan. John rightly recognized that the sinless Son of God needed no baptism of repentance and that he was certainly not worthy to baptize his own Savior. But Jesus answered John’s concern by requesting baptism "to fulfill all righteousness," meaning that He was identifying Himself with sinners for whom He would ultimately sacrifice Himself, thereby securing all righteousness for them (2 Corinthians 5:21). In humility, John obeyed and consented to baptize Jesus (Matthew 3:13–15). As Jesus came up out of the water, “heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16–17). Later, King Herod put John the Baptist in prison. Herod had married the former wife of his brother, Philip. John boldly spoke out against this marriage, much to the dislike of Herodias, Herod’s new wife (Luke 3:19–20) (Mark 6:17–20). While John was in prison, he heard of all the things Jesus was doing. In what seems to be a moment of doubt, John sent his disciples to Jesus to ask if He truly was the Messiah. Jesus responded by telling the men to tell John what they saw and heard—prophecies were being fulfilled. Jesus never rebuked John; rather, He gave evidence that He was the promised Savior (Matthew 11:2-6) (Luke 7:18-23). Jesus then spoke to the crowd about John, saying he was the prophesied messenger who would come before Messiah (Matthew 11:10) (Luke 7:27) (Malachi 3:1). Jesus also said, "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11) (Luke 7:28). John the Baptist’s ministry, as well as his life, came to an abrupt end at the hand of King Herod. In an act of unspeakable vengeance, Herodias plotted with her daughter to have John killed. Herodias’s daughter danced for Herod and his dinner guests one night, and Herod was so pleased that he said to her, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you” (Mark 6:22). The girl consulted with her mother before she answered that she wanted the head of John the Baptist on a platter (Mark 6:25). Herod had been afraid of John, “knowing him to be a righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20), and so was loath to kill the prophet, but he had promised to give the dancing girl whatever she asked. Since John was already in prison, it was a simple thing to send the executioner to behead John, which is exactly what happened (Mark 6:27–28). John was entrusted with a unique ministry, yet we, too, are called upon to share the truth of Jesus with others (Matthew 28:18–20) (John 13:34–35) (1 Peter 3:15) (2 Corinthians 5:16–21). We can follow John’s example of faithful and obedient trust in God as we live and proclaim His truth in whatever life circumstances God has given us.
JONAH
The meaning of Jonah is "Dove" The son of Amittai, is a prophet from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel, one of the twelve minor prophets. Jonah is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, which details his reluctance in delivering God's judgement on the city of Nineveh (Jonah 1:1-2). Jonah rose up in rebellion. Not being one to put up with that which was not to his mind, he fled to Joppa and got himself a passage on a ship bound for Tarshish, which was in the opposite direction from Nineveh (Jonah 1:3). God rolled over Jonah with a vengeance, causing a violent storm to threaten the safety of his ship and its crew. After Jonah's confession to the sailors that the storm was Gods vengeance against Jonah, the sailors threw him overboard, and the huge fish sent by God promptly swallowed him up (Jonah 1:17). At this point Jonah has now found himself in a situation worse than anything he could have imagined, but like Jacob, he has by now awakened to the fact that God is with him wherever he ends up, in obedience or disobedience. The result is a beautiful prayer of faith rising up from the belly of the great fish (Jonah 2:1). Salvation comes from the LORD” (Jonah 2:8-9). In response to this prayer of contrition and faith, on his Creator’s orders, the fish then vomits up Jonah (Jonah 2:10). Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time (Jonah 3:1). He finally arrives at Nineveh and strides vengefully through the city announcing doom and destruction on the people in forty days because of their wickedness and their ignorance of the Lord and His ways (Jonah 3:2-4). He then retires to a flimsy shelter he builds for himself, probably on a hill overlooking the city, and waits for the fireworks to start (Jonah 4:5). To his utter chagrin, the people repent and get right with the Lord (Jonah 3:5-10). This does not suit our friend Jonah at all and he flies into a fury at God and lets Him have no small piece of his mind (Jonah 4:1-3). God’s answer is to cause a leafy gourd to grow up to help protect Jonah from the blazing sun, for which Jonah is somewhat sullenly grateful, and then to promptly remove it the next day! His reply to Jonah’s bitter complaints about this is that if Jonah can have so much compassion on himself for his loss of comfort in spite of being aware of what a faulty child of God he is, then how much more compassion will Almighty God have on a people who are utterly ignorant of right from wrong (Jonah 4:9-11).
JOSEPH (JACOB'S SON)
The meaning of Joseph is "Jehovah shall add; may God add" Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, lived in the land of Canaan with ten half-brothers, one full brother, and at least one half-sister. He was Rachel's firstborn and Jacob's eleventh son. (Genesis 30:23-25). His father loved him more than any of the others and gave him a colored cloak (Genesis 37:3). When Joseph was seventeen years old, he shared with his brothers two dreams he had: in the first dream, Joseph and his brothers gathered bundles of grain, of which those his brothers gathered, bowed to his own. In the second dream, the sun (father), the moon (mother), and eleven stars (brothers) bowed to Joseph himself. These dreams, implying his supremacy, angered his brothers (Genesis 37:1–10) His brothers were jealous of him (Genesis 37:11) and sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:12–35). He was taken to Egypt and eventually became steward to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials (Genesis 37:36) (Genesis 39:1). Later, Joseph became Potiphar's personal servant, and subsequently his household's superintendent. Potiphar's wife Zuleika tried to seduce Joseph, which he refused. Angered by his running away from her, she made a false accusation of rape, and thus assured his imprisonment (Genesis 39:1–20). The warden put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners (Genesis 39:21-23), and soon afterward Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker, who had offended the Pharaoh, were thrown into the prison (Genesis 40:1-4). Both men had dreams, and Joseph, being able to interpret dreams, asked to hear them (Genesis 40:7-9). Joseph interpreted the dreams. The cup-bearer, reinstalled in office, forgot Joseph (Genesis 40:23). After two more years, the Pharaoh had a dream (Genesis 41:1). When the Pharaoh's advisers failed to interpret these dreams, the cup-bearer remembered Joseph. Joseph was then summoned, and he interpreted the dream as seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. He advised the Pharaoh to store surplus grain (Genesis 41:3-15). Following the prediction, Joseph became Vizier and put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt (Genesis 41:41), under the name of Zaphnath-Paaneah, and was given Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, to be his wife (Genesis 41:45). During the seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full. In the sixth year, Asenath bore two children to Joseph: Manasseh and Ephraim (Genesis 41:50). When the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations came to Egypt to buy bread. In the second year of famine Joseph's 10 half brothers were sent to Egypt to buy goods (Genesis 42:1) (Genesis 42:3). When they came to Egypt, they stood before the Vizier but did not recognize him as their brother Joseph (Genesis 42:6), who was now in his late 30s; but Joseph did recognize them and did not speak at all to them in his native tongue of Hebrew (Genesis 42:8). After questioning them, he accused them of being spies. After they mentioned a younger brother at home, the Joseph demanded that he be brought to Egypt as a demonstration of their veracity. This was Joseph's full brother, Benjamin (Genesis 42:15). Joseph placed his brothers in prison for three days. On the third day, he brought them out of prison to reiterate that he wanted their youngest brother brought to Egypt to demonstrate their veracity (Genesis 42:18). The brothers conferred amongst themselves speaking in Hebrew, reflecting on the wrong they had done to Joseph. Joseph understood what they were saying and removed himself from their presence because he was caught in emotion. When he returned, the Vizier took Simeon and bound him as a hostage (Genesis 42:22-24), Then he had their donkeys prepared with grain and sent the other brothers back to Canaan. Unbeknownst to them, Joseph had also returned their money to their money sacks (Genesis 42:25–28). The remaining brothers returned to their father in Canaan and told him all that had transpired in Egypt (Genesis 42:29). They also discovered that all of their money sacks still had money in them, and they were dismayed. Then they informed their father that the Vizier demanded that Benjamin be brought before him to demonstrate that they were honest men. With Reuben and Judah's persistence, they persuaded their father to let Benjamin join them for fear of Egyptian retribution (Genesis 43:15). Upon their return to Egypt, the steward of Joseph's house received the brothers. Then he brought the brothers into the house of Joseph and received them hospitably. When the Vizier (Joseph) appeared, they gave him gifts from their father. Joseph saw and inquired of Benjamin, and was overcome by emotion but did not show it. He withdrew to his chambers and wept. When he regained control of himself, he returned and ordered a meal to be served (Genesis 43:16). That night, Joseph ordered his steward to load the brothers' donkeys with food and all their money. The money they had brought was double what they had offered on the first trip. Deceptively, Joseph also ordered the steward to put his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. (Genesis 44:1) (Genesis 44:2). The following morning the brothers began their journey back to Canaan. Joseph ordered the steward to go after the brothers and to question them about the "missing" silver cup. When the steward caught up with the brothers, he seized them and searched their sacks. The steward found the cup in Benjamin's sack, just as he had planted it the night before (Genesis 44:4). This caused a stir amongst the brothers. However, they agreed to be escorted back to Egypt. When the Vizier (Joseph) confronted them about the silver cup, he demanded that the one who possessed the cup in his bag become his slave. In response, Judah pleaded with the Vizier that Benjamin be allowed to return to his father, and that he himself be kept in Benjamin's place as a slave. Judah appealed to the Vizier begging that Benjamin be released and that he be enslaved in his stead, because of the silver cup found in Benjamin's sack. (Genesis 44:17). The Vizier broke down into tears. He could not control himself any longer and so he sent the Egyptian men out of the house. Then he revealed to the Hebrews that he was in fact their brother, Joseph (Genesis 45:1-3). Then he commanded them to go and bring their father and his entire household into Egypt to live in the province of Goshen, because there were five more years of famine left. So Joseph supplied them Egyptian transport wagons, new garments, silver money, and twenty additional donkeys carrying provisions for the journey. (Genesis 45:4–28). Thus, Jacob (also known as Israel) and his entire house of seventy (Genesis 46:27) gathered up with all their livestock and began their journey to Egypt. As they approached Egyptian territory, Judah went ahead to ask Joseph where the caravan should unload. They were directed into the province of Goshen and Joseph readied his chariot to meet his father there (Genesis 46:29). It had been over twenty years since Joseph had last seen his father. When they met, they embraced each other and wept together for quite a while. His father then remarked, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." (Genesis 46:29-31). Afterward, Joseph's family personally met the Pharaoh of Egypt (Genesis 47:7). The family was then settled in Goshen (Genesis 47:11). Joseph's father was 147 years old and bedridden. He had fallen ill and lost most of his vision. Joseph was called into his father's house and Israel pleaded with his son that he not be buried in Egypt. Rather, he requested to be carried to the land of Canaan to be buried with his forefathers. Joseph was sworn to do as his father asked of him (Genesis 47:27–31). Joseph lived to the age of 110, living to see his great-grandchildren. Before he died, he made the children of Israel swear that when they left the land of Egypt they would take his bones with them, and on his death his body was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. (Genesis 50:22–26). The children of Israel remembered their oath, and when they left Egypt during the Exodus, Moses took Joseph's bones with him. (Exodus 13:19) The bones were buried at Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor (Joshua 24:32), which has traditionally been identified with site of Joseph's Tomb, before Jacob and all his family moved to Egypt. Shechem was in the land which was allocated by Joshua to the Tribe of Ephraim, one of the tribes of the House of Joseph, after the conquest of Canaan.
JOSHUA
The meaning of Joshua is "Jehovah is salvation" Joshua was Moses' assistant in the books of Exodus and Numbers, and later succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelite tribes in the Book of Joshua. He was charged by Moses with selecting and commanding a militia group for their first battle after exiting Egypt, against the Amalekites in Rephidim (Exodus 17:8–16), in which they were victorious. He later accompanied Moses when he ascended Mount Sinai to commune with God (Exodus 24:13), visualize God's plan for the Israelite tabernacle and receive the Ten Commandments. Joshua was with Moses when he descended from the mountain, heard the Israelites' celebrations around the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:17), and broke the tablets bearing the words of the commandments. However, when Moses returned to the mountain to re-create the tablets recording the Ten Commandments, Joshua was not present, as the biblical text states "no man shall come up with you" (Exodus 34:3). Joshua was identified as one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore and report on the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:15-17), and only he and Caleb gave an encouraging report, a reward for which would be that only these two of their entire generation would enter the promised land (Numbers 14:22-24). God appointed Joshua to succeed Moses as leader of the Israelites along with giving him a blessing of invincibility during his lifetime (Joshua 1:1-9). Joshua led the conquest of Canaan. At the Jordan River (Joshua 3:1), the waters parted, as they had for Moses at the Red Sea. The first battle after the crossing of the Jordan was the Battle of Jericho (Joshua 5:12-14). Joshua led the destruction of Jericho, then moved on to Ai, a small neighboring city to the west. However, they were defeated with thirty-six Israelite deaths. The defeat was attributed to Achan taking an "accursed thing" from Jericho; and was followed by Achan and his family and animals being stoned to death to restore God's favor (Joshua 7:25). Joshua then went to defeat Ai (Joshua 8:1). The Israelites faced an alliance of five Amorite kings from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. At Gibeon, Joshua asked the LORD to cause the sun and moon to stand still, so that he could finish the battle in daylight (Joshua 10:12-14). When he was "old and well advanced in years" (Joshua 23:1-2), Joshua convened the elders and chiefs of the Israelites and exhorted them to have no fellowship with the native population, because it could lead them to be unfaithful to God (Joshua 23:7–8) (Joshua 23:12–13). At a general assembly of the clans at Shechem, he took leave of the people, admonishing them to be loyal to their God, who had been so mightily manifested in the midst of them. As a witness of their promise to serve God, Joshua set up a great stone under an oak by the sanctuary of God. Soon afterward he died, at the age of 110, and was buried at Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash (Joshua 24:29–30).
JUDAS (JUDAS ISCARIOT)
The meaning of Judas is "a person who betrays another; traitor; a man from Kerioth" Full name being Judas Iscariot, better known as just Judas. He was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane by kissing him on the cheek and addressing him as "master" to reveal his identity in the darkness to the crowd who had come to arrest him (Matthew 26:14) (Matthew 26:47) (Mark 14:10) (Mark 14:42) (Luke 22:47) (John 13:18). The Gospel of Mark gives no motive for Judas' betrayal (Matthew 26:14) (Mark 14:10), but does present Jesus predicting it at the Last Supper (John 13:2) (John 13:26). The Gospel states that Judas committed the betrayal in exchange for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). It was also suggested that he was possessed by Satan (Luke 22:3) (John 13:27). After learning that Jesus was to be crucified, Judas attempted to return the money he had been paid for his betrayal to the chief priests and committed suicide by hanging (Matthew 27:1–10). The priests used the money to buy a field to bury strangers in, which was called the "Field of Blood" because it had been bought with blood money (Acts 1:18-19). His place among the Twelve Apostles was later filled by Matthias.
JUDE (JUDAS)
The meaning of Jude is "praised" Jude was a half-brother of Jesus and brother of James, leader of the first Jerusalem church. This Jude was the son of Mary and Joseph and would have been raised as a brother to Jesus Christ (Mark 6:3). This Jude is the author of the New Testament book by that name. He identifies himself as “a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.” (Jude 1:1). Jude was among the siblings of Jesus who, at first, did not believe His claims to be the Messiah (John 7:3–5). At one point, they along with Mary waited outside the place where Jesus was teaching in order to bring Him home with them (Matthew 12:46–47). Their purpose was “to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind’” (Mark 3:21). It was most likely after the resurrection that Jude and his brother James came to understand that their half-brother, Jesus, was indeed the Son of God. It was that shift in perspective that motivated Jude to define himself not as “the brother of the Messiah” but as “a servant of Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:1). Although not one of the twelve apostles, Jude was a leader in the early church. He begins his letter with a deep concern about believers abandoning the faith and turning to false teachers (Jude 1:3–4).
LOT
The meaning of Lot is "veil; hidden" Lot was born to Haran, who died in Ur of the Chaldees. Lot was the grandson of Terah, son of Haran, and nephew of Abram (Abraham) (Genesis 11:27). Lot's grandfather, took Abram (later called Abraham), Lot, and Sarai (later called Sarah) to go into Canaan. They settled at the site called Haran where Terah died (Genesis 11:28-32). God told Abram to leave his country and his kindred. Abram's nephew Lot joined him on his journey and they went into the land of Canaan, settling in the hills of Bethel (Genesis 12:5-9). Due to famine, Abram and Lot journeyed into Egypt, but later the Pharaoh forced them out of Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20). When Abram and Lot returned to the hills of Bethel (Genesis 13:1) with their many livestock, their respective herdsmen began to bicker (Genesis 13:7). Abram suggested they part ways and let Lot decide where he would like to settle. Lot saw that the plains of the Jordan were well watered "like the gardens of the Lord, like the land of Egypt," and so settled among the cities of the plain, going as far as Sodom (Genesis 13:11). The five kingdoms of the plain had become vassal states of an alliance of four eastern kingdoms under the leadership of Kedorlaomer, king of Elam. The following year Kedorlaomer's four armies returned and at the Battle of Siddim the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell in defeat. Kedorlaomer despoiled the cities and took captives as he departed, including Lot, who dwelt in Sodom (Genesis 14:1-12). When Abram heard what had happened to Lot, he led a force of three hundred and eighteen of his trained men and caught up to the armies of the four kings in Dan. Abram divided his forces and pursued them to Hobah. Abram brought back Lot and all of his people and their belongings (Genesis 14:13-24). Later, after God had changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah as part of the covenant of the pieces (Genesis 18:1-18). God and two angels appeared to Abraham in the form of three men, and God then tells Abraham his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:20–21). As the angels continued to walk toward Sodom, Abraham pled to God on behalf of the people of Sodom, where Lot dwelt. God assured him that the city would not be destroyed if fifty righteous people were found there (Genesis 18:22-33). The two angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them, and he said: 'Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your way (Genesis 19:1–3). After supper, that night before bedtime, the men of the city, young and old, gathered around Lot's house demanding that he bring out his two guests that they might know them carnally (Genesis 19:5). Lot went out, closing the door behind him, and begged them to refrain from so wicked a deed, offering them instead his virgin daughters to do with as they pleased (Genesis 19:5-8). The angels drew Lot back in to his house and struck the mob with blindness (Genesis 19:10-14). Lot lingered in the morning so the angels forced him and his family out of the city, telling them to flee for the hills (Genesis 19:15). Lot instead asked the angels if he and his might hide in the safety of a neighbouring village. An angel agreed and the village was thenceforth known as Zoar (Genesis 19:23). When God rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife looked back at the burning cities of the plain and was turned into a pillar of salt in recompense for her folly (Genesis 19:15-26). Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was afraid to stay in Zoar and so he and his two daughters resettled into the hills, living in a cave (Genesis 19:30-38). The elder daughter, seeing that there were no men to marry, told the younger that they should instead sleep with their father to continue their lineage. They plied Lot with wine until he was too drunk to know what he was doing. She then insisted that her sister do the same - which she duly did on the following day (Genesis 19:36). From these incestuous unions, the older daughter conceived Moab, "from the father", father of the Moabites; (Genesis 19:37) while the younger conceived Ben-Ammi, "Son of my people", father of the Ammonites (Genesis 19:38).
MARK (THE EVANGELIST)
The meaning of Mark is "Polite; shining" John Mark, often just called Mark, is the author of the gospel of Mark. John Mark is first mentioned as the son of a woman named Mary (Acts 12:12), whose house was being used as a place for believers to gather and pray. Later, Mark is mentioned as a companion of Barnabas and Paul during their travels together (Acts 12:25). John Mark was also Barnabas’ cousin (Colossians 4:10). John Mark was a helper on Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). However, he did not stay through the whole trip. John Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia and left the work (Acts 15:36-38). The Bible does not say why Mark deserted, but his departure came right after a mostly fruitless time in Cyprus (Acts 13:4–12). Some time later, after Paul and Barnabas had returned from their first journey, Paul expressed a desire to go back to the brothers in the cities they had previously visited to see how everyone was doing (Acts 15:36). Barnabas agreed, but Paul refused, saying it best not to have a quitter with them. Paul and Barnabas had a “sharp disagreement” about John Mark (Acts 15:39), and wound up separating from each other and going on separate journeys. Barnabas took John Mark with him to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas with him through Syria and Cilicia to encourage the believers in the churches in those areas (Acts 15:39–41). Years later, he is with Paul, who calls him a “fellow worker” (Philemon 1:24). And near the end of Paul’s life, Paul sends a request to Timothy from a Roman prison: “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). John Mark wrote the gospel that bears his name sometime between AD 55 and 59.
MARY MAGDALENE
The meaning of Mary Magdalene is "From the tower" Her real name was not Mary, but the Hebrew “Miriam,” Mary Magdalene was a woman who traveled with Jesus as one of his followers, most likely came from Magdala, a village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee that was primarily known in antiquity as a fishing town. Jesus exorcised "seven demons" from Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9). She was a witness to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:1) (Mark 15:40). She was also present at his burial. All the four gospels identified her, either alone or as a member of a larger group of women which includes Jesus's mother, as the first to witness the empty tomb (Luke 24:9-11) (John 20:1). The portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute began in 591, when Pope Gregory I conflated Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2), with Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:39) and the unnamed "sinful woman" who anointed Jesus's feet (Luke 7:36–50). Pope Gregory's Easter sermon resulted in a widespread belief that Mary Magdalene was a repentant prostitute or promiscuous woman.
MARY MOTHER OF JESUS
The meaning of Mary is "drop of the sea," "bitterness," and "beloved" Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth,[9] the wife of Joseph and the mother of Jesus (Acts 1:14), commonly referred to as the Virgin Mary, in accordance with the belief that the Holy Spirit impregnated her, thereby conceiving her first-born son Jesus miraculously, without sexual relations with her husband Joseph (Luke 1:27), "until her son Jesus was born" (Matthew 1:20). She is referred to as "a woman" and is not named: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4:4). According to the gospel of Luke, a decree of the Roman Emperor Augustus required that Joseph return to his hometown of Bethlehem to register for a Roman census.[h] While he was there with Mary, she gave birth to Jesus; but because there was no place for them in the inn, she used a manger as a cradle. After Mary continued in the "blood of her purifying" another 33 days, for a total of 40 days, she brought her burnt offering and sin offering to the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:22), so the priest could make atonement for her (Leviticus 12:1–8). They also presented Jesus – "As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord" (Luke 2:23) (Exodus 13:2) (Exodus 23:12–15) (Exodus 22:29) (Exodus 34:19–20) (Numbers 3:13) (Numbers 18:15). After the prophecies of Simeon and the prophetess Anna (Luke 2:25–38), the family "returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth". The Gospel of Luke mentions Mary the most often, identifying her by name twelve times, all of these in the infancy narrative (Luke 1:27) (Luke 2:34). The Gospel of Matthew mentions her by name five times, four of these (Matthew 1:16) (Matthew 1:18) (Matthew 1:20) (Matthew 2:10-12). in the infancy narrative and only once (Matthew 13:55) outside the infancy narrative. The Gospel of Mark names her once (Mark 6:3) and mentions Jesus' mother without naming her in (Mark 3:31–32). The Gospel of John refers to the mother of Jesus twice, but never mentions her name. She is first seen at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–12). The second reference has her standing near the cross of Jesus together with Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas, and her own sister, along with the "disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 19:25–26). The only text in the gospels in which the adult Jesus has a conversation with Mary. He does not address her as "Mother" but as "Woman" (John 2:1–12). In the Acts of the Apostles, Mary and the brothers of Jesus are mentioned in the company of the eleven apostles who are gathered in the upper room after the Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:14). In the Book of Revelation the "woman clothed with the sun" is sometimes identified as Mary (Revelation 12:1) (Revelation 12:5–6).
MATTHEW
The meaning of Matthew is "Gift of Yahweh" Matthew the Apostle is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus (Mark 3:18) (Luke 6:15) (Acts 1:13). He was also one of the four Evangelists as author of the Gospel of Matthew, and thus is also known as Matthew the Evangelist, Matthew is mentioned in as a tax collector, one of the most reviled professions in ancient Judaism. Matthew is also called Levi, the son of Alphaeus, by Luke and Mark (Mark 2:14) (Luke 5:27). While sitting at the "receipt of custom" in Capernaum, was called to follow Jesus (Matthew 9:9) (Matthew 10:3). Tax collectors were absolutely despised by their own culture because they worked for the Roman government and enriched themselves by collecting taxes from their own people, often dishonestly collecting excessive amounts. It is likely that Matthew was well-to-do, since Luke says that Levi hosted “a great banquet for Jesus” with “a large crowd” in attendance (Luke 5:29). Tax collectors such as Matthew were seen by the religious elite as very sinful people, so sinful that even spending time with them could immediately tarnish a good person’s reputation (Matthew 9:10–11). When Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, with many other tax collectors and sinners present, the Pharisees questioned the disciples about Jesus’ choice of companions. Jesus’ response is one of the clearest explanations of God’s heart and His gospel to man: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12–13). Jesus came to save not the “good,” self-righteous people, but those who knew they were not good—the people who admitted freely that they needed salvation (Matthew 5:3). When called by Jesus, Matthew immediately left his tax collection booth and followed the Lord (Matthew 9:9).
MESSIAH
The meaning of Messiah is "anointed; the anointed one" Originating from the concept in Judaism, the messiah in Christianity is called the Christ, the accepted Christian designation and title of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe that the messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. That he is descended from the Davidic line (Matthew 1:1) (Matthew 1:17), and was declared King of the Jews—were fulfilled in his mission, death, and resurrection, while the rest of the prophecies, he will usher in a Messianic Age and the world to come, and will be fulfilled at his Second Coming. Christian theologies consider Jesus to be the Son of God and God the Son. In each of the four New Testament Gospels, the only literal anointing of Jesus is conducted by a woman. In the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and John, this anointing occurs in Bethany, outside Jerusalem. In the Gospel of Luke, the anointing scene takes place at an indeterminate location, but the context suggests it to be in Galilee, or even a separate anointing altogether. These prophecies weren’t only known by the Jews. When Jesus was born, wise men from the East came seeking the one born “king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2), whose birth was signified by a star they had followed. They figured out his location through further Old Testament prophecies, which promised a Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Micah 2:2). In the Old Testament, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed. Then, the three positions were separate. In Jesus, they all came together. He is the ultimate Anointed One. Prophets proclaimed the Word of God. As a prophet, He both preached and literally embodied the Word of the Lord (John 1:1–18) (John 14:24) (Luke 24:19). Jesus, as the Son of God, is the ultimate King of Kings who rules over all of creation (Ephesians 1:20-23). It’s estimated that Jesus fulfilled as many as 300 prophecies.
MICAH
The meaning of Micah is "who resembles God" Micah the Morashtite, also known as Micheas, was a prophet in Judaism and is the author of the Book of Micah. He is considered one of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Bible and was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. Micah was from Moresheth-Gath, in southwest Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah. Micah was active in Judah from before the fall of Israel in 722 BC and experienced the devastation brought by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in 701 BC. His messages were directed mainly towards Jerusalem, and were a mixture of denunciations and prophecies. (Micah 5:2) is interpreted as a prophecy that Bethlehem, a small village just south of Jerusalem, would be the birthplace of the Messiah. This passage is recalled in Matthew, and the fulfillment of this prophecy in the birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:1–6). Jesus adapts (Micah 7:6) to his own situation (Matthew 10:35–36). Micah was referring to the division in Judah and Samaria, the distrust that had arisen between all citizens, even within families. Jesus was using the same words to describe something different. Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace, but to divide households. Men are commanded to love Jesus Christ more than their own family members, and Jesus indicated that this priority would lead to persecution from others and separation within families. Micah reminded Judah of God's covenant to be merciful to Jacob and show love to Abraham and his descendants (Micah 7:20). This is repeated in Luke in the prophecy Zechariah at the circumcision and naming of John the Baptist (Luke 1:72–73). This prophecy concerned the kingdom and salvation through the Messiah. It is a step in the fulfillment of the blessing of the descendants of Abraham.
MICAIAH
The meaning of Micaiah is "who is like God" Oon of Imlah, is a prophet in the Bible. He is one of the four disciples of Elijah and not to be confused with Micah, prophet of the Book of Micah. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah goes to visit the King of Israel (1 Kings 22:1-12) (2 Chronicles 18:1). Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah goes to visit Ahab the King of Israel, and asks if he will go with him to take over Ramoth-gilead which was under the rule of the king of Aram. Jehoshaphat the Judahite requests that Ahab the Israelite, “Inquire first for the word of the Lord” (1 Kings 22:5). Ahab then calls on his prophets and asks if he should go into battle against Ramoth-gilead. The prophets responded by telling the king of Israel to go into battle, stating that the Lord (Adonai) will deliver Ramoth-gilead into the hand of the king (1 Kings 22:6). Jehoshaphat asks if there are any other prophets of whom to inquire the word of the Lord. Ahab mentions Micaiah the son of Imlah, but expresses dislike for him because his past (1 Kings 20:13-43) prophecies have not been in favor of him (1 Kings 22:7-8) (2 Chronicles 18:7). A messenger is sent to bring Micaiah to the king to give his prophecy. The messenger tells Micaiah to give a favorable prophecy to Ahab (1 Kings 22:12-13) (2 Chronicles 18:12). Micaiah replies to the messenger that he will speak whatever the Lord says to him (1 Kings 22:14) (2 Chronicles 18:13). Micaiah appears before the king of Israel, and when asked if Ahab should go into battle at Ramoth-gilead Micaiah initially responds with a similar prophecy to that of the other prophets in a mocking manner (1 Kings 22:15) (2 Chronicles 18:14). Micaiah then gives a true prophecy (1 Kings 22:19-20) (2 Chronicles 18:16). As a result of Micaiah's prophecy, Ahab ordered Micaiah imprisoned until he returned from battle, unharmed (1 Kings 22:27).
MICHAEL (THE ARCHANGEL)
The meaning of Michael is "Who is like God; there is none like God; chief angel" Michael is an archangel, and next to Gabriel and Satan, Michael is probably the most famous angelic being in the Bible. Michael is the only one the Bible calls an archangel (Jude 1:9), but another angel calls him one of the chief princes (Daniel 10:13). In Daniel’s last vision, an angel describes how the last days will play out for the Jews. It is at this time that Michael, “the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people will arise” (Daniel 12:1). The angel also refers to Michael as Daniel’s prince (Daniel 10:21). Michael directly opposes Satan, Michael argues with Satan about the body of Moses. Michael only says four words in the Bible, Michael says to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9). In John’s apocalypse, he sees a great war in heaven, Michael and his angels vs. the dragon (Satan) and his angels. The devil and his forces are too weak to remain in heaven, however, and so they are all thrown down to earth (Revelation 12:7-9).
MOSES
The meaning of Moses is "is born; to pull out,draw out" Mosess considered the most important prophet in Judaism (Deuteronomy 34:10), and one of the most important prophets in Christianity. Moses was born in a time when his people, the Israelites, an enslaved minority, were increasing in population and, as a result, the Egyptian Pharaoh worried that they might ally themselves with Egypt's enemies (Exodus 1:10). Moses' Hebrew mother, Jochebed, secretly hid him when Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed in order to reduce the population of the Israelites (Exodus 2:3). Through Pharaoh's daughter, the child was adopted and grew up with the Egyptian royal family (Exodus 2:4-8). One day, after Moses had reached adulthood, after killing an Egyptian slave-master who was beating a Hebrew (Exodus 2:11), Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian (Exodus 2:15), where he encountered the Angel of the Lord, speaking to him from within a burning bush on Mount Horeb, which he regarded as the Mountain of God (Exodus 3:2-4). God commanded him to return to Egypt and bring his chosen people out of bondage and into the Promised Land (Exodus 8:1). Moses returned to carry out God's command, but God caused the Pharaoh to refuse, and only after God had subjected Egypt to ten plagues. The Plague of Blood (Exodus 7:14), The Plague of Gnats (Exodus 8:16), The Plague of Flies (Exodus 8:20), The Plague on Livestock (Exodus 9:1), The Plague of Boils (Exodus 9:8), The Plague of Hail (Exodus 9:13), The Plague of Locusts (Exodus 10:1), The Plague of Darkness (Exodus 10:21), The Plague on the Firstborn (Exodus 11:1). The Pharaoh relented (Exodus 12:31), and Moses led the Israelites to the border of Egypt, but there God hardened the Pharaoh's heart once more (Exodus 11:10), so that he could destroy Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea Crossing as a sign of his power to Israel and the nations (Exodus 14:31). Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died on Mount Nebo at the age of 120, within sight of the Promised Land.
NATHAN
The meaning of Nathan is "given" Nathan was a court prophet in the time of King David (2 Samuel 7:2). He is an advisor to David (2 Samuel 7:17), with whom David reflects on the contrast between his own comfortable home and the tent in which the Ark of the Covenant is accommodated (1 Chronicles 17:1). Nathan then announces to David the covenant God was making with him (2 Samuel 7:4–17), a passage known as Nathan's Oracle), contrasting David's proposal to build a house for the Ark with God's plan to build a house for David. Later, he comes to David to reprimand him for committing adultery with Bathsheba while she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, whose death the King had also arranged to hide his previous transgression (2 Samuel 12:7–14). Nathan wrote histories of the reigns of both David (1 Chronicles 29:29) and Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:29), and was involved in the music of the temple (2 Chronicles 29:25). it is Nathan who tells the dying David of the plot of Adonijah to become king (1 Kings 1:24), resulting in Solomon being proclaimed king instead (1 Kings 1:38).
NICODEMUS
The meaning of Nicodemus is "conqueror of the people" Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council (John 3:1). He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus' teachings (John 3:2). When Nicodemus visits Jesus he makes reference to these events: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him (John 3:4)." Jesus replies: "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:5)." The second time Nicodemus is mentioned, he reminds his colleagues in the Sanhedrin that the law requires that a person be heard before being judged (John 7:50–51). Nicodemus appears after Jesus' crucifixion to provide the customary embalming spices, about 100 Roman pounds (33 kilograms (73 lb))—despite embalming being generally against Jewish custom, and assists Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the body of Jesus for burial (John 19:39–42) (Matthew 27:57) (Mark 15:43). Nicodemus must have been a man of means, The quantity of the balm is extraordinary and exceeds all normal proportions. This is a royal burial.
NOAH
The meaning of Noah is "rest; repose" Tenth and final of the pre-Flood Patriarchs, son to Lamech (Genesis 5:30) and an unnamed mother, Noah is 500 years old before his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth are born (Genesis 5:32) The Genesis flood narrative is among the best-known stories of the Bible. In this account, Noah labored faithfully to build the Ark at God's command (Genesis 6:9), ultimately saving not only his own family, but mankind itself and all land animals, from extinction during the Flood, which God created after regretting that the world was full of sin (Genesis 6:13). Afterwards, God made a covenant with Noah and promised never again to destroy all the Earth's creatures with a flood (Genesis 8:21). Noah is also portrayed as a "tiller of the soil" and as a drinker of wine. After the flood, God commands Noah and his sons to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Genesis 9:1). After the flood, Noah offered burnt offerings to God. God accepted the sacrifice, and made a covenant with Noah, and through him with all mankind (Genesis 8:20). Noah, as the last of the extremely long-lived Antediluvian patriarchs, died 350 years after the flood (Genesis 9:28), at the age of 950, when Terah was 128 (Genesis 9:29). The maximum human lifespan, as depicted by the Bible, gradually diminishes thereafter, from almost 1,000 years to the 120 years of Moses (Genesis 6:3) (Deuteronomy 31:22). After the flood, the Bible says that Noah became a farmer and he planted a vineyard. He drank wine made from this vineyard, and got drunk; and lay "uncovered" within his tent. Noah's son Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his brothers (Genesis 9:22), which led to Ham's son Canaan being cursed by Noah (Genesis 9:23-25). Among Japheth's descendants were the maritime nations (Genesis 10:2-5). Ham's son Cush had a son named Nimrod, who became the first man of might on earth, a mighty hunter, king in Babylon and the land of Shinar (Genesis 10:6-10). From there Ashur went and built Nineveh. (Genesis 10:11–12) Canaan's descendants – Sidon, Heth, the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites – spread out from Sidon as far as Gerar, near Gaza, and as far as Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 10:15-19). Among Shem's descendants was Eber (Genesis 10:21).
RACHEL
The meaning of Rachel is "ewe or female sheep" Rachel was the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel (Genesis 29:6)(Genesis 29:13-15). During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel and agreed to work seven years for Laban in return for her hand in marriage. On the night of the wedding, the bride was veiled and Jacob did not notice that Leah, Rachel's older sister, had been substituted for Rachel.(Genesis 29:25). Later Jacob confronted Laban, who excused his own deception by insisting that the older sister should marry first. He assured Jacob that after his wedding week was finished, he could take Rachel as a wife as well, and work another seven years as payment for her. When God "saw that Leah was unloved, he opened her womb" (Genesis 29:31), and she gave birth to four sons. Rachel, like Sarah and Rebekah, remained unable to conceive. Rachel became jealous of Leah and gave Jacob her maidservant, Bilhah, to be a surrogate mother for her. (Genesis 30:1). Rachel was finally blessed with a son, Joseph,[4] who would become Jacob's favorite child (Genesis 30:21-23).
THOMAS
The meaning of Thomas is "twin" Thomas is famous for having doubted the Resurrection of Jesus and for demanding physical proof of the wounds of Christ's Crucifixion. The phrase “doubting Thomas” was coined for his lack of faith (John 20:19–29). His devotion to Jesus is clearly expressed in (John 11:5–16). when Jesus planned to return to Judaea, the disciples warned him of the Jews (John 11:5–16).
YAHWEH
The meaning of Yahweh is "The name for the God of the Israelites" Yahweh represents the biblical pronunciation of “YHWH,” the Hebrew name revealed to Moses in the book of Exodus. The name YHWH, consisting of the sequence of consonants Yod, Heh, Waw, and Heh, is known as the tetragrammaton. Although Christian scholars after the Renaissance and Reformation periods used the term Jehovah for YHWH, in the 19th and 20th centuries biblical scholars again began to use the form Yahweh.
KEY PLACES:
BETHLEHEM
The meaning of Bethlehem is "House of Bread” Bethlehem lies 10 kilometers south of the city of Jerusalem. Bethlehem, now stands is where Jesus was born. (Matthew 2:1) (Matthew 2:16)
CORINTH
The meaning of Corinth is "Which is satisfied, ornament, beauty" Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia and was situated on the Isthmus of Corinth. Corinth is significant because of its connection with the apostle Paul’s missionary work. Paul spent about eighteen months in Corinth during his second missionary journey. Both Jews and Gentiles believed Paul’s message about Jesus, and these new believers became the Corinthian church. The New Testament epistles of 1 and 2 Corinthians are letters Paul later wrote to these believers. Notably, Corinth is also the place where Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tentmakers who became ministry coworkers (Acts 18:1-2) (Acts 18–19) (Acts 24–28). In Corinth the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, telling him not to fear but to keep speaking. God promised, “For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:10)
EDEN
The meaning of Eden is "delight; God's garden of paradise for Adam and Eve" Eden (Genesis 2:8) or Garden of God, also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Genesis as the source of four tributaries (Genesis 2:10), at the head of the Persian Gulf, in southern Mesopotamia (now Iraq) where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Genesis 2:10–14) run into the sea; and in Armenia. Mentions of Eden are also made in Isaiah (Isaiah 51:3) Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:35), and Joel (Joel 2:3), Zechariah 14 and Ezekiel 47 use paradisical imagery without naming Eden. The second part of the Genesis creation narrative opens with "he LORD God" creating the first man (Adam), whom he placed in a garden that he planted "eastward in Eden" (Genesis 2:15): The man was free to eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Last of all, God made a woman (Eve) from a rib of the man to be a companion for the man (Genesis 2:21-22). In Genesis 3, the man and the woman were seduced by the serpent into eating the forbidden fruit, and they were expelled from the garden to prevent them from eating of the tree of life, and thus living forever (Genesis 3:23).
EGYPT
The meaning of Egypt is "shut in, restraint, misery, tribulation, and distress" Situated in the northeast corner of Africa, Egypt connects to the Holy Land via the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt appears first in the biblical narrative in the story of Abraham when a severe famine struck Canaan (Genesis 12:10), causing the patriarch and his family to sojourn in Egypt (Genesis 12:14-20). While there, the Pharaoh took Sarah into his palace to be part of his royal harem, but he returned her to Abraham after God intervened. Later, Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery, and he ended up in Egypt (Genesis 37:28). Eventually, Joseph rose through the ranks to become Pharaoh’s right-hand ruler over Egpyt (Genesis 41:37–57). Through Joseph’s mediation, Jacob and all his family came to settle in Egypt, escaping another famine (Genesis 47:13). For the next 430 years, the Israelites lived in Egypt (Exodus 12:40), swelling in numbers but slowly declining from a position of favor into one of brutal oppression under Pharoah (Exodus 1:1–15). When the people could endure their suffering in Egypt no longer, God raised up Moses and Aaron to confront Pharaoh and deliver Israel out of bondage and into the Promised Land (Exodus 3:11). A horrifying series of plagues that left Egypt in ruins (Exodus 7:14-18) (Exodus 8:16) (Exodus 10:21) (Exodus 11:1), together with one of the most spectacular miracles in the Bible, the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:27), culminate in Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, saying that the remnant of Jews still in Judah must stay in their land and not flee to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:19). Despite Jeremiah’s track record of accurate prophecies, the disobedient people went to Egypt, forcing Jeremiah to go with them (Jeremiah 43:1–7). In Egypt, Jeremiah prophesied the demise of Pharaoh Hophra by the Babylonians—judgment would come against the rebellious Judeans, regardless of their attempt to find safety in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:30). In the New Testament, Egypt served as a refuge for Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus when Herod the Great attempted to murder all the infant boys in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13–23).
GOMORRAH
The meaning of Gomorrah is "sheaf (of grain)” Sodom and Gomorrah were two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (Genesis 19:1–28). God gives advance notice to Abraham that Sodom had a reputation for wickedness. Abraham asks God "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:19-23). God sends two angels to destroy Sodom. Lot welcomes them into his home, but all the men of the town surround the house and demand that he surrender the visitors that they may "know" them (Genesis 19:1-3).
HADES
The meaning of Hades is "a place of suffering, of punishment for sin" According to various Christian denominations, is "the place or state of departed spirits", borrowing the name of Hades, the Greek god of the underworld. It is often associated with the Jewish concept of Sheol. Hades refers primarily to death and the abode of the dead, both godly and ungodly (Psalm 16:10) (Psalm 88:10-12) (Isaiah 14:9). Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus portrays additional features of this state (Luke 16:19-31). An unbridgeable chasm separates the wicked and the righteous dead. The righteous dead are "at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8), "in paradise" (Luke 23:43), or in the presence of God (Revelation 6:8-9) (Revelation 7:9) (Revelation 14:3). Hades and associated terms, such as death, abyss, and Abaddon, as the demonic forces behind sin and ruin (Acts 2:24) (Romans 5:14) (Romans 5:17) (1 Cor 15:25-26) (Revelation 6:8) (Revelation 9:1-11) (Revelation 20:12-14).
JERICHO
The meaning of Jericho is "fragrant" Jericho is believed to be one of the oldest cities in the world. In the Bible, Jericho is best known as the location of an astonishing miracle God performed. Jericho was the first city conquered by Israel after crossing the Jordan River and occupying the Promised Land (Joshua 5:13) (Joshua 6:23). Before the battle of Jericho, God gave Joshua specific instructions for the men of war to march in silence around the city once each day for six days (Joshua 6:2-3). The priests were to walk with them, blowing ram’s horns and carrying the ark of the covenant as a sign of God’s presence among them (Joshua 6:4-5). On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. At the appropriate signal, the priests were to blow their trumpets, and the people were to give a mighty shout (Joshua 6:8-9). They did exactly as Joshua commanded, and on the seventh day the walls of Jericho crumbled. The soldiers went in and took the city, destroying it completely (Joshua 6:15-16). Only Rahab, a prostitute, and her family were spared (Joshua 6:17). Jesus said in His parable that the good Samaritan “went down from Jerusalem to Jericho” (Luke 10:30). Jericho thrived as a fertile, spring-fed oasis. In the Old Testament, it was often called the “City of Palms” for its abundance of palm trees (Deuteronomy 34:3) (Judges 1:16) (Judges 3:13) (2 Chronicles 28:15). Strategically located as a border city, ancient Jericho controlled important migration routes between the north and south, and the east and west. Eventually, the town became part of the allotment of the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:12) (Joshua 18:21). After the destruction of Jericho, Joshua placed a curse on anyone who might rebuild the city (Joshua 6:26). Jericho remained unoccupied until the time of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, about 500 years later. Then Joshua’s word was fulfilled when Hiel of Bethel rebuilt the city, at the cost of the lives of two of his sons (1 Kings 16:34). Jericho is mentioned briefly in the book of Judges, which says that Jericho served as a provincial outpost for Eglon the King of Moab who held Israel under tribute for 18 years (Judges 3:13). King David sent word for his mistreated delegates to remain in Jericho until their beards regrew (1 Chronicles 19:5). Jericho was Elisha’s miraculous purifying of a spring (2 Kings 2:19–22). During the reign of Ahaz, a group of prisoners was spared, clothed, fed, and cared for at Jericho (2 Chronicles 28:15). Jericho was the capture of King Zedekiah after fleeing the Chaldean army (2 Kings 25:2–7) (Jeremiah 39:5) (Jeremiah 52:8). Jericho’s inhabitants after the return from exile under Zerubbabel was 345 (Ezra 2:34) (Nehemiah 7:36). These “son of Jericho” participated in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Jericho played a minor role in the ministry of Jesus. The Lord healed two blind men near the city of Jericho (Matthew 20:29–34). He also encountered Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, while passing through Jericho (Luke 19:1–10). When Jesus dined in the home of Zacchaeus, He was probably visiting one of the finest houses in Jericho. The gospels seem to indicate that Jericho, an affluent city in Christ’s day, had many beggars (Matthew 20:29–34) (Mark 10:46–52) (Luke 18:35–43).
JERUSALEM
The meaning of Jerusalem is "city of peace" The city of Jerusalem is situated on the edge of one of the highest tablelands in Israel, south of the center of the country, about thirty-seven miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and about twenty-four miles west of the Jordan River. The first biblical reference to Jerusalem is found in the story of Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek, King of Salem (Genesis 14:18–24). The actual name Jerusalem first occurs in Joshua (Joshua 10:3). Later, David marched on Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:6–10), and he “captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David” from the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5:7). At that time, Jerusalem became the capital of Israel. It was in Jerusalem that Solomon built the temple and his palace (1 Kings 6–7). In 586 BC the Babylonians destroyed the temple and the city and deported the Jews to Babylon (2 Kings 24–25). After the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem, they rebuilt the temple, completed in 516 BC under Zerubbabel (Ezra 6). Under Nehemiah’s leadership the walls were rebuilt in 444 BC (Nehemiah 6).
JORDAN RIVEr
The meaning of Jordan is "to go down; descend" The Jordan River runs along the border between Jordan, the Palestinian West Bank, Israel and southwestern Syria. The river holds major significance in Judaism and Christianity. According to the Bible, the Israelites crossed it into the Promised Land (Joshua 1:2) and Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist in it (Matthew 3:5–6) (Mark1:5) (Luke 3:3) (John 1:28). The Jordan is referred to as the source of fertility of a large plain, said to be watered like "the garden of the LORD" (Genesis 13:10). Jacob crossed it and its tributary, the Jabbok, on his way back from Haran (Genesis 32:11) (Genesis 32:23–24). Opposite Jericho, it was called "the Jordan of Jericho" (Numbers 34:15) (Numbers 35:1). The Jordan has a number of fords, and one of them is famous as the place where many Ephraimites were slain by Jephthah (Judges 12:5–6). In the plain of the Jordan, between Succoth and Zarthan, is the clay ground where Solomon had his brass-foundries (1 Kings 7:46). he Jordan appears as the scene of several miracles, the first taking place when the Jordan, near Jericho, was crossed by the Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 3:15–17). Later the two tribes and the half tribe that settled east of the Jordan built a large altar on its banks as "a witness" between them and the other tribes (Joshua 22:10) (Joshua 22:26). The Jordan was crossed by Elijah and Elisha on dry ground (2 Kings 2:8) (2 Kings 2:14). The prophet and wonder-worker Elisha performed two miracles at the Jordan: he healed Naaman's leprosy by having him bathe in its waters (2 Kings 5:14), and he made an axe head lost by one of the "children of the prophets" float, by throwing a piece of wood into the water (2 Kings 6:6). The New Testament states that John the Baptist baptised unto repentance (Acts 19:4). The prophecy of Isaiah regarding the Messiah which names the Jordan (Isaiah 9:1–2) (Matthew 4:15). Jesus crossed the Jordan during his ministry (Matthew 19:1) (Mark 10:1), and of believers crossing the Jordan to come hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases (Matthew 4:25) (Mark 3:7–8). When his enemies sought to capture him, Jesus took refuge at the river in the place John had first baptized (John 10:39–40).
JUDEA (JUDAH)
The meaning of Judea is "The praised one" Judea is a Greek and Roman adaptation of the name "Judah", which originally encompassed the territory of the Israelite tribe of that name and later of the ancient Kingdom of Judah. It had once been part of the ancient kingdom of Israel ruled by kings David and Solomon. Judea, where the New Testament says Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1). Jacob prophesies a great future for this community in the book of Genesis (Genesis 49:8-10). After Jesus was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane, the chief priests and elders conspired to kill him. They brought him before Pilate, the governor of Judea at the time (Matthew 27:11).
MACHPELAH
The meaning of Machpelah is "the doubled one" Name of a field and the cave bought by Abraham as a burying-place south of Jerusalem in the heart of the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank.(Genesis 23:9). The Cave of the Patriarchs or Tomb of the Patriarchs, known to Jews by its Biblical name Cave of Machpelah. Abraham's wife Sarah dies in Kiryat Arba near Hebron in the land of Canaan at the age of 127, being the only woman in the Bible whose exact age is given, while Abraham is tending to business elsewhere. The burial of Sarah is the first account of a burial (Genesis 23:19). The next burial in the cave is that of Abraham himself, who at the age of 175 years was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael (Genesis 25:9). The third burial was that of Isaac, by his two sons Esau and Jacob, who died when he was 180 years old (Genesis 35:28-29). There is no mention of how or when Isaac's wife Rebecca died, but she is included in the list of those that had been buried in Machpelah in Jacob's final words to the children of Israel. Jacob himself died at the age of 147 years (Genesis 47:28).
NAZARETH
The meaning of Nazareth is "branch; to watch" Nazareth is a historic city of Lower Galilee, in northern Israel. it is the largest Arab city of the country. Nazareth is associated with Jesus as his boyhood home (Luke 1:26), Nazareth is first described as 'a town of Galilee' and home of Mary (Luke 1:26) and in its synagogue he preached the sermon that led to his rejection by his fellow townsmen. After Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and fleeing to Egypt to avoid Herod's wrath, Mary and Joseph went back to their home in Nazareth. He moved to Capernaum in fulfillment of an ancient Messianic prophecy (Isaiah 9:1-2) (Matthew 4:13-16).Jesus went to perform his first miracle, that of the changing of water to wine at Cana (John 2:8-10). Jesus spent His boyhood years in Nazareth before beginning His ministry when He was about 30. After moving His home to Capernaum, Jesus returned to teach in the synagogue of Nazareth twice more (Luke 4:14) (Luke 4:34), but was rejected both times. On one occasion the townspeople were so outraged at Jesus that they tried to throw Him off a cliff to His death (Luke 4:29).
SODOM
The meaning of Sodom is "wicked or corrupt place" Sodom and Gomorrah are two of the five "cities of the plain" (Genesis 13:12) (Genesis 19:27-29) subject to Chedorlaomer of Elam, which rebel against him. At the Battle of Siddim, Chedorlaomer defeats them and takes many captives, including Lot, the nephew of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham (Genesis 14:10-12). Abraham gathers his men, rescues Lot, and frees the cities (Genesis 14:14-18). Later, God gives advance notice to Abraham that Sodom had a reputation for wickedness. Abraham asks God "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:21-23). Starting at 50 people, Abraham negotiates with God to spare Sodom if 10 righteous people could be found (Genesis 18:26). God sends two angels to destroy Sodom (Genesis 19:1). Lot welcomes them into his home, but all the men of the town surround the house and demand that he surrender the visitors that they may "know" (this is were the words Sodomy and sodomise come from) them (Genesis 19:3-5). Lot offers the mob his virgin daughters to "do to them as you please", but they refuse and threaten to do worse to Lot. The angels strike the crowd blind (Genesis 19:10-11). The angels tell Lot "...the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it" (Genesis 19:13). Then God rains sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground (Genesis 19:24–25) (Deuteronomy 29:23). Lot and his two daughters are saved, but his wife disregards the angels' warning, looks back, and is turned into a pillar of salt.(Genesis 19:26).The meaning of Sodom is "wicked or corrupt place" Sodom and Gomorrah are two of the five "cities of the plain" (Genesis 13:12) (Genesis 19:27-29) subject to Chedorlaomer of Elam, which rebel against him. At the Battle of Siddim, Chedorlaomer defeats them and takes many captives, including Lot, the nephew of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham (Genesis 14:10-12). Abraham gathers his men, rescues Lot, and frees the cities (Genesis 14:14-18). Later, God gives advance notice to Abraham that Sodom had a reputation for wickedness. Abraham asks God "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:21-23). Starting at 50 people, Abraham negotiates with God to spare Sodom if 10 righteous people could be found (Genesis 18:26). God sends two angels to destroy Sodom (Genesis 19:1). Lot welcomes them into his home, but all the men of the town surround the house and demand that he surrender the visitors that they may "know" (this is were the words Sodomy and sodomise come from) them (Genesis 19:3-5). Lot offers the mob his virgin daughters to "do to them as you please", but they refuse and threaten to do worse to Lot. The angels strike the crowd blind (Genesis 19:10-11). The angels tell Lot "...the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it" (Genesis 19:13). Then God rains sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground (Genesis 19:24–25) (Deuteronomy 29:23). Lot and his two daughters are saved, but his wife disregards the angels' warning, looks back, and is turned into a pillar of salt.(Genesis 19:26).
SOKOH (SOCOH) (SHOCHOH)
SOKOH (SOCOH) (SHOCHOH)