If We Give You a Biblical Word, Can You Give Us Its Meaning?

An idol is an image or physical representation of a god. More generally, idolatry can be a fervid devotion to anything other than God, which is why the Bible cautions against it frequently!

The word "firmament" comes from the Latin word for "the sky." In the Creation story of Genesis, God created the firmament to go over the water like a dome. Later he'd add the sun and moon.

In the Bible, people used altars to make sacrifices to God or perform other religious duties. Several central biblical figures, including Abraham, Isaac and Moses, built altars to God.

The Bible includes many genealogies, tracing the lineage of its central people. For example, Matthew says that Abraham begat Isaac, Isaac begat Jacob and thus continues down to the birth of Jesus.

An "exodus" is the emigration of a large group of people from one place to another. In the Book of Exodus, Moses leads the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and on their journey to the Promised Land.

When speaking to his followers, Jesus often used parables to teach an important lesson using a simple story. For instance, the parable of the lost sheep showed that God would always try to save the sinner.

A person who's prodigal spends money lavishly or recklessly. Jesus' story of the prodigal son describes a young man who burns through his inheritance, then comes back to his father asking forgiveness.

The Bible has dozens of verses referring to the Leviathan, a monstrous sea creature. Over time, the Leviathan came to symbolize great enemies, like Babylon or Satan, but now it can refer to any giant sea creature.

In Leviticus, the high priest selects a goat and symbolically transfers the people's sins onto it before driving it into the desert. It's therefore a "scapegoat," a person or thing that bears the blame of others.

"Wrath" means strong anger. Although it's considered a sin for people to show wrath, God displays wrath in a righteous way, to execute justice. For example, he shows wrath when the Israelites worship a golden calf.

To "forsake" means to abandon. As he was dying on the cross, Jesus said, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Although it is a troubling phrase, Jesus is quoting Psalm 22:1, which foretells the crucifixion.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, "You cannot serve both God and mammon." In other words, he cautions people that they cannot love God and their earthly riches at the same time.

"Publicans" were tax collectors. As the New Testament makes clear, people loathed publicans because they were often corrupt and worked for the Romans. Thus, they were shocked when Jesus was friendly to them.

In the Bible, people who wanted to mourn or show repentance often wore a sackcloth, a garment made out of coarse goat's hair. Sometimes they would also put ashes on their heads to show their grief or remorse.

Several books of the Bible, including Matthew, Daniel and Revelation, describe the time of tribulation, which Christians believe is a period of suffering before the second coming of Jesus Christ.

"Succor" is help or aid, or a person who offers it. Several Bible verses describe God as providing succor to those who need it. For example, Psalm 79:8 says, "Let thy tender mercies speedily succor us."

"Betrothed" means engaged. Joseph and Mary were betrothed when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would bear the Son of God. Luckily, Joseph was an upright man who didn't leave her!

"Verily" means "in truth." Jesus used the word "verily" many times to emphasize what he was saying, as in "Verily, I say unto you ..." Shakespeare was another person who used this word a great deal.

"Giving alms" means giving money or other help to the needy. In Matthew 6, Jesus instructs people not to give alms in a showy way so as to receive praise and attention. The only reward they should seek is from God.

"Hallowed," meaning "regarded as holy," appears in the Lord's Prayer: "hallowed be thy name." The Bible also states that God "hallowed" the Sabbath day, the seventh day of creation on which he rested.

To "anoint" someone is to rub oil on them in the name of the Lord. In the Bible, people were anointed to show their dedication to God. The word Christ comes from the Greek for "anointed one."

Job 40:15 - 24 describes Behemoth as a strong, powerful creature that "drinketh up a river." Biblical scholars have wondered if the Behemoth was a hippopotamus, buffalo or some mythological creature.

Alpha and omega are literally the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Therefore, with this pronouncement, God says that he is the first and the last, and everything in between.

Several times throughout the Bible, God forms "covenants," or special agreements, with people. For example, God made a covenant with Noah promising never to flood the whole earth again.

Myrrh is a resin taken from a tree that historically has been used in incense, perfumes and medicine. In many of the religious rituals described in the Bible, people used oil from myrrh.

In the Bible, slaves were called "bondsmen." In Exodus 20:10, the Lord commands that no one should do any work on the Sabbath, the day of rest, including any bondsmen in the household.

Matthew 19:5 explains that a man will leave his parents and "cleave" to his wife. In other words, they become like one flesh. Ruth 1:14 also used "cleave" to describe Ruth's sticking with Naomi, her mother-in-law.

"Lamentations" are expressions of grief or sorrow. Biblical scholars attribute the Book of Lamentations to the prophet Jeremiah. It's made up of poems lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem.

In the Bible, "Rabbi" was a title of respect used for Jewish teachers or scholars. Jesus' disciples and followers often addressed him as "Rabbi," such as in Mark 9:5 and John 6:25.

"Iniquity" is a sin of great wickedness, or a conscious decision to cause harm to others. For example, in Genesis 44:16, Judah refers to his iniquity of selling his brother into slavery.

In Judaism, the messiah is a leader descended from King David who will save the Jewish people. Christians believe Jesus Christ is the messiah, the savior promised by God in the Old Testament.

"Apostles" may refer to the original 12 disciples of Jesus or more generally to the early Christian missionaries who spread the gospel following Jesus' death. The word comes from the Greek for "messenger."

In the Roman army, a centurion commanded a century, or a group of 100 soldiers. The centurion showed remarkable faith by asking Jesus to merely say that his servant will be healed rather than come in person.

"Cherubim" is the plural form of "cherub," a type of angel who performs tasks on earth for God. For example, after God evicts Adam and Eve from Eden, he places cherubim at the entrance to keep people out.

The word "gospel" literally means "good news." It describes Jesus' teachings, which formed the basis of Christianity. When capitalized, it also refers to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the books about Jesus.