Psalia.THE BIBLE GLOSSARY
Plain-language introductions to 32 words you will meet in and around the Bible. These are starting points for reading, not exhaustive definitions. Follow each passage link to see the word or idea in context.
32 terms
A form of revelatory writing that uses visions, vivid imagery, and symbols to speak about divine purposes and hope amid conflict. Revelation is a central Christian example. Reading its images requires attention to the book and biblical echoes, not a simple one-to-one chart of current events.
Read an exampleA person who is sent, used in the New Testament for people commissioned in connection with Jesus and the spread of the gospel. The term’s use varies by passage. Notice who is being described, who sends them, and what their task involves.
Read an exampleThe collection of books a religious community receives as Scripture. Christian traditions do not all have the same Old Testament contents or arrangement. This website contains the 66-book collection bundled with the app. Knowing the scope of an edition helps explain differences between Bibles.
Read an exampleA numbered division that makes a book easier to navigate. Chapter breaks are reading aids; a story or argument may continue across them. When a passage seems to begin mid-thought, read the previous section too. The context is determined by the writing, not only by its numbering.
Read an exampleThe surroundings that help a passage make sense: nearby sentences, the whole book, its literary form, its audience, and its setting. Begin with what you can observe in the text. A familiar phrase often becomes more specific when you read the conversation or argument it belongs to.
Read an exampleA binding relationship or commitment. Biblical covenants appear in different settings, with promises, responsibilities, and signs. Do not assume that every covenant has identical terms. Read who is involved and what the passage actually says. The covenant with Noah offers one clear place to begin.
Read an exampleThe life of learning from and following a teacher; in Christian use, following Jesus. The Gospels describe this through encounters, questions, misunderstanding, instruction, and practice. A disciple is a learner, and the story of that learning usually takes more than one scene.
Read an exampleA letter. Many New Testament books address particular people or communities, their questions, and their shared life. Notice the greeting, the recipients, and the developing argument. A sentence in a letter usually belongs to a larger thought, rather than standing as an independent slogan.
Read an exampleCareful interpretation that tries to understand a text in its context. It includes attention to words, structure, audience, and the larger argument or story. You can begin with ordinary questions: who is speaking, what is happening, and how does this sentence connect with the surrounding passage?
Read an exampleTrust, belief, or faithfulness, with the emphasis shaped by context. Biblical writers connect faith with relationships, commitments, and ways of living. Avoid reducing every use to the same short definition. Hebrews 11 explores faith through a series of people and the actions associated with their trust.
Read an exampleThe release or remission of wrong or debt, with the meaning shaped by the passage. Christian traditions discuss its relationship to repentance, reconciliation, and justice in different ways. Forgiveness should not be used to demand continued exposure to harm. Read carefully and keep these related questions distinct.
Read an exampleA kind of writing, such as narrative, poetry, wisdom, a letter, or a vision. Different forms guide attention in different ways. A poem’s image may not function like an instruction in a letter. Asking what kind of writing you are reading is a useful first step.
Read an exampleGood news. The word can refer to the message about Jesus; it is also used for the four New Testament accounts named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Those books tell the story with distinct emphases. Mark begins by connecting the good news to Jesus Christ.
Read an exampleA word associated with favour and gift, especially God’s generosity. Its particular meaning depends on the passage. In Ephesians 2, Paul connects salvation by grace with a life shaped for good works. Read the whole movement before separating one familiar phrase from the rest.
Read an exampleA central expression in Jesus’ teaching concerning God’s reign. The Gospels approach it through announcements, parables, actions, and questions. It should not be reduced to a single modern political or geographical meaning. Mark 4 gathers several images that invite attention to how this reign is described.
Read an exampleA way of bringing grief, complaint, or distress into prayer. Lament often includes an appeal for help and may also express trust. It does not require pretending that suffering is resolved. Psalm 13 offers a short example with a movement through questions, request, and trust.
Read an exampleA word that can refer to particular commands, the Torah, or other senses depending on the writer and setting. It is not used identically in every biblical book. Identify what a passage is discussing before carrying a meaning from one text into another.
Read an exampleCompassion expressed toward someone in need or distress. In the Good Samaritan, mercy takes the form of approaching, tending wounds, transporting, and providing care. The surrounding conversation helps show how the story connects understanding with action. Read the whole encounter before drawing an application.
Read an exampleA story or comparison that invites a hearer to see something differently. Pay attention to the audience, the question that prompts it, and the response it calls for. A parable is not always a puzzle in which every detail has a separate hidden meaning.
Read an exampleAddressing God through words, silence, praise, questions, thanksgiving, confession, or requests. Biblical prayers take many forms. They are not all calm or polished. Reading a whole prayer can show how trust and difficulty belong within the same act of turning toward God.
Read an exampleA person who speaks a message presented as coming from God. Biblical prophecy includes confrontation, warning, lament, and hope, often directed to a particular community and situation. It is broader than prediction. Read what the prophet addresses in the present before focusing only on the future.
Read an exampleA compact saying that invites wise judgement about life. Proverbs often describe patterns rather than guarantee an identical result in every situation. Read neighbouring sayings and consider how circumstance affects their use. Proverbs 26 places two contrasting sayings about answering a fool beside each other.
Read an exampleA biblical song or poem. The Book of Psalms includes praise, complaint, thanksgiving, petition, and reflection. Some psalms move through several of these at once. Reading the whole poem helps you hear its changes of voice and keeps a memorable line within its movement.
Read an exampleA turning or change of direction toward God. Biblical passages connect it with honesty about wrong and a changed response, rather than only a feeling. In Luke 3, people ask what a response should look like, and the answers concern concrete aspects of their lives.
Read an exampleRising from the dead. The New Testament places Jesus’ resurrection at the centre of its proclamation and connects it with hope for life beyond death. Read the resurrection narratives and the letters with attention to what each is addressing. First Corinthians 15 explores its significance at length.
Read an exampleA day of rest and worship in biblical tradition. Scripture connects Sabbath with creation, liberation, and the life of a community. Christian traditions understand its relationship to present practice differently. Read particular Sabbath passages in their own settings before treating them as interchangeable rules.
Read an exampleThe traditional name for the two main parts of the Christian Bible: Old Testament and New Testament. The term is related to covenant. These labels help identify collections of books; they do not mean that the Old Testament has no continuing importance for Christian reading.
Read an exampleAn expression of gratitude for what has been received. Biblical thanksgiving often remembers a particular story of help or provision. It need not erase the difficulty that came before it. Psalm 107 joins repeated calls to give thanks with accounts of people in need.
Read an exampleA Hebrew term often rendered as law or instruction. It also names the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. Those books contain narrative as well as commandments. Reading them only as a list of rules misses the stories and relationships in which the instruction is given.
Read an exampleA rendering of a text in another language. Translators make decisions about wording, sentence structure, and how closely to follow forms in the source language. A difference between versions can raise a useful question, but it needs investigation. This website uses the World English Bible.
Read an exampleA smaller numbered unit used to locate words in a chapter. A verse number is a reference tool, not a guarantee that the sentence can stand alone. Follow the thought before and after the number. Quotations are most useful when their book, chapter, verse, and translation stay attached.
Read an exampleDiscernment about how to live well, involving judgement, character, and attention to God. Biblical wisdom is more than possessing information. Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes explore life in different ways; their differences invite thoughtful reading rather than a quick formula for every situation.
Read an exampleNo terms match that search. Try a shorter word or a related idea.
An introductory editorial explanation. Meaning can vary with the passage and Christian tradition.