Akedah

Aggada

Narrative midrash, a non-canonical rabbinic tale on a biblical theme.

Ahavah

"Love."

Aron

The ark of the covenant.

Aseret hadibrot

"Ten words." Traditional Jewish term for the Ten Commandments (Exod 20.1–14; Deut 5.6–18), although the Hebrew Bible uses a different phrase—aseret hadevarim.

Avon

A classification of sin, sometimes translated "inquity," and usually—but not always—corresponding to the Roman Church’s cardinal sin.

Ben

"Son, child."

Brit

"Covenant" (Gen 6.18).

Chen

"Grace." (Adj., chanun; traditionally, one of the thirteen attributes of God [Exod 34.6].)

Chet

A classification of sin, usually—but not always—corresponding to the Roman Church’s venial sin (lit., "missing the mark").

Chesed

"Kindness, generosity." (Traditionally, one of the thirteen attributes of God [Exod 34.7].)

Derash

"Applied meaning; homily." (Plural: derushim.)

Dvar

"Word." (Plural: devarim.)

Elohim

Literally, "gods" (NJV, "divine beings") and sometimes having that meaning (see Ps 82.1b). More usually, one of the names of God; plural in form; identified by historical scholars with the so-called E strand.

El Shaddai

One of the names of God, by which he appeared to Yaakov; sometimes translated "God [el] Almighty" (Gen 17.1, Exod 6.3).

Emet

"Truth." Traditionally, one of the thirteen attributes of God (Exod 34.6).

Ezer k’negdo

NJV, "fitting helper." Lit., "a help against him" (Gen 2.18).

Goel

"Redeemer." See Meshiach.

Haker-nah

"Look at this" (Gen 37.32, 38.25).

Hallel

"Praise."

Halleluyah

Hallel + Yh (abbreviation of Yhvh).

Hashem

See Yhvh.

Hineni

"Here I am" (Gen 27.1).

Kaporet

The ark’s cover of pure gold (see Exod 25.17).

Kavod

"Glory." (Most frequently associated with God’s self-manifestation; see Exod 16.7.)

Kedesa

"Cult prostitute" (Gen 38.21).

Lekh l’kha

"Go forth" (Gen 12.1, 22.2).

Mayim

"Waters." (Cf. shamayim.)

Megillah

"Scroll." (Plural: megillot.) Term for five shorter books of the Bible—Shir Hashirim or Song of Songs, Ruth, Ekha or Lamentations, Kohelet or Eccelesiastes, and Esther—each of which fits on a single scroll and is chanted on a different Jewish festival.

Meshachek

NJV, "playing," "fondling" (Gen 21.9, 26.8). Same root as Yitschak, Isaac.

Meshiach

"Annointed one." In postbiblical tradition, term for the "redeemer [who] shall come to Zion" (Isa 59.20). The Hebrew for redeemer, however, is goel.

Midrash

Traditional form of Jewish biblical interpretation that seeks to fill in textual gaps. Narrative interpretation is called aggada, while legal interpretation is called halakhah. (Plural: midrashim.)

Mirmah

"Deception" (see Gen 27.35, 34.13).

Mishkan

God’s dwelling; KJV, "tabernacle" (see Exod 25.8–9).

Mitsrayim

"Egypt."

Mitsvah

"Commandment." (Plural: mitsvot.)

Mizbeach

"Altar."

Naaseh v’nishmah

"We shall do and hear"; Israel’s response to Moshe’s reading of the sefer habrit (Exod 24.7).

Panim

"Face." P’nei Yhvh, "face of Yhvh"—NJV, "before the Lord" (Gen 19.13).

Peshat

"Plain (or literal) sense."

Rachamim

"Mercy." (Adj., rachum; traditionally, one of the thirteen attributes of God [Exod 34.6].)

Rakot

"Soft" (Gen 29.17). The traditional "weak" is from the Septuagint.

Sefer habrit

"Book of the covenant," Exod 21–23.

Shamayim

"Heaven(s)." (Cf. mayim.)

Shir

"Song." (Plural: shirim.)

Shofet

Traditionally translated "judge," but perhaps more accurately "ruler." (The plural, shoftim, is also the Hebrew name for the book of Judges.) Title given to each political ruler of Israel between Yehoshua and Shaul, the first of Israel's kings. The earliest prophets, Devorah (Judg 4.4) and Shmuel (1 Sam 7.6), negotiate the transition from shofet to king.

Tannin

(Plural: tanninim.) The classification of creatures to which Leviathan belongs (see Isa 27.1). In Gen 1.21, the proper noun Leviathan is missing and only the class noun tanninim appears. Here the NJV translates it as "sea monsters."

Terafim

NJV, "household idols" (Gen 31.19).

Toevah

"Abomination." (Plural.: toevot.) A sin that is associated with the practices of alien, idolatrous nations (see, e.g., Gen 43.32). The classification includes a man who beds a male the way he beds a woman (Lev 18.22, 20.13), which may or may not refer to homosexuality; desiring the silver and gold of idols (Deut 7.25); eating food that is not kosher (Deut 14.3); offering unacceptable sacrifices (Deut 17.1); cross-dressing, which includes a woman's wearing men's clothes (Deut 22.5); remarrying an ex-wife who has subsequently married another man (Deut 24.4); and the manufacture of idols (Deut 27.15).

Toldah

"Generation." NJV, "line." (Plural.: toldot.) Gen 5.1: Zeh sefer toldot Adam, "This is the book of Adam’s generations." Biblical term for genealogy; a subgenre of biblical narrative (see, e.g., Ruth 4.18-22; Matt 1).

Torah

"Teaching, instruction." (Plural: torot.) Biblical term to describe statute(s) or procedure(s). In later books, the term may designate the Pentateuch. In postbiblical Hebrew, the term refers to (1) the Pentateuch (in this sense it was translated into Greek as nomos, appearing in the New Testament phrase "the Law and the Prophets"); (2) more loosely, the Bible as a whole; (3) more loosely still, Jewish learning.

Tov, tovah

"Good."

Y’fah

"Fair, beautiful." Cf. Rahel: y’fat-toar viyfat mareh, "fair of form and fair to look upon" (Gen 29.17)

Yhvh

Transliteration of the four-letter name of God in the Torah; also called the tetragrammaton. Usually translated Lord in English Bibles, it is spelled Yahweh by historical scholars and in Roman Catholic liturgy. In Jewish prayer it is never pronounced; it is replaced by the Hebrew word for "lord," which is itself never pronounced in conversation, being replaced by Hashem (literally, "the name [of God]"). The name Jehovah is a historical error, having been formed from the consonants of Yhvh and the vowels of the Hebrew word for "lord," which are printed in Hebrew texts to remind readers to pronounce the latter and not the former.

Zona

"Common prostitute" (Gen 34.31, 38.15).