Terms that show up again and again, rarely explained.

A gold-covered wooden chest holding the stone tablets of the law, carried by the Israelites and later housed in the Jerusalem temple. Its final fate after the Babylonian conquest is never stated in scripture.

A binding agreement between God and a person or people — Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David each receive a distinct one, with different terms and promises.

Books included in the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testament but not in the Protestant one — the term means "belonging to a second canon."

The scattering of Jewish communities outside the land of Israel, especially after the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.

A priestly garment, sometimes used alongside objects for seeking God's guidance on a decision.

Anyone who is not Jewish — a category that becomes central to arguments in Paul's letters about who belongs in the early church.

A member of the tribe of Levi, set apart for religious duties rather than given a standard territorial inheritance like the other tribes.

The bread-like food described as appearing on the ground each morning during Israel's forty years in the wilderness.

Hebrew for "anointed one" — a promised deliverer figure; the Greek translation of the same concept is "Christ."

Someone under a vow of separation involving abstaining from wine, avoiding contact with the dead, and not cutting their hair — Samson was one from birth.

A short, illustrative story used to convey a moral or spiritual point indirectly, a technique closely associated with Jesus's teaching style.

The annual Jewish festival commemorating the final plague in Egypt and Israel's exodus from slavery.

The first five books of the Old Testament — Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — traditionally attributed to Moses.

A member of a Jewish religious and social movement known for strict observance of religious law; frequently in dialogue and dispute with Jesus in the Gospels.

The seventh day of the week, set apart for rest, rooted in the Genesis creation account and formalized as one of the Ten Commandments.

A Jewish religious group, generally wealthier and more aligned with the temple establishment than the Pharisees, and notable for rejecting belief in resurrection.

The highest Jewish judicial and religious council in the New Testament period, based in Jerusalem.

An ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, widely used by Greek-speaking Jewish and early Christian communities.

A term (not itself found in scripture, but used in later Jewish tradition) for the visible presence or glory of God dwelling among people.

The Hebrew term for the realm of the dead in the Old Testament — a shadowy, general destination for the dead rather than a place of punishment specifically.

The portable tent-sanctuary used for worship during Israel's wilderness years, later replaced by the permanent temple in Jerusalem.