Words of the Bible, from A to Z

What each hard word of the Bible means, in everyday English, with its verse.

A

Aaron: The brother of Moses and the first high priest of Israel. The priests were his descendants.
Abba: In the language of Jesus, this is what a child called his father: “Dad.” This is how Jesus spoke to God.
Abbot: The head of a monastery, elected by the monks. The word means “father.”
Abijah (Abia): The eighth of the 24 divisions of priests who served in the Temple, one week at a time. Zechariah belonged to that division.
Abraham: The father of the people of Israel. God promised him that his descendants would be as many as the stars.
Absolution: The words with which the priest, in God’s name, forgives sins in confession.
Adonai: A Hebrew word that means “my Lord.” Jewish people say it in place of God’s holy name, out of respect.
Advent: The four weeks before Christmas. The Church prepares to celebrate the first coming of Jesus and renews its longing for his second coming. “Advent” means “coming.”
Affliction: A very great sadness or suffering.
Alabaster: A fine white stone. Flasks for costly perfumes were made from it.
Alleluia: A Hebrew word that means “praise God.” It is the joyful cry of Easter.
Alms: What is given to the poor for love of God. Jesus asks us to give it without showing off.
Aloes: A wood with a fine smell. The body of Jesus was perfumed with myrrh and aloes.
Amalekite: From Amalek, a desert people who attacked Israel when it came out of Egypt.
Ambo: The fixed stand near the altar from which the readings and the Gospel are read at Mass.
Amen: A Hebrew word that means “so it is,” “so be it.” With it we say that we believe and agree with what is prayed.
Ammonite: From Ammon, a people who were neighbors of Israel, on the other side of the Jordan River.
Amorite: One of the peoples who lived in Canaan before Israel arrived.
Anathema: Something set apart for God and completely destroyed. Also a condemnation by the Church of a serious error.
Angelus: A prayer that recalls when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. It is prayed with three Hail Marys.
Annunciation: When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus.
Anoint: To pour oil or perfume on someone, as a sign of honor or to consecrate him to God.
Anointing of the Sick: The sacrament for people who are seriously ill and for the elderly. The priest anoints them with oil and prays for them.
Apocryphal: An ancient book about Jesus or the saints that is not part of the Bible.
Apostle: It means “one who is sent.” The word is used above all for the Twelve whom Jesus chose to be with him and to send out to preach.
Apostolic exhortation: A writing of the Pope to encourage Catholics about a subject or a person.
Ark: A chest or a large box. In the Bible there are two very important arks.
Armor-bearer: The young man who went with a warrior and carried his weapons.
Arrow: An arrow, the kind that is shot with a bow.
Ascension: When the risen Jesus went up to heaven, forty days after Easter. It is also the name of its feast.
Ass: A donkey.
Assumption: That the Virgin Mary, at the end of her life on earth, was taken up into heaven body and soul. There she already shares in the resurrection of her Son.
Assyrian: From Assyria, a very powerful empire in the north of Mesopotamia, with its capital at Nineveh. It destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel.
Astarte: A false goddess of the Canaanites. Israel sometimes worshiped her, and the prophets asked the people to give her up.
Astonished: Filled with wonder, unable to speak, because of something very great.
At his pleasure: Someone’s decision or will. “At his pleasure” means “as he decides.”
At that season: An old way of saying “at that time,” or “then.”
At the mercy of: A favor or a gift. “By the favor of God” means “as a gift from God.”
Augustinian: A religious of an order that follows the Rule of Saint Augustine. Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian.

B

Baal: A false god of the Canaanites, the god of rain. On Mount Carmel, Elijah showed that he was nothing.
Banquet: A meal to which others are invited: a feast. The “guests” are the ones invited.
Baptism: To baptize means to “immerse” in water.
Barren: Unable to have children.
Basin: A wide, shallow container, like a washbowl. Jesus poured water into it to wash his disciples’ feet.
Beget: To be the father of. “Jacob begot Joseph” means that Jacob was Joseph’s father.
Behold: An old way of saying “look, here it is.” “Here am I” means “here I am.”
Benedictine: A monk or nun who lives by the Rule of Saint Benedict: to pray and to work.
Benedictus: The canticle of Zechariah when John the Baptist was born. It begins “Blessed be the Lord.”
Betrothed: To marry, or to be promised in marriage. A “betrothed” woman is the bride-to-be or the newly married wife.
Birthright: The rights of the oldest son: he inherited more and was head of the family. Esau sold it to Jacob.
Bitumen: A black, sticky mixture, like tar. It was used to hold bricks together and to seal boats so that water would not get in.
Blessed: Happy, truly happy, because God blesses him.
Blessed (beatified): A person the Church declares “Blessed”: he or she lived as Jesus asks, and people may now pray to him or her in that region.
Boanerges: A nickname Jesus gave to James and John. Mark explains it: it means “sons of thunder.”
Bowels of mercy: The inside of the body. In old Bibles, “bowels of mercy” is a love that comes from the very depths. Today we say “tender mercy.”
Bowl: A deep, round container without handles, like a large cup or a basin.
Breastpiece: A piece of cloth with twelve precious stones that the high priest wore on his chest.
Brothers of Jesus: That is what the Bible calls some close relatives of Jesus. The Church teaches that they were not children of the Virgin Mary.
Burst out: To suddenly start weeping, shouting or speaking out loud.
Bury: To lay a dead person in the grave. “Burial” is the grave or the act of burying.
Bush: A thorny shrub. God spoke to Moses from a bush that burned without being burned up.
Bushel (modius): A Roman measure for grain: about nine liters, a little over two gallons.

C

Caesar: The title of the emperor of Rome, who ruled the land of Israel in the time of Jesus.
Came to pass: To happen. “It came to pass” means “it happened.”
Camel’s hair: A rough cloth woven from camel hair. John the Baptist dressed this way. His clothing made people think of the prophet Elijah, who wore a hairy cloak and a leather belt.
Canaanite: From Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham, before Israel came.
Canonize: When the Pope declares that a person is a saint and is in heaven with God.
Canticle: A song of praise to God. There are many in the Bible, like Mary’s, the Magnificat.
Captain: In old Bibles, the chief who leads a people or an army.
Carmelite: A religious brother or sister of the Order of Carmel, which began on Mount Carmel. They live to pray.
Carpenter: Someone who works with his hands at a trade. In Mark 6:3, the Latin word is “faber.” The Spanish Bible of 1836 translates it as “craftsman”; the Douay-Rheims and many Bibles today say “the carpenter.”
Cassock: A long robe down to the feet that some priests wear. Black for priests, white for the Pope.
Catechesis: Classes to learn and live the faith, for example before First Communion.
Catechism: The book that sums up what the Catholic Church teaches, with numbered paragraphs. The one we quote is the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992).
Catechumen: An adult who is preparing to receive Baptism.
Cedar: A very tall tree with fine, fragrant wood. The Temple was built with cedars of Lebanon.
Centurion: An officer of the Roman army who commanded about a hundred soldiers.
Cephas: An Aramaic word that means “stone” or “rock.” It is the name Jesus gave to Simon. In Greek it is “Peter.”
Chaldean: From Chaldea, in the south of Mesopotamia; the Babylonians were also called by this name. Abraham came out of Ur of the Chaldeans.
Chalice: The cup in which the priest consecrates the wine at Mass.
Chamber: A room in a house.
Charge (to command): To give an order and make it known to everyone. “He charged them” means he commanded them.
Chasuble: The long, sleeveless garment the priest wears on top to celebrate Mass. Its color changes with the season.
Cherub: Angels who guard the holy things of God. There were two of gold on top of the Ark of the Covenant.
Chief jailer: The man in charge of a prison.
Chlamys: A short, light cape, like the ones the Greeks and Romans wore.
Chrism: Perfumed oil that the bishop consecrates every year. It is used to anoint at Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders.
Christ: A Greek word that means “anointed.” It is the same as “Messiah.”
Circumcision: A small cut in the body of Jewish males, eight days after birth. It was the sign of the covenant with God.
Cistern: A pit dug to collect rainwater. When it was dry, it was sometimes used as a prison.
Clement: Very kind and ready to forgive. That is what we call the Virgin Mary in the Hail, Holy Queen.
Cloister: The courtyard with covered walkways in a monastery. It also means the life set apart of nuns and monks who do not go out.
Codex: An ancient book written by hand.
Cohort: A large group of Roman soldiers, several hundred of them.
Collection: The money gathered at Mass for the parish or for a cause, like the missions.
Colt: A young donkey. Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a colt.
Come after: Behind, after.
Commemoration: A day to remember someone or something. In the Church’s calendar it is the simplest kind of celebration.
Communion of saints: The union of all who belong to Christ. It unites us with those who are being purified and with those who are already in heaven.
Compline (Night Prayer): The Church’s last prayer of the day, before going to sleep.
Conceive: To become pregnant; to begin the life of a child in the mother’s womb.
Conclave: The meeting of the cardinals, shut away in the Vatican, to elect the new Pope.
Concupiscence: Disordered desire, above all for pleasure, that pulls us toward sin.
Confirmation: The sacrament that gives the strength of the Holy Spirit to live the faith and bear witness to it.
Consecrate: To set something or someone apart for God alone. “Consecrated to the Lord” means that it belongs to God.
Consubstantial: A word from the Creed: the Son has the same nature as the Father. He is God just as the Father is.
Contrite: Sorry from the heart for having offended God. “Contrition” is that sorrow for our sins.
Conversion: To turn to God with all your heart and change your life. It is what Jesus asks from the very beginning.
Corpus Christi: The solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. “Corpus” means “body” in Latin.
Couch: A bed.
Council: A great meeting of the bishops with the Pope to decide important matters of the faith.
Countenance: A person’s face and what it shows: whether he is happy, sad or angry.
Court official: A king’s or a queen’s trusted man, who held great power.
Courtiers: People who lived in the king’s palace and served him.
Courtyard: The open court at the entrance of a temple or a palace.
Covenant: A pact of love between God and his people. God promises to care for them, and the people promise to be faithful to him.
Creed: The prayer that sums up what we Catholics believe. It has this name because it begins with the word “I believe” (in Latin, “Credo”).
Crosier: The staff of a bishop or an abbot, curved at the top like a shepherd’s. It recalls that he cares for his flock.
Cruse: A small container for keeping oil.
Cubit: A measure of length: from the elbow to the tip of the fingers, about a foot and a half.
Cupbearer: The one who served wine to the king and tasted it first; it was a position of great trust. Nehemiah was a cupbearer.
Cymbals: Metal plates that are played by striking one against the other.

D

Dagon: A false god of the Philistines. His statue fell down before the Ark of the Covenant.
Damsel: A young girl, not yet married.
Deacon: A man ordained to serve: he assists at Mass, baptizes, preaches, and cares for the poor.
Defraud: To take from someone, by cheating, what belongs to him.
Denarius: A Roman silver coin. It was what a farm worker earned in one day.
Deposition: When the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross.
Designs (of God): A plan, what someone intends to do. “God’s designs” are what God wants and prepares.
Deuterocanonical books: Seven books of the Old Testament that are in the Catholic Bible: Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch.
Devotion: Love and self-giving to God. The word is also used for a special love for the Virgin Mary or for a saint.
Devout: Someone who loves God and prays with devotion. Said of God, it means compassionate.
Diocese: The territory a bishop leads, with all its parishes.
Disciple: Someone who follows a teacher to learn from him and live as he lives.
Doctor of the Church: A title the Pope gives to a saint whose way of teaching the faith is a great help to the whole Church.
Dominican: A religious of the Order of Preachers, founded by Saint Dominic. Saint Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican.
Dry-shod: Dry. “Dry-shod” means without getting one’s feet wet.
Dwell: To live in a place. An “abode” or “dwelling place” is the house where someone lives.

E

Ecumenical council: “Ecumenical” means “of the whole world.” An ecumenical council gathers the bishops of the whole Church.
Edict: An order from the king or the emperor that was announced to all the people.
Edomite: From Edom, the people descended from Esau, south of the Dead Sea. Herod the Great was an Idumean, from that same land.
Elizabeth: The mother of John the Baptist and a relative of Mary. The Spanish Bible of 1836 spells her name “Elisabet.”
Embers: The hot coals that remain under the ashes. Bread was baked there.
Emmanuel: A Hebrew name for Jesus that means “God with us.”
Encyclical: A letter from the Pope to the whole Church about an important subject.
Enroll (census): To register in the list of inhabitants that the government ordered to be made, in a census.
Ephah: A measure for grain, like a big bucket: about twenty-two liters, almost six gallons.
Ephod: A sacred linen garment, like a vest, worn by the priests. David danced before the Ark wearing one.
Epiphany: The feast of the Magi: Jesus makes himself known to all peoples.
Eucharist: The sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus. The word means “thanksgiving.”
Eucharistic Prayer: The central prayer of the Mass. The priest gives thanks to God and, with the words of Jesus, consecrates the bread and wine.
Eunuch: In ancient courts, a trusted servant of the king or queen. Philip baptized one from Ethiopia.
Evangelist: Each of those who wrote the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Evangelize: To proclaim Jesus and his Gospel to those who do not know him.
Exalt: To praise greatly, to lift up high.
Exceedingly: Very much, more than usual.
Exhort: To encourage someone with words to do good.
Exile: Having to live far from one’s own land, taken away by force. This is how the Jews lived in Babylon.
Exultation: A very great joy, one that shows on the outside.

F

Famine: A lack of food in a land: hunger for everyone.
Fasting: Eating less, or not eating, for a time, to pray better and draw closer to God.
Fathers of the Church: The great Christian teachers of the first centuries, like Saint Augustine, Saint Ambrose, or Saint Jerome.
Fear of God: It is not being afraid: it is the respect and love of someone who does not want to offend God. A “God-fearing” man is a good man and a believer.
Feast of Tabernacles: A Jewish harvest feast. For seven days people lived in huts made of branches, remembering the journey through the desert.
Feast of the Dedication: A Jewish feast of eight days that recalls when the Maccabees cleansed the Temple and dedicated it to God again.
Feed my sheep: To lead the flock to pasture and care for it. Jesus told Peter: “Feed my sheep,” that is, take care of my people.
Fiat: Latin for “let it be done.” It is Mary’s answer to the angel: “May it be done to me according to your word.”
Firstborn: The child who is born first.
Firstfruits: The first fruits of the harvest, offered to God to thank him.
Fleece: The wool of a sheep, all in one piece, as it comes off when it is sheared. Gideon laid it on the ground to ask God for a sign.
Flesh: In the Bible, “flesh” often means the whole person, with a body that is weak and dies.
Flint: A very hard stone with a sharp edge. Knives were made from it, and it was struck to make sparks for a fire.
Flock (the fold): A flock of sheep or goats. Also the community of the faithful cared for by a shepherd.
Forewarn: To get ready, to prepare oneself. Also, to warn someone about something.
Forsake: To leave alone and without help someone who needs it.
Fourfold: Four times what he took.
Friar: A man who leaves everything to follow Jesus in a religious order, like the Franciscans or the Dominicans.
Fuller: Someone who washed and beat new cloth to make it white.

G

Gall: Something very bitter. On the cross they gave Jesus wine mixed with gall.
Gardener: Someone who takes care of a garden. Mary Magdalene thought the risen Jesus was the gardener.
Gaudete: The Third Sunday of Advent. In Latin it means “rejoice,” because Christmas is near.
Genealogy: The list of a person’s parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. It is like a family tree.
Gentile: That is what the Jews called people who were not Jews. Paul brought the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Girdle: A belt of leather or cloth to hold clothing in place.
Glean: To gather the ears of grain left in the field after the harvest. The Law of Moses let the poor do this.
Glorify: To praise God and recognize that he is great.
Glory: The greatness and beauty of God, which shine in everything he does. “To give glory to God” is to praise him and recognize that he is great.
Grace: A gift from God that we do not deserve. It is his help and his life within us.
Great lights: What gives light. At creation, the great lights are the sun, the moon and the stars.
Guardian angel: The angel God places beside each person to watch over them.
Guile: Falseness: saying one thing and thinking another. “Without guile” means sincere.
Guilty of death: A person accused of a crime, or guilty of it. “Guilty of death” means that he deserves death.

H

Habit: The clothing proper to men and women religious. “To take the habit” is to enter the order.
Halberd: An old weapon: a long pole with a point and an ax blade.
Hallowed: To make holy, or to treat as holy. “Hallowed be thy name” asks that everyone respect and love the name of God.
Harlot: A woman who sold her body: a prostitute. Rahab, from Jericho, had been one.
Haste: An old word for “hurry.”
Hath need: “Hath need” means “has need of,” “needs.”
He descended into hell: In the Creed, “hell” here means the place of the dead. Jesus went down there to open heaven to the just.
Headwaiter: The man in charge of a feast, who looked after the food and the wine. At Cana he tasted the water that had become wine.
Hem: The edge or border of a cloak, sometimes decorated.
Herald: The man who announced news and orders out loud in the public squares.
Heresy: Knowingly denying a truth of the Catholic faith. A person who does this is called a heretic.
Hermitage: A remote place where a hermit lives alone, devoted to prayer.
Herod: In the Gospels there are several rulers named Herod. They belong to the same family, but they are not the same man.
Herodians: The supporters of King Herod Antipas. They joined with some Pharisees against Jesus.
Herodias: She was married to a half brother of Herod Antipas. She left her husband to marry Herod Antipas. John the Baptist rebuked Herod for marrying his brother’s wife.
Hidden mystery: A deeply hidden secret, which only God knows and can make known.
High priest: The head of the priests of the Temple in Jerusalem. Only he went into the holiest place, once a year.
Hittite: From an ancient people who lived in Canaan. Uriah, the husband of Bathsheba, was a Hittite.
Holocaust: A sacrifice in which the animal offered to God was burned whole.
Holy oils: Oil. The “holy oils” are the blessed oils used in the sacraments.
Holy Orders: The sacrament by which a man is consecrated as a deacon, priest, or bishop.
Holy Spirit: He is God, just like the Father and the Son: the third Person of the Most Holy Trinity. In the Creed we say that he is “the Lord, the giver of life.”
Homily: The explanation of the readings that the priest or deacon gives at Mass.
Horn (of oil): A hollow animal horn, used as a container. Samuel carried the oil to anoint David in a horn.
Hosanna: A cry of joy and praise. That is how Jesus was welcomed in Jerusalem.
Host: The thin, round unleavened bread that is consecrated at Mass. Once consecrated, it is the Body of Christ.
Howbeit: An old word that means “but” or “however.”
Husbandman: Someone who works the land to plant it: a farmer. To “till the ground” is to plow it and grow crops.
Hyssop: A small plant whose branches were used to sprinkle water or blood in purification rites.

I

I beseech thee: An old way of saying “I beg you,” “I ask you earnestly.” This is how the Douay-Rheims Bible writes it.
I confess: A prayer at the beginning of Mass in which we admit before God and our brothers and sisters that we have sinned.
Idol: An image that is worshiped as if it were a god. Worshiping something in place of God is called idolatry.
Ignominy: A very great dishonor, a public shame.
Immaculate Conception: That the Virgin Mary was kept free from original sin from the first moment of her life, by the grace of God. This was through the merits of her Son Jesus.
Immolate: To sacrifice an animal by offering it to God. Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed for us.
In the sight of God: Respect and presence. “In the sight of God” means “before God,” with respect.
Incarnation: That the Son of God became man in the womb of Mary, without ceasing to be God.
Incense: A resin from trees that gives off a sweet-smelling smoke when it burns. It is offered to God: the rising smoke is like prayer.
Indulgence: A gift of the Church that takes away the punishment still left for sins that have already been forgiven.
Iniquitous: Very evil and unjust.
Iniquity: Great wickedness, injustice.
INRI: The letters on the sign on the cross of Jesus, in Latin: “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”
Intercede: To ask God for something on behalf of someone else. The saints and the Virgin Mary intercede for us.
Isaiah: One of the great prophets of Israel. He preached about 700 years before Jesus. The book that bears his name announces a voice crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Ishmaelite: A descendant of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. They were merchants who traveled in camel caravans.
It pleased: “It pleased him” means “he liked it,” “it seemed good to him.” It comes from the verb “to please.”
Ivy (gourd plant): A plant that grows fast and gives shade. God made it grow for Jonah and then made it wither.

J

Jar (of flour): A tall clay jar without handles, for keeping flour or food.
Jesuit: A religious of the Society of Jesus, founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Pope Francis was a Jesuit.
Jona: The father of Simon Peter. In John 1:42 he is called John, and in Matthew 16:17 he is called Jonah. These are two different traditions about his name. The Douay-Rheims Bible writes “Jona.”
Jubilee: For Israel, a holy year every fifty years. Debts were forgiven and slaves were set free.
Judge: In the Bible, the judges were leaders God sent to save and guide Israel, before there were kings.
Juniper tree: A desert bush. Elijah, worn out, fell asleep in its shade.
Just (righteous): In the Bible, someone who lives as God wants and keeps his Law with the heart. Joseph and Simeon were like this.

K

Keep watch: To stay awake, alert and on guard. Jesus asked his disciples to watch and pray.
Kind (species): In the Bible, a class or species of animals.
Kindred: All of a person’s relatives: his family.
Kingdom of God: When God reigns in people’s lives and in the world. Jesus came to proclaim it and to begin it.

L

Lad: A boy or a young man; a “lass” is a young woman.
Lamb of God: That is what John the Baptist called Jesus. Like the Passover lamb, Jesus gives his life to take away sin.
Lampstand: Something to hold a candle or an oil lamp.
Lap (bosom): The hollow made by the lap when a person is seated; where a child sits or is held.
Latchet: The leather strap that tied a sandal. John says he is not worthy even to stoop down and untie it: that is how great the one coming after him is.
Latter: Last.
Lauds (Morning Prayer): The morning prayer of the Church. The word means “praises.”
Lawful: Allowed by the law. “Is it lawful?” means “is it allowed?”
Lay hold: To grab, to take with the hand. Jacob was born holding on to his brother’s heel.
Laying on of hands: To place one’s hands on someone’s head to ask for him the strength of the Holy Spirit, or healing.
Lectionary: The book with the Bible readings that are read at each Mass of the year.
Legion: A Roman army of about six thousand soldiers. “A legion” also means “a great many.”
Lent: The forty days before Easter, to prepare with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Leprosy: In the Bible, several diseases of the skin. The sick person had to live apart until healed.
Levite: A man of the tribe of Levi. The Levites helped the priests in the Temple: they sang, kept watch, and carried the holy things.
Lictors: Officials of the judges or the authorities, who made sure their orders were carried out.
Lineage: The family from which someone descends.
Linen cloths: Cloths made of linen. They wrapped the body of Jesus in linen cloths to bury him.
Lintel: The top part of a doorway, the beam that runs from side to side.
Liturgy: The official prayer of the whole Church, above all the Mass and the sacraments. It means “work of the people.”
Liturgy of the Hours: The prayer of the Church throughout the day, with psalms and readings. Priests, religious, and many lay faithful pray it.
Locusts: Insects like large grasshoppers. The Law of Moses allowed people to eat them.
Lofty: Very high and great. The “lofty” God is God Most High.
Lord: A word of respect. In the Bible it is, above all, a name for God.
Lord of hosts: A name of God in the Bible. It means that God rules over everything: the angels, the stars and the nations.
Lyre: An ancient stringed instrument, played with the fingers.
Lyre (harp): An ancient stringed instrument, like a small harp.

M

Magi: Wise men from the East who studied the stars. They followed a star to worship the newborn Jesus.
Magistrates: The authorities who governed and judged in a Roman city.
Magnificat: Mary’s canticle when she visited Elizabeth. It begins “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Make ready: To prepare something, to have it ready. The “harness” is what is put on a donkey or a horse to ride it.
Man: A man, a male human being. Spanish Bibles use the old word “varón.”
Mandrakes: A plant with a thick root. People used to believe it helped women have children.
Manger: The box from which animals eat in a stable. Mary laid the newborn Jesus there.
Manichaeans: Followers of Mani, who taught that there are two gods, one good and one evil. Saint Augustine followed them when he was young.
Manna: The bread God sent from heaven to his people in the desert. It was white and tasted like honey.
Manservant, maidservant: A person who worked and lived in someone else’s house, at his service.
Martyr: Someone who dies rather than deny Jesus. It is the greatest witness to the faith that anyone can give.
Martyrology: The Church’s official book with the list of the saints and martyrs remembered each day.
Merchant: A trader: someone who buys and sells.
Mercy: To let your heart be with the one who suffers, and to help him. God’s mercy is his love that forgives and lifts us up.
Messiah: A Hebrew word that means “anointed”: the one consecrated by God for a mission. In the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were waiting for the promised Messiah, a king from the family of David. The Church professes that he is Jesus.
Midianite: From Midian, a people of the desert. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was a Midianite; in the time of Gideon they attacked Israel.
Miter: The tall, pointed hat a bishop wears at celebrations.
Moabite: From Moab, a country on the other side of the Dead Sea. Ruth, the great-grandmother of David, was a Moabite.
Money changers: Those who exchanged money from other countries for the Temple coin, and charged for doing it.
Mortar: A mix of lime, sand and water to hold stones or bricks together, like the mix bricklayers use.
Mortar (for grinding): A metal mortar for grinding, like a molcajete.
Most gracious advocate: In the Hail, Holy Queen, the Virgin Mary is the one who speaks to God on our behalf and defends us.
Most High: A name for God: the one who is above all things.
Most Holy Trinity: One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is the central mystery of our faith.
Multitude: A great crowd of people.
Murmur: To complain or speak badly of someone in a low voice.
Myrrh: A tree resin with a fine smell, bitter and very costly. The Magi gave it to Jesus as a gift.
Myrtle: A shrub with sweet-smelling leaves. Its branches were used to make the huts for the feast of Tabernacles.

N

Napkin (face cloth): A cloth used to cover the face of a dead person.
Nativity: Birth. The Nativity of the Lord is Christmas.
Nazirite: A person set apart for God by a vow: he drank no wine and did not cut his hair. Samson was a nazirite.
Nazorean: The one who is from Nazareth. That is what people called Jesus, who grew up there.
Needy: Poor, in need of help.
Novice: Someone who enters a religious order and is in the first time of testing, before making vows.
Nurse: A woman who breastfeeds and raises another woman’s child.

O

Oak: A large, strong tree with hard wood that lives for many years. An “oak grove” is a forest of oaks.
Octave: The eight days in which the Church keeps celebrating a great feast, like Christmas or Easter.
Ointment: A perfumed oil, made with fragrant plants.
Old and New Testament: The two parts of the Bible. The Old tells the story before Jesus; the New tells the story of Jesus and the apostles.
Omer: A measure for the manna: what one person ate in a day. It was a tenth of an ephah.
Only Begotten: Only son. Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God: the one and only Son of God by nature.
Oracle: A message from God spoken by a prophet.
Ordinary Time: The weeks of the year that are not Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. We follow the life of Jesus.
Original sin: The sin of Adam and Eve, whose wound we all inherit at birth. Baptism frees us from it.

P

Pagan: Someone who worships false gods and does not know the true God.
Palm Sunday: The Sunday before Easter. We remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem and the people welcomed him with palm branches.
Panpipe: A wind instrument, like a flute made of several pipes.
Parable: A simple story from daily life that Jesus uses to teach something about God.
Paraclete: A name for the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised him so that he would be with us always. English Bibles also say “Advocate.”
Parasceve: The day of preparation, the eve of the Sabbath: Friday. Jesus died on the day of the Parasceve.
Parcel of ground: A piece of land or a farm that someone owns, often inherited from his parents.
Paschal lamb: The lamb that every Jewish family ate at Passover. For Christians, it points to Jesus, who dies for us.
Passion: The sufferings of Jesus, from his arrest until he died on the cross.
Passover (Pasch): The great feast in which the Jewish people remember how God brought them out of slavery in Egypt.
Paths: Narrow roads, trails. “The paths of God” are his way of acting and what he asks of us.
Patriarch: The fathers of the people of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve sons of Jacob.
Patron saint: A saint chosen to watch over a people, a trade, or a person with his or her prayers.
Pavilion: A tent, sometimes large and decorated. Peter wanted to make three tents on the mountain.
Penance: To repent and change one’s life. Other Bibles say “repentance” here.
Pentateuch: The first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Pentecost: The day the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles and Mary, fifty days after Easter.
Peradventure: “Peradventure” means “perhaps,” or “could it be that…?” It is used to ask a question.
Pharaoh: The title of the king of Egypt. The Bible does not give his name: only “Pharaoh.”
Pharisee: A group of Jews who were very careful to keep the Law of Moses and the traditions. Paul and Nicodemus were Pharisees.
Philip: This is what Matthew and Mark call the first husband of Herodias, a half brother of Herod Antipas.
Philistine: A people who lived by the sea, to the southwest of Israel, and who often made war on it. Goliath was a Philistine.
Pity (piety): Compassion. “Have pity on us” is asking God to look on us with love and forgive us.
Pontiff: In old Latin and Spanish Bibles, the “pontiff” is the high priest of the Jews, like Caiaphas.
Pontificate: The time during which a Pope governs the Church.
Poor Clares: Nuns of the order founded by Saint Clare of Assisi, a friend of Saint Francis. They live to pray.
Portico: A covered walkway with columns. In the Temple there was the Portico of Solomon.
Posterity: Those who come after: children, grandchildren and all the descendants.
Pottage: A stew with broth, like a lentil stew. Esau sold his birthright for a dish of pottage.
Potter: One who makes pots and jars of clay. God compares himself to a potter who shapes us.
Pound: A Roman measure of weight: about 330 grams, a little less than 12 ounces.
Power (authority): Power, the authority to command.
Praetorium: The house where the Roman governor lived and judged cases. Jesus was taken there before Pilate.
Praise (laud): To praise. “Praised be God” means “blessed be God.”
Prayer of the Faithful: The petitions at Mass, after the Creed, for the Church, the world, those who suffer and the community.
Precursor: The one who goes ahead to prepare for someone’s coming. John the Baptist is called by this name.
Presbyter: Another name for a priest. In the New Testament, the presbyters guided each community.
Presentation of the Lord: The feast of February 2: Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple, forty days after he was born.
Prevail: To be greater or stronger than another, to win over them. The waters of the flood prevailed over the mountains.
Priest: The one who offers worship and sacrifices to God in the name of the people.
Priesthood: The service of the priest: to offer sacrifice to God and to guide his people.
Prior: The one who leads a convent or monastery, or the one who is second after the abbot.
Procurator: The governor Rome placed over Judea. Pontius Pilate was procurator when Jesus was tried.
Prodigal: Someone who carelessly spends everything he has. The prodigal son spent his whole inheritance.
Profane: To treat something holy without respect, or to use it for something else. King Antiochus profaned the Temple of Jerusalem.
Prophesy: To speak in the name of God. Sometimes it means announcing what will happen; most of the time it is calling people to come back to God.
Prophet: A person who speaks in the name of God. A prophet does not only announce what is going to happen: above all, he calls people to come back to God.
Prophetess: A woman prophet: God chooses her to speak in his name. Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, and Anna were prophetesses.
Propitious: Ready to help and to treat with kindness. “Be propitious” means “help us, have compassion on us.”
Proselyte: A person who was not born Jewish and became Jewish in order to worship the God of Israel.
Prostrate: To kneel or bow down to the ground, as a sign of respect.
Protoevangelium of James: An ancient book from the second century that is not in the Bible. The names of Joachim and Anne, Mary’s parents, come from it.
Psalm: A song-prayer of the Bible. The Book of Psalms has 150, many of them attributed to King David.
Psaltery: A stringed instrument played to praise God.
Publican: A tax collector. In the time of Jesus they collected taxes for the Romans, who ruled the land of Israel. Many kept more than was due. That is why people thought of them as sinners.
Purification: Becoming clean again in order to come close to God. The Law of Moses commanded washing or offering something in certain cases.
Purim: A Jewish feast that recalls how God saved his people through Queen Esther.
Purple: Cloth dyed a very costly reddish purple. Only kings and the rich wore it.

Q

Quiver: The case or bag in which arrows are carried, hanging from the shoulder.

R

Rabbi: A Hebrew word that means “teacher.” That is what his disciples called Jesus.
Ram’s horn: In the Bible, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn, which sounded very loud.
Reaper: One who cuts the wheat or barley at harvest time.
Receive Communion: To receive Jesus in the Eucharist, in the consecrated Host.
Recompense: A prize or a reward.
Redemption: That Jesus rescued us from sin and death by his life, his death, and his Resurrection.
Rejoice: To be very glad. “Rejoicing” is a great joy.
Relic: What remains of a saint’s body, or something the saint used. It is kept with respect, not worshiped.
Remission: Forgiveness. “The remission of sins” is the forgiveness of sins.
Reproach: Shame and humiliation in front of everyone.
Restore: To give back what was taken.
Rhetoric: The art of speaking well in public in order to persuade. Saint Augustine taught it before his conversion.
Right hand: The right hand, or the right side. Its opposite is the left hand.
Rim of the well: The stone edge around the mouth of a well. Jesus sat down there to rest.
Rite: The set way of celebrating something sacred, with words and gestures that are always the same.
Roman Canon: The oldest Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass in Rome. It is the first one in the Missal.
Rule: The book that sets out the way of life of a religious order. The most famous is the Rule of Saint Benedict.

S

Sabbath: For the Jewish people, the holy day of rest, dedicated to God. It begins on Friday at sundown.
Sackcloth: A rough cloth made of goat’s hair, worn as a garment of penance or mourning.
Sacrament: A sign Jesus left to his Church, through which God truly gives us his grace.
Sacrifice: An offering to God. In Bible times, animals, bread, wine, or oil were offered on the altar.
Sadducee: A Jewish group made up of priestly families, rich and powerful in the Temple. They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.
Salutation: A greeting.
Samaritan: From Samaria, the region between Galilee and Judea. Jews and Samaritans were at odds and did not deal with each other.
Sanhedrin: The council of the Jewish leaders of Jerusalem: priests, elders, and scribes. The high priest presided over it.
Satrap: The governor of a province of the Persian empire.
Scarlet: A strong red color, and the cloth dyed that color. The dye came from an insect, like cochineal.
Scepter: The staff a king carries as a sign of his power.
Scribe: A man who knew how to write and studied the Law of Moses. In the time of Jesus, the scribes explained it.
Scriptures: Another name for the Bible. They are the books written under the inspiration of God.
Scroll: A book of long ago: a long strip of leather or of ancient paper, written on and rolled around a rod.
Sect: In the Bible, a group within the Jewish people, like the Pharisees.
Seed: What is sown so that a plant will grow.
Seer: That is what a prophet used to be called, because God let him see what others could not see.
Seraph: Angels who stand by the throne of God and sing “Holy, holy, holy.” Isaiah saw them with six wings.
Servant: One who serves. In the Bible, to call oneself “servant of God” means to be at his service gladly.
Setim wood: A desert tree, the acacia. The Ark of the Covenant was made from its wood.
Sheaf: A big bundle of cut stalks of grain, tied together. Joseph dreamed that his brothers’ sheaves bowed down to his.
Shekel: A Jewish weight, and a silver coin: about 11 grams, less than half an ounce.
Shepherd’s bag: A leather bag that shepherds carried. David put the stones for his sling in it.
Shepherd’s staff: The shepherd’s walking stick, curved at the top, used to guide and care for the sheep.
Slay: To kill someone by cutting the throat. Such a death is called a slaying.
Sling: A strip of leather or cord used to hurl stones with force by whirling it around. With it David defeated Goliath.
Snares: Tricks and traps that someone sets in order to harm another.
Solemnity: The greatest kind of feast in the Church’s calendar, like Christmas, Easter, or the Assumption.
Son of David: A title of the Messiah. God promised King David that from his family would be born the king who would save Israel.
Son of Man: The name Jesus used to speak about himself. By itself, the phrase means “a human being.” In a vision of the prophet Daniel, “one like a son of man” appears, coming on the clouds of heaven.
Sor: A title placed before the name of a religious sister in Spanish. It means “Sister.”
Sought: To do everything possible to get something.
Speedily: Quickly, fast. “Haste” is speed.
Spikenard (nard): A very costly perfume, made from a plant that grows in the Himalaya mountains, very far from Israel. Judas says it was worth “three hundred denarii”: the pay for about three hundred days of work.
Spiritual Exercises: A few days of silence and prayer to learn what God wants. Saint Ignatius of Loyola wrote them.
Stadion (furlong): A measure of distance of about 185 meters, about 600 feet.
Steward: The chief servant, who looks after his master’s house and goods.
Stigmata: Wounds like those of Jesus on the cross, which appeared on some saints, like Saint Francis of Assisi.
Stocks: Two wooden beams with holes where a prisoner’s feet were locked so that he could not move.
Suffer (to allow): To agree to what someone asks, even when it is not one’s place or one does not want to. In old Bibles, to “suffer” someone often means to let them.
Surety: Someone who promises to answer for another: if the other fails, he pays. Judah made himself surety for Benjamin.
Swaddling clothes: Strips of cloth wrapped tightly around a newborn baby.
Sycamore: A wild fig tree, different from the common fig tree. Zacchaeus climbed this tree.
Synagogue: The house where Jews gather on the Sabbath to pray and listen to the Law. Jesus taught in them.

T

Tabernacle: The small locked box in the church where the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, is kept.
Tabernacle (in the desert): The great holy tent where the Ark was kept in the desert. There God met with his people.
Tablet: A small board covered with wax, written on with a pointed tool. Zechariah wrote on one: “John is his name.”
Tablets of the Law: The two flat stones on which God wrote the Ten Commandments and gave them to Moses.
Talent: A huge amount of money: the pay for many years of work.
Talitha koum: Words in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. They mean: “Little girl, arise.”
Talmud: A Jewish book with the rabbis’ explanations of the Law of Moses.
Tanner: Someone who works animal skins to make leather. Peter stayed at the house of Simon, the tanner.
Tempt: To push someone to do evil. The devil tempted Jesus in the desert.
Tetrarch: The ruler of one part of a kingdom. The word means “ruler of a fourth part.”
The Law: The commands God gave his people through Moses. They are in the first five books of the Bible.
Theological virtues: Faith, hope and charity. They are gifts from God that unite us to him.
Theology: The study of God and of the faith, starting from the Bible and the teaching of the Church.
Third, sixth and ninth hour: This is how the hours of the day were counted, starting at sunrise. The third hour: nine in the morning; the sixth: noon; the ninth: three in the afternoon.
Thistles: Thorny plants that grow in the fields and hurt.
Thresh: To beat or trample the harvested wheat to separate the grain from the straw.
Throne: The throne, the seat of a king.
Throng: A great many people gathered together: a crowd.
Thy prayer is heard: Answered. “Thy prayer is heard” means that God listened to the prayer.
Tilma: A cloth cloak that the native people of Mexico wore, tied at the shoulder. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe remained on the tilma of Juan Diego.
Tithe: A tenth of the harvest or of what one earned. It was given to God for the Temple and the priests.
Tonsure: A haircut on the crown of the head that monks and clerics used to wear as a sign that they belonged to God.
Torrent: A stream running down a valley. It carries a lot of water when it rains, and in the dry season it is left almost without water.
Tradition: The Word of God that the Church received from the apostles and hands on as something alive, with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is always united with the Bible: both come from the same source.
Transfiguration: When Jesus, on a mountain, became radiant in front of Peter, James, and John.
Transgression: Knowingly failing in what one owes: to the law of God or to one’s duty.
Tribulation: Suffering, or a very hard trial.
Tribute: The tax a people had to pay to the king or the empire that ruled it.
Trim (the lamps): To prepare, arrange or adorn something. To “trim the lamps” was to get them ready to give light.
Troubled: To be frightened, upset, to lose one’s calm. “Let nothing disturb you” means “let nothing take away your peace.”

U

Unclean: In the Law of Moses, what could not be eaten or touched before coming close to God. It does not mean dirty.
Ungodly: Someone who has no respect for God and does not care about what is holy.
Unleavened bread: Flat bread made without yeast. The Jews eat it at Passover, because they left Egypt in haste.

V

Valley of tears: That is what the Hail, Holy Queen calls this world, where there is suffering, while we wait for heaven.
Vanity: In the Bible, what passes quickly and is worth nothing. “Vanity of vanities” means: everything comes to an end.
Venial sin: A light sin. It wounds our friendship with God but does not break it.
Verse: Each of the small numbered pieces of a chapter of the Bible.
Vespers: The Church’s evening prayer, at the hour when the lamps are lit. The Magnificat is prayed in it.
Victim: In the Bible, the animal that was offered to God in sacrifice.
Vigil: The celebration on the night before a great feast. The most important one is the Easter Vigil, on Holy Saturday.
Virtue: The firm habit of doing good. A “virtuous woman” is a good and worthy woman.
Visitation: When Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth, who was expecting John the Baptist.
Vulgate: The Latin Bible translated by Saint Jerome. It was the Bible of the Church for many centuries.

W

Water jars: A large jar for water. At Cana there were six stone water jars.
Watering trough: The place, like a basin or a channel, where animals drink water. To “water” them is to give them a drink.
Wean: To stop nursing a child so that he begins to eat other foods.
Who is called: Another name given to someone. In Matthew 1:16 it is a title: “Jesus, who is called Christ.”
Wild honey: Honey from wild bees, found in hollow trees or in the rocks, not from a beehive.
Winding bands: Strips of cloth used to wrap the body of a dead person before placing it in the tomb.
Winepress: The place where grapes were trodden to make wine. Gideon was threshing wheat while hiding in one.
Wineskin: A bag made from the whole skin of a goat, used to hold wine or water. The Douay-Rheims calls them “bottles.”
Winnow: To toss threshed grain into the air so that the wind carries away the chaff.
Wipe: To dry.
Wisdom books: The books of the Bible that teach us to live wisely, like Job, Proverbs and Wisdom.
Womb: In the Bible, the mother’s womb, where the baby grows. Old Bibles also speak of the “bosom”: the lap or the chest, where we hold someone close.
Wonders (prodigies): A marvel that only God can do. “Signs and wonders” are miracles.
Word: A name for Jesus. It means “the Word”: the eternal Son of God, who became man.
World Mission Sunday: A Sunday for the missions all over the world. On that day we pray and give to a collection for the missions.
Wounds: Open wounds. The wounds of Jesus are those of the nails and the lance; risen, he keeps them.

Y

Yoke: A wooden beam laid across the necks of two oxen so they pull together. It also means a heavy load.
Youth: A young man.

Z

Zealot: It means “the zealous one”: someone full of passion for God and his Law. The apostle Simon was given this name.
Zebedee: A fisherman from Galilee, the father of the apostles James and John.
Zechariah: A priest, the husband of Elizabeth and the father of John the Baptist.