Dictionary Entries: D

• Abomination of Desolation — A profaning act or object that desecrates what is holy and is associated with severe judgment and desolation, especially in connec
• Daberath — A biblical town in Israel near Mount Tabor, associated with the border of Zebulun and Issachar and listed as a Levitical town.
• Dagon — A Philistine deity named in the Old Testament, portrayed as powerless before the Lord.
• Daily life — Daily life is the ordinary pattern of work, home, speech, rest, relationships, and worship in which believers are called to honor
• Daily offerings — The regular sacrifices appointed under the Mosaic law, especially the continual burnt offerings offered each morning and evening a
• Daily Sacrifice — The regular morning-and-evening offering appointed under the Mosaic law, especially the continual burnt offering of Israel’s worsh
• Damascus — Damascus is an ancient city in Syria that appears often in Scripture, especially in accounts involving Aram and in the conversion
• Damascus Document — A Jewish sectarian writing associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the wider Second Temple period. It is useful for historical ba
• Dan — Dan is a biblical name that refers to Jacob’s son Dan, the tribe descended from him, and the northern city associated with that tr
• Daniel — Daniel is an Old Testament prophetic book that combines court narratives and visions to show God's rule over kingdoms and the futu
• Daniel's 70th week — The final “week” in Daniel 9:24-27, understood by many interpreters as the last segment of the seventy-weeks prophecy, though Chri
• Daniel's four kingdoms — The prophetic sequence of earthly kingdoms in Daniel 2 and 7, culminating in God’s everlasting kingdom.
• Darius I — Darius I (Darius Hystaspes) was a Persian king who likely corresponds to the Darius named in Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah, during w
• Darius the Mede — The ruler named in Daniel as receiving the kingdom after Babylon’s fall; his exact historical identity is disputed, but he functio
• darkness — Darkness is a biblical image for evil, blindness, death, and life opposed to God's light.
• Darkness as Sin, Ignorance, and Judgment — A biblical image for moral evil, spiritual blindness, alienation from God, and the reality of divine judgment.
• Dasein — Dasein is Martin Heidegger’s term for human existence as the being that asks about Being, lives in the world, and faces its own fi
• Date palm — The date palm is a fruit-bearing tree of the biblical world, often associated with beauty, prosperity, and celebration.
• Dative uses — The Greek dative case and its main functions in New Testament Greek grammar.
• Daughter of Zion — “Daughter of Zion” is a poetic biblical expression for Zion, Jerusalem, or the people associated with her. It often appears in pro
• David — David is Israel's king through whom God established a royal covenant pointing forward to the Messiah.
• David as type — A biblical-typology concept in which David’s covenant role, kingship, and pattern of suffering before exaltation foreshadow Jesus
• Davidic covenant — The Davidic covenant is God's promise that David's royal line will continue and find its fulfillment in the Messiah.
• Davidic kingship — The divinely established royal rule associated with David’s house in Israel, culminating in the promised Messiah and fulfilled ult
• Dawn and day of salvation — A biblical image for God’s saving work breaking into human darkness and moving toward fuller light and fulfillment.
• Day counted sunset to sunset — The biblical pattern of reckoning a day from evening to evening, especially in Israel’s worship calendar and Sabbath observance.
• Day of Atonement — The Day of Atonement was Israel’s annual sacred day of cleansing, when the high priest made atonement for the sins of the people.
• Day of Judgment — The Day of Judgment is the future time when God will judge all people with perfect justice through Jesus Christ. Scripture present
• Day of Pentecost — The Day of Pentecost was the Jewish feast day on which the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ disciples in Jerusalem. It marks t
• day of the Lord — The day of the Lord is the time of God's decisive intervention in judgment and salvation.
• Days of Creation — The six days in Genesis 1 in which God created the heavens and the earth, followed by the seventh day of rest. Christians agree th
• deacon — A deacon is a servant leader in the church entrusted with practical ministry that supports the body’s health and witness.
• Deaconess — A deaconess is a woman serving the church in ministry of help, mercy, and practical care; Christians differ on whether the New Tes
• Dead Sea — The Dead Sea is a salt lake east of Judah, also called the Salt Sea in Scripture. It is an important biblical geographic landmark
• Dead Sea Scrolls — The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Jewish manuscripts found near Qumran that include biblical books and sectarian writings.
• Death — Death is the enemy brought by sin, though Christ has broken its final power.
• Death and Burial — Death is the end of earthly life under the reality of sin, and burial is the respectful placing of the body after death. Scripture
• Death as consequence — The biblical teaching that death entered human experience through sin, including physical death, spiritual separation from God, an
• Death of Christ — Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, by which He bore sin, fulfilled God’s saving purpose, and provided the basis for forgivenes
• Death of Moses on Nebo — The event in which the Lord showed Moses the Promised Land from Mount Nebo in Moab and then Moses died there without entering it.
• Death of the apostles — A historical topic summarizing what Scripture and early Christian tradition say about the deaths of Jesus’ apostles. The New Testa
• debauchery — Shameless, excessive, and morally uncontrolled behavior, especially in sensual pleasure and self-indulgence.
• Debir — Debir is a biblical place name, best known as a Canaanite city conquered in Joshua and later listed in Judah’s territory. The name
• Deborah — Deborah was a prophetess and judge in Israel whom God used to lead His people in the days of the judges.
• Deborah's Song — Deborah’s Song is the victory hymn in Judges 5 that celebrates the Lord’s deliverance of Israel through Deborah, Barak, and Jael.
• Debt — Debt is an obligation owed to another, usually money or goods, and Scripture uses it both for ordinary financial obligations and a
• Debt and loans — Scripture treats debt and lending as moral matters shaped by justice, mercy, and wise stewardship. It allows lending, warns agains
• Decalogue — The Decalogue is the Ten Commandments God gave to Israel through Moses. It summarizes foundational covenant obligations regarding
• Decapolis — A largely Gentile region of Hellenistic and Roman cities east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee in the New Testament era.
• deceit — Deceit is falsehood used to mislead and distort what is true before God.
• deception — Deception is the act of misleading others or being misled into falsehood. Scripture treats it as a serious moral and spiritual dan
• Decius — Roman emperor (AD 249–251) whose persecution of Christians became an important episode in early church history.
• deconstructionism — Deconstructionism is the practice of dismantling inherited faith and authority in ways that often end by abandoning biblical truth
• decree — A decree is God's settled purpose by which He ordains what He will do in history.
• decrees of God — The decrees of God are His settled purposes by which He orders history, judgment, and redemption.
• decretive will — Decretive will refers to what God has purposed to bring about in history.
• Dedication — The setting apart of a person, place, object, or work for God’s honor and service.
• Deduction — Deduction is a form of reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the premises if the argument is valid. It is a bas
• Deductive — Deductive describes reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily from stated premises, if the argument is valid.
• Deductive Bible Study — A Bible study method that begins with a doctrine, theme, or question and then examines relevant passages to test and summarize wha
• Defeater — A defeater is information, evidence, or argument that weakens or overturns a person’s justification for holding a belief. In philo
• Definition and nature of the Church — The church is the people of God in Christ, called out by the gospel and joined together by the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament,
• Definitive sanctification — The believer’s decisive consecration to God in union with Christ, marking the real beginning of sanctification at conversion while
• deism — Deism is the view that God created the world but does not ordinarily reveal himself personally or intervene in history through mir
• deity of Christ — Deity of Christ means Jesus Christ is truly and fully God, not merely a great teacher or exalted creature.
• Deity of the Spirit — The biblical teaching that the Holy Spirit is truly God, not merely an impersonal force or created power.
• Delilah — Delilah is the woman in Judges 16 who pressed Samson to reveal the secret of his strength and then betrayed him to the Philistines
• deliverance — Deliverance is God’s act of rescuing people from danger, oppression, enemies, sin, and judgment. In Scripture, the fullest deliver
• Demand for a king — Israel’s request in 1 Samuel 8 for a human king to rule “like all the nations.” Scripture presents the demand as a sinful rejectio
• Demas — Demas was a New Testament associate of Paul who is named among his coworkers and later described as having deserted Paul because h
• Demetrius — A New Testament personal name borne by at least two men: the Ephesian silversmith who opposed Paul and a believer commended by Joh
• Demon possession vs. demonization — A discussion of how to describe people in Scripture who were under severe demonic influence or control. “Demonization” is sometime
• Demonology — Demonology is the biblical-theological study of demons, evil spirits, and their activity under God’s sovereign rule.
• demons — Demons are evil spiritual beings opposed to God and His purposes. Scripture presents them as real, personal, and subject to Christ
• Demons & Satan — Satan is the personal evil being who opposes God and deceives humanity, and demons are evil spirits aligned with his rebellion. Sc
• Denarius — A denarius was a common Roman silver coin mentioned in the New Testament. It often represented about a day’s wage for a laborer.
• Denarius, Drachma, and Shekel — Ancient money and weight units used in the Bible to describe wages, taxes, offerings, and valuables.
• Denial of Peter — Peter’s threefold denial that he knew Jesus on the night of Jesus’ arrest, followed by his repentance and later restoration.
• Denying the Antecedent — A formal logical fallacy that argues, “If P, then Q; not P; therefore not Q.” The conclusion does not necessarily follow, because
• dependence — Dependence means creatures rely on God for existence, order, and continued life.
• depravity — Depravity refers to the corruption of human nature by sin.
• Derbe — Derbe was an ancient city in Lycaonia, in Asia Minor, visited by Paul and Barnabas during their missionary work in Acts.
• Descent into Hades — A theological term for Christ’s going to the realm of the dead between His death and resurrection, understood in several orthodox
• desire — Desire refers to the loves and longings that move the human person toward what it seeks.
• Despair — Despair is a loss of hope that can make a person feel that help, mercy, or deliverance is impossible. Scripture acknowledges deep
• Destiny — The appointed outcome or future of a person under God’s providential rule. In Scripture, the idea is usually expressed through cle
• Destroyer — A biblical title for an agent of divine judgment, especially in Passover and wilderness contexts. Scripture uses the term function
• Destruction of Jerusalem — The Roman destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in A.D. 70, commonly understood as a major historical judgment connected with Je
• Destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC) — The Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, including the burning of Solomon’s temple and the beginning of Judah’s exile. S
• Destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70) — The Roman destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in AD 70, a major biblical-historical event often discussed in relation to Jesus
• Destruction of the Temple — The destruction of the Jerusalem temple refers chiefly to the Roman destruction of Herod’s temple in AD 70, an event Jesus foretol
• Determinism — Determinism is the philosophical view that all events, including human choices, are fixed by prior causes, conditions, or laws. Ch
• Deuterocanonical and Apocryphal Books — Ancient Jewish writings from the intertestamental period that are received as Scripture in some Christian traditions but are not p
• Deuteronomistic History — A modern scholarly label for the literary and theological unity many interpreters see from Deuteronomy through Kings, especially t
• Deuteronomy — Deuteronomy is an Old Testament covenant book that Moses restates the law and urges Israel to love and obey the LORD before enteri
• devil — The devil is Satan, the personal spiritual adversary who opposes God, deceives people, and works against God's purposes. Scripture
• Devolution — Devolution refers to decline, degeneration, or movement from a higher, more ordered, or more capable state to a lower one. Because
• devotion — Devotion is steadfast love, loyalty, and disciplined attentiveness directed toward God.
• Dew — Dew is the overnight moisture that appears in Scripture both as a literal part of the land’s life cycle and as a biblical image of
• Dialectic — Dialectic is a method of reasoning or discussion in which ideas are tested through questions, answers, contrasts, and replies. In
• Dialectical — Dialectical describes reasoning, discussion, or development that proceeds through the interaction of opposing claims, objections,
• Dialectical (Covenantal) Pairs — Dialectical (covenantal) pairs are complementary biblical truths that must be held together in covenantal context without flatteni
• Dialectical materialism — Dialectical materialism is a Marxist philosophy that treats matter as ultimate reality and explains change through conflict, contr
• Dialogue — Dialogue is conversation or discussion between persons or groups. In Christian use, it refers to respectful exchange governed by t
• DIAMOND — A precious hard stone named in some English Bible translations, though the underlying Hebrew term is not always certain.
• Diana — Diana is the Roman name associated with Artemis, the Ephesian goddess mentioned in Acts 19.
• diaspora — diaspora is the scattering of Jewish communities outside the land of Israel.
• Diaspora synagogues — Jewish synagogues in lands outside Israel, where communities gathered for Scripture reading, prayer, teaching, and communal life.
• Diatribe — Diatribe is a teaching style that argues with an imagined opponent in order to sharpen the point.
• Diblaim — Diblaim is the person named in Hosea 1:3 as the father of Gomer, Hosea’s wife. Scripture gives no further clear information about
• Dibon — An ancient Transjordan city east of the Jordan River, associated in Scripture with Moab and, at times, with the territory of Gad.
• Didache liturgy — A label for worship practices described in the Didache, an early Christian writing outside the New Testament.
• Didactic — Didactic describes speech or writing intended to teach, instruct, or shape conduct, especially in doctrine, wisdom, or moral truth
• Dietary laws — Dietary laws are Old Testament regulations that distinguished clean and unclean foods for Israel. In the New Testament, believers
• Dietary laws in practice — The Old Testament food regulations that distinguished clean and unclean animals for Israel, and the New Testament teaching that Ch
• dignity — Dignity refers to the worth human beings possess as creatures made in God's image.
• diligence — Diligence is faithful, steady effort offered to God in ordinary work and spiritual responsibility.
• Dinah — Dinah was Jacob and Leah’s daughter in Genesis, best known for the incident at Shechem in Genesis 34.
• Diocletian — Roman emperor (AD 284–305) remembered by Christians for the severe persecution associated with his reign.
• Direct quotations — Direct quotations are passages that reproduce spoken or written words in Scripture, usually marked by quotation formulas such as “
• discernment — Discernment is the ability to judge carefully between truth and error, wisdom and folly, or genuine and false spiritual claims.
• discernment of spirits — Discernment of spirits is the God-given ability to recognize whether a spiritual influence or message is from the Holy Spirit, fro
• Disciple — A disciple is a learner and follower who attaches himself to a teacher. In the New Testament, it commonly refers to those who foll
• Discipleship — Discipleship is the ongoing life of learning Christ, obeying Him, and following Him faithfully.
• discipline — Discipline is ordered training that forms character, obedience, and wise self-control.
• Discord — Discord is sinful strife, dissension, or contentious division that disrupts peace and fellowship.
• discourse — A discourse is a sustained unit of speech, teaching, or dialogue in Scripture, often a larger section read and interpreted as a wh
• discourse analysis — A method of Bible interpretation that studies how larger units of language communicate meaning in context, including flow, structu
• Discourse markers — Words or phrases that show how one part of a passage relates to another, such as contrast, result, explanation, or purpose.
• DISEASE — Disease in Scripture is bodily sickness, weakness, or affliction in a fallen world. The Bible presents God as sovereign over healt
• Disease in the ancient world — A biblical background topic describing sickness, disability, and bodily affliction in the world of Scripture.
• Dishonesty — Dishonesty is the practice of lying, deceiving, misrepresenting, or dealing falsely with others. Scripture condemns it as sin and
• disobedience — Disobedience is refusal to submit to what God commands.
• Dispensation — A dispensation is an ordered administration or stewardship in God’s rule of history. In theology, the term is often used for disti
• Dispensational — Dispensational is the adjective for theology that distinguishes stages of God's administration and keeps Israel and the church dis
• Dispensationalism — Dispensationalism is a theological framework that reads the Bible through distinct administrations in God's plan and keeps Israel
• Dispensations — Dispensations are distinguishable administrations or stewardships in God’s unfolding dealings with humanity, especially in discuss
• Dispersion — The scattering of the Jewish people among the nations outside the land of Israel; in some New Testament contexts, the term also re
• Disputed books — A historical label for biblical books whose canonicity was questioned by some communities or church writers before broader recogni
• Dissension — Dissension is divisive conflict or factional strife within a community. In Scripture it is treated as a sinful threat to the unity
• dissipation — Wasteful, reckless, morally unrestrained living, especially in the context of drunkenness, sensuality, and self-indulgence.
• Distaff — A distaff is a spinning tool used to hold fibers such as wool or flax while they are drawn out into thread.
• Distinction of Persons — In Trinitarian doctrine, the distinction of persons means that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are truly distinct from on
• Divided kingdom — The period after Solomon’s death when the united monarchy split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Ju
• Divination — Divination is the attempt to gain hidden knowledge or guidance through occult or forbidden spiritual means rather than by seeking
• Divine — Divine means pertaining to God, deity, or what properly belongs to God's nature, character, authority, or action. In broader usage
• divine accommodation — Divine accommodation means God makes Himself known in ways fitted to human weakness and creaturely limits.
• Divine Affections — Divine affections refers to God's real, holy relations toward creatures without making Him unstable like fallen humans.
• divine comfort — Divine comfort is the consolation God gives to His people in sorrow, weakness, and distress.
• divine council — A biblical-theology term for scenes in which the Lord is portrayed as presiding over a heavenly assembly of created beings under h
• Divine council concepts — A modern label for biblical passages that depict God reigning over heavenly beings who serve under his authority.
• Divine Decree — God’s eternal purpose and wise decision by which he ordains all things according to his will, while still holding people responsib
• divine essence — Divine essence refers to what God is in His own being.
• Divine identity — A modern Christological term for the New Testament witness that Jesus shares in the unique honors, name, authority, and worship be
• Divine Names in Hebrew — The Hebrew names and titles used for God in the Old Testament, especially Yahweh, Elohim, and Adonai. These names reveal God’s cha
• Divine passive — Divine passive is the label for passive constructions in which God is understood to be the unstated agent of the action, especiall
• divine simplicity — Divine simplicity means God is not made of parts and is not a composite being.
• divine will — Divine will refers to what God purposes, commands, and desires in relation to Himself and creation.
• Division of Eastern and Western Christianity — The historic separation between the Greek East and the Latin West in Christianity, commonly associated with the Great Schism of 10
• Division of the kingdom — The historical split of the united monarchy after Solomon, when the northern tribes formed the kingdom of Israel and the southern
• Division of the Land — The allotment of Canaan among the tribes of Israel under Joshua, fulfilling the Lord’s promise of inheritance to Abraham’s descend
• divorce — Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage bond and must be handled with serious attention to biblical teaching and covenant faithfu
• Divorce and remarriage — Biblical teaching on the ending of a marriage and whether remarriage may follow. Scripture presents marriage as a covenant meant f
• Divorce practices — The biblical teaching and historical practice surrounding divorce, including Old Testament regulation, New Testament correction, a
• Docetism — Docetism is the error that Christ only seemed to be human and did not truly take on flesh.
• Doctrine — Doctrine is a formal teaching that summarizes what Scripture says about God, humanity, salvation, and Christian living. In Christi
• Documentary Hypothesis — A modern critical theory that the Pentateuch was formed by combining several earlier written sources rather than being written sub
• Doeg — Doeg was an Edomite official in Saul’s service who informed Saul about David and took part in the slaughter of the priests at Nob.
• Dog — A literal dog in Scripture and, in some passages, a negative figure for what is unclean, shameless, hostile, or outside the covena
• Dogma — Dogma is authoritative teaching regarded as settled and binding within a religious tradition. In Christian usage, it usually refer
• dominion — Dominion refers to the rule or stewardship God gives, especially in creation and kingdom contexts.
• Domitian — Domitian was a Roman emperor who ruled from AD 81 to 96. Bible study entries mention him mainly as historical background, especial
• Donatism — Donatism was an early Christian movement, especially in North Africa, that tied the validity of ministry and baptism too closely t
• Donatist controversy — An early North African church controversy over whether clergy who had lapsed under persecution could still minister validly and wh
• Donkey — A donkey is a common domestic animal frequently mentioned in Scripture, associated with travel, labor, carrying loads, and humble
• Dorcas — A Christian woman in Joppa known for charity and good works; the apostle Peter raised her from the dead in Acts 9.
• Dothan — Dothan was a city in northern Israel, remembered in Scripture as the place where Joseph’s brothers plotted against him and where E
• doubt — Doubt is wavering of mind or heart that must be answered by truth, prayer, and renewed trust in God.
• Dove — A common bird in Scripture that also functions as a biblical symbol of peace, innocence, mourning, and the Spirit’s visible descen
• Dowry — Marriage-related property, money, or gifts associated with ancient biblical customs; Scripture describes these practices but does
• doxology — Doxology is spoken or sung praise that ascribes glory, honor, and blessing to God.
• Dragon — A symbolic biblical image for Satan, chaotic evil, and hostile powers opposed to God, especially in Revelation.
• Drama — In Scripture, prophetic sign-acts are symbolic actions performed by a prophet to communicate God’s message in a vivid, enacted for
• dread — Dread is deep fear or foreboding that Scripture addresses by directing the believer toward God’s presence and promises.
• Dream — A dream is a sleep experience that, in Scripture, can be a vehicle for God’s revelation, warning, or guidance, though not every dr
• Dreams, Interpretation of — In Scripture, God sometimes gave dreams and, on select occasions, their interpretation to reveal His purposes. Biblical dream inte
• Drink offering — A drink offering was a libation of wine poured out before the Lord as part of Israel’s sacrificial worship, usually accompanying a
• Dropsy — An older English medical term for abnormal fluid swelling in the body; in Luke 14:2 it describes the man Jesus healed on the Sabba
• Drought — A prolonged lack of rain that brings hardship to land, crops, animals, and people. In Scripture, drought may be a providential har
• Drunkenness — Drunkenness is the sinful state of becoming intoxicated by alcohol and losing proper self-control. Scripture consistently warns ag
• Drusilla — Drusilla was the wife of the Roman governor Felix and heard Paul speak in Acts 24. She is a biblical historical person, not a theo
• Dry Bones — A biblical image from Ezekiel’s vision in which dry bones are brought to life, symbolizing God’s promised restoration of Israel an
• DSS — DSS is the abbreviation for the Dead Sea Scrolls, the ancient Jewish manuscripts found near Qumran.
• Dualism — Dualism is a worldview that divides reality into two basic and often opposing principles, such as spirit and matter or good and ev
• Dung Gate — A gate in the wall of Jerusalem, mentioned in Nehemiah, likely used for removing refuse from the city.
• Dust — In Scripture, dust often symbolizes human frailty, mortality, humility, and lowliness before God. It can also appear in images of
• Duties — Biblical duties are the moral and spiritual responsibilities God requires of people toward him and toward others.
• Duty — Duty is a person’s moral obligation to do what is right before God in response to His commands and revealed will.
• Dwell — To dwell means to live, remain, or abide in a place or with someone. In Scripture it can describe ordinary residence, God’s specia
• Dwelling Place of God — The dwelling place of God refers to the way God makes His presence known among His people. In Scripture this is seen especially in
• Dyadic devotion — A scholarly term for patterns of worship, prayer, confession, and allegiance that are directed to God the Father and to the Lord J
• Dyeing — The craft of coloring cloth, yarn, leather, or other materials. In Scripture, dyeing appears mainly in descriptions of tabernacle
• Parable of the Dragnet — A parable of Jesus in Matthew 13 that compares the kingdom of heaven to a net gathering fish of every kind, followed by a final se
• Rule of Faith — An early Christian summary of core apostolic doctrine used to guard and explain the teaching of Scripture. It is authoritative onl