Dictionary Entries: M

• 1 Maccabees — An ancient Jewish historical work describing the Maccabean revolt, the cleansing of the temple, and the rise of the Hasmonean dyna
• 2 Maccabees — 2 Maccabees is a Jewish historical work about the Maccabean crisis, temple faithfulness, martyrdom, and deliverance.
• 3 Maccabees — An ancient Jewish narrative found in some Apocrypha or deuterocanonical collections, but not in the Protestant biblical canon.
• 4 Maccabees — An ancient Jewish philosophical work that uses the martyrdom stories connected with the Maccabean period to exhort faithful endura
• Genesis and ANE Cosmology — The study of how Genesis 1–11 relates to ancient Near Eastern creation and flood accounts, highlighting both shared background and
• Maacah — Maacah is a biblical proper name used for several people and for a territorial region in the Old Testament.
• Maadai — Maadai is a biblical proper name, not a theological term. It refers to an Israelite named in Ezra’s postexilic reform list.
• Maaleh-acrabbim — A biblical place-name usually translated “Ascent of Akrabbim” or “Scorpion Pass,” used as a southern boundary marker in Old Testam
• Maarath — Maarath is a biblical town in the territory of Judah listed among the towns of the hill country in Joshua 15.
• Maaseiah — Maaseiah is a Hebrew personal name borne by multiple different men in the Old Testament.
• Maath — Maath is a personal name in the genealogy of Jesus recorded in Luke 3:26.
• Maccabean revolt — A second-century BC Jewish uprising against Seleucid oppression and temple desecration, important as background to the intertestam
• Machir — Machir is a biblical personal name, best known for the son of Manasseh and ancestor of the Machirites. A second Machir, the son of
• Machpelah — Machpelah is the burial site Abraham purchased near Mamre, where Sarah was buried and where several patriarchs and matriarchs were
• Madmannah — Madmannah is a minor Old Testament town associated with the territory of Judah. Scripture gives little detail beyond its place in
• Madon — Madon was a Canaanite city whose king joined the northern coalition against Israel in Joshua’s conquest.
• Magdala — Magdala was a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, best known in the Gospels as the place-name behind Mary Magdalene’s
• Magi — Learned visitors from the East who came to worship the newborn Jesus after seeing His star. Scripture presents them as Gentile see
• Magic — In Scripture, magic refers to occult practices that seek hidden knowledge, power, protection, or control apart from the true God.
• Magisterial Reformation — The Magisterial Reformation was the main stream of sixteenth-century Protestant reform that advanced with the support, protection,
• Magnificat — The Magnificat is Mary’s song of praise in Luke 1:46–55 after she was told she would bear the Messiah. It exalts God’s mercy, fait
• Magog — Magog is a biblical name associated with a descendant of Japheth in Genesis 10 and with hostile nations in Ezekiel 38–39 and Revel
• Magormissabib — A prophetic name Jeremiah gave to Pashhur meaning roughly “terror on every side.” It is a symbolic judgment label, not a general t
• Mahanaim — Mahanaim was an Old Testament place east of the Jordan River, associated with Jacob, Ish-bosheth, and David. Its name is commonly
• Maher-shalal-hash-baz — Maher-shalal-hash-baz is the symbolic name Isaiah gave to his son in Isaiah 8. The name signaled the swift coming of judgment on D
• Mahlah — Mahlah is a biblical personal name, best known as one of the daughters of Zelophehad, whose case helped clarify Israel’s inheritan
• Mahlon — Mahlon was Naomi’s son and Ruth’s first husband in the book of Ruth. He died in Moab without children, leaving Ruth a widow.
• Mahol — Mahol is an unclear Bible dictionary headword. It may be the Hebrew word for dance/dancing or part of a proper name, so it needs v
• majesty — Majesty refers to God's royal greatness, dignity, and exalted splendor.
• Major Greek NT Papyri — An umbrella label for especially important early Greek papyrus manuscripts that preserve portions of the New Testament. These manu
• Major Hebrew Manuscripts — An overview term for the most important Hebrew manuscript witnesses used in studying the text of the Old Testament and its transmi
• Major millennial views — The major millennial views are the main Christian interpretations of Revelation 20 and the relation of Christ’s reign to the thous
• Major Prophets — A traditional Christian grouping of the longer Old Testament prophetic books, usually Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The l
• Major Uncial Codices — A term for the most important early Greek biblical manuscripts written in uncial, or capital, script. These codices are key witnes
• Major uncials — The best-known early Greek New Testament manuscripts written in uncial, or large uppercase, script.
• Majority Text — The Majority Text is a form of the Greek New Testament based mainly on the reading found in most surviving manuscripts.
• Makkedah — Makkedah was a Canaanite city in southern Canaan, noted in Joshua as the place where five Amorite kings hid in a cave before their
• Malachi — Malachi is a minor prophetic book that rebukes post-exilic compromise and points ahead to the coming messenger and the LORD.
• Malchiah — Malchiah is a Hebrew personal name borne by several Old Testament men; it is not a doctrine or theological term.
• Malchus — Malchus was the servant of the high priest whose right ear Peter cut off during Jesus’ arrest; Jesus rebuked the violence and heal
• Male and female — The created distinction between human beings as male and female. Scripture presents this as part of God’s good design for embodied
• malice — Malice is a sinful attitude of ill will, spite, or desire to harm another person. Scripture treats it as part of the old way of li
• mammon — Mammon is wealth viewed as a rival master that can claim the heart’s trust and allegiance.
• Mamre — Mamre is a biblical place near Hebron closely associated with Abraham; Scripture also uses the name for an Amorite ally of Abraham
• Man — In biblical usage, “man” may refer to humanity as a whole, an individual human being, or a male person, with context determining t
• Man of Lawlessness — The Man of Lawlessness is the rebellious end-time figure in 2 Thessalonians 2 who exalts himself against God and is destroyed by C
• man of sin — Legacy doctrinal row preserving generic sin-language content; for the end-time figure in 2 Thessalonians 2, see Man of Lawlessness
• Manaen — Manaen was one of the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch. Acts says he had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch and
• Manasseh — A biblical proper name borne by more than one figure, especially Joseph’s son, the tribe descended from him, and King Manasseh of
• Manasseh (King of Judah) — A king of Judah, son of Hezekiah, whose reign is remembered for grave idolatry, covenant unfaithfulness, and bloodshed; Chronicles
• Manasseh (Tribe) — One of the tribes of Israel, descended from Manasseh, Joseph’s firstborn son. Its inheritance lay on both sides of the Jordan Rive
• Manasseh and Ephraim — Joseph’s two sons, adopted by Jacob and counted among the tribes of Israel; their significance is chiefly historical and tribal, w
• Manasseh's apostasy — Manasseh's apostasy refers to King Manasseh of Judah's rebellion against the Lord through idolatry, occult practices, and violence
• Mandrakes — Mandrakes are a biblical plant named in the Old Testament, especially in Genesis 30:14–16 and Song of Songs 7:13. Scripture uses t
• Manichaeism — Manichaeism was an ancient syncretistic religion that taught a radical dualism between light and darkness, good and evil. It confl
• Manna — Manna was the bread-like food God miraculously provided for Israel in the wilderness after the exodus. Scripture presents it as a
• Manna and Quail — The miraculous food God gave Israel in the wilderness after the exodus. It highlights His faithful provision and also exposes Isra
• manuscript tradition — Manuscript tradition is the history of how a text was copied, preserved, and passed down through manuscripts.
• Manuscripts — Manuscripts are handwritten copies of biblical books and related ancient writings made before the invention of printing. They are
• Manuscripts, Biblical — Biblical manuscripts are handwritten copies of the books of Scripture preserved before the age of printing. They are key historica
• Maon — Maon is a biblical place name, best known as a town in the hill country of Judah and the wilderness area where David hid from Saul
• Maps and historical geography across periods — A Bible-reference topic covering the places, routes, borders, and political changes that shape biblical events across different pe
• Mara Bar-Serapion — Mara Bar-Serapion is a non-Christian writer known for a letter that mentions the Jews killing their wise king.
• Marah — Marah was the wilderness place where Israel found bitter water after the exodus, and the Lord made the water drinkable for them.
• Maranatha — Maranatha is an Aramaic expression preserved in the New Testament. It is commonly understood either as “Our Lord, come” or “Our Lo
• Marble — Marble is a polished decorative stone used in architecture and luxury goods in the ancient world. In Scripture it appears as a mat
• Marcionism — Marcionism is the error that rejects the Old Testament God and severs Christianity from Israel's Scriptures.
• Mare — A mare is a female horse. In Scripture, horses appear in warfare, royal display, trade, and poetic imagery, so "mare" belongs to b
• Mari — Mari was an ancient Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates, known mainly from archaeology and extra-biblical texts that illuminate Old
• Mariology — Mariology is the theological study of Mary, the mother of Jesus, especially what Scripture teaches about her person, role, and pla
• Mark — Mark is a Gospel book that presents Jesus as the powerful yet suffering Messiah who calls for discipleship.
• Mark of the Beast — The mark of the beast is the identifying mark described in Revelation 13, associated with allegiance to the beast, false worship,
• Markan intercalation — Markan intercalation is the literary technique in Mark where one episode is inserted into another so that the paired scenes interp
• Markets and commerce — A biblical topic covering buying, selling, trade, wages, weights, prices, and commercial justice under God’s moral law.
• Marks of the Church — The identifying features by which a true visible church is recognized. In Protestant usage, these are commonly faithful preaching
• Marks of the true Church — A Protestant theological phrase for the identifying signs of a faithful church, commonly understood to be the faithful preaching o
• marriage — Marriage is the God-ordained covenant union of husband and wife for companionship, holiness, and ordered family life.
• Marriage and divorce laws — Biblical teaching on marriage and divorce presents marriage as God's covenant design and treats divorce as a serious concession to
• Marriage and family — Marriage and family describe God’s created pattern for covenant marriage and household life. Scripture presents marriage as a life
• Marriage and sexuality — The Bible teaches that marriage is a covenant union of one man and one woman, and that sexual intimacy is God’s good gift to be ex
• Marriage customs — The social and legal practices surrounding betrothal, wedding celebrations, and household formation in biblical times. These custo
• Marriage Feast — In Scripture, a marriage feast is a wedding banquet and a symbol of covenant joy. Jesus used wedding-feast imagery in His teaching
• Mars Hill — Mars Hill is the traditional English name for the Areopagus in Athens, the setting of Paul’s address in Acts 17. In Christian usag
• Martha — Martha of Bethany was the sister of Mary and Lazarus and a follower of Jesus. She is remembered for her hospitality, her concern w
• Martha and Mary of Bethany — Sisters of Lazarus and followers of Jesus who appear in Luke 10 and John 11–12. Martha is especially associated with service and c
• Martin Luther — Martin Luther was a leading sixteenth-century reformer whose teaching strongly emphasized justification by faith and the authority
• Martyr — A martyr is a believer who suffers death because of faithful witness to Christ. In the New Testament, the idea is closely tied to
• Martyrdom — Martyrdom is suffering, and sometimes death, endured because of faithful witness to Jesus Christ. In Scripture, it is tied to stea
• Martyrdom accounts — Martyrdom is the faithful suffering, and sometimes death, of believers because of their testimony to God and Christ. The Bible rec
• Martyrdom of Polycarp — An early Christian martyrdom account describing the arrest, trial, and death of Polycarp of Smyrna for his confession of Christ. I
• Mary — Mary is the mother of Jesus, honored for her faith and submission to God's saving purpose.
• Mary (Mother of Jesus) — Mary was the virgin mother of Jesus, chosen by God to bear the promised Messiah. Scripture honors her as a faithful servant of the
• Mary (Sister of Martha) — Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, is portrayed in the Gospels as a devoted disciple of Jesus. She is known for si
• Mary Magdalene — Mary Magdalene was a devoted follower of Jesus whom He delivered from demonic oppression. She was present at His crucifixion and w
• Masada — Masada was a fortified desert stronghold near the Dead Sea, famous in first-century Jewish history and useful as historical backgr
• Maschil — A Hebrew term found in several psalm superscriptions, probably indicating an instructive, contemplative, or skillfully composed ps
• Mash — Mash is a biblical proper name appearing in the Old Testament genealogies, where it is listed among the sons of Aram.
• Masoretes — The Masoretes were Jewish scribes who carefully preserved, pointed, and transmitted the Hebrew biblical text.
• Masoretes and the Masoretic tradition — Jewish scribes and scholars who preserved and transmitted the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, especially through the consonantal
• Masoretic Text — The Masoretic Text is the standard Hebrew text of the Old Testament preserved by Jewish scribes.
• Massacre of the Innocents — Herod the Great’s killing of the male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity after Jesus’ birth, as recorded in Matthew 2:16–18.
• Massah — Massah is the wilderness place where Israel tested the Lord over the lack of water. Its name became a lasting warning against unbe
• Master — A title for one who holds authority over others, such as a teacher, owner, or ruler. In Scripture it can describe ordinary human r
• Material Cause — In Aristotelian thought, material cause is the matter or substance out of which a thing is made. It answers the question, “What is
• materialism — Materialism is the philosophical view that reality is fundamentally physical. In its stronger forms, it denies or reduces the soul
• Mathematics — Mathematics is the formal study of number, quantity, structure, pattern, and logical relation. It is a foundational discipline for
• Matriarchs — The chief mothers in Israel’s ancestral line, especially Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, who stand with the patriarchs in Genesi
• Matthew — Matthew is a Gospel book that presents Jesus as the promised Messiah and King who fulfills Scripture.
• Matthew (Levi) — Matthew, also called Levi, was a tax collector whom Jesus called to follow Him and who became one of the Twelve apostles. Christia
• Matthew, Gospel of — The first canonical Gospel in the New Testament, presenting Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, authoritative Teacher, Son of Da
• Matthias — Matthias was the disciple chosen to replace Judas Iscariot among the Twelve after Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1).
• Mattithiah — A Hebrew personal name borne by several Old Testament men, especially Levites connected with temple service and postexilic restora
• Mazzaroth — A rare Hebrew word in Job 38:32, usually understood to mean the constellations or ordered star groups of the heavens. Its exact se
• Me-Jarkon — Me-Jarkon is a biblical place-name in the boundary description of Dan’s territory. Its exact location is uncertain, but it was app
• Meadow — A meadow is a grassy open area or pastureland. In Scripture, meadow language belongs mainly to ordinary land description and pasto
• Meal Offering — The meal offering was an Old Testament grain offering presented to the Lord, often with oil and frankincense. It expressed worship
• Meander — The Meander is an ancient river in western Asia Minor, useful as biblical-era geographical background rather than as a theological
• Meaning — Meaning is what a word, statement, symbol, or action signifies or communicates. In philosophy and worldview discussion, it can als
• Meaning (Biblical Interpretation) — In biblical interpretation, meaning is the sense a passage communicates in its words and context. Readers should seek the author’s
• means of grace — means of grace is a salvation term explaining how God brings sinners to life, forgiveness, and restored relationship.
• Meat — In Scripture, “meat” usually means food, especially flesh used for eating. In older Bible English, it can also mean food in genera
• Meats — An older Bible word that usually means food in general, though in some contexts it refers more specifically to animal flesh or to
• Medad — Medad was one of the elders in Israel on whom the Spirit rested in the wilderness, and he prophesied in the camp alongside Eldad.
• Medan — Medan is a biblical person named as one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah. Scripture records him in the genealogies but gives no furthe
• Medeba — Medeba is an ancient town east of the Jordan River, mentioned in the Old Testament in connection with Reuben, Moab, and Israel’s T
• Medes — An ancient people and kingdom east of Mesopotamia, mentioned in Scripture as part of the historical setting of Israel, Babylon, an
• Media — Media are the channels used to communicate messages, including print, broadcast, and digital forms. The Bible does not treat media
• Mediation — Mediation is Christ's work of standing between God and man to bring reconciliation.
• mediator — A mediator is one who stands between two parties to bring peace or agreement. In Scripture, Jesus Christ is the one mediator betwe
• Medical ethics — Medical ethics is the moral evaluation of medical care and health-related decisions in light of biblical truth. It asks how Christ
• Medicine — Medicine is the use of remedies and skilled care for bodily illness or injury. Scripture recognizes physicians and ordinary means
• Medieval — The Medieval period is the Middle Ages, the historical era between late antiquity and the Reformation. It is a church-history labe
• Medieval four senses — A medieval Christian interpretive framework that distinguished the literal sense of Scripture from three spiritual senses: allegor
• Medieval Theologians — Christian theologians and writers from the medieval period, especially those whose work shaped doctrine, biblical interpretation,
• Meditate — In Scripture, to meditate is to think deeply and continually on God, his works, and his Word. Biblical meditation is attentive ref
• meditation — Meditation is sustained reflection on God’s truth in order to know Him, obey Him, and delight in Him.
• Mediterranean Sea — The Mediterranean Sea is the large sea west of the land of Israel, often called the Great Sea in the Old Testament. It functions m
• Mediterranean World — The Mediterranean world is the broader region of peoples, cultures, and empires surrounding the Mediterranean Sea that formed the
• meekness — Meekness is humble, restrained strength that receives God’s will without self-assertive pride.
• Megiddo — An ancient strategic city in northern Israel, prominent in Old Testament battles and later associated with Armageddon in Revelatio
• Mehetabel — A biblical personal name borne by at least one individual in Scripture, appearing in genealogical and historical notices rather th
• Meholathite — A Meholathite is a person from Abel-meholah or its surrounding region. In Scripture, it is a gentilic designation, not a doctrinal
• Mehujael — A descendant of Cain named in Genesis 4:18 and the father of Methushael.
• Mehuman — Mehuman is one of the seven royal eunuchs who served King Ahasuerus in the book of Esther.
• Mekaddishkem — A Hebrew divine epithet meaning "the LORD who sanctifies you" or "who makes you holy." It highlights God as the one who sets His p
• Mekhilta — Mekhilta is the name of rabbinic midrashic material, most commonly associated with legal interpretation of Exodus.
• Melchizedek — Melchizedek is the king-priest of Salem who blessed Abram and received a tithe from him. Scripture later uses him as a pattern tha
• Melchizedekian Priesthood in Hebrews — Hebrews presents Jesus as a priest "according to the order of Melchizedek," meaning his priesthood is appointed by God, not based
• Melita — Melita is the island named in Acts 28 where Paul was shipwrecked on his way to Rome, commonly identified with Malta.
• Melons — Melons are a food item mentioned in Israel’s wilderness complaints, recalling the produce the people remembered from Egypt.
• Melzar — The official in Daniel 1 who supervised Daniel and his companions during their Babylonian training; the term may be a title rather
• membership — Membership is committed belonging within a local body of believers for worship, care, service, and accountability.
• Memphis — Memphis was a major city of ancient Egypt and a biblical place-name connected with prophetic references to Egypt.
• Memra — Memra is an Aramaic term used in some targumic traditions as a reverential way of speaking about God's word or action.
• Memucan — Memucan is one of the seven Persian officials in Esther who advised King Ahasuerus after Queen Vashti refused to appear before him
• Men of Israel — A common biblical form of address used to speak to Israelites in a public setting, especially in Acts. It is a contextual phrase o
• Menorah — The menorah was the lampstand used in Israel’s tabernacle and temple worship. In Scripture it signifies light, holiness, and the o
• Meonothai — Meonothai is an obscure Old Testament personal name mentioned in a Judahite genealogy in 1 Chronicles.
• Mephibosheth — Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. David showed him covenant kindness and gave him a place at the king’s table.
• Merab — Merab was the elder daughter of King Saul and sister of Michal. She was promised to David but was later given in marriage to Adrie
• Meraioth — A biblical priestly name borne by more than one Old Testament figure, appearing mainly in genealogies and priestly lineages.
• Merari — Merari was a son of Levi and the ancestor of the Merarite clan, one of the Levite families set apart for tabernacle service.
• Merarites — A Levitical clan descended from Merari, the son of Levi, assigned practical duties in caring for the tabernacle’s structural parts
• Merathaim — Merathaim is a poetic or symbolic designation used in Jeremiah 50:21 for Babylon in the prophecy of judgment against it.
• Mercy — Mercy is God's compassion toward the guilty and needy, withholding deserved judgment and giving help.
• Mercy and Grace — Mercy and grace are closely related expressions of God’s goodness toward sinners. Mercy stresses God’s compassion in withholding d
• mercy ministry — Mercy ministry is practical service to the needy that displays Christ’s compassion in deed as well as word.
• Mercy Seat — The mercy seat was the gold cover of the ark of the covenant, where sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. It ma
• Mered — Mered is a minor Judahite figure named in the genealogy of 1 Chronicles 4.
• Meremoth — A Hebrew personal name borne by more than one Old Testament man, especially in the postexilic period in Ezra-Nehemiah.
• Merenptah Stele — An ancient Egyptian victory inscription from Pharaoh Merenptah, often cited as the earliest known extra-biblical reference to Isra
• Meribah — A wilderness place-name associated with Israel’s quarrel over water and testing of the Lord. In Scripture, Meribah also memorializ
• merism — Merism is a way of speaking that uses two parts or extremes to mean the whole.
• Merodach — Merodach is the biblical form of the Babylonian god Marduk. Scripture mentions him in connection with Babylon’s idolatry and the j
• Merom — Merom is a biblical place name associated with the waters of Merom, where Joshua defeated a northern coalition of Canaanite kings.
• Meronothite — A Meronothite is a person identified as coming from Meronoth or associated with that locality in the Old Testament.
• Mesha stele — An ancient Moabite royal inscription from the ninth century BC, also called the Moabite Stone, that records King Mesha’s account o
• Meshach — Meshach is the Babylonian court name given to Mishael, one of Daniel’s Jewish companions in exile.
• Meshech — Meshech is a biblical proper name for a people or region associated with distant northern nations in Scripture.
• Meshillemith — A biblical personal name appearing in Old Testament genealogical and priestly records.
• Meshullam — Meshullam is a Hebrew personal name borne by several different men in the Old Testament, especially in Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehem
• Mesopotamia — Mesopotamia is the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, a major ancient Near Eastern region that appears in Scripture as
• MESSENGER — A messenger is one sent to deliver a message or carry out a commission on behalf of another. In Scripture, the term can refer to h
• Messiah — Messiah means “Anointed One.” In Scripture it refers especially to the promised king and deliverer fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
• messiahship — Messiahship refers to Jesus' identity and office as the promised Anointed One.
• Messianic banquet — Messianic banquet is the kingdom-feast motif in which God's end-time salvation is pictured as a great banquet in prophetic, Gospel
• Messianic Expectation in OT and Judaism — The hope, grounded in the Old Testament and developed in Jewish thought, that God would send his promised anointed ruler or delive
• Messianic Prophecy — Old Testament passages, patterns, and promises that point forward to the coming Messiah and find their fullest fulfillment in Jesu
• Messianic secret — A scholarly term for the pattern, especially in Mark, in which Jesus sometimes tells people not to publicize His identity or mirac
• Messianic woes — Messianic woes is Jewish background language for the troubles or birth-pain-like distress associated with the approach of the age
• Meta-ethics — Meta-ethics is the branch of philosophy that asks what moral claims mean, whether they can be true, and what grounds them. It diff
• Metalepsis — Metalepsis is a compressed allusive move in which a brief citation or echo evokes a wider scriptural context, inviting readers to
• Metanarrative — An overarching story or interpretive framework that gives meaning and coherence to many smaller stories, beliefs, and events.
• metaphor — Metaphor is language that speaks of one thing as another in order to reveal a likeness or deeper meaning.
• Metaphysical — Metaphysical means relating to being, reality, causation, identity, and the basic structure of what exists. It is a philosophical
• Metaphysical Possibility — Metaphysical possibility is what could exist or happen in light of the actual nature of reality, not merely what can be imagined w
• metaphysical structure — Metaphysical structure refers to the deep order of reality: what kinds of things exist and how they relate.
• Metaphysics — Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that asks about the most basic nature of reality, including being, causation, personhood,
• Metheg-ammah — An obscure expression in 2 Samuel 8:1 connected with David’s defeat of the Philistines. Its exact sense is disputed, but it is oft
• Methodism — Methodism is a Protestant Christian tradition that arose from the Wesleyan revival in eighteenth-century England. It is known for
• Methodist — Methodist is the Christian tradition associated with John Wesley, holiness teaching, and structured discipleship.
• Methodological naturalism — A philosophy-of-science method that limits scientific explanations to natural causes and regular processes, without making a claim
• Methodological supernaturalism — A view of inquiry that allows supernatural agency, in principle, as a real explanatory factor when evidence warrants it.
• Methusael — Methusael is a man named in Cain’s genealogy in Genesis 4:18. He is identified as the son of Mehujael and the father of Lamech, wi
• Methuselah — Methuselah was the son of Enoch, the father of Lamech, and the grandfather of Noah. Genesis notes his exceptionally long lifespan
• Metonymy — Metonymy is language that uses one closely related thing to stand for another.
• Meunim — A biblical people group mentioned in the Old Testament, likely located south or southeast of Judah. Their exact identity is uncert
• Mezuzah — A mezuzah is a small case containing Scripture passages, traditionally fixed to a Jewish doorpost as a memorial to God’s commands
• Micah — Micah is a minor prophetic book that announces judgment and restoration, joining covenant justice with messianic hope.
• Micaiah — Micaiah son of Imlah is an Old Testament prophet who faithfully delivered the Lord’s word to Ahab, warning that the king would fal
• Michael — Michael is a named angel in Scripture, called an archangel and portrayed as a chief servant of God who contends against evil power
• Michael the archangel — Michael is a named heavenly being in Scripture, called “the archangel” in Jude 9 and portrayed as a leading defender of God’s peop
• Michal — Michal was Saul’s daughter and one of David’s wives in the Old Testament. She is known for helping David escape from Saul and late
• Michmash — Michmash was a town in Benjamin, north or northeast of Jerusalem, known especially as the setting of Jonathan’s bold attack on a P
• Michmethah — Michmethah is an Old Testament place name mentioned as a boundary marker in the tribal allotments of Ephraim and Manasseh.
• Middle Assyrian laws — An ancient Assyrian law collection used as comparative background for studying the Old Testament world, not a biblical doctrine or
• Middle knowledge — Middle knowledge is the Molinist claim that God knows what any free creature would do in any possible circumstance. It is a philos
• Midian — Midian is a biblical name for a descendant of Abraham by Keturah and, by extension, the people and territory associated with him.
• Midianites — The Midianites were a people group descended from Midian, a son of Abraham by Keturah, who appear frequently in the Old Testament
• MIDNIGHT — Midnight is the middle of the night and in Scripture often marks a literal time of significant events. In some contexts it also un
• Midrash — Midrash is rabbinic interpretive literature that explains, expands, and applies Scripture.
• Midrashic patterns — A modern descriptive label for places where biblical writers echo, reuse, apply, or develop earlier Scripture in close literary an
• Midrashim — Midrashim are Jewish rabbinic collections of biblical interpretation and application. They are useful background for Bible study b
• Midst — “Midst” is a common biblical word meaning the middle of something or the place among a group of people. In many passages it is ord
• Midwife — A midwife is a woman who assists in childbirth. In Scripture, midwives appear as part of ordinary family life and, at times, in si
• Midwifery — The practice of assisting women in childbirth. In the Bible, midwives appear in narrative settings, especially as attendants at bi
• Migdal-el — Migdal-el is a town named in the territory allotted to Naphtali in the Old Testament.
• Migdal-gad — Migdal-gad is a biblical town listed among the settlements of Judah in Joshua 15:37. It is a place-name, not a distinct theologica
• Migdol — A biblical place name, probably referring to a fortified border settlement or tower in Egypt or near Egypt.
• Mighty God — "Mighty God" is a biblical title in Isaiah 9:6 that Christians understand as affirming the true deity of the promised Messiah. In
• Mighty Men — David’s mighty men were a famed band of elite warriors associated with King David, honored in Scripture for courage, battlefield f
• Mikloth — Mikloth is a biblical proper name borne by more than one man in the Old Testament, including a Benjaminite in Saul’s line and a na
• Mikveh — A mikveh is a Jewish ritual bath used for immersion in connection with ceremonial purity. It is a later Jewish background term rat
• Milcah — Milcah is a biblical woman’s name borne by two different Old Testament women: Nahor’s wife in Genesis and one of Zelophehad’s daug
• Mildew — A crop-damaging blight or plant disease mentioned in Scripture as one of the agricultural judgments that could fall on the land.
• Miletus — Miletus was an ancient coastal city in Asia Minor, remembered in the New Testament as the place where Paul met the Ephesian elders
• Military organization — The arrangement, leadership, and division of armed forces for defense or war. In Scripture, military organization appears mainly a
• Milk — In Scripture, milk can refer to literal nourishment and, figuratively, to basic spiritual instruction suited to believers who are
• Mill — A mill is a device used to grind grain into flour or meal. In Scripture it appears mainly in everyday household and agricultural s
• millennium — The millennium is the thousand-year reign mentioned in Revelation 20 and debated in Christian eschatology.
• Millennium views — Millennium views are the main Christian interpretations of Revelation 20’s “thousand years” and its relation to Christ’s return an
• Millo — Millo is a biblical structure or fortified fill associated especially with Jerusalem and also mentioned in Shechem. Its exact form
• Mimesis — Mimesis is the imitation concept used for ethical formation, patterning, and example-following, especially where disciples imitate
• Mina — An ancient unit of weight and money, best known in Scripture from Jesus’ parable of the minas in Luke 19.
• mind — The mind is the faculty of thought, understanding, judgment, and perception.
• Mind of Christ — The mind of Christ is the believer’s growing conformity to Christ’s attitudes, values, and judgment through union with Him and the
• Mind-Brain Dualism — Mind-Brain Dualism is the view that the mind is not identical to the brain and cannot be fully reduced to physical processes alone
• Minister — A minister is a servant entrusted with spiritual work for God and for others. In Scripture, the word emphasizes service and stewar
• ministering spirits — "Ministering spirits" is a biblical phrase for angels sent by God to serve his purposes, especially in relation to those who inher
• Ministration — Ministration is an older biblical term for service, ministry, or the carrying out of a duty. In Scripture it may refer to practica
• Ministry — Ministry is service rendered to God and others in the work of the gospel and the building up of the church.
• Minnith — Minnith is an Old Testament place name mentioned in connection with Jephthah’s defeat of the Ammonites and possibly as a source of
• Minor Prophets — Minor Prophets is a prophetic book collection that the Twelve short prophetic books from Hosea through Malachi.
• Minucius Felix — An early Latin Christian apologist best known for the dialogue Octavius, which defends Christianity against pagan criticism.
• minuscule — A minuscule is a later Greek manuscript written in a smaller cursive script.
• Minuscule manuscripts — Greek New Testament manuscripts written in minuscule script, the smaller cursive hand that became common after the earlier uncial
• Minuscules — Greek New Testament manuscripts written in a smaller cursive or semi-cursive script, especially common in the medieval period.
• Miracle — A miracle is an extraordinary act of God in the world that displays his power and serves his redemptive purposes. In Scripture, mi
• Miracles — Miracles are extraordinary acts of God that display His power, mercy, and kingdom.
• Miracles of Christ — The miracles of Christ are the supernatural works Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. They reveal His divine authority, c
• Miraculous gifts — Spiritual gifts by which the Holy Spirit works in extraordinary ways, such as healings, miracles, prophecy, tongues, and interpret
• Miriam — Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron, a prophetess and significant woman in Israel’s exodus history.
• Mirror — A biblical image for reflection, partial perception, and self-examination. Scripture uses the mirror to show how God’s word reveal
• Misgab — A Hebrew term in Jeremiah 48:1 that may mean “fortress” or may function as a proper name connected with Moab.
• Misheal — Variant spelling of Mishal, a town allotted to Asher.
• Mishma — A biblical personal name borne by an Ishmaelite and by a Simeonite descendant; not a theological term.
• Mishmannah — Mishmannah is a biblical personal name. He is listed among the Gadite warriors who joined David at the stronghold in the wildernes
• Mishnah — The Mishnah is the early rabbinic collection of legal teachings and debates that became the foundation of the Talmud.
• Mishpat — Mishpat is a Hebrew Old Testament term meaning “justice,” “judgment,” or “legal decision.” It can refer to God’s righteous judgmen
• Misrephoth-maim — A biblical place-name mentioned in Joshua, probably located in northern Canaan near the coast or another waterside site.
• missio Dei — Missio Dei means the mission of God: His purposeful sending and saving action in the world.
• Missiology — Missiology is the theological study of the church’s mission, especially its biblical basis, purpose, methods, and practice in maki
• mission — Mission is the church’s calling to bear witness to Christ among all peoples in word and deed.
• Mission of the Church — The God-given calling of the church to bear witness to Jesus Christ, make disciples, proclaim the gospel, baptize believers, and t
• Mission to the nations in OT — The Old Testament teaches that God’s saving purpose included all nations, not Israel alone. Israel had a unique covenant calling,
• Missionaries — Missionaries are Christians sent out to proclaim the gospel, make disciples, and strengthen or establish churches. The concept is
• Missionary journeys — A summary label for the major travel periods of the apostle Paul in Acts, during which he preached the gospel, strengthened church
• missions — Missions is the church's sending work of proclaiming Christ among peoples and nations.
• Mite — A tiny coin mentioned in the New Testament, especially in Jesus’ account of the widow who gave two mites.
• Mithcah — Mithcah is a wilderness campsite named in Israel’s journey itinerary in Numbers 33. Scripture records it as a stopping place but g
• Mithnite — A Mithnite is a biblical gentilic or clan-style designation used for an individual in Old Testament warrior lists.
• Mitre — The mitre was the linen headpiece worn by Israel’s high priest as part of his sacred garments. It marked his consecrated office be
• Mizpah — Mizpah is a Hebrew place-name meaning “watchtower” or “lookout,” used for several locations in the Old Testament.
• Mizpeh — Mizpeh is a biblical place name used for several Old Testament locations. The name is commonly understood to mean “watchtower” or
• Mizraim — Mizraim is the biblical name of a son of Ham and the ancestral name associated with Egypt in the Old Testament.
• Mna — An ancient unit of weight or money used in the biblical world; in Luke 19 it appears in Jesus’ parable of the minas as a entrusted
• Moab — Moab is both the son of Lot and the nation descended from him, usually referring in Scripture to the Moabite people and their land
• Moabite plateau — The Moabite plateau is the elevated highland east of the Dead Sea associated with the land of Moab in the Old Testament.
• Moabite sites — A grouped Bible-geography entry for places associated with Moab, the nation east of the Dead Sea. It belongs in historical and geo
• Moabite Stone / Mesha Stele — An ancient Moabite royal inscription, also called the Mesha Stele, that records King Mesha’s victories and devotion to Chemosh. It
• Moabites — An ancient people descended from Moab, Lot’s son, who lived east of the Dead Sea and often had tense relations with Israel.
• Moadiah — Moadiah is a biblical personal and priestly name appearing in a postexilic list in Nehemiah.
• Modal Collapse — Modal collapse is the philosophical claim that if everything is grounded too directly in divine necessity, contingency disappears.
• Modal Fallacy — A modal fallacy is a mistake in reasoning about necessity, possibility, impossibility, or related scope. It commonly occurs when w
• Modal Logic — Modal logic is the branch of logic dealing with necessity, possibility, and contingency.
• Modalism — Modalism is the error that Father, Son, and Spirit are not distinct persons, but only modes or roles of one person.
• Modern missions movement — The modern missions movement is the historical rise of organized Protestant cross-cultural missionary work from the late eighteent
• Modern philosophy — Modern philosophy is the broad stream of Western philosophy from the early modern period onward, especially from the seventeenth c
• Modernism — Modernism is a broad cultural and intellectual movement that elevates modern reason, progress, and human autonomy as governing aut
• Modernity — Modernity is the modern social and intellectual condition often associated with confidence in autonomous human reason, scientific
• modesty — Modesty is humble self-presentation that resists vanity, sensual display, and self-exaltation.
• Mold/mildew — A defiling growth or spreading contamination mentioned in Israel’s purity laws, especially in garments and houses. The exact moder
• Molech worship — Molech worship refers to the idolatrous practices associated in Scripture with Molech, especially the sinful offering of children
• Molinism — Molinism is a theological-philosophical model that explains God’s providence through “middle knowledge,” the idea that God knows w
• Moloch — Moloch (also spelled Molech) is the biblical name associated with a condemned pagan cult, especially the offering of children in f
• Monasticism — Monasticism is a historic Christian way of life marked by withdrawal from ordinary social and economic patterns for prayer, discip
• money — Money is a practical stewardship entrusted by God that can serve love, justice, generosity, or idolatry.
• Money and Possessions — In Scripture, money and possessions are gifts to be received and managed under God’s authority. They become a spiritual danger whe
• Moneychangers — Moneychangers were currency exchangers in the ancient world, especially in commercial settings connected with the Jerusalem temple
• Monism — Monism is the philosophical view that reality is ultimately one in essence, substance, or principle rather than irreducibly divers
• Monophysitism — Monophysitism is the Christological error that, after the incarnation, Christ has only one nature rather than two. Classical ortho
• Monothelitism — Monothelitism is the teaching that Jesus Christ has only one will rather than both a divine will and a human will. Historic orthod
• Montanism — A second-century Christian movement associated with Montanus that emphasized ecstatic prophecy, strict moral discipline, and immin
• Month — A month is a basic unit of time in Scripture, commonly used to date events, mark festivals, and structure Israel’s calendar.
• mood — Mood is the verb form that helps show whether something is stated, commanded, wished, or presented as possible.
• Moon — The moon is a created heavenly light appointed by God to govern the night and help mark times and seasons. In Scripture it can als
• Moral Anti-realism — Moral anti-realism is the view that moral judgments do not correspond to objective moral facts or truths. It includes several rela
• moral architecture — Moral architecture refers to the built-in moral structure of reality under God's rule.
• Moral argument — An apologetic argument that objective moral values, duties, and human moral awareness point to God as their ultimate ground.
• moral disorder — Moral disorder is the distortion of life, desire, and action away from God's intended order.
• Moral Influence — A theory of the atonement that stresses how Christ’s death displays God’s love and moves sinners toward repentance, faith, and hol
• Moral Law — Moral law is God's righteous standard for human life, revealing what is good and what is evil.
• moral order — Moral order is the objective pattern of right and wrong established by God.
• moral perfection — Moral perfection refers to God's complete purity, righteousness, and goodness without defect.
• Moral Realism — The view that some moral truths are objectively true, not merely matters of preference, culture, or social agreement. In Christian
• Moral theology — Moral theology is the theological study of moral life: what Scripture teaches about right and wrong, virtue, conscience, obedience
• Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil Aspects — A traditional Christian framework for describing the Mosaic law as moral commands, ceremonial regulations, and civil laws for Isra
• moralistic therapeutic deism — Moralistic therapeutic deism is the belief that God mainly wants people to be nice, happy, and supported in their personal goals.
• Moravian Missions — The missionary movement associated with the Moravian Church, especially its eighteenth-century expansion and strong emphasis on ev
• Moravians — Moravians are a historic Protestant church movement associated with the renewed Unitas Fratrum, known for missionary zeal, discipl
• Mordecai — Mordecai was a Jewish man in Persia, Esther’s cousin and guardian, whom God used to help preserve His people from destruction. He
• Moreh — Moreh is a biblical place name, best known from “the oak of Moreh” near Shechem and from Mount Moreh in the book of Judges.
• Moresheth — Moresheth was a town in Judah, best known as the home town or regional identifier of the prophet Micah.
• Mormonism — Mormonism is the religious movement that began with Joseph Smith in the nineteenth century and is associated with the Book of Morm
• MORNING — Morning is the start of the day and, in Scripture, can also picture renewal, mercy, worship, readiness, and deliverance after dark
• Morning Star — A biblical title for Christ as the radiant bringer of light, hope, and the dawn of salvation.
• morphology — Morphology is the study of how words are formed and how their endings show meaning.
• mortality — Mortality is the condition of being subject to death.
• Mortar — Mortar is a binding material used in construction, typically with bricks or stones. In Scripture it appears as an ordinary buildin
• Mosaic authorship question — The question of Mosaic authorship concerns how the Pentateuch relates to Moses as its human source. Conservative readers generally
• Mosaic covenant — The Mosaic covenant is the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai, giving law, worship, and national order.
• Mosaic Law — The Mosaic Law is the covenant law given through Moses to Israel, especially as found in the Torah.
• Moses — Moses is the prophet and leader through whom God delivered Israel and gave the law.
• Moses as type — The biblical-theological idea that Moses, as Israel’s deliverer, mediator, and covenant leader, foreshadows Christ in ways the New
• Most Holy Place / Holy of Holies — The innermost sanctuary of the tabernacle and temple, where God’s special presence was symbolically manifested and where only the
• Moth — A small insect used in Scripture as an image of decay, fragility, and the transience of earthly wealth and security.
• motherhood — Motherhood is the vocation of maternal care, nurture, and faithful stewardship in family life.
• motif — A motif is a recurring image, idea, phrase, or pattern in Scripture that helps readers trace meaningful connections across biblica
• Mount Carmel — Mount Carmel is a mountain ridge in northern Israel, best known in Scripture as the site where Elijah confronted the prophets of B
• Mount Gilboa — A mountain ridge in northern Israel best known as the site where Saul and his sons died in battle against the Philistines.
• Mount Nebo — Mount Nebo is the mountain east of the Jordan in Moab where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his death.
• Mount of Olives — A ridge east of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives is a major biblical location associated with David’s flight, Jesus’ teaching and pr
• Mount Sinai and Horeb — The mountain setting where God met Moses and gave Israel his covenant law after the exodus from Egypt.
• Mount Tabor — Mount Tabor is a prominent hill in northern Israel mentioned in the Old Testament, especially in connection with tribal boundaries
• Mount Zion — Mount Zion is the biblical name for the hill associated with Jerusalem, David’s city, and God’s dwelling among His people. In Scri
• Mountain — A mountain is a high place in Scripture that often serves as a setting for God’s revelation, worship, covenant events, prayer, and
• Mountains — Mountains are major biblical settings and images that often signify God’s revelation, authority, worship, refuge, judgment, and th
• Mounts Gerizim and Ebal — Two paired mountains near Shechem that served as the setting for Israel’s covenant blessings and curses after entering the land.
• Mourning — Mourning is the sorrow and grief people experience over death, sin, loss, or suffering. In Scripture, mourning may express lament
• Mourning practices and customs — Biblical mourning practices are the outward expressions of grief used in Scripture, including weeping, lament, fasting, tearing ga
• Mourning rituals — Customary outward acts that express grief and loss, such as weeping, lamenting, fasting, tearing garments, wearing sackcloth, or s
• Mouth — In Scripture, the mouth is the bodily organ for speech and eating, and it often symbolizes a person’s words, praise, prayer, confe
• Moving the Goalposts — Moving the goalposts is an informal fallacy in which someone changes the standard of proof after the original standard has been me
• Mowing Time — An agricultural season marker for the cutting of grass or grain; in Scripture it functions as a time reference rather than a doctr
• MT — MT is the abbreviation for the Masoretic Text, the standard Hebrew text of the Old Testament.
• Mules — Mules are hybrid animals, mentioned in the Old Testament as useful riding, transport, and royal animals in Israel’s historical set
• Multitude — “Multitude” is a general Bible word for a large crowd or a great number of people. It is descriptive language, not a distinct doct
• Muratorian Fragment — The Muratorian Fragment is an early Christian witness to which books were recognized as Scripture.
• Murder — Murder is the intentional and unjust taking of human life. Scripture forbids it and grounds the prohibition in the sanctity of hum
• Murrain — An archaic English word for a deadly disease or pestilence among livestock; in Exodus it refers to the plague God sent on Egyptian
• Music — Music in Scripture is a God-given means of praise, thanksgiving, lament, remembrance, and instruction. It is regularly associated
• Music and Worship — The biblical use of singing, and at times instruments, to honor God, proclaim truth, express lament and joy, and edify God’s peopl
• Music in Worship — Music in worship is the use of singing, and at times instruments, to honor God and edify his people. Scripture presents it as a fi
• Musical instruments — In Scripture, musical instruments are tools used for praise, celebration, announcement, lament, and public worship. The Bible pres
• Musician — A musician is a person who sings or plays an instrument. In Scripture, musicians appear in worship, celebration, mourning, and roy
• Mussaf — Mussaf: the additional Jewish prayer service for Sabbaths, festivals, and other appointed days
• MUSTARD — A biblical image of very small beginnings that can lead to striking growth. Jesus uses mustard seed imagery to picture the kingdom
• Mustard plant — A common plant Jesus used to illustrate tiny beginnings and surprising growth.
• mutual love — Mutual love is reciprocal affection and service among believers as members of one body in Christ.
• Myrrh — Myrrh is a fragrant resin used in the ancient world for perfume, anointing, medicine, and burial preparation. In Scripture it appe
• Mystery — A mystery is something hidden or beyond human discovery until God reveals it; in the New Testament it often means a divine purpose
• Mystery and revelation — In the Bible, a mystery is a truth once hidden in God’s plan but now made known by his revelation. The term often refers to aspect
• Mystery of God — In Scripture, the mystery of God is a divine purpose or truth once hidden and now revealed by God, especially his redemptive plan
• mystery religions — A modern label for ancient pagan cults marked by secret rites, initiation, and promised spiritual benefits. It is useful as Greco-
• Mystical Theology — A term for teaching about the believer’s experiential communion with God. In evangelical use, it should be bounded by Scripture an
• Mysticism — Mysticism is the pursuit of direct, immediate, or heightened experience of God or ultimate reality, often through contemplation, i
• Parable of the Mustard Seed — One of Jesus’ kingdom parables, comparing the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven to a very small seed that grows into a large pla