Dictionary Entries: O

• Oak — A large tree mentioned in Scripture mainly as a landmark, meeting place, burial marker, or setting for events; it is not a doctrin
• Oath — A solemn appeal to God, or a serious invocation of his witness, made to confirm truth or to bind a promise. Scripture treats oaths
• Oaths and vows — Solemn verbal commitments made before God or with God as witness. Scripture treats them as weighty acts that must not be false, ra
• Obadiah — Obadiah is a short prophetic book that announces judgment on Edom for pride and violence against Jacob.
• Obal — Obal is a biblical proper name in the Table of Nations, listed among the descendants of Joktan in Genesis 10:28.
• Obed — Obed is a biblical person, best known as the son of Boaz and Ruth and the grandfather of King David.
• Obed-Edom — Obed-Edom is a biblical person best known as the man whose house received the ark of the covenant after David’s first failed attem
• Obedience — Obedience is the willing response of faith that submits to God’s word and walks in His ways.
• obedience of Christ — obedience of Christ is a Christological term used to explain who Jesus is or what He did.
• obedience of faith — Obedience of faith is the obedient response that flows from true faith and the gospel call.
• Obil — Obil was an Ishmaelite official in King David’s administration who was placed over the camels.
• Objective Morality — The view that some moral truths are true regardless of personal opinion or cultural preference; in a Christian worldview, moral tr
• Oboth — Oboth is a campsite named in Israel’s wilderness itinerary east of Moab (Num. 21:10-11; 33:43-44). It is a geographical place-name
• Occasionalism — Occasionalism is the philosophical view that God alone is the true cause of every event, while created things merely provide the o
• occultism — Occultism is the pursuit of hidden spiritual power, secret knowledge, or supernatural guidance through means outside God’s reveale
• Oded — Oded is an Old Testament personal name borne by at least two figures, including the father of Azariah in 2 Chronicles 15 and a pro
• Offering — An offering is something presented to God in worship, thanksgiving, devotion, or atonement. In Scripture, offerings include Old Te
• Officers of the church — Recognized leaders who serve and oversee the local church. In the New Testament, the clearest church offices are elders or oversee
• Offices of Christ — The offices of Christ are the biblical ways Scripture presents Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King. This framework summarizes how h
• OFFSPRING — Offspring means a child or descendant. In Scripture it can refer to physical descendants, a covenant line of promise, or—by extens
• Oil — Oil in Scripture is a common substance used for food, light, healing, hospitality, anointing, and worship. It also becomes a sign
• Ointment — A prepared oil, perfume, or medicinal salve used in Scripture for anointing, refreshment, healing, honor, or burial preparation.
• old covenant — old covenant is a biblical term describing covenant order, covenant response, or covenant judgment under God.
• Old Latin versions — Early Latin Bible translations made before Jerome’s Vulgate. They are important for textual history, not a separate doctrinal cate
• Old Man — Paul’s phrase for the believer’s former self or former identity in Adam, marked by sin and the old way of life. It is best underst
• Old Roman Creed — An early baptismal confession used in the church at Rome and commonly regarded as a forerunner of the Apostles’ Creed. It is a his
• Old Testament — The Old Testament is the first major division of the Christian Bible, containing the books written before the coming of Christ and
• Old Testament Canon — The Old Testament canon is the recognized collection of inspired books given before Christ—thirty-nine books in Protestant Bibles.
• Old Testament Canon Development — The historical recognition and collection of the Old Testament books as the inspired Word of God.
• Old Testament History — The biblical narrative of God’s acts, covenant dealings, and redemptive purposes from creation through the closing period before C
• Old Testament Patterns — Recurring persons, events, institutions, and themes in the Old Testament that contribute to the Bible’s unified message and, in so
• Olive — The olive tree, its fruit, and olive oil are common in Scripture as sources of food, light, healing, anointing, and imagery for fr
• Olive cultivation and oil production — A biblical background topic covering the growing of olives and the production of olive oil, both of which were important in Israel
• Olive oil — Olive oil was a staple of everyday life in biblical times, used for food, lamps, medicine, and anointing. In some contexts it also
• Olive Press — An olive press was the device or installation used to crush olives and extract oil in the ancient world. In Scripture it belongs m
• Olive tree — A common biblical image of fruitfulness, beauty, and blessing. In Romans 11, the olive tree pictures the sphere of covenant blessi
• Olivet Discourse — Jesus’ teaching on the Mount of Olives about the coming judgment, the destruction of the temple, His return, and the need for watc
• Omar — Omar is a biblical name borne by a descendant of Esau, listed among the sons of Eliphaz in Genesis and Chronicles.
• omnipotence — Omnipotence means God has all power consistent with His nature and purposes.
• omnipresence — Omnipresence means God is present to all places and all creation without spatial limitation.
• omniscience — Omniscience means God knows all things fully, perfectly, and truly.
• Omri — Omri was a king of the northern kingdom of Israel and the father of Ahab. Scripture presents him as a politically strong ruler who
• On — On was an ancient Egyptian city, commonly identified with Heliopolis, mentioned in the Joseph narrative and probably in Jeremiah’s
• On the Life of Moses — A fourth-century Christian work by Gregory of Nyssa that reflects on Moses' life as a model of spiritual growth; it is not a bibli
• Onan — Onan was Judah’s son in Genesis 38 who refused to provide offspring for his deceased brother through Tamar. The Lord judged his si
• one flesh — One flesh names the profound covenant union of husband and wife in marriage.
• Oneness Pentecostalism — A modern Pentecostal movement that rejects the historic doctrine of the Trinity and teaches that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are
• Onesimus — Onesimus is a New Testament man associated with Philemon who came to faith and was received by Paul as a brother in Christ.
• Onesiphorus — Onesiphorus was a Christian associate of Paul remembered for refreshing him, helping him courageously, and not being ashamed of hi
• Onion — A common biblical food item mentioned in Israel’s memory of Egypt; in Scripture it serves a narrative, not doctrinal, purpose.
• Only begotten — A traditional Christological phrase used of the Son’s unique relation to the Father. In many contexts it reflects the idea of the
• Ono — Ono is a biblical town or district associated with the territory of Benjamin and known from postexilic references in Ezra and Nehe
• Onto-theology — Onto-theology is a philosophical term for thinking of God mainly as the highest being within a larger system of being. It is usual
• Ontological Argument — The ontological argument is a philosophical argument that reasons from the concept of God toward God's existence.
• ontological Trinity — ontological Trinity is a trinitarian term used to explain the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit more carefully.
• Ontologism — Ontologism is a philosophical view that treats knowledge of God or of being as immediate and foundational for all other human know
• ontology — Ontology is the study of being, existence, and what kinds of things are real.
• Onyx — Onyx is a precious stone mentioned in Scripture, especially in descriptions of the high priest’s garments and other sacred setting
• Open Theism — Open Theism is the view that God does not know future free choices as settled realities in the full traditional sense.
• Opening formulas — Conventional words or patterns used at the beginning of biblical books, letters, prayers, or speeches. This is a literary descript
• Operationalism — Operationalism is the view that a concept is defined by the procedures used to measure, test, or observe it. It is mainly a philos
• Ophel — Ophel is a raised or fortified area in Jerusalem, mentioned in the Old Testament as part of the city’s topography and defenses.
• Ophir — Ophir is a biblical place name associated with exceptionally fine gold and other valuable goods. Its exact location is uncertain,
• Ophni — Ophni is a biblical town listed among the towns in Benjamin’s territory in Joshua 18:24. Its exact location is uncertain.
• oppression — Oppression is the unjust abuse of power that burdens, exploits, or crushes others, especially the weak and vulnerable. Scripture c
• Oppression in Egypt — Israel’s suffering and forced labor under Pharaoh in Egypt before the exodus, highlighting human cruelty and God’s covenant faithf
• oracle — A divine message or pronouncement from God, usually delivered through a prophet.
• Oracles — In Scripture, “oracles” usually means divine utterances or messages from God. The term can refer broadly to God’s revealed words,
• Oral Torah — Oral Torah refers in rabbinic Judaism to the body of unwritten instruction and interpretation believed to accompany the written To
• Ordeal — A biblical ordeal is a divinely supervised test used in a disputed case to expose hidden guilt or innocence. The clearest example
• order — Order refers to the arrangement, pattern, and right structuring of reality under God.
• Order of salvation — Order of salvation is the theological term for the way Christians describe the saving acts God applies to a believer in Christ, su
• Ordinance — An ordinance is a Christ-appointed practice of the church, especially baptism and the Lord’s Supper, given as an obedient sign of the gospel.
• ordinances — The ordinances are the church’s appointed practices of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
• Ordinances/Sacraments — Christ-instituted church rites that visibly proclaim the gospel, especially baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Christians differ on wh
• Ordination — Ordination is the church’s public recognition and setting apart of a qualified person for ministry leadership. In evangelical use,
• Oreb — Oreb was a Midianite prince killed during Gideon’s victory over Midian. His name is remembered in the rock of Oreb and in later bi
• Oreb (Midianite prince) — Oreb was a Midianite prince defeated in Gideon’s days. He was captured and killed by the Ephraimites, and the place of his death b
• Oreb (place) — The Rock of Oreb is the biblical site where Oreb, a Midianite prince, was killed during Gideon's victory over Midian.
• Oreb and Zeeb — Oreb and Zeeb were Midianite princes defeated and killed during Gideon’s deliverance of Israel in Judges.
• Origen of Alexandria — An influential third-century Christian scholar, apologist, and biblical interpreter from Alexandria and Caesarea.
• Origin and nature of man — The biblical teaching that humanity was created directly by God, bears his image, and exists as a whole person with both material
• Origin of Humanity — The biblical teaching that God created the first human beings, Adam and Eve, in his image, giving humanity unique dignity, purpose
• Origin of Satan — The biblical teaching that Satan is a created spiritual being who rebelled against God and now opposes His purposes. Scripture doe
• Origin of sin — The doctrine of the origin of sin asks how sin first entered God’s good creation. Scripture teaches that God is holy and not the a
• Original guilt — The doctrine that Adam’s first sin brought judicial guilt and condemnation to humanity, not merely a corrupted nature.
• Original Sin — Humanity's fallen condition in Adam.
• Original state / integrity of man — Humanity as God first created it: upright, innocent, and fit for fellowship with him, though still able to sin.
• Ornan — Ornan was the Jebusite owner of the threshing floor that David purchased to build an altar to the Lord; the site is later connecte
• Orpah — Orpah was Naomi’s Moabite daughter-in-law who returned to her own people after her husband died, in contrast to Ruth who stayed wi
• Orphan — A child who has lost parental protection, especially through the death or absence of one or both parents. In Scripture, orphans ar
• Osprey — A bird named in the Old Testament unclean-birds lists; English translations commonly render the Hebrew term as “osprey,” though th
• Ossuaries — Ossuaries are containers, often stone boxes, used for secondary burial of human bones. They are mainly an archaeological and histo
• Ostentation — Ostentation is showy self-display meant to attract attention and admiration. Scripture opposes this prideful pattern and calls bel
• Ostrich — A large flightless bird mentioned in the Old Testament, often in wilderness or judgment imagery and once in Job as an example of G
• OT kingdom expectations — The Old Testament hope that God would openly establish his saving rule through the promised Davidic king, restoring his people, bl
• Othni — A biblical personal name, appearing in a Levitical list in 1 Chronicles.
• Othniel — Othniel was a man of Judah, Caleb’s younger relative, and the first judge whom the Lord raised up to deliver Israel in the book of
• ousia — Ousia is the classical term for essence or being, especially in Trinitarian theology.
• Outer Court — The outer court was the outer area of the tabernacle or temple complex where worshipers could gather and where sacrificial activit
• Ovens — Ovens were household or communal baking structures used in Bible times for preparing bread and other foods. Scripture mentions the
• Over-allegorization — Over-allegorization is reading hidden symbolic meanings into a biblical text beyond what the passage, context, and canon reasonabl
• overseer — An overseer is a church leader charged with shepherding, guarding doctrine, and watching over the flock.
• OVERSHADOW — A biblical verb that can mean to cover, shade, or envelop; in key passages it points to God’s powerful and holy presence, especial
• Owl — A biblical owl is a bird named in passages about unclean animals and desolate places; the exact modern species is often uncertain.
• Oxen — Oxen are domesticated cattle used in Bible times for plowing, threshing, transport, and sometimes sacrifice.
• Oxgoad — A pointed staff or stick used to urge oxen while plowing or pulling loads.
• Oxyrhynchus Papyri — The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are a major collection of papyrus texts discovered in Egypt.
• Ozem — Ozem is a biblical personal name borne by at least two men in Old Testament genealogies, including a son of Jesse and a descendant
• Ozer — Ozer is a biblical personal name found in Old Testament name lists and genealogies.