Dictionary Entries: W

• "Walk before God" — A biblical expression for living consciously in God’s presence with obedience, integrity, and faithful devotion.
• Parable of the Wedding Feast — Jesus’ kingdom parable about a king who prepares a wedding banquet for his son, highlighting God’s gracious invitation, the seriou
• Parable of the Weeds — Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13 about weeds growing among wheat until harvest, illustrating that good and evil coexist in the present
• Parable of the Wicked Tenants — A parable of Jesus about tenants who abuse and kill their master’s servants and son, warning of judgment on those who reject God’s
• Urchatz — Urchatz: the early hand-washing step in the Passover Seder performed before eating karpas
• Wadi — A wadi is a valley, ravine, or streambed that is usually dry but may carry water after seasonal rains. In Bible lands, wadis were
• Wages — Payment earned for work. In Scripture, wages can also be used figuratively for what sin justly deserves, especially death.
• Wailing — Wailing is loud, audible lament in response to grief, distress, repentance, or divine judgment. In Scripture it marks intense sorr
• walking in the Spirit — walking in the Spirit is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.
• Walking on water — The Gospel miracle in which Jesus walked on the Sea of Galilee, displaying His authority over creation. In Matthew, Peter also bri
• Wall — A wall in Scripture is usually a literal structure used for protection, boundary-marking, defense, or building, though it can also
• wantonness — Wantonness refers to shameless, unrestrained behavior, especially in matters of sensuality and moral self-indulgence. In Bible usa
• War — War is armed conflict between peoples or nations. Scripture treats it as a tragic reality of a fallen world, while also showing th
• War and peace — Broad biblical topic covering warfare, peacemaking, civil authority, and God’s ultimate gift of peace.
• War Scroll — An extra-biblical Dead Sea Scroll from Qumran that describes an anticipated final war between the “sons of light” and the “sons of
• Warfare — A biblical term for armed conflict in history and, more often in Christian teaching, the believer’s spiritual struggle against sin
• Warrant — In epistemology, warrant is what makes a true belief count as knowledge rather than mere opinion or lucky guess.
• Watches of the night — The divisions of the night used in Scripture for guarding, timing events, and describing periods of waiting, prayer, danger, or di
• watchfulness — Watchfulness is alert spiritual attentiveness that guards against temptation, deception, and spiritual drift.
• Watchman — A watchman is a guard stationed to watch for danger and sound a warning. In Scripture, the image also describes spiritual responsi
• Water — Water in Scripture is a real, created necessity and a recurring biblical image for cleansing, judgment, provision, life, and the r
• Water from the Rock — The miraculous provision of water from a rock for Israel in the wilderness, showing God’s power, faithfulness, and care for His pe
• Water of Life — “Water of life” is a biblical image for the life, cleansing, and satisfaction that come from God. In the New Testament it is close
• Waterpots — Large jars or vessels used for storing water; in John 2, six stone waterpots were used in Jesus’ first sign at Cana.
• Wave offering — A wave offering was an Old Testament sacrificial presentation in which a portion was set apart before the Lord, apparently by bein
• WAVE-SHEAF — The wave-sheaf was the first sheaf of the barley harvest presented to the Lord under the Law of Moses. It expressed thanksgiving,
• waxed — An archaic English Bible word meaning “became” or “grew,” not a separate theological concept.
• Way — In Scripture, “way” often means a course of life, conduct, or spiritual direction. It can refer to the way of righteousness and ob
• Way, Truth, and Life — “The way, and the truth, and the life” is Jesus’ self-description in John 14:6. It teaches that he alone is the true and living wa
• weakness — Weakness is human frailty that becomes a setting for dependence on God’s strength.
• wealth — Wealth is abundance of resources that must be handled as stewardship rather than as a final security.
• Wealth and poverty — Scripture treats wealth as a stewardship that can be used for good but that also brings real spiritual danger, while poverty often
• Weaning — Weaning is the transition of a child from nursing to regular food. In Scripture it appears as a life-stage marker associated with
• Weapons — In Scripture, weapons are instruments used for warfare or defense, both in literal conflict and as figures for spiritual struggle.
• Weapons and armor — Weapons and armor in Scripture refer both to literal military equipment and to figurative language for spiritual conflict, especia
• Weasel — A small animal named among the unclean creatures in Leviticus 11:29. The exact species behind the Hebrew term is uncertain.
• Weaving — Weaving is the craft of making cloth by interlacing threads, often on a loom. In Scripture it appears mainly as an ordinary skill
• Wedding at Cana — The wedding feast in Cana of Galilee where Jesus turned water into wine, recorded as His first sign in John’s Gospel.
• Wedding Banquet — A wedding banquet is a marriage feast, and in Scripture it often functions as an image of joy, covenant celebration, divine invita
• Week — A week is a seven-day unit of time. In some prophetic contexts, especially Daniel 9, “weeks” may refer to units of seven years.
• Weights — Standard measures used in trade and daily life. In Scripture, honest weights represent justice, while false weights symbolize frau
• Weights and measures — Biblical weights and measures were the standard units used for trade, agriculture, construction, offerings, and daily life. Script
• Well — A well is a dug source of water in the ancient world. In Scripture, wells are practical places for survival, travel, hospitality,
• Wellspring — A biblical image for a spring or fountain that gives life, refreshment, wisdom, blessing, or moral influence.
• Wesleyan — Wesleyan refers to the Christian tradition shaped by John Wesley, especially in holy living, grace, and practical discipleship.
• Wesleyanism — Wesleyanism is the theological and spiritual tradition flowing from John Wesley's teaching on grace, holiness, and practical Chris
• West — The west is a basic directional and geographic term in Scripture, used for orientation, boundaries, travel, and poetic imagery.
• Western text — The Western text is a textual tradition known for freer and sometimes expanded readings.
• Western Wall — The Western Wall is the surviving western retaining wall of the Second Temple platform in Jerusalem. It is a major Jewish prayer s
• Westminster Assembly and Westminster Standards — The Westminster Assembly was a seventeenth-century gathering of English and Scottish divines that produced major Reformed doctrina
• Westminster Confession of Faith — A major seventeenth-century Reformed confession of faith that summarizes Christian doctrine from Scripture and serves as a subordi
• Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms — Historic Reformed catechisms that summarize Christian doctrine and duty in question-and-answer form. They are influential in Presb
• Wheat — A staple grain in the Bible’s world, often used as an image of provision, harvest, fruitfulness, and final separation.
• Whip — A whip is a physical instrument used for striking, driving animals, or inflicting punishment in biblical settings. Scripture uses
• Whirlwind — A whirlwind in Scripture is a violent rotating storm that can also symbolize God's power, judgment, or sudden intervention.
• White — In Scripture, white often symbolizes purity, holiness, cleansing, victory, joy, or heavenly glory, though its meaning always depen
• Whoredom — In Scripture, whoredom can mean literal sexual immorality, especially prostitution, and it is also used figuratively for covenant
• wickedness — Wickedness is moral evil expressed in thoughts, desires, words, and actions that oppose God’s holy will. In Scripture it describes
• Widow — A widow is a woman whose husband has died. In Scripture, widows are repeatedly identified as vulnerable persons under God’s specia
• Widow and orphan — “Widow and orphan” is a biblical shorthand for people who are especially vulnerable and in need of justice, protection, and care.
• Widow's Mite — The widow’s mite is the small offering a poor widow gave in the temple, which Jesus praised as a greater gift because it was given
• widowhood — Widowhood is the state of having lost a spouse and calls for compassion, provision, and faithful endurance.
• Wilderness — In Scripture, the wilderness is a desert or sparsely inhabited region that often becomes a place of testing, dependence on God, an
• Wilderness of Judah — The Wilderness of Judah is the rugged desert region east of Judah’s hill country, descending toward the Dead Sea. In Scripture it
• Wilderness of Sinai — The desert region where Israel camped after the exodus, especially around Mount Sinai, where the Lord gave the law through Moses a
• Wilderness regions — Wilderness regions are sparsely inhabited desert or semi-desert areas in the biblical world. Scripture often uses them as settings
• Wilderness wanderings — The wilderness wanderings were Israel’s years in the desert after the exodus from Egypt and before entering Canaan. Scripture pres
• will — will is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.
• Will of God — The will of God is what God purposes, desires, and commands. In Scripture, the term can refer both to God's sovereign plan and to
• Willow — Willow is a biblical plant term used in poetic, festive, and lament contexts. It is not a doctrine but a tree image that appears i
• Wind — Wind in Scripture is the moving air of the natural world, often used as a vivid image for God’s power, judgment, guidance, or the
• Window — A window is an architectural opening in a building, often mentioned in Scripture for ordinary use, narrative action, or occasional
• Wine — Wine is a common biblical drink made from grapes and is used in Scripture both in ordinary life and as a symbol of blessing, joy,
• Wine and strong drink — A biblical topic covering alcoholic drink, its lawful use, and Scripture’s repeated warnings against drunkenness and misuse.
• WINE-SKIN — A wineskin was a leather container used to hold liquids, especially wine. In Scripture it can function as an image for what is abl
• Winepress — A winepress was a device or installation used to crush grapes and collect their juice for making wine. In Scripture it is also use
• Wing — A wing is a bird’s wing or a biblical image for protection, shelter, speed, power, and heavenly majesty.
• Winter — Winter is the colder, rainier season mentioned in Scripture as part of the ordinary order of creation. It sometimes marks time, tr
• wisdom — wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.
• Wisdom & Poetry — A broad biblical category for books and passages that teach godly living, worship, lament, and reflection through sayings, songs,
• Wisdom Books — The Wisdom Books are the Old Testament books most closely associated with biblical wisdom literature, usually Job, Proverbs, and E
• Wisdom Christology — An interpretive Christological approach that understands New Testament portrayals of Jesus in light of biblical wisdom themes, whi
• Wisdom Literature — Wisdom Literature is the biblical body of writings that emphasizes reverence for the Lord, practical godly living, and skillful in
• Wisdom literature interpretation — The careful reading of biblical wisdom books according to their poetic form, practical purpose, and canonical setting, recognizing
• Wisdom of Solomon — A Jewish wisdom book from the Second Temple period. It is received as Scripture in some Christian traditions but is not part of th
• Wisdom tradition in Israel and ANE — Biblical wisdom literature is the body of teaching that shows how to live skillfully before God, with special emphasis on reverenc
• Wisdom vocabulary — The Bible’s cluster of words for wisdom, understanding, instruction, discernment, prudence, and skillful godly living.
• Wise Men — Visitors from the east who came to worship the newborn Jesus after seeing His star. Matthew presents them as honoring Christ, but
• Witchcraft — Witchcraft is the sinful pursuit or use of occult power, secret knowledge, or spiritual control apart from God. Scripture condemns
• Witness — In Scripture, a witness is one who gives truthful testimony about what he has seen, heard, or knows. The term is used for legal te
• Witness motif — Witness motif is the recurring pattern of testimony, attestation, and corroborating witness language, especially in Johannine lite
• Witnesses — In Scripture, witnesses are people who testify truthfully about what they have seen, heard, or know. The term can refer to legal w
• Woe — A solemn cry or pronouncement that expresses grief, warning, or judgment. In Scripture, “woe” can mourn sin and suffering or annou
• woe oracle — A woe oracle is a biblical warning speech that announces coming judgment or grief, often introduced by “woe.” It confronts sin, ca
• Wolf — In Scripture, the wolf is often an image of danger, violence, and destructive false teachers, especially those who prey on God’s f
• Woman — In Scripture, a woman is an adult female human being created in God’s image, sharing fully in human dignity, moral responsibility,
• Womb — The mother’s inner place where a child is conceived and develops before birth; in Scripture it often points to God’s forming, know
• Wonderful Counselor — A messianic royal title in Isaiah 9:6 describing the promised ruler as possessing extraordinary, God-given wisdom and counsel.
• Wood — Wood is a common biblical material used for construction, fuel, tools, idols, and symbolic imagery. Its significance depends on co
• Wool — Wool is the fleece of sheep and a common biblical material used for clothing, trade, and imagery.
• Word — In Scripture, “word” usually means spoken speech, a message, or God’s revealed communication. In John 1, “the Word” is a unique ti
• Word of God — The Word of God is God's true self-disclosure, supremely in Christ and normatively in Scripture.
• word of knowledge — word of knowledge is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.
• word of wisdom — word of wisdom is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.
• Word order — Word order is the arrangement of words in a phrase or sentence. In Bible study, it can signal emphasis or style, but it should be
• Word studies — Word studies examine how a biblical word is used in context, across Scripture, and in the original languages when helpful. They ca
• Word Study — A word study examines how a word is used in context so its meaning can be understood accurately. In Bible study, it is helpful onl
• Work and vocation — Work is part of God’s good design for human life, and vocation refers to a person’s calling to serve God faithfully in everyday re
• Work in Revelation — In Revelation, “work” usually refers to deeds or conduct that reveal a person’s true spiritual condition. The book especially emph
• Work in Salvation — The relationship between human works and God’s saving grace.
• Work in Sanctification — God’s ongoing work of making believers holy in heart and conduct. Christians actively obey, but this growth ultimately depends on
• Work of Christ — The Work of Christ is everything Jesus accomplished in His incarnate life, atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, and pres
• Work of the Spirit — The work of the Spirit is the activity of the Holy Spirit in carrying out God’s purposes in creation, revelation, salvation, sanct
• Workers in the Vineyard — The parable in Matthew 20:1–16 about a vineyard owner who pays laborers equally, teaching God’s generous grace and warning against
• Works of God (Opera Dei) — Works of God (Opera Dei) is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.
• Works of the law — “Works of the law” is Paul’s phrase for deeds done in obedience to the Mosaic law. In Romans and Galatians, he says such works can
• works-righteousness — Works-righteousness is the belief that a person can become right with God by personal merit, law-keeping, or religious effort.
• World — In Scripture, “world” can mean the created earth, the human race, or the fallen order of life organized in rebellion against God.
• worldliness — worldliness is a biblical and theological term that names a real doctrine, condition, or aspect of God's work.
• Worldview — A worldview is a basic framework of beliefs and assumptions through which a person understands reality, truth, morality, and human
• Worm — A literal creature and a biblical image for frailty, decay, humiliation, and judgment.
• WORMWOOD — Wormwood is a bitter plant used in Scripture as a symbol of bitterness, sorrow, and divine judgment. In Revelation it is also the
• Worship — Giving God the honor, trust, love, and obedience that belong to Him.
• Worship and Church Order — Biblical principles governing the gathered life of the church, including worship, prayer, preaching, ordinances, leadership, disci
• Wrath — God's holy opposition to sin and evil.
• Wrath of God — The wrath of God is his holy and just opposition to sin and evil. It is not sinful rage, but the righteous expression of his moral
• Writing and literacy — Writing and literacy refer to the use of written language and the ability to read it. In Scripture, writing is an important means
• Writing materials — The physical media and tools used for writing in Bible times, such as stone, clay, papyrus, parchment, ink, and writing instrument
• Writings — The Writings, or Ketuvim, are the third major division of the Hebrew Bible. In Jewish ordering they include books such as Psalms,
• Wycliffe Bible — An early English Bible translation tradition associated with John Wycliffe and his followers in late medieval England.