Biblical Allusions A-S

Absolom

a son who brings heartache to his father; from the third son of David, King of Israel. Exiled for three years before he was allowed to return to the court or see his royal father, Absolom plotted to cause a rebellion against his father to overtake the kingdom because he heard Solomon was to succeed David. When Absolom was killed in battle, King David grieved for his son in spite of his treachery against him

Alpha and Omega

The beginning and the end, from a quote in Revelations in the New Testament

Cain

a brother who kills a brother; from the story of Adam and Eve's son Cain, who killed his brother Abel out of jealousy

Daniel

one known for wisdom and accurate judgment; from a wise leader in the Old Testament who was able to read the handwriting on the wall

David and Bathsheba

represents a big sin; from King David's affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. After they had an affair and she became pregnant, David had her husband Uriah put on the front lines of battle so he would die. The "Bathsheba Affair" formed a critical turning point in King David's life. Prior to this, he had prospered greatly, but afterward, his personal fortunes were greatly diminished. Nathan the prophet confronted David after he took Bathsheba for his wife and trapped him into admitting his own guilt.

Eye of the Needle

A very difficult task; from famous narrow gateway called "the needle." In the NT, Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

Filthy Lucre

Money or profits; from a story in the NT of Jesus casting moneylenders out of the Temple

Goliath

a large person; from the giant from the Philistine city of Gath, slain by David, when he was a shepherd boy

Good Samaritan

someone who helps another person, perhaps someone of a different race or background; from a NT parable about a Samaritan, a traditional enemy of the Hebrews, who stopped to help a Jewish man who had been beaten and left for dead at the side of the road.

Handwriting on the wall

what the future holds; from the OT story of Daniel, who was able to accurately predict some mysterious writing that appeared on a wall (translated, it predicted the imminent death of the king)

Ishmael

one who is cast out as being unworthy; the son of Abraham and his handmaiden Hagar, he was cast out into the desert when his wife Sarah had their son Isaac; therefore said to be the ancestor of the nomadic desert tribes of Arabs

Jacob

grandson of Abraham, son of Isaac and Rebekah, brother of Esau, and the traditional ancestor of Israelites. His name was changed to Israel, and his 12 sons became the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Job

who who suffers a great deal but remains faithful; from an OT character whose faith in God was tested by Satan; though he lost his family and belongings, he remained patient and faithful

Job's comforters

"friends" who try to help by bringing blame; ironically, Job's "comforters" didn't comfort at all but were the source of more affliction.

Jonah

one who brings bad luck; an OT prophet who ran from God and sailed to sea. When a storm arose, he admitted that he was the cause, and the sailors threw him overboard, where he was swallowed by a large fish.

Judas

(n) a traitor or a treacherous kiss (a Judas kiss) ; one of the 12 Apostles, notorious for betraying Jesus. His surname in Latin means "murderer" or "assassin." Judas disclosed Jesus' whereabouts to the chief priests and elders for thirty pieces of silver

King Ahab and Jezabel

an evil king of Israel and his treacherous evil wife, synonymous today with evil. Through her marriage to Ahab, Jezebel introduced the worship of Baal, an idol, to Israel, inciting mutual enmity with the prophets. She instigated the murder Naboth for the possession of a vineyard. Today Jezebel means a brazen or forward woman

Mannaa

a sustaining life-giving source or food; from the sweetish bread-like food that fell from heaven for the Israelites as they crossed the Sinai Desert to the Promised Land with Moses

Original Sin/The Fall

the idea that all men are innately sinful as a result of Adam and Eve's fall from the state of innocence. When they ate of the forbidden fruit, they were cast out of the Biblical Garden of Eden; a post-biblical expression for the doctrine of Adam's transgression and mankind's consequential inheritance of a sinful nature because he ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.

Pearl of Great Price

something so precious that one would devote everything to or give up everything for it. In one of Jesus' parables, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a pearl of great price, or value, found by a merchant

Philistine

a person indifferent or hostile to the arts and refinement; from Sea-going people from Crete who became enemies of the Israelites and fought over their lands

Prodigal Son

a wasteful son who disappoints his father; from the NT parable of a man with two sons. When he split his estate between the two, the younger son gathered his fortune and left home to live the wild life, while the older son stayed home to work in the fields. When the younger son spent all of the money, he came crawling back to his father, who accepted him, pardoning his error by saying he was "lost but was found.

"Ruth and Naomi

paragons of love between in-laws; faithful friends. From the OT story of Ruth, who, when her husband died in battle, left her own land to travel with his mother back to her people.

Samson and Delilah

Treacherous love story. Samson, an Israelite hero and legendary warrior with extraordinary physical strength, fell in love with Delilah, a Philistine. When Delilah learned that Samson's hair was the source of his strength, she betrayed him by excepting a Philistine bribe to cut off his hair while he slept. Today the name Delilah is associated with a voluptuous, treacherous woman.

Scapegoat

one that is made an object of blame for others; the goat was symbolically burdened with the sins of Jewish people and thrown over a precipice outside of Jerusalem to rid the nation of iniquities.

Sepulcher

tomb in the OT

Sodom and Gomorrah

any place associated with wickedness or sin; from the evil cities of the OT that were destroyed by fire

Solomon

an extremely wise person; from the son of King David, the Israelite king who wrote Proverbs, and was known for wisdom