Sibille Chapter 3 Vocab

Aaron

Moses’ brother; acted as his spokesman; founded the priesthood of Israel

Ark of the Covenant

an ornate box that held the tablets of the Law; represented God’s throne on earth

Caleb

one of the spies sent to Canaan; only he and Joshua had faith in God’s promise to deliver the land to Israel

golden calf

an idol made by Aaron when the Israelites demanded it; the people worshiped it as the god that had brought them out of Egypt

Christ

Greek for “messiah”

constitution

the fundamental law that governs a nation; the law in Deuteronomy would serve as the constitution of the nation of Israel

David

the second king of Israel; a “man after God’s own heart”; God made a new covenant with all the nations through David

Deuteronomy

Greek for “second law”; the name of the book that contains the laws that would become the constitution of the state of Israel; it also restates many of the important laws given earlier, including the 10 Commandments

dynasty

a series of rulers from the same family

Exodus

Israel’s escape from Egypt; from a Greek word meaning “going out”

genocide

the destruction of an entire people; this type of warfare was one of the evil consequences of Israel’s lack of faith

Hebrew

the name used by the Egyptians to describe the Israelites and related tribes; the language spoken by these people

idolatry

the worship of man-made images as though they were gods

Jericho

an ancient and strategically vital city in Canaan, the first major city to be captured by the Israelites

Jordan

the river that formed the eastern border of Canaan; many, included Jesus, were baptized here by St. John the Baptist

Joshua

one of the spies sent to Canaan; only he and Caleb had faith in God’s promise to deliver the land to Israel; he would be Moses’ successor as leader of Israel

judges

temporary leaders appointed by God to lead the people of Israel when enemies oppressed them

Levites

members of the tribe of Levi; would be the priests for the rest of Israel

Leviticus

the priestly book containing the laws designed to make Israel a holy people

manna

the miraculous food that the Israelites ate in the desert; a type of the Eucharist

mantle

an outer garment that was also the symbol of the wearer’s office

Messiah

Hebrew for “Anointed One”; a title of the kings of Israel

midwife

woman who assists at childbirth; Hebrew midwives defied Pharaoh's command that all male Hebrew children should be killed

Moses

the man God chose to lead the Israelites out of Egypt; was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and raised in Pharaoh's court, but fled Egypt after rebelling against the Egyptian taskmasters

Palestine

another name for the land of Canaan; named for the Philistines who settled there

Passover

the saving of the first-born children of Israel when the first-born of the Egyptians were killed; the most important event in Israel's history and remembered with an annual feast

Philistines

a powerful nation that invaded Canaan from the sea and became the most hated enemies of Israel

plague

a disaster that affects a large number of people; the ten plagues in Exodus were signs of God's wrath against the Egyptians for their treatment of the Jews, their obstinate pride, and their worship of false gods

priest

a man who dedicated to the service of God; Israel was meant to be the nation of priests; but, after the incident of the Golden Calf, the tribe of Levi was chosen for the priesthood

Rahab

a Canaanite woman of Jericho who helped the Israelite spies escape; she later married an Israelite and became one of the human ancestors of Jesus Christ

Sea of Reeds (Red Sea)

the body of water initially blocking the Israelites' escape from Egypt; it miraculously parted for them, but Pharaoh and his armies were drowned when they pursued

Samuel

a Levite priest, the last of the Judges, and the man chosen by God to anoint a king for Israel

Saul

the first king of Israel, anointed by Samuel; later rejected by God for disobeying God's commands and eventually died in battle

Sinai

the mountain where Moses received the Law from God

tabernacle

the tent that served as a meeting place and temple for the Israelites while they wandered in the desert; was designed as a reflection of the temple of heaven

Ten Commandments

the fundamental laws given by God at Sinai; they deal with our relationship with God and each other

YHWH

the Name of God in Hebrew, usually rendered Yahweh or Jehovah and translated "Lord" in many English Bible versions; (Hebrew was written with only consonants)