Glossary

Yahweh

יהוה / Ιαουε

This is the Name of God as revealed by God in Hebrew to His people, beginning with Adam and Eve, through Moses, through His Son Yahushua / Yeshua / Iesous / Jesus, and His disciples.

It comes from an ancient root verb, הוה, meaning "to be;" also related to the more recent root verb for "to be," היה.

The י at the beginning of this root denotes the third person, singular, imperfect tense. The ending can be interpreted to be a causative form, or not.

Adding all of this together, we have "He Is Being" or "He is Causing to Become," as a literal translation of the Name.

Elohim

אלהים

This Hebrew word is the most commonly used title for God in the Old Covenant.

It comes from the singular form, אלוה (Eloah), meaning "one worthy of praise."

It is technically a plural word, although it is most often used with singular-form verbs. Nonetheless, it is used with plural-form verbs when speaking of the false gods of other nations, and rarely of Yahweh Himself.

Yahushua / Yeshua / Iesous / Jesus

יהושוע / ישוע / ιησουσ

The Name of the Son of Man & Son of God on earth.

The full form has the meaning, "Yahu (Yahweh) saves" while the short form has the meaning, "He will save" (Matthew 1:21).

The English form comes through Greek (ιησουσ, "Iesous"), Latin (Iesu), then German (Jesus).

Messiah / Christ / Anointed

משׁיח / χριστος

The title for the One Whom God chose to send into the world, Who is named Jesus.

Both the Hebrew and Greek words come from verbs meaning to anoint, and thus have a basic meaning of "anointed one."

In the Bible, anointing had to do with both a setting apart (or "making holy") as well as authorizing and empowering for that set-apart service (Exodus 28:41).

HalleluYah

הללויה

A common Hebrew phrase, meaning, "All of you, praise Yah!"

This is seen both in the Hebrew scriptures, mainly in the Psalms, as well as transliterated into Greek in the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John the Apostle (Revelation 19:1-6).

Assembly / Church

קהל / εκκλησιας

In Hebrew, קהל ("kahal") is the main word from which we get the idea of an assembly.

It comes from a primitive root verb meaning "to assemble" or "to call together." Thus, we have the idea of many individual things (or people) coming together to form one "assembly." A division becoming a unity.

In Greek, we have a very similar etymology. The word εκκλησια ("ekklesia") comes from two words:

εκ ("ek") meaning "out of" or "from among" (the word Exodus simply means "exit" in Greek, or "way [odos] out [ex]"), and καλεω ("kaleo") which is a verb meaning "to call" and even more fully, "to call by name."

Thus, combining these two we have the noun meaning "called out of, by name." Again, we have an individual being brought out of something else, to be part of something single (a unified name or calling).

We then have a rich term meaning "called-out assembly," defining those Yahweh has chosen to separate from the evil world system.

Spirit

רוח / πνευμα

The Hebrew (רוח) and Greek (πνευμα) words translated "Spirit" both have a basic meaning of "breath" or "wind."

The Greek word comes from the primitive root, πνεω ("pneo"), meaning "to breathe" or "to blow." Thus, the noun form meaning a breath or a wind.

The Hebrew word comes from the root רוח ("ruach") also meaning "to blow," or figuratively, "to breathe." The BDB Lexicon has an alternate definition meaning to perceive with the senses, especially that of smell or touch. In this same way, it is something invisible that can be sensed in other ways, just as wind can (it often has a smell in addition to registering upon our skin as external input).

From these definitions we also get the idea of a "spirit," something intangible to our sense of sight or sound, but registering upon our sense of touch, and sometimes even smell!

Holy

קדשׁ / αγιος

"The Hebrew (קדש) and Greek (αγιος) words translated "holy" both have the basic meaning of "set apart."

The Hebrew word comes from the root "kadesh" meaning "to sanctify or set apart for a specific purpose."

The Greek word, oddly, likely comes from the root "hagos," meaning "an awful thing." However, this merely denotes that the word carries with it the idea of something notably separate from other things (as in "awesome"). It is "set apart" from the other things, whether in a good or bad way ("awful" as in "full of awe").

Law / Torah

תורה / νομως

This rich word comes from the Hebrew word "torah" and the Greek word "nomos."

The Hebrew comes from ירה (yarah) meaning to throw or shoot. It came to mean teaching in the sense of learning how to strike a particular target or "hit the mark."

The Greek comes from a primary word meaning "to parcel out, especially food or grazing to animals." Thus, "law" in Greek has the idea of a set portion to live by, or a rule of life.

Together, we see the concept of Law in the Bible as one of instruction, teaching us how to live.

Devil

διαβολους

This name for the Enemy of God comes from the Greek word meaning "false accuser."

This word is actually used in the New Covenant in addition to references to Satan. In three of Paul's letters we see the plural form, twice warning older women to not be "slanderers" (1 Timothy 3:11) (Titus 2:3) and once prophesying of a time when men will becoming increasingly degenerate, being "slanderers" (2 Timothy 3:3).

So we see, in this name for the Enemy of God, one of his primary modes of operation: falsely accusing others, most often God and His people.

Satan

שטן / Σατανα

This name for the Enemy of Yahweh comes directly from the Hebrew and Greek words. Both have the meaning of an adversary, one who stands against or resists another.

The Greek word came to have a fuller meaning of a legal adversary, or one who prosecutes another.

From these words we can see one primary role of the Enemy—he stands against us as a legal adversary, resisting what Yahweh and we do together.

Gospel / Good News

ευαγγελιου

This word (ευαγγελιου) comes from the Greek words ευ (meaning "good") and αγγελος (meaning "messenger"). The latter word probably comes from the Greek root αγω meaning to lead by accompanying.

So, we have this rich Greek word meaning a good message or a good leading by someone going with us.

The Gospel, or Good News, is God's personal salvation to us—leading us to Him, in a good way.

Covenant

ברית / διαθηκη

This word comes to us from both Hebrew and Greek.

The Hebrew, ברית, has in mind a cutting or apportioning, as it comes from a root word meaning to eat. It is also related to the Hebrew word for create, ברא. Thus, in Hebrew, the concept of a covenant is that of a portion that is divided between at least two parties; it is forming something from nothing, for the purpose of a new use, between two or more parties.

In Greek, the word διαθηκη has a similar meaning; it comes from a root word meaning to put in place, to set forth, or to establish or ordain. It also has to do with setting one's own affairs in order. In that way it can be translated "testament" or "will" as it often is, because of the personal aspect it involves.

Together, the scriptures seen a "covenant" as something new apportioned between two or more parties, for the purpose of setting things in order.