What is the meaning of Jehovah Shammah?
Jehovah Shammah is a transliteration of the Hebrew phrase יְהוָה שָׁמָּה, which means “God is there.” The phrase is the same as “Yahweh Shammah” because “Jehovah” and “Yahweh” are both variations of the same Hebrew word. Ancie...
“I Believe in God the Father”: Creeds and Controversies
If you’ve been around any older Christian traditions, such as Catholicism, or even some Lutheran or Methodist groups, you’ve probably heard them talk about “the Creed.” The general idea behind a creed is that it’s an official s...
Malchus: The Roman Soldier in the Garden of Gethsemane
The short answer: In the Bible, Malchus is the servant of the high priest whom St. Peter struck with a sword when the Jews came to arrest Jesus. He is mentioned in only one Gospel account and is not considered a saint in any tr...
What is the longest book in the Bible? And the shortest?
Questions about which book of the Bible is the longest or the shortest are a little misleading because the answers depend entirely how you count. The first issue is that there isn’t a single canon of scripture. The older canon ...
The Symbolism of Birds in the Bible
As a general category, birds don’t symbolize any particular thing in the Bible, but different species are used for a variety of different types of symbolism. Owls and other birds of prey are often used to represent desolation. ...
What are the best Bible verses about love and trust?
There are many passages in the Bible that address love—some of which are quite powerful. Two of the most famous are from 1 John and 1 Corinthians: 1 John 4:7-8: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyon...
Where in the Middle East was the country of the Gerasenes?
The country of the Gerasenes (also known as Gergesenes or simply as Gergasa or Gergesa) was a land to the south or southeast of the Sea of Galilee, though it isn’t clear where exactly it was. This site is famous because it is ...
Symbolism: What is the meaning of an owl in the Bible?
There are a variety of verses in the Bible that refer to owls, though how many depends on the translation. For example, the New King James version refers to owls explicitly in Leviticus 11 verses 16, 17, and 18; Deuteronomy 14,...