A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

BIBLE DICTIONARY + WORD STUDY

Testament

Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term

How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.

GREEK · G1242

διαθήκη

diathēkē — covenant

διαθήκη, -ης, ἡ (διατίθημι), [frequently in LXX, and nearly always for בְּרִית ;] 1. as usually in cl., a disposition, testament, will (Plat., al.): Gal.3:15 (R, mg., but see Lft., in l.), Heb.9:16, 17 (R, txt.; MM, Exp., xi; Milligan, NTD, 75; Abbott, Essays, 107; Deiss., LAE, 341; but see infr.). 2. As in LXX (for בְּרִית) = cl. συνθήκη, a convention, arrangement, covenant (exc. in the disputed cases mentioned above, always between God and man, "perhaps with the feeling that the δια- compound was more suitable than the συν- for a covenant with God---συνθ. might suggest equal terms," MM, Exp., l.with): Gal.3:15 (R, txt., but see supr., and cf. Thayer, see word), Heb.9:16, 17 (R, mg., Westc., in l.; Hatch, Essays, 47; but see supr.), Mat.26:28, Mrk.14:24, Luk.1:72, Act.3:25 7:8, Rom.11:27" (LXX), 2Co.3:14, Gal.3:17, Heb.7:22 8:6, ib. 9, 10" (LXX) 9:4, 15-17 20" (LXX) 10:16 (LXX), 29 12:24 13:20, Rev.11:19; καινὴ δ., Mat.26:28, and Mrk.14:24 (R, mg.), Luk.22:20, 1Co.11:25, 2Co.3:6, Heb.8:8" (LXX) 9:15; pl. Rom.9:4, Gal.4:24, Eph.2:12.† (AS)

30 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G1303

διατίθημι

diatithēmi — to make a covenant

δια-τίθημι [in LXX chiefly for כָּרַת, frequently δ. διαθήκην (כָּרַת) ;] to place separately, arrange, dispose. Mid, only in NT; 1. (a) in general, to dispose of; with dative of person(s), to assign to one, Luk.22:29; (b) to dispose of by a will, make a testament (in cl., δ. διαθήκην also in this sense): Heb.9:16-17 (but cf. R, mg., and see: διαθήκη). 2. δ. διαθήκην, to make a covenant (Aristoph.): with dative of person(s), Heb.8:10 (LXX); before πρ, with accusative of person(s), Act.3:25, Heb.10:16" (LXX) (cf. ἀντι-διατίθημι).† (AS)

6 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G3428

μοιχαλίς

moichalis — adulterous

1. an adulteress , (New Testament):as adjective adulterous , (New Testament) 2. as Substantive = μοιχεία, (New Testament) (ML)

6 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H6253

עַשְׁתֹּ֫רֶת

ash.to.ret — Ashtoreth

A female deity in the time of the Old Testament, first mentioned at 1Ki.11.5, also known as Astarte § Ashtoreth = "star" the principal female deity of the Phoenicians worshipped in war and fertility 1a) also 'Ishtar' of Assyria and 'Astarte' by the Greeks and Romans

3 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G6077

Πύρρος

Purros — Pyrrhus

A man living at the time of the New Testament, only mentioned at Act.20.4; father of: Sopater (G4986) § Pyrrhus (the name of Sopater of Boroeas's father) See also πυρρός (G4450)

1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →

HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H4401

מַלְאָכִי

mal.a.khi — Malachi

A prophet living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Mal.1.1 § Malachi = "My messenger" the prophet who wrote the last book of the Old Testament; nothing else is known

1 tagged verse occurrence · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G20433

ἐπιλήθω

epilēthō — to forget

1. to cause to forget a thing, with genitive, (Odyssey by Homer): —;Pass. to be forgotten , perfect participle ἐπιλελησμένος (New Testament) 2. Mid. ἐπι-λήθομαι and -λανθάνομαι, future -λήσομαι: aorist2 -ελᾶθόμην: with perfect active -λέληθα and passive -λέλησμαι: pluperfect -ελελήσμην:—; to let a thing escape one, to forget, lose thought of , with genitive, ὅπως Ἰθάκης ἐπιλήσεται (epic for -ηται); (Odyssey by Homer); so (Herdotus Historicus), attic:—;also with accusative, (Herdotus Historicus), etc.:—;with infinitive, (Aristophanes Comicus) 3. to forget wilfully , ἑκὼν ἐπιλήθομαι (Herdotus Historicus) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G20545

καθεῖς

katheis — one by one, one after anther

for καθ᾽ εἷς one by one , εἷς καθεῖς, for εἷς καθ᾽ ἕνα, (New Testament) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G4566

Σατάν

Satan — Satan

Satan , i. e. an adversary, enemy : name for the Devil , (New Testament) Hebr. word. (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G7276

ἐνώπιος

enōpios — face to face

1. face to face , (Theocritus Poeta Bucolicus) 2. neuter ἐνώπιον, preposition with genitive, like Lat. coram, (New Testament) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G8708

πεντηκοστός

pentēkostos — fiftieth

1. fiftieth , (Plato Philosophus) 2. as Substantive, ἡ πεντηκοστή, 3. (i.e. μερίς); at Athens the duty of one-fiftieth , or two per century , on all exports and imports, (Isaeus Orator); εὕρηκε καινὴν ἱππικῆς τινὰ πεντηκοστήν he invented a new two per century duty , in lieu of his cavalry service, i. e. paid this instead of it, (Demosthenes Orator) 4. (i.e. ἡμέρα); the fiftieth day (after the Passover), Pentecost , (New Testament) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

GREEK · G8881

πρέσβυς

presbus — an ambassador

1. an old man , Lat. senex, (the prose form is πρεσβύτης); (Sophocles Tragicus):—; ὁ πρέσβυς is used much like ὁ πρεσβύτερος, the elder , (Aeschulus Tragicus):—;plural πρέσβεις, elders , always implying dignity, chiefs, princes , (Aeschulus Tragicus); epic πρέσβηες (Hesiod) 2. (Homer) uses only the comparative and Sup., comparative πρεσβύτερος, α, ον, elder, older , (Iliad by Homer), attic; ἐνιαυτῷ by a year, (Aristophanes Comicus); βουλαὶ πρεσβύτεραι the wise councils of age , (Pindar);—;Sup. πρεσβύτατος, η, ον, eldest , (Iliad by Homer), etc.: —;the comparative and Sup. were used of things, πρεσβύτερόν τι (or οὐδὲν); ἔχειν = Lat. aliquid (or nihil) antiquius habere, to deem higher, more important , τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πρεσβύτερα ποιεῖσθαι ἢ τὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν (Herdotus Historicus); πρεσβύτατον κρίνειν τι (Thucydides); πρεσβυτέρως γυμναστικὴν μουσικῆς τετιμηκέναι more highly than . . , (Plato Philosophus): —;hence, merely of magnitude, πρεσβύτερον κακὸν κακοῦ one evil greater than another, (Sophocles Tragicus) 3. like πρεσβευτής, an ambassador , (Aeschulus Tragicus);—;plural πρέσβεις is more used than πρεσβευταί, (Aristophanes Comicus), etc. 4. a chief, president : comparative πρεσβύτερος, an elder of the Jewish Council , (New Testament), etc.: an elder of the Church, presbyter , (New Testament) (ML)

0 tagged verse occurrences · see every occurrence →

Historical dictionary entry

Occurs twelve times in the New Testament (Heb. 9:15, etc.) as the rendering of the Gr. diatheke, which is twenty times rendered “covenant” in the Authorized Version, and always so in the Revised Version. The Vulgate translates incorrectly by testamentum, whence the names “Old” and “New Testament,” by which we now designate the two sections into which the Bible is divided. (See BIBLE.)

Scripture references

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.

Compare other reference traditions

Look up Testament in Smith’s Bible Dictionary and ISBE →