Easton’s dictionary

Nearly 4,000 clear, readable entries on the people, places, words and ideas of the Bible, by a Scottish minister. A good first place to look.

• DaberathPasture, a Levitical town of Issachar (Josh. 19:12; 21:28), near the border of...
• DaemonThe Greek form, rendered “devil” in the Authorized Version of the New Testament....
• DaemoniacOne “possessed with a devil.” In the days of our Lord and his apostles, evil spirits,...
• DagonLittle fish; diminutive from dag = a fish, the fish-god; the national god of the...
• Dagon’s House(1 Sam. 5:2), or Beth-dagon, as elsewhere rendered (Josh.15: 41; 19:27), was the...
• Daily Sacrifice(Dan. 8:12; 11:31; 12:11), a burnt offering of two lambs of a year old, which were...
• Dale, the King’sThe name of a valley, the alternative for “the valley of Shaveh” (q.v.), near the Dead...
• DalmanuthaA place on the west of the Sea of Galilee, mentioned only in Mark 8:10. In the...
• DalmatiaA mountainous country on the eastern shore of the Adriatic, a part of the Roman...
• DamarisA heifer, an Athenian woman converted to Christianity under the preaching of Paul...
• DamascusActivity, the most ancient of Oriental cities; the capital of Syria (Isa. 7:8; 17:3);...
• DamnationIn Rom. 13:2, means “condemnation,” which comes on those who withstand God’s ordinance...
• DanA judge. (1.) The fifth son of Jacob. His mother was Bilhah, Rachel’s maid (Gen. 30:6,...
• Dan-JaanWoodland Dan, a place probably somewhere in the direction of Dan, near the sources of...
• DanceFound in Judg. 21:21, 23; Ps. 30:11; 149:3; 150:4; Jer. 31:4, 13, etc., as the...
• DanielGod is my judge, or judge of God. (1.) David’s second son, “born unto him in Hebron,...
• Daniel, Book ofIs ranked by the Jews in that division of their Bible called the Hagiographa (Heb....
• DannahMurmuring, a city (Josh. 15:49) in the mountains of Judah about 8 miles south-west of Hebron.
• DardaPearl of wisdom, one of the four who were noted for their wisdom, but whom Solomon...
• DaricIn the Revised Version of 1 Chr. 29:7; Ezra 2:69; 8:27; Neh. 7:70-72, where the...
• DariusThe holder or supporter, the name of several Persian kings. (1.) Darius the Mede (Dan....
• DarknessThe plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21) is described as darkness...
• DarlingPs. 22:20; 35:17) means an “only one.”
• DartAn instrument of war; a light spear. “Fiery darts” (Eph. 6:16) are so called in...
• DateThe fruit of a species of palm (q.v.), the Phoenix dactilifera. This was a common tree...
• DathanWelled; belonging to a fountain, a son of Eliab, a Reubenite, who joined Korah (q.v.)...
• DaughterThis word, besides its natural and proper sense, is used to designate, (1.) A niece or...
• DavidBeloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father...
• David, City of(1.) David took from the Jebusites the fortress of Mount Zion. He “dwelt in the fort,...
• DayThe Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32). It was originally...
• DaysmanAn umpire or arbiter or judge (Job 9:33). This word is formed from the Latin diem...
• Dayspring(Job 38:12; Luke 1:78), the dawn of the morning; daybreak. (Comp. Isa. 60:1, 2; Mal....
• DaystarWhich precedes and accompanies the sun-rising. It is found only in 2 Pet. 1:19, where...
• Day’s JourneyThe usual length of a day’s journey in the East, on camel or horseback, in six or...
• DeaconAnglicized form of the Greek word diaconos, meaning a “runner,” “messenger,”...
• DeaconessRom. 16:1, 3, 12; Phil. 4:2, 3; 1 Tim. 3:11; 5:9, 10; Titus 2:3, 4). In these passages...
• Dead SeaThe name given by Greek writers of the second century to that inland sea called in...
• Deal, TenthSee OMER.
• DearthA scarcity of provisions (1 Kings 17). There were frequent dearths in Palestine. In...
• DeathMay be simply defined as the termination of life. It is represented under a variety of...
• DebirOracle town; sanctuary. (1.) One of the eleven cities to the west of Hebron, in the...
• DeborahA bee. (1.) Rebekah’s nurse. She accompanied her mistress when she left her father’s...
• DebtThe Mosaic law encouraged the practice of lending (Deut. 15:7; Ps. 37:26; Matt. 5:42);...
• DebtorVarious regulations as to the relation between debtor and creditor are laid down in...
• DecalogueThe name given by the Greek fathers to the ten commandments; “the ten words,” as the...
• DecapolisTen cities=deka, ten, and polis, a city, a district on the east and south-east of the...
• Decision, Valley ofA name given to the valley of Jehoshaphat (q.v.) as the vale of the sentence. The...
• Decrees of God“The decrees of God are his eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise, and sovereign purpose,...
• DedanLow ground. (1.) A son of Raamah (Gen. 10:7). His descendants are mentioned in Isa....
• DedanimThe descendants of Dedan, the son of Raamah. They are mentioned in Isa. 21:13 as...
• Dedication, Feast of the(John 10:22, 42), i.e., the feast of the renewing. It was instituted B.C. 164 to...
• DeepUsed to denote (1) the grave or the abyss (Rom. 10:7; Luke 8:31); (2) the deepest part...
• Degrees, Song ofSong of steps, a title given to each of these fifteen psalms, 120-134 inclusive. The...
• DehavitesVillagers, one of the Assyrian tribes which Asnapper sent to repopulate Samaria (Ezra...
• DelaiahFreed by Jehovah. (1.) The head of the twenty-third division of the priestly order (1...
• DelilahLanguishing, a Philistine woman who dwelt in the valley of Sorek (Judg. 16:4-20). She...
• DelugeThe name given to Noah’s flood, the history of which is recorded in Gen. 7 and 8. It...
• DemasA companion and fellow-labourer of Paul during his first imprisonment at Rome...
• Demetrius(1.) A silversmith at Ephesus, whose chief occupation was to make “silver shrines for...
• DemonSee DAEMON.
• DenA lair of wild beasts (Ps. 10:9; 104:22; Job 37:8); the hole of a venomous reptile...
• DeputyIn 1 Kings 22:47, means a prefect; one set over others. The same Hebrew word is...
• DerbeA small town on the eastern part of the upland plain of Lycaonia, about 20 miles from...
• Desert(1.) Heb. midbar, “pasture-ground;” an open tract for pasturage; a common (Joel 2:22)....
• Desire of All Nations(Hag. 2:7), usually interpreted as a title of the Messiah. The Revised Version,...
• Desolation, Abomination of(Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14; comp. Luke 21:20), is interpreted of the eagles, the...
• Destroyer(Ex. 12:23), the agent employed in the killing of the first-born; the destroying angel...
• DestructionIn Job 26:6, 28:22 (Heb. abaddon) is sheol, the realm of the dead.
• Destruction, City of(Isa. 19:18; Heb. Ir-ha-Heres, “city of overthrow,” because of the evidence it would...
• DeuteronomyIn all the Hebrew manuscripts the Pentateuch (q.v.) forms one roll or volume divided...
• Devil(Gr. diabolos), a slanderer, the arch-enemy of man’s spiritual interest (Job 1:6; Rev....
• Dew“There is no dew properly so called in Palestine, for there is no moisture in the hot...
• DiademThe tiara of a king (Ezek. 21:26; Isa. 28:5; 62:3); the turban (Job 29:14). In the New...
• DialFor the measurement of time, only once mentioned in the Bible, erected by Ahaz (2...
• Diamond(1.) A precious gem (Heb. yahalom’, in allusion to its hardness), otherwise unknown,...
• DianaSo called by the Romans; called Artemis by the Greeks, the “great” goddess worshipped...
• DiblaimDoubled cakes, the mother of Gomer, who was Hosea’s wife (Hos. 1:3).
• DiblathaimTwo cakes, a city of Moab, on the east of the Dead Sea (Num. 33:46; Jer. 48:22).
• DibonPining; wasting. (1.) A city in Moab (Num. 21:30); called also Dibon-gad (33:45),...
• Didymus(Gr. twin = Heb. Thomas, q.v.), John 11:16; 20:24; 21:2.
• DimnahDunghill, a city of Zebulun given to the Merarite Levites (Josh. 21:35). In 1 Chr....
• DinahJudged; vindicated, daughter of Jacob by Leah, and sister of Simeon and Levi (Gen....
• Dine(Gen. 43:16). It was the custom in Egypt to dine at noon. But it is probable that the...
• DinhabahRobbers’ den, an Edomitish city, the capital of king Bela (Gen. 36:32). It is probably...
• DionysiusThe Areopagite, one of Paul’s converts at Athens (Acts 17:34).
• DiotrephesJove-nourished, rebuked by John for his pride (3 John 1:9). He was a Judaizer, prating...
• DiscipleA scholar, sometimes applied to the followers of John the Baptist (Matt. 9:14), and of...
• DishFor eating from (2 Kings 21:13). Judas dipped his hand with a “sop” or piece of bread...
• DishanAntelope, the youngest son of Seir the Horite, head of one of the tribes of Idumaea...
• Dispensation(Gr. oikonomia, “management,” “economy”). (1.) The method or scheme according to which...
• Dispersion(Gr. diaspora, “scattered,” James 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1) of the Jews. At various times, and...
• Distaff(Heb. pelek, a “circle”), the instrument used for twisting threads by a whirl (Prov. 31:19).
• DivinationOf false prophets (Deut. 18:10, 14; Micah 3:6, 7, 11), of necromancers (1 Sam. 28:8),...
• DivorceThe dissolution of the marriage tie was regulated by the Mosaic law (Deut. 24:1-4)....
• DizahabRegion of gold, a place in the desert of Sinai, on the western shore of the Elanitic...
• Doctor(Luke 2:46; 5:17; Acts 5:34), a teacher. The Jewish doctors taught and disputed in...
• DodaiLoving, one of David’s captains (1 Chr. 27:4). (See DODO [2].)
• DodanimLeaders, a race descended from Javan (Gen. 10:4). They are known in profane history as...
• DodoAmatory; loving. (1.) A descendant of Issachar (Judg. 10:1). (2.) An Ahohite, father...
• DoegFearful, an Edomite, the chief overseer of Saul’s flocks (1 Sam. 21:7). At the command...
• DogFrequently mentioned both in the Old and New Testaments. Dogs were used by the Hebrews...
• Doleful Creatures(occurring only Isa. 13:21. Heb. ochim, i.e., “shrieks;” hence “howling animals”), a...
• Door-KeeperThis word is used in Ps. 84:10 (R.V. marg., “stand at the threshold of,” etc.), but...
• Door-PostsThe Jews were commanded to write the divine name on the posts (mezuzoth’) of their...
• DoorsMoved on pivots of wood fastened in sockets above and below (Prov. 26:14). They were...
• DophkahKnocking, an encampment of the Israelites in the wilderness (Num. 33:12). It was in...
• DorDwelling, the Dora of the Romans, an ancient royal city of the Canaanites (Josh. 11:1,...
• DorcasA female antelope, or gazelle, a pious Christian widow at Joppa whom Peter restored to...
• DothanTwo wells, a famous pasture-ground where Joseph found his brethren watching their...
• Dough(batsek, meaning “swelling,” i.e., in fermentation). The dough the Israelites had...
• DoveIn their wild state doves generally build their nests in the clefts of rocks, but when...
• Dove’s Dung(2 Kings 6:25) has been generally understood literally. There are instances in history...
• Dowry(mohar; i.e., price paid for a wife, Gen. 34:12; Ex. 22:17; 1 Sam. 18:25), a nuptial...
• Dragon(1.) Heb. tannim, plural of tan. The name of some unknown creature inhabiting desert...
• Dragon Well(Neh. 2:13), supposed by some to be identical with the Pool of Gihon.
• DramThe Authorized Version understood the word ‘adarkonim (1 Chr. 29:7; Ezra 8:27), and...
• Draught-House(2 Kings 10:27). Jehu ordered the temple of Baal to be destroyed, and the place to be...
• Drawer of Water(Deut. 29:11; Josh. 9:21, 23), a servile employment to which the Gibeonites were condemned.
• DreamGod has frequently made use of dreams in communicating his will to men. The most...
• Dredge(Job 24:6). See CORN.
• Dregs(Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22), the lees of wine which settle at the bottom of the vessel.
• Dress(1.) Materials used. The earliest and simplest an apron of fig-leaves sewed together...
• DrinkThe drinks of the Hebrews were water, wine, “strong drink,” and vinegar. Their...
• Drink, Strong(Heb. shekar’), an intoxicating liquor (Judg. 13:4; Luke 1:15; Isa. 5:11; Micah 2:11)...
• Drink-OfferingConsisted of wine (Num. 15:5; Hos. 9:4) poured around the altar (Ex. 30:9). Joined...
• Dromedary(Isa. 60:6), an African or Arabian species of camel having only one hump, while the...
• DropsyMentioned only in Luke 14:2. The man afflicted with it was cured by Christ on the Sabbath.
• DrossThe impurities of silver separated from the one in the process of melting (Prov. 25:4;...
• DroughtFrom the middle of May to about the middle of August the land of Palestine is dry. It...
• Drown(Ex. 15:4; Amos 8:8; Heb. 11:29). Drowning was a mode of capital punishment in use...
• DrunkThe first case of intoxication on record is that of Noah (Gen. 9:21). The sin of...
• DrusillaThird and youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I. (Acts 12:1-4, 20-23). Felix, the Roman...
• DukeDerived from the Latin dux, meaning “a leader;” Arabic, “a sheik.” This word is used...
• Dulcimer(Heb. sumphoniah), a musical instrument mentioned in Dan. 3:5, 15, along with other...
• DumahSilence, (comp. Ps. 94:17), the fourth son of Ishmael; also the tribe descended from...
• DumbFrom natural infirmity (Ex. 4:11); not knowing what to say (Prov. 31:8); unwillingness...
• Dung(1.) Used as manure (Luke 13:8); collected outside the city walls (Neh. 2:13). Of...
• Dung-Gate(Neh. 2:13), a gate of ancient Jerusalem, on the south-west quarter. “The gate outside...
• Dung-HillTo sit on a, was a sign of the deepest dejection (1 Sam. 2:8; Ps. 113:7; Lam. 4:5).
• DungeonDifferent from the ordinary prison in being more severe as a place of punishment. Like...
• DuraThe circle, the plain near Babylon in which Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image,...
• DustStorms of sand and dust sometimes overtake Eastern travellers. They are very dreadful,...
• DwarfA lean or emaciated person (Lev. 21:20).
• DwellTents were in primitive times the common dwellings of men. Houses were afterwards...
• DwellingsThe materials used in buildings were commonly bricks, sometimes also stones (Lev....
• DyeThe art of dyeing is one of great antiquity, although no special mention is made of it...