Reference · All Five Books
The words, places, and ideas that unlock these books. Start typing to filter the list.
Words to Know
Steadfast, committed love that goes beyond what is owed. The Old Testament's favorite word for how God loves His people, and the heartbeat of the book of Ruth.
See it in Ruth →The nearest relative responsible to buy back a family member's lost land, freedom, or family line. Boaz is the go'el who redeems Ruth, a living picture of Christ our Redeemer.
See it in Ruth →Something irrevocably set apart for God, often by destruction. The "ban" placed on certain Canaanite cities in the conquest, and the command Saul violated with the Amalekites.
See it in Joshua →The Hebrew name behind both Joshua and Jesus. The man who led Israel into the promised land shares the name of the One who leads His people into an eternal one.
See it in Joshua →The memorial stone Samuel set up after a victory at Mizpah, saying, "Till now the Lord has helped us." A marker of gratitude for God's faithfulness so far.
See it in 1 Samuel →A person consecrated to God by a special vow that included not cutting the hair, avoiding wine, and not touching the dead. Samson was a lifelong Nazirite who broke nearly every part of it.
See it in Judges →The storm-and-fertility god and goddess of Canaan. Chasing after "the Baals" is the recurring sin that begins every cycle in the book of Judges.
See it in Judges →The name Naomi ("pleasant") gives herself in grief after losing her husband and sons: "Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me."
See it in Ruth →The name given to a child born the day the ark was captured and Eli's house fell. A one-word verdict on a nation that had treated God's presence as a good-luck charm.
See it in 1 Samuel →Kings and priests were set apart with oil. David is "the Lord's anointed," which is why he refused to harm Saul. The word becomes the title Messiah, fulfilled in Christ.
See it in 2 Samuel →A solemn, binding bond, often sealed with promises and signs. The thread of these books: God's covenant with Abraham reaches its royal peak in the everlasting covenant with David.
See it in 2 Samuel →Not a courtroom official but a rescuer God raised up to save and lead Israel in a crisis. Twelve of them carry the book of Judges.
See it in Judges →God's law commanded farmers to leave the edges and dropped grain of their fields for the poor, the widow, and the foreigner. Ruth gleaned in Boaz's field under this law.
See it in Ruth →The gold-covered chest that held the tablets of the law and marked the earthly throne of God among His people. Captured by Philistines, later brought by David to Jerusalem.
See it in 2 Samuel →Where harvested grain was beaten and winnowed. The setting of Ruth's bold request to Boaz, and the site (Araunah's floor) David bought where the temple would one day stand.
See it in Ruth →The custom by which a near relative married a childless widow to continue the dead man's name and line. The legal background to Boaz's redemption of Ruth.
See it in Ruth →Places to Know
The river Israel crossed on dry ground to enter the land. The boundary between the wilderness and the promise, and between the eastern and western tribes.
The first and greatest fortress of Canaan, whose walls fell after Israel marched around it. Home of Rahab.
Where the tabernacle stood for generations; where Hannah prayed and young Samuel served. Israel's worship center before Jerusalem.
"House of bread." The home of Boaz and Ruth, the town of David's anointing, and a thousand years later the birthplace of Christ.
Caleb's inheritance and a city of refuge in Joshua; David's first capital, where he reigned over Judah for seven years.
Saul's hometown and royal capital, in the territory of Benjamin. Also the scene of the dark crime that ends the book of Judges.
The Jebusite stronghold David captured and made his capital, the City of David. The heart of Israel's worship and kingship ever after.
The valley where a shepherd boy faced a giant with a sling and five stones, and the army of Israel watched the battle belong to God.
The mountain where Saul and his sons, including Jonathan, fell in their last battle against the Philistines.
The land east of the Dead Sea, often Israel's enemy, where Naomi's family fled the famine and where Ruth was born.
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