Gabbatha (gab'a-tha), the open courtyard, or pavement, in front of the judgment hall of Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem: John 19:13.

galbanum (gal'ba-nam), an aromatic but bad-tasting gum resin obtained from a variety of fennel growing in Syria and Persia: it was one of the principal ingredients of holy oil with which priests were anointed (Ex. 30:34).

gall (gol), 1. a bitter, greenish fluid secreted by the liver; figuratively, venomous hatred directed against that which is good: Job 16:13; 20:25. 2. a bitter herb, perhaps the poppy, growing in Palestine: its juice (water of gall) was sometimes drunk as a punishment (Jer. 8:14; 9:15) and sometimes mixed with vinegar or wine forming a narcotic-like drink to be given to the condemned to alleviate the suffering of crucifixion (Matt. 27:34); hence, 3. anything painful or bitter to endure: Acts 8:23.

gallant ship, a mighty warship: Isa.33:21.

 garland (gar'land), a wreath of flowers, leaves, etc., used in heathen sacrifices (Acts 14:13): it Was to be placed about the neck of the victim to be sacrificed, about the neck of th priests a ministering the ceremony, or on the idol to whom the sacrifice was being made.

garner (gar'nar), a place for storing granary: Joel 1:17; Matt. 3:12.

garrison (gar'i-san), 1. a fortified place where troops are stationed; military post; I Sam. 14: 12. 2. troops stationed in such  a place, usually on frontiers as a defense against invasion: I Sam. 13:3.

gat (gat), past tense of get; got: I Kings 1:1; Eccles. 2:8.

gazingstock (ga'zing-stok), a condemned person stared at as an object of ridicule: Nab. 3:6; Heb. 10:33.

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Gehenna (gi-hen'a) the valley of the son of Hinnom (Josh. 15:8), near Jerusalem, where some Hebrew monarchs made human sacrifices to the god Molech (II ChI. 28:3). Later, possibly to discourage consideration of it as a sacred place, the people were persuaded to dump their garbage and other refuse there: this practice necessitated the burning of fires in the valley to destroy the fly-infested filth: be- cause of its abhorrent appearance it be- came a symbol for the fires of hell where the wicked are to be punished after the Last Judgment. By New Testament times it came to mean "hell" (Matt. 10:28) or "hell fire" (Matt. 5:22). "Gehenna" does not appear in the Authorized Version: it is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Ge Hinnom," valley of Hinnom.

gender (jen'dar), 1. to produce (offspring); breed: Lev. 19:19. 2. to be the source of; cause: II Tim. 2:23.

genealogy (je-ne-al'a-je), a recorded history of the descent of a person or family from an ancestor or ancestors, kept for purposes of determining inheritance, proving the right of succession to office, maintaining the family honor, tracing the influences of intermarriage, etc.: I Chr. 5:1; Neh. 7:5.

General Epistles, the epistles of the New Testament that are addressed to no church, group, or individual in particular and are concerned with broad, general problems (except I and II John) rather than local issues: for these reasons they were considered by many to be directed to the universal ( or catholic) Christian Church. Seven epistles fall into this group: James, I and II Peter, I, II, and III John, and Jude: all carry the word General in the title, except I and II John. Labeled the Catholic Epistles by the early Church.

generation (jen-a-ra'shan), 1. a person who is an offspring or descendant of a certain ancestor or family: Gen. 10:1; 11:10. 2. the period of time between the birth of a single group in the succession of natural descent and the birth of the next: Deut. 32:7; !sa. 58:12; Col. 1:26. 3. all of the people born at about the same time or living in the same period of time: Matt. 24:34; Phil. 2: 15. 4. any group of people having a common quality or qualities: Matt. 3:7; I Pet. 2:9.

Gentile (jen'til), any nation other than Israel or any people other than the Jews: originally, anyone of a nation which had not accepted God: Isa. 49:6; Ezek.4:13; Matt. 20:19; Acts 4:27.

gerah (ge'ra), a Hebrew weight, equal to 1/20 of a shekel: Lev. 27:25.

Gethsemane (geth-sem'a-ne), a garden near Jerusalem, traditionally considered to be across the Kidron, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives: site of the betrayal and arrest of Jesus: Matt. 26:36; Mark 14:32. The garden was probably an olive tree grove which could have had an oil press: this would account for the name Gethsemane which, according to many scholars, can be literally translated from the Aramaic as "oil press."

ghost (gost), the spirit: used only in the phrases give up the ghost (Jer. 15:9)

yield up the ghost (Gen. 49:33) meaning "to die." See also Holy Ghost.

giant (ji'ant), a person of great size and strength; member of any of several tribes of men living in and about Palestine, who were thought to be the offspring, and descendants of the offspring, of the sons of God and the daughters of men (Gen. 6: 1-4). The tribes designated as giants included the Rephaim (Gen. 14:5), of which Og, king of Bashan, was a member (Deut. 3:11), the Anakims (Deut. 9:2), the Emims (Deut. 2:10,11), and the Zamzummims (Deut. 2:20). There were also giants among the Philistines (II Sam. 21:16), especially Goliath (I Sam. 17:4). The term may also have been used simply to describe strong and courageous men.

gier eagle (jer), a bird of prey of an undetermined species (Lev. 11:18; Deut. 14:17): most authorities are of the opinion that it was a kind of vulture.

gift (gift), 1. something given; present: in this sense, "gift" in the Authorized Version is intended to convey the same meaning as the word does today: Num. 8:19; Provo 21:14; Ezek. 46:16. 2. a grace or divine influence given to a person through the influence of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 12:4-8; I Cor. 12:27-29): these gifts, as the gift of prophecy (I Cor. 13:2), the gift of healing (I Cor. 12:9), etc., were bestowed upon the ministers of God who were to go out into His kingdom and do His work according to their designated gifts (Eph. 4:8-14).

gimel (gim'al), the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet: it appears at the beginning of the third section of Psalm 119.

gin (jin), 1. a snare or trap, probably consisting of a noose hidden on the ground to encircle the legs of the victim: used to capture animals, birds, and men: Amos 3:5. 2. figuratively, anything, as a sin, that may entangle one: Ps. 141:9.

gird (glird), to encircle with a belt, band, or girdle (an apron like garment worn about the loins, Ex. 29:9); tie or strap one's robes or weapons to the body so as to allow one to move more freely: II Sam. 20:8; I Kings 20:32.

girt (gurt), to fasten with a girdle, belt, strap, etc.; gird: II Kings 1:8; John 21:7.

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glean (glen), to collect the crop left in a field or vineyard by the regular reapers and vintagers: the owner of the land was instructed to leave for the poor people and strangers, those crops ( as grain and grapes) that the harvesters had failed to gather: Lev. 19:10; Jer. 49:9.

glede (gled), the common kite (a kind of hawk) of Europe, a bird of prey: Deut. 14:13.

glister (glis'tar), to shine with a sparkling light; glitter; gleam: I Chr. 29:2; Luke 9:29.

glorify (glor'a-fi), 1. to give glory to; : make full of glory: John .13:32; 17:1. 2. to honor; praise greatly, as God, by being obedient to His will: II Cor. 9:13. 3. to make splendid or magnificent by giving  Christian qualities to: Rom. 8:30.

glory (glor'e), 1. the condition of highest achievement, splendor, wealth, etc.: used in referring to man: Isa. 8:1; Matt. 6:29. 2. anything bringing about this condition in a man or in a nation, especially possessions, either material or spiritual: Ps. 16:9; 49:16. 3. great honor and admiration: when used in speaking of God, it is a recognition of his supreme excellence and divine perfections ( Ps. 19:1; John 11:4), and when applied to man, it is an acknowledgment that he has achieved righteousness (Jer. 13:11). 4. the physical manifestation of God's glory, often in the form of a dazzling light (Ezek. 1:28; Luke 2:9): such heavenly brightness was looked upon as a sign of the presence of God or of heavenly beings (II Cor. 3:18; cf. Luke 9:31,32).

gnash (nash), to grind or strike (the teeth) together: used in the phrases gnash upon one with teeth and gnashing of teeth which express feelings of anger (Ps. 35:16; Lam. 2:16) or maddening sorrow (Matt. 13:42; Luke 13:28).

goad (god), a long pole with a sharp point at one end, used for driving or prodding oxen, and, often, having a shovel-like attachment at the other end for removing caked earth from the plow (Judg. 3:31; I Sam. 13:21): used figuratively for anything that prods or stirs one into action (Eccles. 12:11).

goats' hair, the hair of goats, woven into a coarse fabric which was made into garments, curtains, tent cloth, etc., or was used for filling pillows: Ex. 26:7; I Sam. 19:13.

godhead (god'hed), 1. God: Acts 17: 29. 2. the divine quality of God; divinity: Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9.

godliness (god'le-nis), the quality or state of being godly; especially, loyalty and devotion to God, and the love for one's fellow man that is a result of such an attitude: I Tim. 4:7,8; Tit. 1:1.

godly (god'le), 1. in God's way; according to how God would have it carried out: II Cor. 7:9,10,11. 2. of, from, or as if from God: Mal. 2:15; I Tim. 1:4. 3. devoted to God; pious; devout: Tit. 2: 12; II Pet. 2:9. 4. having, feeling, or showing mercy; merciful: Ps. 4:3; 32:6.

God-ward (god'ward), before God (Ex. 18:19) or toward God (II Cor. 3:4).

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Gog and Magog (gog/ma'gog), a symbolic representation of the forces of evil Ang and heathenism that are to oppose God, new His people, and the establishment of His kingdom (Rev. 20:8): probably derived from "Gog," prince of "Magog" (see Ezek. 8:2; 39:1), a tribe north of Israel, which was hostile to the Israelites; however, "Gog" and "Magog" may represent the same person or tribe.

goings (go'ingz), 1. steps, or the action of stepping: Job 34:21. 2. courses or manners of conduct or procedure; paths: Isa. 59:8. 3. movements: II Sam. 5:24. -goings out of borders, coasts, etc., boundary; border: Num. 34: 5,8,9,12. 

Golgotha (gol'ga-tha), the place near Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified and entombed (Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17): "Golgotha" is derived from a Hebrew word meaning "skull": there are several theories given for the reasons this place was so named: the most likely is that it was a knoll or mound in a shape of a skull; other theories given some consideration are that it was a burial ground with many uncovered skulls lying about or a common location for executions.

Gomorrah (ga-mor'a), a city on the plain of Jordan, that was destroyed together with a neighboring city, Sodom, by earthquake and subsequent fire sent down from heaven by God because of the wickedness of its citizens (Gen. 19:24): referred to later on in the Old and New Testaments as an example of sin and God's punishment (Isa. 1:9; Matt. 10:15).

goodman (good 'man), a husband or master of a household: Provo 7:19; Matt. 12:35.

gopher wood (go'far), the wood that Noah's ark was made of, believed to be some kind of pine or fir: Gen.6:14.

gospel (gos'pal), 1. the message that Jesus Christ has given to the world, as spread through his teachings and the teachings of His Apostles: the history of  the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus conveys the "good news" that God has provided a means of salvation for mankind through His son ( Mark 1:1,15). Gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon godspell, meaning "good news" or "good story" which was the meaning of (the original Greek word, euaggelion. 2. the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles: Rom. .10:16; Col. 1.:5. 3. Gospel, any of the first four books of the New Testament: this meaning does not appear in the Bible; it did not come into usage until the second century A.D.

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governor (guv'ar-nar), 1. a person appointed to rule over a dependency, province, etc.: Gen. 42:6; Matt. 27:2. 2. a
person having the authority to rule over anything: I Kings 18:3; I Chr. 24:5. 3. a person who watches, protects, cares for, or defends another person; guardian: Gal. 4:2. 4. a person who steers a ship; steersman: James 3:4.

grace (gras), 1. unmerited love and favor of God toward man; the quality of God that leads Him to bestow eternal blessings on man and provide salvation from sin on the only condition that he exercise faith in Christ: Rom. 11:6; Eph. 2:5. 2. divine influence acting in man to make him pure and morally strong and enabling him to persevere in leading the Christian life: Acts 20:32; II Cor. 9:14. 3. an expression of gratitude or thanksgiving for a favor received: I Cor. 10:30. 4. joy and gladness: used in a greeting, as grace be to you and peace from God: II Cor. 1:2; Col. 1:3. -fall from grace, to act wickedly; do wrong; sin (Gal. 5:4).

graff (graf), to graft, or insert a shoot or bud of one tree into the stem or trunk of another, where it continues to grow, becoming a permanent part: used by Paul (Rom. 11:17,19,23,24), in allusion to the fact that wild olive trees produce good fruit only through grafting, to point out that Christians can become new and better individuals if they are implanted, or grafted, into Christ, that is, Christianity or the Church.

grate (grat), a framework of bronze bars on an altar, for holding the sacrifice and, probably, for allowing the blood to pass through the network into a receptacle: Ex. 35:16; 38:4.

grave (grav), 1. to shape by carving; sculpture: II Chr. 2:7,14. 2. to engrave; cut or carve letters or designs into a surface: Ex. 28:9.

graveclothes (grav'kloz ), the clothes in which a dead body is buried: John 11:44.

graving tool, a carving tool used by a sculptor or engraver, for shaping and designing wood, stone, or metal: Aaron used a graving tool to fashion the golden calf: Ex. 32:4.

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great owl, a large bird the flesh of which was not to be eaten (Lev. 11:17): it was probably not an owl, but more likely an ibis.

Grecian (gre'shan), 1. a native or inhabitant of Greece; Greek: Joel 3:6.. 2. a Jew who spoke Greek, especially one
interested in Greek culture: distinguished from one who spoke Aramaic and was a more conservative group: Acts 9:29.

greyhound (gra'hound), a strutting, decorated war horse or, probably, if the Greek word of the Septuagint is taken (and many consider it more reliable colorful male bird: Prov. 30:31.

grisled (grizld), streaked with gray: Gen. 31:10; Zech. 6:3.

grove (grov), a wooden pillar or sacred tree erected or planted (Deut. 16:21) on a high place beside the altar of a pagan Canaanite goddess of fertility, Asherah, associated with Baal (I Kings 18: 19): it was the symbol of the goddess thought to give life and, perhaps, an emblem of life itself surviving from the ancient tree worship. These pillars were symbols of idolatry and the worship of foreign gods, which were to be cut down (Ex. 34: I3) or burned (Deut. 12:3): their destruction was encouraged by the prophets (Isa. 27:9; Mic. 5:14) who considered the elimination of the groves one step in the direction of abolishing such idolatrous worship.

guilt (gilt), conduct that involves wrongdoing; crime; sin: Deut. 19:13; 21:9.

guilt offering, an offering to God made by one who had unintentionally sinned, as by destroying another's property or by violating an ordinance of God (Lev. 5:17): the offering consisted of a ram and an additional fine, or, in the case of property loss, repayment for the full value of the property, plus one fifth to be given to the priest.

guilty ( gil'te), having done wrong or committed an offense, either legal or moral; deserving blame or punishment: the
wrongdoing may have taken place wittingly or unwittingly (Lev. 4: 13). It may be shared individually or collectively
(Rom. 3: 19), in the sense that all mankind has offended God and is therefore under condemnation.

gutter (gut'ar), a drinking trough for cattle or sheep: Gen. 30:38,40.
 

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