Bible Dictionary
Explore biblical people, places, events, objects, ideas, and other terms. Search the dictionary directly, browse alphabetically, or narrow the list by category or Testament.
Decalogue
Law & Covenant - Both
The Decalogue, meaning “ten words,” is the name given to the Ten Commandments God gave Israel through Moses. They were written on stone tablets and form a foundational summary of God’s covenant law.
Decapolis
Places & Geography - New Testament
The Decapolis was a league or district of ten predominantly Greek cities east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. It is mentioned in the ministry of Jesus and in the travels of His followers.
DECAY
Agriculture & Daily Life - Both
Decay means deterioration, weakening, or gradual destruction. In biblical translations it may describe physical wasting, the decline of a structure, or the passing away of an earlier covenant order.
DECEASE, IN NEW TESTAMENT
Death & Afterlife - New Testament
In the New Testament, decease means death or departure from this earthly life. The related expression “departure” can portray death as an exit or exodus from the present life.
DECEIT
Sin & Judgment - Both
Deceit is the intentional misleading or beguiling of another person. Scripture treats it as a form of wickedness associated with falsehood, hatred, theft, covetousness, adultery, and murder.
DECENTLY
Worship & Prayer - New Testament
Decently, in 1 Corinthians 14:40, means in a becoming, orderly, and reverent manner. It describes proper conduct in public Christian worship rather than merely outward modesty.
DECISION
Government & Society - Both
A decision is a judgment or settled determination about a matter. In Scripture, decisions were made by patriarchs, judges, kings, councils, or sometimes by casting lots while seeking God’s direction.
Decision, Valley of
Prophecy - Old Testament
The Valley of Decision is another name for the Valley of Jehoshaphat in Joel’s prophecy. It represents the place where God judges and decisively deals with the nations opposed to Him.
DECLINE
Agriculture & Daily Life - Old Testament
To decline may mean to turn aside, especially from a right path, or to decrease as the sun and shadows move toward evening. Scripture uses both literal and figurative senses of the word.
Decrees of God
God - Both
The decrees of God are His eternal, wise, holy, sovereign, and unchangeable purposes concerning all that comes to pass. They include both the ends He appoints and the means, conditions, and causes through which they are fulfilled.
Dedan
People & Groups - Old Testament
Dedan was the name of two men in the genealogies: a son of Raamah and a son of Jokshan, Abraham’s son by Keturah. Their descendants became pastoral or trading peoples associated with Arabia and neighboring regions.
Dedanim
People & Groups - Old Testament
The Dedanim were descendants of Dedan, known as traveling merchants and traders. Isaiah associates them with caravans in Arabia, while Ezekiel lists them among those who supplied Tyre with valuable goods.
DEDICATION, FEAST OF
Festivals & Holy Days - Inter-testament
The Feast of Dedication was an eight-day Jewish festival beginning on the twenty-fifth of Kislev. It commemorated Judas Maccabeus’s cleansing and rededication of the temple and altar after their defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes.
Dedication, Feast of the
Festivals & Holy Days - New Testament
The Feast of Dedication, later known as Hanukkah, commemorated the cleansing and rededication of the Jerusalem temple after its defilement by Antiochus Epiphanes. It lasted eight days and is mentioned in the New Testament during Jesus’ ministry.
DEED
Christian Life - Both
A deed is an act, work, or action. Depending on the context, Scripture uses it for ordinary conduct, God’s works, or wicked practices and offenses.
Deep
Death & Afterlife - Both
In Scripture, the deep can mean the grave or abyss, the depths of the sea, the primeval watery waste, or the bottomless pit. Its meaning depends on the passage and may describe either earthly depths or the realm of judgment.
Deer
Agriculture & Daily Life - Both
Deer and related animals such as the roe deer, fallow deer, ibex, and gazelle appear in biblical descriptions and lists of animals. They are especially used as images of grace, beauty, swiftness, and life in the wilderness.
DEFER
Agriculture & Daily Life - Both
To defer means to postpone or put off until a later time. Biblical usage may describe an indefinite postponement, a definite delay, or a temporary waiting period.
DEFY
Government & Society - Old Testament
To defy means to taunt or challenge someone to combat, as Goliath challenged Israel. In another Old Testament context, the word is better understood as declaring or denouncing.
DEGENERATE
Sin & Judgment - Old Testament
Degenerate describes something that has turned from its original quality into an inferior or corrupt form. Jeremiah uses the image of Judah as a noble vine that became the growth of a foreign vine.
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