an overmatched person or group and a much stronger opponent in a contest or struggle
—The little boy is fighting a David and Goliath battle against the owners of the department store who say he can’t sell cookies in front of their building.

One of the Israelites’ enemies was the Philistines. Once, when the Israelite and Philistine armies were facing each other, a Philistine champion named Goliath came forward and challenged the Israelites to send a representative to fight him. Goliath was over 3 meters tall, and the Israelite soldiers were afraid of him. But a Jewish shepherd boy, David, trusted that God would help him defeat Goliath. With only a sling and five stones, he faced the giant, saying,

You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied! This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. (1 Samuel 17:45,46)

David slung a stone at the Philistine, striking him on the forehead. Goliath fell down, and David used the giant’s own sword to kill him. David became famous for his bravery and his devotion to God, later leading Israel as king. Goliath, on the other hand, is remembered mainly for his size. The name Goliath is now often used for someone or something that is very large or powerful, especially when compared to a smaller, weaker opponent.

to be in complete agreement with another; to have the same desires as another
—Joe said his plans for Saturday are to sleep in and then watch TV in bed all day. Ahhhh. He’s a man after my own heart.

After Joshua, the leader of Israel, died, the Israelites were led by a series of judges, but the people wanted a king instead. God selected Saul to be their ruler, but Saul soon turned away from God and disobeyed him. The prophet Samuel told Saul,

You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed the commandment that the Lord your God gave you. Had you done that, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever! But now your kingdom will not continue! The Lord has sought out for himself a man who is loyal to him [after his own heart—KJV] and the Lord has appointed him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you. (1 Samuel 13:13,14)

The one God chose to be the next king was the boy David. Many years later, while giving a review of Jewish history, the Apostle Paul quoted God as saying the following about him:

I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my heart [after mine own heart], who will accomplish everything I want him to do. (Acts 13:22)

to destroy oneself while destroying one’s enemies
—I told the head of the company, “If you insist on exposing the faults of the board of directors, you’re going to close down the whole company and end up pulling the temple down on your head.

Because of the Israelites’ sin, God allowed them to be occupied by their enemies, the Philistines, for a time. It was during this period that Samson became judge of Israel. Samson vowed never to cut his hair as a sign of devotion to God, and in return, God gave him great strength. Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, and the Philistines used her to trick Samson into revealing the source of his strength. They shaved his head while he was sleeping and made him their prisoner, gouging out his eyes and binding him with chains. Later, they made a sacrifice to their god Dagon and brought Samson to the temple to celebrate his capture. Samson asked to stand next to the building’s support pillars.

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Samson took hold of the two middle pillars that supported the temple and he leaned against them, with his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He pushed hard, and the temple collapsed on the rulers and all the people in it. (Judges 16: 28-30)

As the Philistines were seen in the Bible as enemies of the truth, today, an uncultured or ignorant person might be called a philistine. Also, a strong man might be a Samson, and a treacherous woman a Delilah.

a word, phrase, pronunciation, or habit that distinguishes who is or isn’t part of a particular group; a common slogan or belief that many think is not valid
—My grandfather’s generation still believes the old shibboleth that “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Moses died before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, and Joshua took over as their leader. He then led the people into Canaan, where they fought with the residents of the area, taking control of the land. These battles lasted for many generations, and during this time, the Israelites even fought amongst themselves. When the Israelite were led by the judge Jephthah, he led the men of Gilaed in defeat of the Ammonite tribe. The Jews of Ephraim crossed the Jordan River and confronted Jephthah because they were angry with him for not asking for their help in the battle. They threatened the Gileadites, and Jephthah responded by gathering his men and fighting against the men of Ephraim. When the Ehpraimites tried to escape by crossing back over the Jordan, the Gileadites stopped them—but they could not identify them by sight. Instead they had to listen for their accents:

The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan River opposite Ephraim. Whenever an Ephraimite fugitive said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead asked him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” then they said to him, “Say ‘Shibboleth!’” If he said, “Sibboleth” (and could not pronounce the word correctly), they grabbed him and executed him right there at the fords of the Jordan. On that day forty-two thousand Ephraimites fell dead. (Judges 12:5,6)

The meaning of the Hebrew word shibboleth is “a flowing stream, an ear or head of grain, or branches,” but the meaning was not important—only that the Ephraimites could not pronounce the sh sound.

someone or something cherished or highly valued
—He can’t stop smiling when he sees his baby daughter. She’s the apple of his eye.

It seems that the pupil of the eye was once thought to be a solid sphere, like a round fruit. And apple was once a general name for fruits of many kinds. Therefore, long ago, apple was another name for the pupil.

Speaking about God’s love for Jacob (Israel), Moses said,

For the Lord’s allotment is his people,

Jacob is his special possession.

The Lord found him in a desolate land,

in an empty wasteland where animals howl.

He continually guarded him and taught him;

he continually protected him like the pupil of his eye [the apple of his eye—KJV]. (Deuteronomy 32:9,10)

The original Hebrew version of this phrase can be translated literally as “little man in the eye,” probably referring to the small reflection a person can see of himself when looking into someone else’s eye. Pupil comes from a Latin word with the similar meaning of “little doll.”

something that persistently bothers, irritates, or causes pain
—I like all of the committee members except Jason. He disagrees with everything I say and has really become a thorn in my side.

As the Israelites entered Canaan, God told them to force out all the people living there:

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, then those whom you allow to remain will be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your side [thorns in your sides—KJV], and will cause you trouble in the land where you will be living (Numbers 33:55).

Much later, Paul uses a similar phrase to describe a personal problem. After writing about a vision that he received from God, he continues,

In the New Testament, Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthian church that he has seen a vision from God but adds that it would be wrong for him to boast or become proud:

Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me—so that I would not become arrogant. I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

Though there have been many ideas about what Paul’s “thorn” is, Paul does not say.

to fail miserably
—If you don’t practice enough before giving your speech, you’ll fall flat on your face in front of everyone.

When the Israelites reached the end of their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land, before entering Canaan, they camped in the plains of Moab. Balak, King of Moab, was afraid of them and called on Balaam, a pagan diviner, to curse them. God told Balaam not to do it, and when Balaam rode his donkey to see the king, God’s angel blocked his path. Though Balaam could not see the angel, the donkey could and turned away. Balaam was angry and beat the donkey three times. God gave the donkey the ability to speak, and he asked Balaam why he had beaten him.

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; so he bowed his head and threw himself down with his face to the ground [fell flat on his face—KJV]. (Numbers 22:31)

When Balaam “fell flat on his face” it was to show humility in the presence of a great power, which is much different from the current meaning of the phrase.

God allowed Balaam to continue his journey to see Balak but told him to speak only the words God would say to him. Therefore, Balaam spoke blessings on the Isarelites, rather than curses.

a time off from work, often used for studying, writing, doing research, or traveling
—My professor will not be teaching next year. He’s taking a sabbatical to finish writing his book.

The fourth of the Ten Commandments told the Israelites to keep the sabbath holy. The sabbath was the seventh day of the week, or Saturday, and it was a special day for rest and worship. But the Lord told them that in the Promised Land they should observe a sabbath year, as well. During this seventh year, all debts were to be canceled and the land allowed to rest:

When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath [sabbath—KJV] to the Lord. Six years you may sow your field, and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather the produce, but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest—a Sabbath to the Lord. You must not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick the grapes of your unpruned vines; the land must have a year of complete rest. (Leviticus 25:2-5)

At the end of seven sabbath years, God also added a “year of jubilee.” The rules for this fiftieth year were much like the sabbath year, but in addition, any land sold in the previous 49 years was to be returned to the original owner. The word jubilee comes from the Hebrew word for ram’s horn, which was blown like a trumpet on the Day of Atonement to announce the beginning of the year of jubilee. The Lord said,

You must sound loud horn blasts—in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, on the Day of Atonement—you must sound the horn in your entire land. So you must consecrate the fiftieth year, and you must proclaim a release in the land for all its inhabitants. That year will be your jubilee; each one of you must return to his property and each one of you must return to his clan. That fiftieth year will be your jubilee; you must not sow the land, harvest its aftergrowth, or pick the grapes of its unpruned vines. (Leviticus 25:9-11)

Today,  jubilee can be used for any anniversary or celebration.

scapegoat

someone who is blamed for another’s wrongdoing
—The teacher refused to be made the scapegoat for the students poor grades.

sacrificial lamb

someone who is blamed for another’s wrongs in order to save the guilty person; a person or group headed for certain defeat or destruction, often in order to bring about a greater good
—I know our party needs to put a candidate up against the president. But he’s unbeatable, and I won’t be a sacrificial lamb.

God gave Moses instructions on how the people were to give their offerings and sacrifices. For instance, he told Moses how Aaron, as the high priest, was to perform the ceremonies for the Day of Atonement:

Aaron is to cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and one lot for Azazel [the scapegoat—KJV]. Aaron must then present the goat which has been designated by lot for the Lord, and he is to make it a sin offering, but the goat which has been designated by lot for Azazel is to be stood alive before the Lord to make atonement on it by sending it away to Azazel into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:8-10)

When he has finished purifying the holy place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar, he is to present the live goat. Aaron is to lay his two hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the Israelites and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins, and thus he is to put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man standing ready. The goat is to bear on itself all their iniquities into an inaccessible land, so he is to send the goat away in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:20-22)

The second goat above was “for Azazel.” Azazel is a Hebrew word that is difficult to translate. Some translators believe that it is a combination of words meaning “goat” and “to go away.” This gives us “the goat that escapes,” or scapegoat. Some believe that azazel represents the idea of “complete removal.” Others believe that it was the name of an area in the wilderness. And still others believe that it was the name of a demon in the desert, or even the name of the devil. In all of these cases, the act of sending out the goat symbolized that the people’s sins were removed far from them and from God. The Jews also gave other kinds of offerings to God, such as grain and lambs at harvest time for the Feast of Firstfruits:

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am about to give to you and you gather in its harvest, then you must bring the sheaf of the first portion [firstfruits—KJV] of your harvest to the priest, and he must wave the sheaf before the Lord to be accepted for your benefit—on the day after the Sabbath the priest is to wave it. On the day you wave the sheaf you must also offer a flawless yearling lamb for a burnt offering to the Lord. . . . (Leviticus 23:9-12)

Firstfruits were the earliest crops harvested each season. Now, first fruits can be the first results of any effort.

something, such as wealth, that is pursued as if it were the object of worship; something that is greatly honored or revered
—Too many people chase after the golden calf of riches, only to find that it doesn’t make them truly happy.

While receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days. This seemed too long for the Israelites, and they gave up on Moses and God:

When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!”

So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. He accepted the gold from them, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:1-4)

Today, to “worship the golden calf” or “bow down to the golden calf” is to love money so much that one abandon’s his principles and chases after it.

God told Moses to go down from the mountain and said,

I have seen this people. Look what a stiff-necked  [stiffnecked—KJV] people they are! So now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation (Exodus 32:9,10)

Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the people, and God decided spare them.

Having a stiff neck means to be rebellious, proud, or stubborn. A stiff-necked person is like a horse that goes its own way, not willing to point its head in the right direction when it’s rider wants it to turn. Having this kind of a stiff neck is similar to having a “hard heart,” another phrase found in the Bible. God later told the Israelites:

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

The modern meaning of heart of stone is “to no sympathy or compassion for others.”

When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the Israelites worshipping the idol they had made, he became so angry that he threw down the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, breaking them. Even though God had chosen not to destroy all the people, as punishment, he did have about 3,000 of them killed and punished the rest of the people with a disease. Moses then went back up the mountain, where God gave him a new copy of the Ten Commandments.