World History: 2. Civilizations and Peoples of the Fertile Crescent, Lessons 5–7

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. monotheism
    belief in a single God
    Although their neighbors worshipped many gods, the Israelites practiced monotheism, or the belief that there is only one God.
  2. ethics
    motivation based on ideas of right and wrong
    They believed that God called on them to act based on ethics, or ideas of right and wrong.
  3. covenant
    an agreement between a god and the people
    The Torah says that God then made a covenant, or binding agreement, with Abraham.
  4. eventually
    after an unspecified period of time or a long delay
    Scholars believe that these stories of the patriarchs were passed along by word of mouth for hundreds of years. Eventually, they were written down in Genesis, the first book of the Torah.
  5. compel
    force somebody to do something
    According to the Torah, the pharaoh compelled the Israelites to do harsh work.
  6. exodus
    a journey by a large group to escape from a hostile environment
    The escape of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt is called the Exodus.
  7. commandment
    an order or strict rule imposed by an authority
    The Torah includes laws, among them those known today as the Ten Commandments. A commandment is an order to do something.
  8. prophet
    someone who speaks by divine inspiration
    A prophet is a person believed to be chosen by God as a messenger to bring truth to the people.
  9. commentary
    a written explanation or criticism or illustration
    The Hebrew Bible and commentaries on the Bible are vitally important to Jews.
  10. rabbi
    spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation
    Many centuries after the time of Moses, prominent Jewish rabbis, or religious teachers, recorded oral laws that they believed had come down from the teachings of Moses.
  11. righteousness
    the quality of adhering to moral principles
    Righteousness is acting or living in a way that is ethically right and obeys God's laws.
  12. individual
    being or characteristic of a single thing or person
    Along with individual worth comes individual responsibility to God.
  13. justice
    the quality of being fair, reasonable, or impartial
    They urged people to work for justice—fairness or fair treatment—for everyone.
  14. commission
    place an order for
    David's son Solomon ruled after him. He commissioned the great First Temple in Jerusalem.
  15. exile
    the act of expelling a person from their native land
    Exile means separation from one's homeland.
  16. diaspora
    the body of Jews outside Palestine or modern Israel
    Communities of Jews now lived throughout the Babylonian empire, which stretched across the Fertile Crescent. These communities outside the Land of Israel came to be known as the Diaspora, or communities of Jews living out of their ancient homeland.
  17. reject
    refuse to accept
    One of his advisors planned to kill all the Jews. Esther convinced the Persian king to reject this plan.
  18. synagogue
    the place of worship for a Jewish congregation
    Some Jews had already been used to gathering in a synagogue, or meeting place.
Created on Mon Jun 28 13:50:27 EDT 2021 (updated Fri Jul 02 11:06:50 EDT 2021)

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