This expression is used to point out the beginning and the end of something, the main and basic thing, the essence (in Armenian this expression is used as "Ayb and Fe" or "Ayb and Ke"). This expression is taken from the Book of Revelation of Apostle John.  The author of the last book of the Bible starts his book with the word "revelation." In some languages that word is translated is "apocalypsis," which comes from Greek. For the contemporary reader, this word has gained an absolutely specific, even ominous meaning.

This expression is used as a symbol of wealth, gold, power of money, and from here come the expressions "the golden calf worship" and "dance around the golden calf." "Golden calf" was used in the metaphorical sense by the German writer Rudolf von Gottschall and Russian writers Ilf and Petrov as a title of their works. It is taken from the Bible, Chapter 32 of the Book of Exodus.

This expression is used with the following meaning – not to care about the development of one's own abilities, not to use them, ruin them. In ancient times, the word "talent" was used with the meaning of scale (balance), a measure of weight, then to show large amount of money, monetary measure, and only subsequently it became the synonym for human unusual abilities in any sphere.

The biblical name Cain has become a common name, to point out a cruel man, a criminal, a villain and a murderer, and "the Mark of Cain" is used in the meaning of a sign or trace of crime.

This phrase is taken from the Ten Commandments of God. The commandment of honoring parents and adults in general has a universal significance and has a long history.

This expression is used to indicate an extreme poverty and means a poor man in a miserable condition. Jesus tells the parable of poor Lazarus in the Gospel according to Luke.

The meaning of this expression is that allegedly children get punished for the actions of their parents. It is taken from Chapter 18 of the Book of Ezekiel: “The Lord’s word came to Ezekiel and said: What do you mean by this proverb of yours about the land of Israel: “When parents eat unripe grapes, the children’s teeth suffer”? As surely as I live, says the Lord God, no longer will you use this proverb in Israel! All lives are mine; the life of the parent and the life of the child belong to Me. Only the one who sins will die.”

This biblical expression is taken from the Book of Ezekiel, Chapter 16, verse 44. There are other such expressions also: “See the mother, take her daughter”; “The fruit does not fall far from the tree.” The Book of Ezekiel reflects one of the crucial episodes of the history of Israel. In Chapter 16, Israel is presented in the image of adulteress, who went with Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. The love of God toward people is often likened to the love between husband and wife. But unlike human marital relationships where a husband can send away or even hate his disloyal wife, God is patient and merciful.

This biblical expression means fair and fast judgment that, at first glance, has a rather queer verdict. The son and heir of David, Solomon, ruled in 1015 – 975 BCE. The first manifestation of his wisdom is described in the 3rd chapter of the 3rd Book of Kings.

In Chapter 20 of the Book of Prophet Ezekiel, God says, “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.” In the Bible, the notion of rod or staff is associated with the shepherd. In the days of patriarchs, the ancestors of Jews were engaged in cattle breeding and used to lead a nomadic life; therefore, the Holy Scripture conveys numerous pictures of pastoral life.
 

We think about this biblical expression, leafing again through the pages of the Book of Job. The readers of this book are aware that its theme is the sorrow. What is the origin of suffering, and what is its reason? Or, if to take it more personally, why has this exact anguish happened right to me?

And finally, “what to do when sorrow visits me” – the answer to this question comes from the depths of the thoughts of Job wounded by sorrow and confusion and gets revealed in his speeches in the form of poems (Chapters 3-31).

This expression has the following meaning – to have a humble obedience during any bereavement. This biblical expression is taken from the Book of Job and we are going to dedicate two episodes to our reflections on it. The readers of the Book of Job are aware that the theme of it is anguish. What is the problem of anguish? Many of us ask why there is suffering in our life? Where does it come from, and what is the reason of it?

This expression is used in everyday life as an unresponded word, a call, or word without proper attention. In the days of the preaching of John the Baptist, Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to find out who John was, whether he was the Christ or a prophet, or maybe Elijah.

John gave negative answers to their questions. They asked, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John replied, “I am a voice crying out in the wilderness, “Make the Lord’s path straight” just as the prophet Isaiah said.”

This expression is used in the following sense: to refuse some responsibility, not to get involved, not to take part in something. The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27:11-26, describes the trial of Jesus by the Roman court. Pilate asked, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify him!” Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was starting. So he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I’m innocent of this man’s blood,” he said, “It’s your problem.” All the people replied, “Let his blood be on us and on our children.”

It’s a place where plenitude and happiness rule. It is something much desired and seams to be the supreme happiness. In the chapter 11 of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Apostle Paul describes the exemplary faith of the ancestors and writes about Abraham: “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

This means that human being should care not only for his material but also spiritual needs.

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread”. But Jesus answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

This biblical expression is used when someone abandons something for the sake of profit and benefits. In Rebecca’s womb, her two sons were struggling with each other, were “colliding.” That struggle showed that the twins would become enemies in the future.  According to the legend, a quarrel broke out between them over the birthright, starting from the womb of their mother. To obtain the right of getting the spiritual blessings of Abraham and Isaac, one needed to be the senior among brothers. “So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright.”

This is the whole picture of Esau’s life: to eat, drink, and leave without thinking where one goes, what one leaves behind and what one pays for material goods.

This phrase points out the minor concerns, all the small and useless things that have no permanent and real values. “Vanity of vanities – said Ecclesiastes – vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” There was a very specific genre in philosophical literature that was typical of the ancient Middle East. That genre is the so-called “pessimistic literature.” In the Bible, this genre is represented only by the Book of Ecclesiastes, though the pessimism in the Book of Ecclesiastes is a little different. Desperateness was typical of the works of  “ordinary pessimistic” literature, which left no hope whatever.

The Christian life is also full of problems, that is why the words of Ecclesiastes not only have historical importance but are also actual today.

In our everyday life, this biblical expression is used with the meaning of “gentle, peaceful, decorous and harmless person.”

The Gospel of John the Evangelist states that “John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

The sacrifice is one of the most important themes of the Bible, as the creation of the world is somehow a sacrifice of our Creator: He is a self-sufficient Being who holds everything for the endless bliss. The Almighty as if self-limited Himself, “minimized” His presence from some spheres of the universe to “step back” for other beings and many other creatures and worlds.

The Apostle John was acutely conscious of the sacrificial meaning of the expression “The Lamb of God.” He starts his evangelical story about Jesus introducing Him as the Lamb of God and from his point of view, this is the key to understanding of the meaning of His ministry.

This expression is used as an illustrated definition of firmness. It comes from Exodus 3. Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God, where God was revealed to him in flames of fire from within a blackthorn bush. “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up.”

The bush which God called to Moses from within is a uniquely versatile picture and makes us think.