Transliterated Hebrew terms, and their Meanings


Abba - Dad/ Daddy
Adonai - the L-rd
Adonai Echad - the L-rd is one
Adonai haElyon - the L-rd Most High
Adonai Shalom - the L-rd of Peace
Adonai Tzidkeynu - the L-rd our Righteousness
Adonai Tzvaot - the L-rd of Hosts
Adonai Yeshuateynu - The L-rd our Salvation
Adonai Yeera - the L-rd our Provider
Alaykhim shalom - and unto you be peace (response to greeting)
Am Yisrael Chai - The people of Israel live *
Amha aretz - ordinary people
Amidah - Prayer
Av - Father
Avinu Malkeynu - Our Father and Our King *
AVraham - Abraham
Avraham avinu - father Abraham
Bar - son (Aramaic)
Baruch haShem - Bless the Name (of G-d)
Barucha - Blessing (often of the meal, i.e. after the meal)
Bat - daughter
bat kol - voice from heaven
Beit LEchem - Bethlehem (house of bread)
Ben - son (Hebrew)
Brit Chadashah - New Covenant
Brit Milah - circumcision
Bubbemeises - old wives' tales
Challah - bread set aside for priests, today for fellowship
Chametz - leaven/ yeast
Chavah - Eve
Cohan/ Cohen - priest
Cohanim - priests
Cohen haGadol - high priest
Davvening - praying
Drashot - sermons/ teachings
EliSHEva - Elizabeth
Eliyahu - Elijah
Eretz - Land
Eretz Mitzrayim - the land of Egypt
Eretz Yisrael - the land of Israel
Erev - Evening
Gan Eden - Paradise
Gey Hinnom - Hell
Goy - a gentile
Goyim - gentiles (literally nations)
Goyishe - gentile (adjective)
halakhah - Jewish customs
Halel - psalms of praise
Hallelujah - Praise G-d
Hava N'Gilah - let us rejoice
haShem - the Name (G-d's personal name - Yod Vav Heh Vav) *
Hatikvah - Hope (The Israeli national anthem)
Jacob - James
Judah - Jude
Judah from Kiriot - Judas Iscariot
K'ruvim - Cherubim
Kadosh - holy
Kadoshim - Holy ones (can refer to angels or saints)
Kehilah - Congregation/ church
Kinneret - the Sea of Galilee
Kol - Voice
Korban - sacrifice
Kvetching - complaining
L'Chaim - To life (often used as a toast)
L'Shana Tova - Happy New Year *
Leviim - Levites
Magdalit - Magdalene
Magen Avraham - Shield of Abraham *
Magen David - Shield of David (often rendered Star of David) *
Mamzer - bastard (born of unmarried parents)
Marana ta - our L-rd come
Marta - Martha
Mashiach/Moshiach - Messiah/ Christ
Matzah - unleavened bread
Mayim - water
Mazel-tov - congratulations
Melchi-Tzedek - Melchizedek/ king of righteousness
Melech - King
Menorah - lampstand
Mentsh - a real person, moral, energetic
Meshugga - crazy
Messianic Jews - Hebrews (letter to the...)
Midrash - paraphrase of a book *
Mikveh - Baptism
Minyan - quorum of ten or more men for Jewish worship
Miriam/ Miryam - Mary
Mitzryim - Egypt
Mitzvah - commandments/ good deeds
Mitzvot - commandments/ good deeds
Moshe - Moses
Motzaei Shabbat - end of the Sabbath (Saturday night)
New Covenant - New Testament
Nudnik - pest/ nuisance
Olam - universe/ world
Olam haba - the world to come
Olam hazeh - this world
Old Covenant - Old Testament
Oyveh - boy are we in trouble (woe is me)
Parokhet - curtain
Pesach - passover
Prushim - Pharises
Rabbi - teacher
Ramatayim - Arimathea
Rivkah - Rebecca
Rosh Hashana - New year's day (Litereally 'head of the Year') *
Ruach haKodesh - Holy Spirit
SaTAN - the devil
Seder - dinner, usually a special festival dinner
Sekhel - common sense
Shabbat - Sabbath (Friday Evening to Saturday Afternoon)
Shabbat Shalom - Peace of the Sabbath (a Sabbath greeting) *
Shalom - peace
Shalom alaykhim - peace be unto you (greeting) see
Alaykhim shalom
Shammash - servant/ deacon
Shaul - Saul/ Paul
Shavuot - Pentecost
Shem - Name
Shimon - Simon (Often used of Peter)/ Simeon
Shivah - mourning
Shlomo - Solomon
Shmai - the call to prayer
Shmoose - talk at ease/ unguardedly
Shofar - ram's horn (frequently translated 'trumpet')
Shomron - Samaria
Shoshanah - Susanna
Shoshi - short for Shoshanah
SmiKHAH - ordination
Sukkot - Tabernacles (Jewish Thanksgiving festival)
T'fil-lin - Phylacteries
T'shuvah - repent
Tallis - prayer shawl
Tallit - prayer shawl
Talmid - disciple
Talmindim - disciples
Tanakh - Hebrew Scriptures/ Old Testament
Toma - Thomas
Torah - Books of the Law/ Pentateuch
Treif - non-kosher
Tsuris - troubles
Tzdukim - Sadducees
TzeDAkah - give to charity
Tzedek - righteousness
Tzion - Zion
Tzitzit - fringes of the prayer shawl
YA'a-kov - James
Yehudah - Jude/ Judah/ Joda/ Judea
Yerushalayim - Jerusalem
YeshaYAhu - Isaiah
Yeshivah - religious school
YeSHUa - Jesus
YESHua - Joshua
Yishai - Jesse
YITZ-chak - Isaac
Yochanah - Joanna
Yochanan - John
Yochanan the Immerser - John the Baptist
Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement
Yosef - Joseph
Shmai Yisrael Adonai Eloheynu Adonai Echad
- Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is One (the call to prayer)
Hiney lo yanum v'lo yishan Shomer Yisrael
- He that keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps
Hiney ma tov oomah nay im shevet achim gam yachad
- Behold how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity

Reverse list

Baptism - Mikveh
Christ - Messiah
Church - congregation/ shul/ kehilah
James - Jacob
Jehovah - never used: reckoned as in poor taste, or even blasphemy *
Jesus - Yeshua
Jesus Christ - Yeshua haMashiach
L-rd Jesus Christ - Yeshua haMashiach hu Adonai
Jude - Judah
Law - Torah
L-rd - Adonai
Mary - Miriam
New Testament - Brit Chadashah (literally New Covenant)
Old Testament - Tanakh/ Hebrew Scriptures
Trumpet - Shofar (the ram's horn)

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE NAMES OF GOD

Hebrew: ----------- English Meaning
Elohim ------------ God - The One and Only True God
Yahweh:----------- LORD - He that is who He is, The eternal I AM
Adonai:------------ Lord - Master
El Shaddai -------- God Almighty - The All-sufficient One
El Elyon ---------- Most High - Possessor of heaven and earth
El Olam ----------- Everlasting God - God over eternal things
El Gibbor --------- Mighty God - The Only All Powerful God
Yahweh Jireh ----- The LORD will provide
Yahweh Rapha ---- The LORD who healeth
Yahweh Nissi ---- The LORD is my banner, The LORD is my victory
Yahweh Shalom --- The LORD our peace, The LORD gives peace
Yahweh Tsidkenu - The LORD Our Righteousness
Yahweh Shammah - The LORD is present
Yahweh Sabaoth - The LORD of Hosts, LORD Almighty, King of Glory


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