Dagon  The chief god of the Philistines.

Damascus  The capital city of Syria and a major trading and transportation center in the ancient near east.  The two rivers flowing into Damascus (Abana and Pharpar) watered its orchards and gardens, making the city a beautiful oasis in the middle of the desert.

Dan  One of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Dan first occupied land west of the tribes of Benjamin, and Ephraim.  But after the Philistines took control of this area, part of the tribe moved to the northernmost area of Israel.  The word is also used to refer generally to the northernmost part of Israel.

David  The king of Israel from about 1010 to 970 B.C.  David was one of the most famous kings Israel ever had.  Besides being a military hero, he was also remembered as a musician and a poet.  God promised David that someone from his family would rule Israel forever (2 Samuel 7).  A long life of his descendants did rule until 586 B.C., when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian army and the people of Judah were taken in exile as captives.  At that time it seemed to the Israelites that God's promise to David had been broken.  Even so, the hope for a good ruler like David did not disappear.  Many years later, the followers of Jesus would view him as a king in David's family line (Matthew 1.1; Luke 1.27,32).

David's City  When used in the Hebrew Bible, the reference is to that part of the city of Jerusalem which was captured from the Jebusites by King David.  In the New Testament, the reference is to the town of Bethlehem, David's hometown, where Jesus was born.

Day of Atonement  See Yom Kippur.

Day of the Lord  Also termed the Day of Yahweh, it refers to the day sometime in the future when God will defeat the enemies of Israel, punish them for their sin of rejecting the Lord, and grant Israel victory and reward.  The prophets Amos and Zephaniah further warned that the coming Day would also bring punishment to Israel for sinning against the Lord.

Dead Sea Scrolls  A collection of manuscripts discovered near the Dead Sea from 1947 to 1954.  They date from about 250 B.C. to A.D. 68.  These manuscripts include at least some parts of nearly all the book of the Hebrew Bible.

Deborah  A prophet and a judge who helped lead Israel to defeat King Jabin of Hazor (see Judges 4—5).

Demon  An evil spirit with the power to harm people.  A demon was regarded as a messenger and servant of the Devil (Satan).

Devil  The chief of the demons and evil spirits.  Also know as Satan.

Disciple  A person who follows and learns from someone else.  In the New Testament, the word is normally used to refer to the followers of Jesus, particularly the twelve apostles.