Biblical means relating to the Bible, the sacred text of Christianity and Judaism. When historians study biblical times, they're examining the ancient periods described in those scriptures. A biblical scholar might spend years learning Hebrew and Greek to understand the original texts better.

The word also describes something enormous or dramatically significant, like troubles of biblical proportions. This usage comes from the grand, world-changing events described in the Bible: massive floods, plagues, the parting of seas. When someone says a rainstorm reached biblical levels, they mean it was extraordinarily severe, like the great flood described in the story of Noah's ark.

You might encounter biblical names in your reading: characters like David, Ruth, or Moses come from the Bible. Many common phrases come from biblical sources too, like “the writing on the wall” or “a drop in the bucket.” These stories and sayings have influenced literature, art, and everyday language for thousands of years, which is why you'll see biblical references throughout Western culture, even in contexts that aren't specifically religious.