Miracle

A miracle was defined by Merriam-Webster (1997) as "a extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs." Alternative definitions might include:

a remarkably good event that has no plausible scientific explanation

a extremely unlikely occurrence consistent with faith or prayer

a joyous happening contrary to all reasonable expectation

Though the term "miracle" can often be heard from Christians and non-Christians alike, the entire Bible only contains one genuine reference to "miracle" and that was a quote of a non-believer (the Pharaoh) in Exodus 7:9 (RSV): "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Prove yourselves by working a miracle,' then you shall say to Aaron, 'Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.'"

Under Ethnic identity and Judaism, Fantasy was truth and a miracle was nothing more than a "sign" of the truth. "Miracle" was the non-believer's term for what believers properly describe as a "sign", a term that does appear repeatedly in the Bible.