Ever wonder if there is a meaning to your name? What it means to be called by some ‘everyday’ names? Do certain names hold more prominence than other? An Anthology of Names takes you behind the meaning of some biblical and everyday names.
The worth of a name is found in its ability to bestow affluence and reputation. If one has a famous last name, they are treated with respect and honor. If they have a last name that has been allied with ill-repute, they will be disrespected and dishonored. But typically we use names as mere designators to distinguish one person from another. They do not have much significance to us, and any meaning attached to that name is either unknown to the bearer of that name, or the bearer is not concerned with such trivialities.
In the West we name our children particular names because the name sounds nice (euphony), or because the name holds certain sentimental value to us. This was not the way they viewed or use names in the East. Easterners attach a much greater significance to names. The fact that the Hebrew word shem and the Greek word onoma–both of which mean “name”–appear over 1000 times in the Bible should give us an indication of the significance of a name.
In the bible there is great significance in many names – many have a prophetic significance while others reflect people’s faith and gratitude to GOD.
To start with, most names in the Bible are obviously derived from normal, everyday words, making them sound like Indian names. The big difference, however, is that the Hebrew language is far more dynamic than ours.
Very often a name reveals something about or resonates with the function of the person in the narrative. Very often a name is given to someone by the parents, who also supply the reason for that name. The sons of Jacob, who became the tribes of Israel, were all named by means of a little speech: Reuben, meaning See-Son, was named because his mother Leah figured that God had seen her afflictions (her husband Jacob didn’t love her very much). His brother Simeon (Hear-Boy) was named because his mother figured that God had heard that she was unloved. Son number three was called Levi (Join-Boy) because mom figured that Jacob would finally get attached to her…