In the bible names have meanings and these meanings are often character traits. Many times the bible tells you what the name means in the verse where a name is initially revealed. Here are a few examples:
The name Ishmael means God will hear. Below is the first verse his name appears. Notice it says why his name is Ishmael; it is because the Lord heard Hagar lamenting the fact that Sarai hated her due to jealousy because Sarai was unable to conceive at that time.
Genesis 16:11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
In the book of Ruth there is a character named Naomi, which means pleasant but after her husband and sons die she declares she wants her name to now be Mara, which means bitter. She says the reason is God dealt bitterly with her.
Ruth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Even characters who are barely talked about sometimes have their names explained such as Peleg whose name means division.
Genesis 10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided ...
Some people speculate that our world was initially one large super-continent surrounded by water. They theorize that the verse is saying in the time of Peleg, God split the single landmass into multiple continents. In Hebrew there is a word which is a slight variation of peleg which is translated as rivers nine times and streams once -- streams in Psalm 46:4, rivers in Job 29:6 and eight other verses. Thus the theory that Peleg represents land being divided by water. Whether the theory of the continents is true or not I won't debate, though I believe it myself. At any rate, the point I'm making is that names have meanings in scripture. We can go to websites which tell us what modern day names mean, so our names have meanings too but I think parents largely choose names nowadays based on how they like the way it sounds. The people in scripture were often named based on circumstances going on at the time they were named.
Eve means life "because she was the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20) . The word evangelical comes from combining her name and the word angel, which means messenger. To evangelize means to share the message of life.
So as you see names are character traits. The name David means beloved. King David's son Solomon's name means peaceful; Solomon in Hebrew is pronounced Shelomah, which is a variation of shelom or peace. The character traits aren't always so nice as Satan means adversary or enemy and devil means deceiver.
Sometimes a names' meaning can add deeper significance to a story or event. For example when Pilate offered to release a prisoner on Passover, the two choices he offered the Israelites were Jesus and a murderer named Barabbas. We all know Jesus is the Son of the Father in heaven. Barabbas' name is a combination of two words; bar which is Aramaic for son and abba which is Aramaic for father. Combined the name means son of his father so symbolically the Jews rejected the Son of the Father for the son of another father.
Just because a name means something doesn't mean people always live up to their "name" as Judas is a prime example. Judas is a variation of Jude or Judah. Whichever way you spell or pronounce it, it means he shall be praised. The infamous Judas Iscariot certainly isn't praiseworthy. But he definitely made a name for himself as Judas is now a name given to people who betray others.
We have all seen fellow Christians who give Christianity "a bad name." I try not be one, though I know I'm guilty of doing so myself sometimes. My first name is Scott, which literally means of Scottish origin. Ha ha, it's not like I can do anything to live up to that name. It just is what it is. But I can strive to be the Godly man I'm supposed to be. Then perhaps I'll make a name for myself, a good name. Well, actually it would be God in me making a good name and I pray for that constantly. If people think of me as honest, decent, caring, a good example of what a Christian can be, then my name - my character - will be the reflection of Christ it needs to be. I am drawn to God every day. Won't you be drawn to Him with me?
Amen.
The name Ishmael means God will hear. Below is the first verse his name appears. Notice it says why his name is Ishmael; it is because the Lord heard Hagar lamenting the fact that Sarai hated her due to jealousy because Sarai was unable to conceive at that time.
Genesis 16:11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
In the book of Ruth there is a character named Naomi, which means pleasant but after her husband and sons die she declares she wants her name to now be Mara, which means bitter. She says the reason is God dealt bitterly with her.
Ruth 1:20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
Even characters who are barely talked about sometimes have their names explained such as Peleg whose name means division.
Genesis 10:25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided ...
Some people speculate that our world was initially one large super-continent surrounded by water. They theorize that the verse is saying in the time of Peleg, God split the single landmass into multiple continents. In Hebrew there is a word which is a slight variation of peleg which is translated as rivers nine times and streams once -- streams in Psalm 46:4, rivers in Job 29:6 and eight other verses. Thus the theory that Peleg represents land being divided by water. Whether the theory of the continents is true or not I won't debate, though I believe it myself. At any rate, the point I'm making is that names have meanings in scripture. We can go to websites which tell us what modern day names mean, so our names have meanings too but I think parents largely choose names nowadays based on how they like the way it sounds. The people in scripture were often named based on circumstances going on at the time they were named.
Eve means life "because she was the mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20) . The word evangelical comes from combining her name and the word angel, which means messenger. To evangelize means to share the message of life.
So as you see names are character traits. The name David means beloved. King David's son Solomon's name means peaceful; Solomon in Hebrew is pronounced Shelomah, which is a variation of shelom or peace. The character traits aren't always so nice as Satan means adversary or enemy and devil means deceiver.
Sometimes a names' meaning can add deeper significance to a story or event. For example when Pilate offered to release a prisoner on Passover, the two choices he offered the Israelites were Jesus and a murderer named Barabbas. We all know Jesus is the Son of the Father in heaven. Barabbas' name is a combination of two words; bar which is Aramaic for son and abba which is Aramaic for father. Combined the name means son of his father so symbolically the Jews rejected the Son of the Father for the son of another father.
Just because a name means something doesn't mean people always live up to their "name" as Judas is a prime example. Judas is a variation of Jude or Judah. Whichever way you spell or pronounce it, it means he shall be praised. The infamous Judas Iscariot certainly isn't praiseworthy. But he definitely made a name for himself as Judas is now a name given to people who betray others.
We have all seen fellow Christians who give Christianity "a bad name." I try not be one, though I know I'm guilty of doing so myself sometimes. My first name is Scott, which literally means of Scottish origin. Ha ha, it's not like I can do anything to live up to that name. It just is what it is. But I can strive to be the Godly man I'm supposed to be. Then perhaps I'll make a name for myself, a good name. Well, actually it would be God in me making a good name and I pray for that constantly. If people think of me as honest, decent, caring, a good example of what a Christian can be, then my name - my character - will be the reflection of Christ it needs to be. I am drawn to God every day. Won't you be drawn to Him with me?
Amen.
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