What Would God Name You?
Throughout the Bible, there are instances of God either naming a person or changing a person’s name, thus changing the meaning. These Biblical name changes did not reflect that person’s relationship to other people, but rather their relationship to God. If God were to change your name to reflect your relationship to him, what would your new name be? Would it have a postive meaning or a negative one? Would you be Hannah (”favor” or “grace”) or Mara (”bitter”)?
The best-known instances of naming/name changing occur in both the Old and New Testaments.
Abram - Abraham (”many” or “plentiful”); Gen 17:5
Sarai - Sarah (”princess”); Gen 17:15
Ishmael (”God will hear”) - named by an angel of the Lord; Gen 16:11
Isaac (”he laughs”) - named by God; Gen 17:19
Jacob - Israel (”God contended”); Gen 32:28
Simon the brother of Andrew - Cephas [Aramaic] or Peter [Greek] (”rock”); John 1:42.
And the greatest naming by God for Christians was, of course:
Jesus - named by the angel of the Lord that appeared to Joseph; Matt 1:21
These are just a few instances of the name changes that take place in the Bible. There are many more cases, both positive and negative, when God chose to highlight a special relationship with him by naming.
Contrary to what you might think, God did not name Adam and Eve. The word Adam is the Hebrew term for “earth creature” or humankind. (Harris, Stephen L. Understanding the Bible: A Reader’s Introduction, pg. 53). The term first appears suddenly in Genesis 2:19 (NKJV), where up to that point, he is referred to as “the man”. Adam gave Eve her name just as he did every other creature on earth, beginning with “woman” in Genesis 2:23. In Genesis 3:20, the first woman gets her name: “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.”
So, if God were to change your name, what would it be? What is the predominant characteristic in your relationship with Him? Scan this list of Biblical names and find which ones you think would suit you. Pick a new name according to your relationship with God right at this moment. Then pick one according to what you WANT your relationship to be. Or maybe, like most people, your name would change from day to day.
Some days I feel like a Dinah (”judged”). Other days I feel like an Ariel (”lion of God”). And then there are those days when I just feel like a Jael (”mountain goat”).
SOURCES:
Name Changes in the Bible. Thomas F. McDaniel, Professor Emeritus.
Behind the Name: the etymology and history of first names: Biblical Names
Holy Bible, New King James Version
Image: Morguefile.com; Mitchlee83
For a little fun with names, see We had E O from Kyla Myers.
christian women, Bible names, Biblical names, name changes in Bible, name meanings
December 19th, 2007 at 7:49 am
The lord gave me hannah in 2004 and since then my life has never been thesame.
The girl’s name Hannah \ha(n)-nah\ is pronounced HAN-ah. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is “favored grace”. Biblical: mother of the prophet Samuel. literally means “God has graced me with a son”.
Godbless
December 21st, 2007 at 8:59 am
Great post! I went to the list but will have to go back when I have more time….thanks a bunch for the post and the link!
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