Patti and I spent quite a while discussing what we should name our children. Just after Patti got pregnant with our first daughter, my dad suggested I let Patti pick the name. “It will be a lot easier,” he said. But, I wasn’t quick to surrender my opinion in the matter. We talked and read namebooks and talked some more. That was before the proliferation of the internet, so we didn’t google names!
We finally decided to name our firstborn after Patti’s sister, but then we argued a bit as to the exact spelling of the name. I campaigned for the letter “z” to set her apart from her aunt. Ultimately, we resolved that Patti would choose the spelling of the name of our first child, and I would . . . agree to the decision. Rosalyn was given the name “Rosalyn”, but I chuckled when our daughter decided to go by the nickname “Rozy”. Yes, God always gives me much better than I deserve.
A name is much more than just a handy label for getting someone’s attention.
Parents living in Biblical days often gave a name to a child to make an announcement about that child or to communicate something through that child. A famous example of this is clear naming of Jesus which means “Savior” (Matthew 1:21). “There is a sense of the significance of the proper name. The name denotes the person, establishes its identity, and is a part of it. It can often be said: ‘As a man is named, so is he.’” (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 254)
The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible summarizes six common motivations for Biblical names (p. 1522-1523):
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- To record some aspect of a person’s birth. Jacob (“heel grabber”, “deceiver”) connives for Esau’s (“red”) blessing.
- To express parental reactions to the birth. Isaac (“laughter”) recalls the laughter of Abraham and Sarah.
- To secure the solidarity of the family. As is common today, a child is named after a parent, an uncle, or a relative.
- To reveal the nature of the person, his function, or some other significant thing about him. “Nabal” is a “fool” (1 Samuel 25:25).
- To communicate God’s message. Isaiah named his son “Shear-jashub” to warn that only “a remnant shall return” after God’s coming judgment.
- To establish religious affiliation. All the names in the Bible with the endings -iah or -el (e.g., Jeremiah, Nathanael) are in fact statements with “the Lord” (-iah) or God (-iel) as subject.
