The Hidden Meanings Behind Bible Names

In reading the Bible, you may miss the hidden meanings of people's names. Many names have significant meanings that can lead to a deeper understanding of scripture. 

➤ First, let's look at some people whose names were changed by God Himself to reflect a new identity:

Abram to Abraham (Genesis 17:5)

Abram means "exalted father". God changed it to Abraham which means "the father of a multitude". This was done to reflect Abraham's role as the father of many nations, the father of the faithful, which was God's covenant promise with him.

Sarai to Sarah (Genesis 17:15)

Sarai means "my princess" while Sarah means "princess" in a broader sense. God changed her name to reflect her role as the mother of nations. 

Jacob to Israel (Genesis 32:28)

Jacob means "heel-grabber or deceiver" which reflects how he took his brother Esau's birthright. God changed his name to Israel which means he "struggles with God" which reflects the time he wrestled with God (or an angel) found in Genesis 32:22-31.  Jacob's twelve sons formed the twelve tribes which became the nation of Israel which took on his name. Interestingly, the nation of Israel throughout history struggled with obedience and loyalty to God, reflecting the God-given definition of the name Israel: "struggles with God".

➤ Next is an example of a name changed by Jesus:

Simon to Cephas (Peter)

The everyday language that Jesus spoke was Aramaic, and He gave Simon the Aramaic name "Cephas" which means "rock or stone" to signify what his role would be in the church (Matthew 16:18). Later, the Apostle John, in his gospel, written in Greek, would use the Greek translation of Cephas, which is 'Petros" or Peter in English translations. Therefore Cephas and Peter mean the same thing, it's just that one is Aramaic and one is Greek, both meaning "rock or stone". 

Note: Most of the New Testament is written in Greek, the formal language of the day. But for a few verses, the common language of the day,  Aramaic, was retained, probably for intimate effects. For example, in Mark 14:36, Jesus addresses His Father in Heaven as "abba", the Aramaic word for "Daddy". In Romans 8:15 the Apostle Paul uses the Aramaic "abba' to describe our intimate relationship we have with God as His adopted children. 

➤ Some names are different simply because of language or culture:

Saul to Paul

Actually, there is no name change here. Saul is his Jewish Hebrew name while Paul is the Greek Roman version. In some of his New Testament books, the Apostle starts out with "I, Paul" perhaps to better relate to the Gentile world he was evangelizing to.

➤ There is one name that Moses changed that is not only significant, but prophetic:

Hoshea to Joshua (Numbers 13:16)

Moses changed the name of his assistant Hoshea ("salvation" in Hebrew) to Yehoshua (meaning "Yahweh is salvation" or "the Lord saves") to indicate that although Joshua would deliver the nation of Israel into the Promised Land, it would be the result of the Lord's power, not Joshua's personal ability. Yehoshua became shortened to Yeshua in Hebrew which eventually became translated into the English word Joshua.

Hoshea → Yehoshua → Yeshua → Joshua

  

Here's what's amazing -- there's something very significant about the name Joshua. It's this...... the name Joshua and the name Jesus are exactly the same name! 

What then is the source of the name Jesus? It came about as the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), then Latin (4th Century Vulgate), then eventually to English.

Yeshua (Hebrew) → Iēsous (Greek) → Iesus (Latin) → Jesus (English)

Joshua = Jesus!!

They both mean exactly the same!:  "Yahweh is salvation" or "the Lord saves". And what's more, Jesus would have been called Yeshua while He was on earth.

➤ This leads us to one of my favorite examples of typology in the Bible, Joshua foreshadowing the role of Jesus. What I mean is this: 

Joshua, as Moses' successor, would be Israel's deliverer. He would lead them into the Promised Land. Jesus, in a much larger and significant way, fulfills the example of Joshua. Jesus, on a much greater scale than Joshua, is our Deliverer, and will lead us into the Promised Land of Heaven. Jesus is the true and only source of salvation. Jesus saves!! Hallelujah!

Jesus = Yahweh is salvation,  the Lord saves!

➤ What about the word Messiah?

Messiah means "Anointed One" and comes from the Hebrew Mashiach. The Greek version of Mashiach is Christos, where we get the name Christ. Therefore, Messiah and Christ mean the same thing, "Anointed One", just derived from different languages, Hebrew and Greek. 

Messiah = Christ   (Hebrew -- Greek) --  Both mean "Anointed One".

Jesus Christ  = Jesus, the Anointed One =  Jesus, the Messiah

Christ is a title, not a last name!

➤ Immanuel vs Emmanuel

They both mean "God with us". Immanuel comes from the Hebrew language, while Emmanuel is from the Greek translation. 

➤ One more thing. Although only a sampling of names was covered in the above text, there are so many more examples in the Bible, including names of places, as well as people. It just shows you the amazing depths and layers that are contained in the Bible. It's such an amazing book. And no wonder --  it's God's word!!

 

Life After The Plague: 5 Ways It Could Change Us For The Better

After practicing "social distancing" for months, wearing masks in public, and waiting for everything to open again at 100% capacity, it makes me wonder what it will be like when it all finally gets back to normal. The question is, will it ever be the same again? Or more importantly, will we personally ever be the same again? I think not. We will be changed.

But will we be changed for the better? That may be up to you to make that determination. Change will be either detrimental, damaging, and hurtful; or change can be beneficial, positive, and advantageous. It's really up to you. And a lot of it depends on individual attitude and motivation.

Certainly good things can come out of bad situations. And we are surely in a bad situation. We have the virus, we have racism issues, and we have riots. Sometimes it's hard to see in the moment how good can be achievable in the environment we are in. Can it really be possible to overcome this mess anytime soon? It all remains to be seen.

Perhaps each of us needs to look deep inside ourselves first. Maybe it's time to self evaluate our hearts and our minds. And maybe it's time to change our hearts and minds for the better.

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 119:23-24)

What route, what path, will you decide to take in your journey forward? Below are five ways that these turbulent times could change you for the better, if you allow it to.

1) See Other People In A Different Light

God calls us to love one another. This kind of love is unconditional, regardless of race or circumstance. Will you come out of this crisis we are in as one who listens and tries to understand people? A lot of people are hurting, will you have a compassionate heart? Will you be an encourager?

2) Appreciate Our Freedom

Nothing seems to make us appreciate things more than simply missing having them available to us. Being under stay-at-home requirements makes us miss more than ever going out whenever and wherever. Let's move forward, appreciating the personal freedom we have in this country, and not taking it for granted.

3) Value Family and Friends

Man was not created to be alone. We are social creatures. We like to do things together, to talk and communicate, and to interact. This is especially true of family. Maybe being concerned with our own family's health and safety in these times will increase our love and appreciation for each other. This holds true for friends as well. For Christians, we miss our Christian brothers and sisters -- those who are like-minded in our beliefs and passions. Will we appreciate more than ever our times together?

4) Practice Good Health Habits

One way this virus could change us for the better is by making us more conscientious in our health practices from here on out, including better hygiene. And taking preventative steps to maintain our health. 

5) Draw Closer To The Lord

Hopefully, during this crisis, you have turned to the Lord more than ever. May that continue forward. Praying more, acknowledging God more, understanding Him more through Bible reading, and developing a relationship with Him are great positive steps forward. Sometimes we all need a shake up to realize how important God is in our life, and how much we need Him. 

So remember, you can choose which path to take in the days ahead. May we all be wise in our actions and decisions as we go forward. 

The Tinkerer

Tinker - an interesting word, at least for me. Maybe it's because I can relate to it since I remember my father saying that word at lot, especially when he was trying to fix something. For example, if he was attempting to get an old clock working, he would say he was going to tinker with it a while. This usually meant that he didn't really expect to get it actually working, unless success happened by chance, or through perseverance of several tinkering episodes. Nonetheless, he would continue to tinker with various things. To my dad's credit, not everyone can tinker, it takes perseverance and patience, and he was a pro at it.

Another word my dad used a lot, especially when he went outside in the garage to see what he could get into, was the verb "putter around". He would say something like, "I'm going out to putter around for a while". That usually meant doing little things of little consequence. It was usually an act of randomly performing small, unplanned mediocre tasks, in no particular order.

A third word he used a lot was pretnear. Actually, it's more of a phrase. My dad would say something like, "He pretnear got the job done!" This word, I suppose, is an abbreviation for the phrase "pretty near", meaning almost.

I don't know if these words are specific to the area I grew up in (south central N.Y. state), or the time period I grew up in. But regardless, I look back at them with humor and nostalgia.

You are probably wondering how in the world those three words - (tinker - putter around - and pretnear) -  relate to anything spiritual. Well, they actually do. They apply to someone who takes the Bible, God's word, with a lackluster attitude. The word lackluster means exactly what it sounds like - lacking luster. In other words, an attitude lacking conviction or vitality. Here's how to apply those three words to Bible reading, in just one (run-on) sentence....

Don't tinker with God's Word like you don't really expect to get anything out of it, or

putter around in it with no real direction, and don't ever say, "I pretnear was persuaded to get serious about following the Way, the Truth, and the Life!