Bible Names Study No. 254
Today, when most babies are born they are usually given names that sound good to their parents without any thought to their meaning and if those names really suit the characteristics of the child they have just brought into the world.
In the Bible, names given to people by their parents, and sometimes by God, had meaning and described the person in question. The meaning of these names often give us clues to know more about the people we read about in the Bible.
The following table gives a list of all the major figures we read about in the Bible, including many who have become fathers of nations of the world. Most of the meanings of these names have been obtained from Meredith’s Book of Bible Lists, by J.L. Meredith.
Adam – humus, taken from the earth [God formed him out of the dust of the ground, Genesis 2:7]
Eve (Adam’s wife) – life, mother of all living, Genesis 3:20
Cain (Adam’s son) – gotten, gain, fabrication [first human born, Genesis 4:1. Tradition indicates that Cain was black, Enoch 84:5]
Abel (Adam’s son) – meadow [Tradition indicates that Abel was reddish in skin color, Enoch 84:5]
Seth (Adam’s son) – appointed [Son appointed to Eve for the loss of Abel, Genesis 4:25. Both Bible, Genesis 5:3, and tradition, Enoch 84:11, indicate Seth was white].
Enoch – teacher; Irad – wild ass; Mehujael – God is combating; Methusael – man of God; Lamech – overthrower [slew a “young man,” possibly Enoch, Genesis 4:23.]; Jabal – river [pioneer of those who dwell in tents and herd cattle (Genesis 4:20)]; Jubal – trumpet [pioneer of all musicians, Genesis 4:21]; Tubal-Cain – flowing forth of Cain [pioneer of metallurgy, Genesis 4:22]
Enos – man is his family; Cainan – acquisition; Mahalaleel – the praise of God; Jared – descending; Enoch – teacher [teacher of God’s ways (Jude 14)]
Methuselah – when he is dead, it shall be sent [“It” probably refers to the Flood. The oldest man in history died at the time of the Flood]
Lamech – overthrower
Noah – rest [his father felt Noah would comfort them from their toil on earth (Genesis 5:29)]
Namaah (Noah’s wife) – sweetness [according to tradition, Namaah was the name of Noah’s wife which isn’t recorded in the Bible]
Shem (Noah’s son) – name [father of the white nations of the earth]
Ham (Noah’s son) – dark, swarthy [the meaning of Ham disproves the idea that Noah’s sons were white and the races were preserved by Ham and Japheth racially intermarrying. God had to have miraculously added the extra genes into Noah and his wife, like He did with Adam and Eve, to preserve the races. Ham is the father of the black nations]
Japheth (Noah’s son) – persuader [father of the Oriental, Mediterranean, and Latin American peoples]
Gomer – completion [father of the S.E. Asian peoples]
Gomer’s sons: Ashkenaz [a fire that spreads], Riphath [enemies] and Togarmah [strong]
Magog – expansion [father of the Chinese people. In population, Magog truly has expanded. Often mentioned with Gog in prophecy, meaning a mountain or kingdom]
Madai – middle
Javan – clay [father of the swarthy Mediterranean peoples]
Javan’s sons: Elishah [God is saviour], Tarshish [hard – father of the Spanish and Japanese people], Kittim [they that bruise] and Dodanim [a leader]
Tubal – worldly [father of the Russians]
Meshech – drawing out
Tiras – desire of parents [father of the Red Indians of North and South America]
Cush – black [father of the Ethiopians and Indians]
Cush’s sons: Seba [old man], Havilah [circle], Sabtah [breaking through], Sabtecha [surrender], Nimrod [hunter, valiant – a mighty hunter “before,” meaning against God (Genesis 10:8). The post flood world’s first dictator] and Raamah [trembling] – his sons were Sheba [seventh] and Dedan [low]
Mizraim – tribulations [father of the Egyptians]; Mizraim’s sons: Ludim [bending], Anamim (?), Lehabim [flame], Naphtuhim (?), Pathrusim [the south land] – father of the Nubians and Casluhim (?)
Put – extension [father of the West and South Africans and Indians]
Canaan – lowland; Canaan’s sons: Zidon [fortified] and Heth [terrible]
Elam – youth [father of the East Europeans]
Lud – bending [father of the Armenians]
Aram – exalted
Aram’s sons: Uz [firmness], Hul [circle], Gether [vale of trial] and Mash [drawn out – Same meaning as Moses]
Asshur – level plain [father of the Germanic peoples of Europe]
Arphaxad – one that releases [according to tradition, Arphaxad and Asshur were twin brothers]
Salah – offshoot
Eber – a shoot [father of the Hebrews]
Peleg – division [in his day the earth was divided (Genesis 10:25), probably referring to the scattering of the peoples at the Tower of Babel.] His brother was Joktan [little]
Reu – friend; Serug – firmness; Nahor – snorer [What a lovely name!]; Terah – wandering
Terah’s sons: Abram [father of height – This suggests that Abraham was quite tall], Nahor [snorer] and Haran [enlightened]
Job – he that weeps [when tested by God, he had a very hard life]
Abraham – father of nations [God changed his name from Abram, Genesis 17:5]
Sarah (Abraham’s wife) – queen, or princess of the multitude [originally her name was Sarai, meaning princess, Genesis 17:15]
Hagar (Abraham’s Concubine) – fugitive [She had to flee when Sarah chased her away]
Ishmael (Abraham’s son) – God hears [God heard the affliction of Hagar by promising Ishmael would be a father of a great multitude of people known to us as the Arabs, Genesis 16:10-11]
Isaac (Abraham’s son) – laughing one [Sarah laughed at the promise given her age and then laughed for joy at his birth, Genesis 21:6]
Lot (Abraham’s nephew) – concealed Lot’s sons: Moab [desire] – father of Moabites) and Ben-Ammi [son of my people] – Father of Ammonites)
Rebekah (Isaac’s wife) – captivating
Esau (Isaac’s son) – hairy [father of the Turkish people and Palestinians]
Jacob (Isaac’s son) – supplanter [God changed his name to Israel meaning “overcomer with God.” We are all to become spiritual Israelites – overcomers with God. The church is called the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16).
Jacob’s wives: Leah [wearied], and Rachel [ewe]
Reuben – behold a son [father of the French]
Simeon – hears and obeys [scattered throughout the Israelite peoples]
Levi – joined [scattered throughout the Israelite peoples]
Judah – praise of the Lord [father of the Jews. We are to become spiritual Jews – “praised of God,” Romans 3:29]
Zebulun – dwelling [father of the Dutch]
Isaachar – reward [father of the Finns]
Dan – he that judges [father of the Irish]
Gad – good fortune [father of the French- speaking Swiss]
Asher – happiness [father of the Belgians]
Naphtali – obtained by wrestling [father of the Swedes]
Benjamin – son of the right hand [originally called Ben-oni meaning “son of my sorrow,” father of the Norwegians]
Joseph – may God add [father of the English-speaking peoples]
Ephraim – doubly fruitful [father of British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand people. Doubly fruitful in that Joseph’s sons had the double blessing of the birthright and the British Empire was the greatest of all time.]
Manasseh – causing forgetfulness [father of the American people. His birth made Joseph forget his ordeal in prison where he was wrongfully imprisoned for alleged rape]
Moses – drawn from [drawn from the Nile River by Pharaoh’s daughter. He may have been called Hapi-moses “drawn from Hapi (Nile god),” later dropping the Hapi. Moses is an Egyptian name seen in the names of the pharaohs such as Ra-moses (Ramses – drawn from Ra) and Thutmoses (drawn from Thoth)]
Aaron – enlightened [Moses’ brother and first High Priest of Israel]
Miriam – bitterness [Moses’ sister. Her name means the same as Mary, the mother of Jesus]
Joshua – Jehovah is salvation [Successor to Moses. Saviour in the sense he was a type of Christ leading Israel to the Promised Land]
Caleb – bold [He and Joshua were the bold spies who urged the people to take the land with God’s help]
Pharaoh – the destroyer [name for rulers of Egypt]
Agag – warlike [King of Amalek. Amalek means “dweller in the vale,” reminding us of the ambush they made on Israel near Mt. Sinai]
Baalam – lord of the people [soothsayer hired by Balak, worshipper of Baal, a Mesopotamian god whose name means Lord]
Balak – waster [King of Moab]
Othniel – lion of God [led Israel to victory against the king of Mesopotamia, Judges 3:9-10]
Ehud – strong [killed Eglon and delivered Israel from Moab, Judges 3:15-30]
Shamgar – cupbearer [delivered Israel from the Philistines, Judges 3:31]
Deborah – bee [helped lead Israel against Canaan, Judges 4]
Barak – thunder [helped Deborah fight against Canaan]
Gideon – great warrior [led Israel to victory against the Midianites, Judges 6-8]
Abimelech – father of the king
Tola – scarlet
Jair – Jehovah arouses
Jephthah – he sets free [set Israel free from the Ammonites, Judges 11]
Ibzan – active
Elon – strong
Abdon – cloud of judgment
Samson – strong [strongest man ever, delivered Israel from the Philistines, Judges 13-16]
Eli – my God
Samuel – asked of God [his birth was an answer to a prayer of his mother Hannah, I Samuel 1:12-20]
The Kings of Israel (United Kingdom)
Saul – demanded [He was the king God gave Israel when they demanded to have a king like the other nations]
David – beloved [the man after God’s own heart]
Solomon – peace [in his day Israel enjoyed great peace and prosperity]
Rehoboam – freer of the people [he had the chance to free his people from the tax burden imposed on Israel by his father but listened to bad counsel and made it heavier thus resulting in the split of Israel into two nations]
Asa – physician [grandson of Rehoboam and a good king]
Jehoshaphat – Jehovah is judge [son of Asa and another good king]
Uzziah – strength of the Lord [a good king until struck by God with leprosy for burning incense which only the priests could do]
Hezekiah – Jehovah is strength [a good king]
Josiah – fire of the Lord [had a fire to do God’s will]
Jeroboam – enlarges [first king of the ten-tribed Kingdom of Israel]
Ahab – father’s brother [bad king and husband of Jezebel]
Esther – a star
Nehemiah – Jehovah has consoled
Ezra – help
Zerubbabel – an offspring of Babel
Tiglath-pileser – binds [Assyrian king also known as Pul (strong)]
Shalmaneser – peace taken away [Assyrian king and conqueror]
Sargon – constituted king [Assyrian king]
Sennacherib – moon god [Assyrian king]
Esarhaddon – victorious [Assyrian king]
Nebuchadnezzar – defend the boundary [defended and expanded the Neo-Babylonian Empire]
Evil-Marduk – man of the god Marduk [Babylonian king]; Belshazzar – the Lord’s leader [Babylonian king]
Cyrus – an heir [Persian king]; Darius – he that informs himself [Persian king]; Artaxerxes – possessor of an exalted kingdom [Persian king]
Caesar – one cut out [meaning refers to Juilus Caesar’s birth by Caesarian section. Following Roman Emperors took the title Caesar, from which the names Tsar and Kaiser are derived]
Herod – son of the hero
Pilate – one armed with a dart
Agrippa – one who at birth causes pain
Isaiah – salvation is of the Lord
Jeremiah – exalted of God
Ezekiel – God is strong
Daniel – God is my judge
Hosea – salvation
Joel – Jehovah is God
Amos – one with a burden [his prophecies about the punishments to fall upon various nations are called burdens]
Obadiah – worshipper of Jehovah
Jonah – a dove
Micah – who is like Jehovah
Nahum – compassionate
Habakkuk – love’s embrace
Zephaniah – God hides
Haggai – festive
Zechariah – Jehovah remembers
Malachi – messenger of Jehovah [prophesied of the messenger of the Lord to prepare the way for Christ]
Jesus Christ – Saviour and Anointed One [Son of God, Saviour of all mankind and anointed King of kings of the soon-coming Kingdom of God]
The Original Disciples
(Apostles except Judas)
Peter – a stone [later became a rock of stability and leadership for the Church]
James (two of them) – supplanter
John – Jehovah has been gracious
Andrew – manliness
Philip – warrior
Thomas – honored of God [despite being known as “Doubting Thomas”]
Bartholomew – son of Tolmai
Matthew – gift of Jehovah
Simon – hearing
Thaddaeus – breast
Judas – praise of the Lord [his actions became very unpraiseworthy when he betrayed Christ]
Matthias (Acts 1:26) – gift of God [took over Judas’ role as one of the original twelve]
Paul (Romans 11:13) – little [apparently short in stature, but also humble and little in spirit. Apostle to the Gentiles]
Barnabas (Acts 14:14) – son of encouragement
Andronicus (Romans 16:7) – conqueror
Junia (Romans 16:7) – belonging to Juno
James (Jesus’ brother) (Galatians 1:19) – supplanter
Silvanus (I Thessalonians 1:1, 2.6) – lover of words
Timothy (I Thessalonians 1:1, 2.6) – honored of God
— by Roger Waite, Brisbane, Australia W
Additional Material to Write for: Hitchcock’s Bible Names, 33 pp., $3 from Giving & Sharing, PO Box 100, Neck City, MO 64849.