Names in Scripture
Eric
Summers
I would like to emphasize that all scripture is extremely important, even if at first reading you might think it is not important. Just read this excerpt from First Chronicles:
1 Chronicles 1:1-9 Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Diphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. The sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raama, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan.
You read in this stanza verse after verse "who begat who". Also, many of the names are difficult to pronounce: kind of boring, right? Good insomnia material? Do you think that these lineages given in the Bible are important? If you are willing to go a little deeper into the scripture and look up the meanings of the various names, you might be surprised by the additional messages in these verses.
Read the first chapter of the Book of First Samuel to understand the story of a woman called Hannah. She was barren and prayed for God to allow her to have a child. If God did allow her to have a boy child, she would offer him in service to Jehovah. God answered yes to her prayer and allowed her to have a child. After he was weaned, she delivered him up to the priest, Eli, for service to God. Reading the Book of First Samuel shows us that that he was indeed faithful to God.
Let me now show you through an interpretation of the names given in First Samuel that even lists of names given in the Holy Bible are important. Now let's study the following verse:
I Samuel 1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite:
This verse is a list of the ancestors of Elkanah, the husband of Hannah.
The names of Samuel's ancestors and the meanings of the names are given in this verse:
He is very fruitful in good works; one that beholds the glory of and listens to God and watches out for Israel; one that declares the will of God to a nation that God helps; a merciful God that loves and that is loved by the people of Israel; one child that God has created; and a prayer that God has heard and answered yes to: the child, Samuel.
It appears to me that God had the birth and service of His servant, Samuel planned for several generations before his actual appearance. So, Hannah's prayer request for a son and her commitment to present him to God for service was in line with the will of God and with His plan for the nation of Israel. Samuel was a great prophet of the Old Testament era.
If we go a little further and replace the name Samuel with Jesus we have:
He is very fruitful in good works; one that beholds the glory of and listens to God and watches out for Christians; one that declares the will of God to a nation (all Christians) that God helps; a merciful God that loves and that is loved by the Christians; one servant that God has sent to earth; and a prayer that God has heard and answered yes to: the Son of God, Jesus.
The next time you read a chronology in the Holy Bible, you might look up the meanings of the various names and there might be additional stories in the verses.
I would like to emphasize that all scripture is extremely important, even if at first reading you might think it is not important. Just read this excerpt from First Chronicles:
1 Chronicles 1:1-9 Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Diphath, and Togarmah. And the sons of Javan: Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. The sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raama, and Sabteca. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba, and Dedan.
You read in this stanza verse after verse "who begat who". Also, many of the names are difficult to pronounce: kind of boring, right? Good insomnia material? Do you think that these lineages given in the Bible are important? If you are willing to go a little deeper into the scripture and look up the meanings of the various names, you might be surprised by the additional messages in these verses.
Read the first chapter of the Book of First Samuel to understand the story of a woman called Hannah. She was barren and prayed for God to allow her to have a child. If God did allow her to have a boy child, she would offer him in service to Jehovah. God answered yes to her prayer and allowed her to have a child. After he was weaned, she delivered him up to the priest, Eli, for service to God. Reading the Book of First Samuel shows us that that he was indeed faithful to God.
Let me now show you through an interpretation of the names given in First Samuel that even lists of names given in the Holy Bible are important. Now let's study the following verse:
I Samuel 1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite:
This verse is a list of the ancestors of Elkanah, the husband of Hannah.
The names of Samuel's ancestors and the meanings of the names are given in this verse:
- Samuel - Name of God or God has heard
- Elkanak - God has created
- Jeroham - High merciful, beloved in Israel
- Elihu - God has helped
- Tohu - That lives that declares
- Zuph - That beholds, that watches
- Ephraim - Very fruitful
He is very fruitful in good works; one that beholds the glory of and listens to God and watches out for Israel; one that declares the will of God to a nation that God helps; a merciful God that loves and that is loved by the people of Israel; one child that God has created; and a prayer that God has heard and answered yes to: the child, Samuel.
It appears to me that God had the birth and service of His servant, Samuel planned for several generations before his actual appearance. So, Hannah's prayer request for a son and her commitment to present him to God for service was in line with the will of God and with His plan for the nation of Israel. Samuel was a great prophet of the Old Testament era.
If we go a little further and replace the name Samuel with Jesus we have:
He is very fruitful in good works; one that beholds the glory of and listens to God and watches out for Christians; one that declares the will of God to a nation (all Christians) that God helps; a merciful God that loves and that is loved by the Christians; one servant that God has sent to earth; and a prayer that God has heard and answered yes to: the Son of God, Jesus.
The next time you read a chronology in the Holy Bible, you might look up the meanings of the various names and there might be additional stories in the verses.