He Laughs

 In the Bible, names are very important. They have meanings and are not just random sounds. Our modern names are the same. Look up the meanings of your personal name and/or surname. For example, The male personal name Robert is derived from the name Hrodebert which comes from two Germanic words, hrod (glory, fame) and berht (shining, bright). The female personal name Melissa is a direct transliteration of the Greek word μέλισσα (honeybee).

In the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac their names are extremely important.  They show that God is directly and personally involved in history. I believe that, in this biblical account, God shows himself to have a sense of humor and he shows that what he announces and promises will happen. He uses Isaac’s name as a reminder.

God promised to the elderly Abram and his 90+ years-old wife, Sarai, that he would give them a son. They both quietly chuckled to themselves at the seemingly absurd promise, not realizing that God would know that they thought it was funny.

Commenters have pointed out that God directly inserted himself into human history when he changed the names of Abram (Strong’s H87, אַבְרָם) and Sarai (Strong’s H8297, שָׂרַי) to AbraHam (Strong’s H85, אַבְרָהָם) and SaraH (Strong’s H8283, שָׂרָה). Many believe that the H (ה)  reflects the tetragrammaton JHWH (Yahweh, Strong’s H3068, יְהוָֹה), one of God’s names.

God told the couple to name their child Isaac (Strong’s H3327 and H3446, יִצְחָק). The name means he laughs. Some might see this as a sarcastic response to the couple but most commenters say instead that this is a reminder that God can do what he says he will do. Whenever they said their beloved son’s name, they would be reminded that they laughed and doubted but that God fulfilled his promise.

“For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” Isaiah 14:27. The obviously expected answer here is no one.

Genesis 17:5, 17:15-19, 18:10-14; Isaiah 14:27.

The Names of Isaiah’s Sons

Many Americans researching their ancestry run into ancestors with religion-inspired names like Constance, Faith, Salvation, Perseverance. Piety, Redemption, Prudence, and many others. These are technically called theophoric names, names derived from or related to a god.

Some of the personal theophoric names were quite unwieldy. In one family in my genealogical research, there is a man named Indignation, as in God’s righteous indignation at sin. Not surprisingly, Indignation went by the personal name Ignatious.

Imagine being a Puritan woman with the personal name of Fight-the -Good-Fight-of-Faith or a man named Flee-Fornication.

The Hebrew prophet Isaiah had two sons whose names he said God gave to him for “signs and wonders in Israel.” (Isaiah 8:18) The sons were Shear-Jashub (Isaiah 7:3) and Mahershalalhashbaz (Isaiah 8:3).

The name Shear-Jashub ((Isaiah 7:3) translates from the Hebrew as “the remnant shall return.” Isaiah carried this son with him when he went to confront King Ahaz of Judah. He told King Ahaz that if he would just trust in God, then God would bless him. Instead, Ahaz asked Tiglath -pileser III, the king of Assyria, for help. The help arrived, but at a great price. Judah was eventually destroyed with only a remnant remaining to return to the land.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13513-shear-jashub

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/464021/jewish/King-Ahaz.htm

The name Mahershalalhashbaz (Isaiah 8:3) translates loosely from the Hebrew as “hasten to seize the prey and to take away the spoil.” A more literal translation is “spoil speeds prey hastes.” The name is a reference to the impending conquest of Samaria and Damascus by the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III (734 - 732 BC) and is a warning to Judah, which wwould be conquered later.

http://jaymack.net/isaiah-commentary/Cf-The-Sign-of-Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.asp

Magic Squares in Christian Occultism, Part 2

Magic squares became associated with occultism through the practice of numerology. Numerology assigns number values to individual letters of alphabetic writing systems. Individual words or names can be assigned a numerical value by adding the values of their component letters. Numerologists often consider names and words with the same numerical value to be telated to one another in some way.

 Gematria, a form of numerology, began among the Assyro-Babylonians and was later adopted as a practice by the Jews. Words with identical numerical values were considered to be related to one another or to a person whose name could be assigned the same number. Remember that for the first few years, all Christians were Jews. The number of the Antichrist. 666, was recognized to also be the number of the Roman Emperor Nero, Nero Qasr (Nero Caesar).

The Hebrew word, gematria, probably comes from the Greek word, geometria (“geometry”).  Numerology is closely associated with the Jewish Qabbalah tradition, but there are examples within the Bible, where numbers such as 3 or 666 carry special meanings. The primary language for gematria has always been Hebrew. There is a Jewish tradition that God manipulated the letters of the Torah in order to create the universe; in effect, God’s creation of the universe was through the use of numbers; mathematics. The universe does indeed have a highly mathematical structure as attested to by modern physics.

The ancient Hebrews, and later the Jews, were very careful with names because the name of a person carried characteristics associated with that person. An example is Isaac, which means “he laughed” because old Abraham (he was over 100 years old) laughed when he was told that he and the aged Sarah (she was over 90 years old) would have a son. God said Sarah also laughed in secret but she denied it. Their laughter became that of joy and wonderment.

This is where the magic squares and the occultists come in. Because every word can be written as a number, words and even phrases can be embedded into number sequences. Sending a coded message to a fellow occultist, or placing a blessing or  a curse upon a person, could be accomplished by handing them a talisman upon which a magic square of numbers was inscribed. 

This is an attempt to use the power of words, phrases, and names to influence or to alter reality. Occultists believe that if the correct words (spells) are known, the practitioner can force the universe to create good health, wealth, love, and/or personal power. It is also true that malicious persons felt that they could cause disease, economic trouble, sadness, family conflict, and even death.

Even with the biblical proscriptions against involvement with magic, some Christians were fascinated by this.

Next: Magic Squares in Christian Occultism, Part 3   

Religious Place Names

Theophoric names are a recognized category within onomastics, the study of place name origins.  They are names in which the name of a god or deity is embedded.  The word “theophoric” is derived from the Greek words θεός (theos = god) and φορός (phoros = tribute), a God tribute, bearing the  name of a god).  Theophorisms also occur in personal names such as Apollodorus, Theophrastus, Joel, Uzza, Manaf, Masih, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Bogomil, Michael, Christopher, Nathaniel, Timothy, Judah, Oswald, Marcus, Abijam, Ingrid, Daniel, Abdullah, and Rahman, among many others.

Odense, Denmark: From Odins Ve (“Odin’s shrine).

Osmussaar, Estonia: The Swedish name of this city was Odensholm.

Audresselles, France: Originally, the name of this commune was Oderzell, from Odin.

Ullefoss, Norway: From Ullr, the Norse deity of the hunt, plus “foss,” Norwegian for “waterfall.”

Tuesley, England: The name of this village is of Old English origin.  Tiw/Tig/Tyr, the god of law and heroic justice, plus “leah,” a clearing.

Names in the Bible: Hosea

The name of the Hebrew prophet Hosea (8^th Century BC/BCE, ca. 780-725) is derived from the Hebrew word for “salvation.”  Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer, are seen by biblical interpreters as symbolic of Yahweh and Israel.  Just as Gomer ran away to another man, God declared that Israel was chasing after other gods.  The gods were affluence, Canaanite religions, sexual immorality, drunkenness, and magical practices.

Hosea named his daughter Lo-ruhama, meaning “not pitied.”  His son he named Lo-ammi, meaning “not my people.”  Both names expressed God’s displeasure. With Israel.

What happened next is also symbolic of God and Israel.  Hosea brought Gomer back and with love and patience, restored her to her proper place.  He remained true to her in spite of her unfaithfulness.  His love was redemptive.

Christians believe that what is taught of God and Israel speaks also to them, those grafted into the tree.  The relationship between redeemed man and God is seen as an ideal marriage.  Because of our limited ability to understand, God speaks to us in powerful symbols we can understand.

The names Joshua (Hebrew: Yehoshua) and Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua) are derived from the same word as Hosea/Hoshea and ultimately mean “Yahweh is salvation.” 

A New Way of Looking At Genesis 5:1-32

I cannot stress this enough; NEVER ACCEPT INFORMATION JUST BECAUSE IT IS PUBLISHED IN A BOOK OR ON THE INTERNET!  Not everyone is a careful researcher and many jump to unwarranted conclusions without thinking things through to their logical conclusions.  But, watch this:

(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.)

The names are Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Manaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methusaleh, Lamech, and Noah.

1This is the written account of Adam’s line.

When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man.a”

3When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5Altogether, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

6When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the fatherb of Enosh. 7And after he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8Altogether, Seth lived 912 years, and then he died.

9When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10And after he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11Altogether, Enosh lived 905 years, and then he died.

12When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13And after he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14Altogether, Kenan lived 910 years, and then he died.

15When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16And after he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17Altogether, Mahalalel lived 895 years, and then he died.

18When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19And after he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20Altogether, Jared lived 962 years, and then he died.

21When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

25When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26And after he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27Altogether, Methuselah lived 969 years, and then he died.

28When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29He named him Noahc and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” 30After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31Altogether, Lamech lived 777 years, and then he died.

32After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

I did a few quick searches on the Hebrew language origins of these names and here is what I found:

ADAM:  of the ground, taken out of the red earth, man, mankind

SETH: appointed, substituted (as in the substitution of Seth for the murdered Abel)

ENOSH: mortal, frail, feeble

CAINAN: fixed, possession, dwelling chamber

MAHALEEL: praise of God

JARED: a descent, going down

ENOCH: consecrated, dedicate, train up

METHUSALEH: man of the javelin, man of the dart, man of the spear, his death shall bring,  he shall die, it shall be sent

LAMECH: of uncertain derivation, strong, conqueror, destroyer, despairing, (There seems to be much disagreement and discussion over the meaning of this name.)

Noah: rest, comfort

Sources:

Easton, Matthew George, “Biblical meaning for ‘Cainan’ in Easton’s Bible Dictionary,”  bible-history.com-eastons; 1897.

“Methuselah’s Name,” http://www.apricotpie.com/james/methuselahs-name

Strong, James, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, 1895.

Tinney, Merill C., ed. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary (Grand Raoids , Mi.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967)

How Chuck Missler derived the meanings of the names in the list.

http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/284/

The Longest Palindrome in the Bible

In the Bible, the names David, Natan (Nathan), and Anna are natural (probably unintentional) palindromes, as is the word “abba (אבי),” a Hebrew word most correctly translated as “Daddy, or "my Father” and used by children referring to their own father.  It is the word Jesus used in referring to God the Father (Mark 14:36).

The longest palindromic word in the Bible is לְאִיתִיאֵל ("to Ithiel"), occurring in Proverbs 30:1.  This is the only mention of the man Ithiel in the Bible. The word is repeated, probably for emphasis.

"The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal," Proverbs 30:1

  

דִּבְרֵי אָגוּר בִּן־יָקֶה הַמַּשָּׂא נְאֻם הַגֶּבֶר לְאִיתִיאֵל לְאִיתִיאֵל וְאֻכָל׃

Names in the Bible: Ethan

The name אֵיתָן
, Ethan, is of Hebrew origin and means "strong," or "enduring."  There are several men named Ethan in the Bible.

1.  Ethan, a son of Mahol, was a wise Ezrahite who live during the reign of King Solomon.  He was possibly a cymbal player in King Favid's court and was the author of Psalm 89.  1 Kings 4:31, 1 Chronicles 2:6,  Psalms 89
2.  Ethan, a son of Zerah and a grandson of Judah.  1 Chronicles 2:6, 8
3.  Ethan, a descendent of Gershon.  This Ethan was an ancestor of Asaph the singer.  1 Chronicles 6:39-43
4.  Ethan was a son of Kishi/Kishaiah, a descendent of Marari/Merari.  This Ethan was a singer. 1 Chronicles 6:44; 15:17,19

Names in the Bible: Jadon

Jadon has become a popular boy's name recently in the United States.  It comes from Hebrew and means "God has heard," "He will judge," or "grateful."

Jadon the Meronothite (Nehemiah 3:7) was a craftsman who participated in making repairs to the throne of a provincial governor during the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Names in the Bible: Jesus

The English-language name Jesus is actually Yeshua  or Yehoshua from the Hebrew word "yasha (ישע)" which means "to bring out into a spacious place," "to deliver," or "to bring to safety."   The word calls up the idea of the Exodus, of God leading the Israelites from bondage in Egypt into the Promised Land, just as Jesus brings us out of the dead world system into the Kingdom of God.

Christian Marriage, Part 3

(This is the conclusion of the blog posted yesterday.)

The only personal name for Himself which God Himself gives us in the Bible is "ehyeh" (in English texts it is usually rendered as YHWH) which means something like "I am who I am" or "I will be who I will be"
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה וַיֹּאמֶר כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶהְיֶה שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם׃
This is Exodus 3:14. The bold Hebrew text says "ehyeh asher ehyeh" which the Septuagint translated into Greek as ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν "ego eimi o on" ("I am the one who is.")  K.J. Cronin points out that the Hebrew word "ehyeh" is the first person singular of YHWH.  Cronin's discussion of Exodus 3:14 runs into many pages and is quite technical, but highly interesting.  His conclusion is that the name of god is I AM, in the traditional understanding as absolute and eternal being. 


God never changes (Malachi 3:6).  He does not want or need, he purposes to do.  He does not love, He is Love.  Active love, love which takes the initiative; He's the God who came to us.  We didn't go to Him.  This is where our Trinitarian understanding becomes important in Christian marital relationships; because God the Holy Spirit is in each one of us.


As Christians, we are to become increasingly like Jesus.  So we should do love (action) rather than love in an abstract sense (emotion).  Romantic love is not "wrong," it can be a wonderful and thrilling thing.  But, a marriage based on only romantic love can fail.  Look around you.  How many people explain their divorces with "we just don't love each other any more."?  Emotions waver and flutter, sometimes they are intense, sometimes lethargic.


Christian love is stable, active, and controlled by the mind of Christ.  Christian wives, would you rather be loved by a romantic man or by a man who is thinking the thoughts of God?  Christian husbands, would you rather be loved by a romantic woman or by a woman who is thinking the thoughts of God?

Names in the Bible: Jesse

Jesse was the son of Obed and was a grandson of Ruth and Boaz. He had eight sons and two daughters and his youngest son was the future King David.  The meaning of Jesse's name is not known.

The video below really has nothing to do with this blog, but the dog's name is Jesse.

Names in the Bible: Archippus

The name of Archippus (Colossians 4:17 and Philemon 2) means, in Greek, "master of horses."

Recurrent Segments in This Blog

From time to time I add new features to this blog.  I will always keep you updated as I do. Currently there are fifteen recurrent segments.  You can search for them on the Labels list at the bottom of the current page.  I welcome suggestions for new recurrent subjects.

Bible Printer's Errors: You have to proofread "vewwy vewwy cahrfuwwy" or you may say something you didn't intend.
Book Comments: Comments on books about Christianity, religion, philosophy, ethics, history, scholarship, Bible study, Christian writing, children's books, publishing, pastoring, etc.
Christian Heresies:  An ongoing listing of the historical heretical doctrines and a few modern ones.
Christians: Mini biographical listings of persons from any period of history who have, at some time in their lives, been identified as Christians. You may be surprised to see some of these people listed here.
Female Images of God: Obviously, if you think about it, God is not male or female. He is both and more. The gender identification of God was given to us so we would have a point of reference from which to understand Him as a Person (He is obviously not an "it.") It may surprise you that the Bible often presents God with female imagery.
Film Comments: Many films address issues of religious and/or philosophical import. Some may provide insights for Christians which were possibly not part of the original intent of the film's director.
Interesting Websites: Websites which present interesting or eccentric points of view; websites of Christian oriented groups; etc.
Lost Books of the Bible: There are books mentioned in the Bible which are otherwise unknown. Other books may be fragments of longer books.
Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Christians believe that manyOld Testament (TANAKH) passages speak about the Messiah Jesus.
Names in the Bible: The names of the persons in the Bible are not just sounds.  Many have known meanings.
Poetry: Some from me, some from other folks.
Religious Humor: Contrary to what many people think, Christians are not without humor. Look up Rev, Grady Nutt.
Religious Place Names: The religious origins of some place names may not be immediately obvious.
Trivia: Obscure facts about Christianity, the Bible, religion, etc. Some really are trivial, some, not so much.
What Does It Mean?: Many passages in the Bible need a little explaining to make sense to modern readers because they must be understood in the historical and religious context in which they were written. Remember that they made perfect sense to their original readers/hearers.

Names in the Bible: Amos

Amos: Hebrew for "burden bearer." Amos, a herdsman, was one of the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. Amos declared that God is the God of all the nations of the Earth, not just the God of the Israelites and that Israel, as God's Chosen People, has special responsibilities before God, not just on a corporate level, but each individual. Amos opposed ceremonial compliance without individual holiness.

Names in the Bible: Hannah

Names in the Bible is a recurrent segment in this blog.

Hannah: Hebrew for “grace,” or “favor.” She was a beloved but barren woman who became the mother of the prophet Samuel as recounted in 1 Samuel 1:1-2 - 2: 1-10.

The Longest Name in the Bible

The longest name in the Bible is Mahershalalhashbaz. This was the name God told Isaiah to give to his second son. The Hebrew words mean "the spoil speeds" or "the prey hastens."

"Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz. And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived, and bare a son. Then said the LORD to me, Call his name Mahershalalhashbaz. For before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria." Isaiah 8:1-4.

A Proper Name

Many of the familiar names you know for Native American tribes are not names they have chosen for themselves. Often they were named by other tribes, not all of whom were their friends.

The Sioux actually have three major divisions named the Isanyathi, aka: the Santee ("knife"); the Ihankthunwan, aka: Yankton ("village at the end"), and the Thithunwan, aka: Teton or Lakota ("dwellers on the prairie"). The Sioux name probably comes from Nadouessiouak, an Odawa/Ottawa word meaning "small rattlesnake," not intended as a compliment.

The name of the Nez Perce tribe is French for "pierced nose", while the tribe refers to itself as Nimiipuu ("the real people"). The Nez Perce did not pierce their noses but another tribe, which did, lived nearby.

The Cherokee call themselves the Tsalagi or Aniyvwiyai ("principal people"). The name by which they are best known is possibly from the Choctaw cha-la-kee ("those who live in the mountains"). Another possible Choctaw origin for the name means "those who live in caves."

The traditional explanation of the Iroquois name is from the derogatory Wyandot word "irinakhoiw" meaning "real adders." The Iroquois name for the tribe is Haudenosaunee, meaning "they are building a long house."

The earliest Christians called themselves "the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5) and "those of the way" (Acts 9:2). The name "Christians" (Xριστιανουσ) was a derogatory term applied by outsiders and later proudly adopted by believers. The Latin suffix "ianos" implied that one was a slave of the one to whose name it was affixed.

"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Acts 11:26

Chastity

     Don't name your daughter Chassidy, Chasitee, Chasity, Chazzidi, Chazity, or some other weird misspelling of the word.  Names have meanings and aren't just meaningless sounds. The name is Chastity, look it up.  It is a compliment.

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Check out the Christian Meanings of Names blog in the blog list below.