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.

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.” 

Book Comment: Jesus and Yahweh. The Names Divine

     Harold Bloom admits that, "I am not part of normative Judaism."  No duhhhh!  His view of God is less than orthodox.

     Bloom calls Jesus a "more-or-less historical person." Jesus Christ, not the same as Yeshua of Nazareth, is a "theological god."  Yahweh fares no better as "a human, all-too-human God."

     Bloom asserts that Christianity is a return to polytheism and that the Hebrew God, Yahweh, and the "theological" god , Jesus Christ, are utterly incompatible.

     This book shows that Mr. Bloom has a deep familiarity with the Christian scriptures coupled with an almost total failure to grasp their true meaning and the intellectual arrogance to assume that he does understand.

Bloom, Harold, Jesus and Yahweh. The Names Divine (NY: Riverhead Books, 2005)