The names given to people and places in the Bible times were not chosen for the sound, as people now do, but because of a certain meaning. Some of them God Himself gave, as to the first man Adam, which means “earth”, and you know God made him from earth.
The names for the Lord also have important meanings to teach us His power or His help. Just as the name given to the Son of God when He was horn to this world was “Jesus”, because it means “One Who Saves”.
So we can know that God has lessons for us to learn in names, and when you know the meanings you will find it very interesting to notice how well the name suits something about the one named.
We will give a short list, all found in Genesis, and if you look in the margin of your Bible or a dictionary you will find more.
Adam means “earth;” Eve means “mother of living,” Noah means “rest;” Abraham means “father of many,” Isaac means “laughter,” Jacob means deceiver,” Israel means “Prince,” Esau means “hairy.”
The first place named in the Bible was “Eden”, which means “a delight.”
Abraham named a well near which he lived, Beer-sheba, which meant in his language, “the well of the oath.’’ An oath was a solemn promise. Later Isaac and Jacob also lived near this well, and the Lord there spoke to them, promising to give all the land of Canaan to their children. Farther south there was another well named by a poor slave woman, La-hai-roi, and that meant, “Thou God seest me.” When any one said the name of that well, he would know that there was no one too poor or sad for God to see and comfort.
So when the people said those names to each other, they were really reminding one another of God’s love and promises. They were the same to them as Bible texts are to us, and we may still learn from those names to trust in the same Lord, who still loves and comforts, and who sees us also in our everyday places. He is the everlasting One (Genesis 21:3333And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God. (Genesis 21:33)).
ML 12/20/1936