What's in a name?

Day 142

OT Reading: 1 Chronicles 6-7

NT Reading: John 8:21-36

As we've been reading through this long, long, long list of names in Chronicles I have noticed how often people were named something for a specific reason. And really this was the norm in Biblical times. While most today name children just because they like the sound of something (the very reason we picked our son's name), for 21st century Americans the meaning of a name is secondary (his name means "God is forgiving" for those keeping score at home). However in the Old Testament this was generally the opposite. Names were not added to the vocabulary...they were just pieces of the vocabulary.

For instance, if I were calling my son I would not call him by his given name, I'd be yelling out the door, "God is forgiving. Come in for supper, 'God is forgiving!'" Now this would not be so bad if your name was something like "the Lord is salvation" (the meaning for Joshua), but it might be a little awkward if your name is 'not mine' or 'unloved' (we'll get to those in Hosea).

As I read through this vast array of names I recognize how each of these names had meaning. Each were named for particular reasons and events that were happening in the lives of the family and community. And since I'm not ambitious enough to look up all of them, in those instances when we're given insight into why someone was named what they were...I pay a bit more attention.