Scripture contains many examples of the naming of people and places. Personal names, usually given at birth by parents, were sometimes changed at a later date. Passages gathered in the Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin H. Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's household." And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."
When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, "The LORD has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now." Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well." So she named him Simeon. Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi. And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, "This time I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.
Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son." So she named him Dan. And Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, "In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won." So she named him Naphtali.
Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar. Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob. "God has given me a good gift," she said. "This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons." And she named him Zebulun.
and she conceived and gave birth to a son. "God has taken away my shame," she said. She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."
And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.
When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, "I drew him out of the water."
Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become a foreigner in a foreign land."
along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, "I have been a foreigner in a foreign land." The other son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, "The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh."
So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD."
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain."
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel," because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.
Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother was named Joktan.
And I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. The LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. For before the boy knows how to cry 'Father' or 'Mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria."
When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, He told him, "Go, take a prostitute as your wife and have children of adultery, because this land is flagrantly prostituting itself by departing from the LORD." So Hosea went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Name him Jezreel, for soon I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel." Gomer again conceived and gave birth to a daughter, and the LORD said to Hosea, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I should ever forgive them. Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God." After she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, Gomer conceived and gave birth to a son. And the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people, and I am not your God.
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."
Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!"
God called the light "day," and the darkness He called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters." So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear." And it was so. God called the dry land "earth," and the gathering of waters He called "seas." And God saw that it was good.
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
And the man said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for out of man she was taken."
Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.
Then Neco king of Egypt made Eliakim brother of Jehoahaz king over Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Eliakim's brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child. Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they were all amazed.
Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, "As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God."
Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her."
After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. And God said to him, "Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel. " So God named him Israel.
Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated as Peter).
Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.
So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend with him," because he had torn down Baal's altar.
"Do not call me Naomi, " she replied. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be called the Holy Mountain."
I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning. After that you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City."
One will say, 'I belong to the LORD,' another will call himself by the name of Jacob, and still another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and will take the name of Israel."
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.
No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.
And they will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of The LORD; and you will be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.
So behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when this place will no longer be called Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. For they will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.
The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The LORD does not call you Pashhur, but Magor-missabib. For this is what the LORD says: 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away to Babylon and put them to the sword. I will give away all the wealth of this city—all its products and valuables, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah—to their enemies. They will plunder them, seize them, and carry them off to Babylon. And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, will go into captivity. You will go to Babylon, and there you will die and be buried—you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied these lies.'"
Though Edom may say, "We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins," this is what the LORD of Hosts says: "They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked directly at Elymas
So the LORD scattered them from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it is called Babel, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole world, and from that place the LORD scattered them over the face of all the earth.
So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: "You are the God who sees me, " for she said, "Here I have seen the One who sees me!" Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.
"Very well," he answered, "I will grant this request as well, and will not demolish the town you indicate. Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you reach it." That is why the town was called Zoar.
So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.
On that same day, Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. "We have found water!" they told him. So he called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the city is Beersheba.
Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.
So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, and he said to his relatives, "Gather some stones." So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed. Then Laban declared, "This mound is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore the place was called Galeed. It was also called Mizpah, because Laban said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from each other. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me."
Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God." So he named that place Mahanaim.
So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, "Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.
There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother. Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bachuth.