01.06. Chapter 1 - Name

Chapter 1 - Name Your name O LORD is forever, your fame O LORD is for generation after generation.

Psalms 135:13

Biblical Names In our modern culture a name is nothing more than an identifier, usually chosen by our parents because they like the sound of the name or it is the name of a favorite relative or ancestor. This is not true of the ancient cultures, such as the Hebrews, where a name was a representation of whom the individual was, based on his character and function.

One of the major differences between our Western culture and the Eastern culture of the ancient Hebrews is how someone or something is described. The Hebrew was not so concerned with the appearance of someone or something, as he was with its function. A Western mind would describe a common pencil according to its appearance, something like; “it is yellow and about eight inches long.” An Eastern mind describes the same pencil according to its function, something like; “I write and erase words with it.” Notice that the Eastern description uses the verbs “write” and “erase,” while the Western description uses the adjectives “yellow” and “long.” Because of Hebrew’s form of functional descriptions, verbs are used much more frequently then adjectives in the Bible. A good example of the Hebrew language’s functional descriptions can be found in the word “lya” (ayil). This word, depending on the translation, is shown as an oak tree, ram, mighty men or a post as can be seen in the following verses from the King James Version.

“And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.”

Genesis 22:13 (KJV) “He made also posts of three-score cubits, even unto the post of the court round about the gate.”

Ezekiel 40:14 (KJV)

“For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.”

Isaiah 1:29 (KJV)

“Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.”

Exodus 15:15 (KJV) The original meaning of the word “lya” (ayil) is a “strong leader.” An oak tree is the hardest and strongest of the woods in the forest, the ram is the strong leader among the flock. A post is the strong upright pillar that supports the structure. The mighty men are the strong leaders of the community. The translators have taken the above passages, originally written from an Eastern perspective, and altered the original meaning in order for the text to make sense to a Western reader. Because of the many different ways the Eastern texts can be translated, differences in translations often occur. Psalms 29:9 includes the Hebrew word “hlya” (ayalah), the feminine form of “lya” (ayil), and is translated two different ways in two common translations.

“The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve.” (NASB) “The voice of the LORD twists the oaks.” Psalms 29:9

(NIV)

While our Western mind sees no similarity between a deer and an oak, and would never describe them in the same way, the Hebrew’s Eastern mind sees them as identical, both being functionally the same as “strong leaders.” A more literal rendering of this verse in Hebrew thought would be:

“The voice of the LORD makes the strong leaders twist.” When reading the Bible, the reader will become more aware of the meaning of a text if he remembers to look for the function of a particular object or the role of an individual, rather than its appearance. To illustrate this important aspect, let us look at the “ark” of Noah and its description as found in Genesis 6:15.

“And this is how you are to make the ark, three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.”

Genesis 6:15 Our Western mind immediately begins to paint a picture of what the ark looks like based on the dimensions provided in the passage. If this was the author’s intention, he did a poor job, as the description provided simply describes a long box and does not inform the reader of what the ark “looks” like. When we remember that the Hebrew author is attempting to describe the “function” of the ark we find that he is informing the reader of its immense size, as the “function” of the ark is to hold a very large number of animals.

Hebrew names have meanings that are lost when translated into English. The Hebrew word “~da” (adam) means “man” and is also the name of the first man, Adam.

“The LORD God formed the man (~da) from the dust of the ground.”

Genesis 2:7

English translations completely erase the Hebraic connection between the “man” and his origin. When we place the original Hebrew words back into the text, we can see the connection between the words in the verse.

“And the LORD formed the adam from the dust of adamah (ground).”

Below are a few other examples of the relationship between an individual’s name and his function or role.

“And she bore Cain and she said I have cain (acquired) a man.”

Genesis 4:1 “And she bore a son and called his name Seth because God seth (placed) a seed to replace Abel.”

Genesis 4:25 “And he called his name Noah saying he will noah (comfort) us.”

Genesis 5:29 “And to Eber were born two sons, the name of one is Peleg because in his days the land was peleg (divided).”

Genesis 10:25

Because Bible translations transliterate a name, such as “xn” into “Noah“ and translate, into English, the same word “xn” into “comfort,” the translation converts the meaning and essence of the name into simple “identifiers.” As we shall see through this book, the nature and character of God is found within his names, which are lost in our translations and Western view of scripture.

Just as a name can give us a clue about the individual’s character, we can also find some interesting clues about the character of the family lineage. Below is a list of the sons of Adam, the lineage of the promised Messiah, as found in Genesis 5:1-32 with the Hebraic meaning for each name:

• Adam - man

• Seth - appoint (set in place)

• Enosh - mortal (also means man, as man is mortal)

• Kenan - dwelling place (literally a nest)

• Mahalalel - light of God (also means praise as it illuminates another.)

• Jared - comes down

• Enoch - dedicate

• Methuselah - his death brings

• Lamech - despair

• Noah - comfort

When the meanings of these names are combined, we discover a very interesting prophecy of the coming Messiah based on the functional descriptions of the names of Adam’s descendents.

“Man appointed a mortal dwelling, the light of God will come down dedicated, his death brings the despairing comfort.”

Root System of Words The word “name” is the usual translation for the Hebrew word “~X” (shem). Though the word “shem“ has the meaning of a “name,” the Hebraic meaning of the word goes far beyond our simple Western understanding of a “name.” Depending on the translation, this Hebrew word is also translated as; fame, famous, honor, renown or report. Obviously, this Hebrew word has a broader meaning in the ancient Hebrew language. In order to discover its true meaning, we need to understand how the Hebrew language works. Hebrew words are built using a system of roots based on the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which form the foundation to the language. A chart of the Hebrew alphabet can be seen in appendix A. When two of these letters are combined, a two letter “parent root” is formed. These parent roots are the most ancient Hebrew words and are usually words that are absolutely necessary for any communication to occur.

Below are a few examples of these two letter parent roots. ba (abh) father ~x (hham) cheese xa (ahh) brother !k (ken) yes la (el) god al (lo) no ~a (em) mother bl (lebh) heart Xa (esh) fire dm (mad) garment !b (ben) son rm (mar) bitter rb (bar) clean bq (qabh) jar rh (har) hill ~X (shem) name

These parent roots are often expanded into a three consonant root by doubling the last letter of the root but will retain the same meaning as the original two-letter root. rb (clean) to rrb (clean) rh (hill) to rrh (hill) bl (heart) to bbl (heart) dm (garment) to ddm (garment) rm (bitter) to rrm (bitter) bq (jar) to bbq (jar)

Child roots are formed by attaching an “a,””h,””w” or “y” to the parent root. The modern Hebrew language recognizes these four letters as consonants, but in ancient times they also doubled as vowels. Each child root formed will be directly related in meaning to the original parent root. Below are the child roots, and their meanings formed from the parent root “lb (bal)” meaning “flow.” lba wilt: flowing away of life lbh empty: flowing out of contents lhb panic: flowing of the insides hlb aged: flowing away of youth lwb flood: flowing of water lby stream: flowing of water

While the parent and child roots are most probably the original language of the Hebrews, other roots were adopted into the language over time out of the original roots. The most common adopted roots were formed by adding the letter “n” (n) to the parent root. Adopted roots such as, “@an” (na’aph), meaning adultery and “@na” (anaph), meaning anger, are derived from the parent root “@a” (aph), which can mean nose, anger or passion.

While it seems strange to us that the same Hebrew word is used for a nose as well as anger and passion, the Hebrews saw anger and passion as acts which cause heavy breathing resulting in the flaring of the nostrils, or nose.

Words are formed out of the parent and child roots by placing specific letters within the root. Some of the most common letter additions are an “m” (m) or “t” (t) in front or behind the original root, an “h” (h), “!w” (on) or “tw” (ut) behind the root, or a “y” (y) or “w” (o) in the middle of the root. These words are always related in meaning to the original root, out of which they came. Now that we have a basic understanding of how the Hebrew root system of words work, let us examine the roots and words which are derived from the parent root “~X” (shem - name), all of which will aid with the finding of the original Hebraic meaning of the word.

Breath The Hebrew word “hmXn” (neshemah) is formed by adding the letter “h” (h) to the adopted root “~Xn” (nasham) which comes from the parent root “~X” (shem). This word is used in Genesis 2:7 and means “breath.”

“And the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and he blew in his nostrils the breath (hmXn) of life and the man became a living soul.”

Genesis 2:7

While the Western mind simply sees “breath” as the exchange of air within the lungs, the ancient Hebrew mind understood the “breath” in an entirely different way as can be seen in Job 32:8 :

“The wind within man and the breath (hmXn) of the Almighty teach them.”

Job 32:8 Our Western understanding of the breath does not easily grasp the concept that a breath can teach. While our Western understanding can easily associate thoughts and emotions as the function of the “mind,” the Easterner sees the same function in the “breath.” The “breath” of both men and God has the ability to carry thought and emotion.

Skies The next word that we will examine is the child root “hmX” (shamah) meaning “heaven,” “sky” or “the place of the winds.” It is always used in the plural form “~ymX” (shamayim).

“In the beginning God created the skies (~ymX) and the land.”

Genesis 1:1 The Hebrew mind sees “hmXn” (neshemah) and “hmX” (shamah) as synonyms. The “hmXn” is the breath/wind of a man, and the “hmX” is the breath/wind of the skies. Just as we saw above where the hmXn can teach, so also the ~ymX (shamayim) can also speak.

“The skies (~ymX) proclaim his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.”

Psalms 97:6

Dry Wind The root word “~mX” (shamam) is formed by doubling the second letter of the parent root. By adding the letter “h” (h) to the end, the word “hmmX” (shememah) is formed. Both words mean, “desolate” and are used in the following passage.

“Many shepherds will ruin my vineyards, they will trample my fields, they will turn the fields of my delight into a desert of desolation (hmmX). And it will be made into desolation (hmmX), parched and desolate (~mX) before me, all the land will be desolate (~mX) because there is no man to care for it.”

Jeremiah 12:10-11 When the dry winds blow through the desert, any moisture in the ground or air is removed causing the desert to become dry and parched. “~mX” (shamam) and “hmmX” (shememah) are dry and desolate places formed by a dry wind.

Another child root “~Xy” (yasham), with the same meaning as “~mX” (shamam), a dry desolating wind, can be seen in the following verse.

“All your resting places of the cities will become dry, and the high places will be desolate (~Xy).”

Ezekiel 6:6

Shem By gathering together all the words derived from the parent root “~X” (shem), and looking for the common thread that each have in common, we can discover the original Hebraic meaning of the parent root. Each of the words has the basic meaning of a “wind” within them.

“hmXn” (neshemah) is the wind, or breath, of man, “~ymX” (shamayim) is the wind of the skies, “~mX” (shamam), “hmmX” (shememah) and “~Xy” (yasham) is the desolation caused by a dry wind. From this we can conclude that the ancient Hebraic meaning of “~X” is “wind” or “breath.” The “~X” of a man is his breath, which in the Hebraic Eastern mind is the essence or character of the individual. The actions of the individual will always be related to his character. From this we understand that the “~X,” the breath, is the place of origin of all the actions of the individual. The following are a few passages that demonstrate this Hebraic understanding of “~X.”

“O God, in your name (~X) save me; and in your strength rescue me.”

Psalms 54:1 A very common form of Hebrew poetry is called parallelism, where one idea is stated in two different ways. By studying these forms of poetry we can see into the Hebrew mind by observing how he paralleled one word with another. In the verse above, the phrase “in your name save me,” is paralleled with the phrase “in your strength rescue me.” From this passage we see that the Hebrews equated one’s “name” with his “strength,” an attribute of character.

“O LORD, your name (~X) is forever; O LORD, your fame is from generation to generation.”

Psalms 135:13 In this passage, ~X is paralleled with “fame.” The Hebrew word for “fame” is “rkz” (zakar) which literally means “remembrance.” The “fame” of the LORD are his “actions” that will be remembered throughout the generations. Through the poetic imagery of this verse, we see that the psalmist equated the “~X” of the LORD with his actions.

“I will declare your [the LORD’s] name (~X) to my brothers; within the assembly I will praise you.”

Psalms 22:22 In this passage, the phrase “I will declare your name” is parallel with “I will praise you,” paralleling the ~X (shem) of the LORD with “you,” the LORD himself.

“Your [David’s] God will make the name (~X) of Solomon more beautiful than your name (~X) and his throne greater than your throne.”

1 Kings 1:47 The poetry of this passage parallels the name of Solomon with his throne, a difficult concept for a Western thinker to grasp. Let us remember that the throne is not to be thought of in terms of physical description, but in function. The function of the throne is “authority,” a characteristic of the king. The “~X” of Solomon is his “authority.”

Names and Titles A common mistake in Biblical interpretation is to make a distinction between a name and a title. For example, “King David,” is often understood as containing the “name” “David” (an identifier) and his “title” “King.” The Hebrew word dwd (david) literally means; “beloved,” or “one who loves” and is descriptive of David’s character. The Hebrew word $lm (melek) literally means “ruler” or “one who rules,” also descriptive of David’s character. As we can see, both of these words are descriptive of David’s character. The Hebrews made no such distinction between a name and a title. The phrase “King David” is Hebraicly understood as “the one who rules is the one who loves,” a very fitting title for the great benevolent king of Israel and the friend of God.

Prayer

Because of the misunderstanding of the use of the word “name,” some passages have been misinterpreted causing a belief that was not originally intended by the author. For instance, it is a common practice to conclude each prayer with the phrase, “In the name of Jesus, Amen.” This custom is based on the following passages.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

John 14:13 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

John 16:23 (NIV) Are the passages above informing us that in order for a prayer to be heard we must use the “formula,” “in the name of Jesus”? What is the purpose of this “formula”? This phrase was not meant to be a “formula” attached to the end of each prayer, but the spirit in which the prayer is given. According to the Hebraic understanding of the word “name” we can translate these passages using the word “character” rather than “name.” What Jesus is telling us is that when we pray we should pray in his character. Our prayers should be given in the same spirit, conviction, faith and purpose that his prayers would be given.