What's In A Name?

Hello, I'm Sipporah Joseph. Author of The Hebrew Names of God.

Names are more important than we realize!

The function of a name is to identify the being, situation, places and sometimes even certain agreements. Names of people can capture promises or an expectancy about the person. In scriptures meaningful names were given to:

- People like the name Levi. Leah, wife of Jacob, called her third son Levi. Let's read it in the book of Beresheet or Genesis in chapter 29:34 in Parashah Vayetse:

Again she conceived and bore a son and declared, This time my husband will become attached to me, for I have borne him three sons. Therefore he was named Levi. The name Levi is related to the verb lehilavot which means "accompany or attached".

In the Haftarah in the book of Isaiah 7:13,14 we read about another name.

And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; [Is it] a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. The name Immanuel means God is with us.

Another example is written in Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. That is a very very very strong name.

- Names in the ancient days where also given to places of great significance due to an oath or pact or because of an encounter with God. We read an example in the book of Beresheet or Genesis in chapter 28 in parashah Vayetse where Jacob had a dream and in this dream he saw angels going up and down the stairway which was set on the ground and reached to the sky. God spoke to Jacob in that dream that He would bring him back into the land promised to Abraham and Isaac. When Jacob woke up he said (verse 16) Surely the Lord is present in this place and I did not know it. Shaken he said "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the abode of God and that is the gateway to heaven". Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He named that site Bethel but previously the name of the city had been Luz. Jacob named the place Bethel due to the dream he had, the encounter he had with God. Bethel literally means House of God. That a strong name isn't it?

- Names where also given for memorial purposes.

Scriptures reveal that our words matter because words are matter, whatever we say is carries power and influence. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. That's why names are very powerfull! Their meanings are attached to us and are like proclamations about and upon us and our lives everytime someone calls our names. That's why negative name calling is very damaging because something negative is being placed, being attached upon a person and has the power to bind or loose.

How much more powerful are the names and titles of God?!