continued from previous post
The reason the name of our Lord is so significant is due to something identified by scholars as the Hebrew “theology of name.” In many cases, the names found in Scripture were much more significant than names are in today’s Western culture. Often, in the Bible, a person’s name was virtually equivalent to the person. Bible names have meaning; many of them are complete sentences, including subjects, verbs, and even direct objects.
Biblical names could represent a person’s identity, character, reputation, works, and worth. The name Adam, for instance, means “earthling.” Eve means “life.” One well-known example is Nabal, whose name means “fool.” Satan means “adversary.”
There were occasions in the Old Testament when God changed the names of people to indicate a change of destiny. For example, God renamed Abram as “Abraham.” The name Abram means “high father.” But since Abram had no children, some scholars think this name “was only a sour joke.” *1 If so, the joke was turned around when God named him “Abraham” to identify him as the “father of many.”
On another occasion, God renamed Jacob as “Israel.” Jacob means “heel grabber,” “supplanter,” or “deceiver.” His new name was intended to indicate that he had power with God.
Even in the New Testament we can see the significance of names. Jesus changed Simon’s name, which means “to hear,” to Peter, which means “a rock.” To this day, devout Jews may change a person’s name when death draws near, on the theory that a name change may prolong life.
In today’s Western world, when parents are choosing names for their children, they often give no thought to the meaning of the name. Their attitude is perhaps like that expressed in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne Shirley disagreed: “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” *2 I agree with Anne. Names are important, and, ideally, they should describe as closely as possible the thing named.
It is not uncommon for parents to name their children after ancestors, political figures, sports heroes, famous singers, or even actors or actresses. Some parents even make up names that never before existed, naming their children because of the pleasant sound made by certain syllables when strung together. We saw an example of the modern approach to naming some years ago at Christian Life college when the student body included, at the same time, Nathaniel Urshan, Elvis Presley and Tony Curtis. This made for some interesting responses when we were calling the class roll!
The fact that the Messiah was named “Jesus” is significant for His identity. Although this was not a new name never held by anyone before, the Messiah was the first person ever to receive this name by divine appointment. When God names someone, it is intentional and informative. There is a reason God directed the angel of the Lord to tell Joseph to name Mary’s baby “Jesus.” It is because “He will save His people from their sins” (
Matthew 1:21 NKJV). The first two letters of the Messiah’s name (Je) represent the Hebrew Yah, the abbreviation for Yahweh. (See
Psalm 68:4)
When Moses asked God what he should say when the Israelites asked the name of the God who sent him, God said, “I AM WHO I AM...Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you’’” (
Exodus 3:14, NKJV). “I AM” is translated from the first person singular form of the Hebrew “to be” verb, hayah.
Later, God said to Moses, “I am the LORD, I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them” (
Exodus 6:2-3, NKJV). It is interesting and revelatory that the Hebrew word translated “LORD” is Yahweh, the third person singular form of the same verb translated “I AM.” this, when God described Himself to Moses, He used the first person singular form of the verb; when we describe Him, we use the third person singular form of the same verb.
When Moses renamed Hoshea’, it was a prophetic choice, for Joshua was in a very real sense a type of the coming Messiah. Then, Zechariah tells us of another Joshua, a high priest, who, in a symbolic act of great significance, is crowned. Under the Law of Moses, the priesthood and royalty were kept strictly separated. But his priest would be a king. The old categories would be overcome in the one Joshua prefigured. “Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then speak to him, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying, ‘Behold, the Man who is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, and He shall build the temple of the LORD; Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on His throne; so He shall be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both’” (
Zechariah 6:11-13, NKJV).
Theologically, it is significant that both men named Joshua are found at the “seams” of the Hebrew Bible. The idea of “seams” refers to the locations where the sections of the Hebrew Scriptures meet. There are three sections, as Jesus indicated in
Luke 24:44: Law, Prophets, and Psalms. In the Hebrew text, the books are arranged differently than they are in English translations, which follow the order of books in the Septuagint. The arrangement in the Hebrew Bible seems intentional and interpretive. In other words, the very order of the books helps with the interpretation of the books. In this case, the first Joshua is found with the first book in the prophets section bearing his name. The second Joshua is found in what we call the Minor Prophets, but to the Hebrews the Minor Prophets was a single volume, the Book of the Twelve. This is the final book in the prophets, just preceding the psalms section. So at the end of the law and the beginning of the prophets, we find Joshua. And at the end of the prophets and the beginning of the psalms, we find Joshua. In this final case, Joshua definitely prefigures the Messiah, who would be both High Priest and King.
When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came on the scene He came in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. And He came bearing the name which identified Him as Yahweh Himself, who would save His people from their sins. We must hold the name of Jesus dear, for it is the only saving name, the name upon which we call for salvation. (See
Joel 2:32;
Acts 2:21, 38; 4:12; 22:16;
Romans 10:13).
*1. J.A. Motyer in New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (eds. 1. Howard Marshal, et al.; Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 800
*2. Available online at
http://arthurwendover.com/arthurs/mont/anne10.html. Accessed September 20, 2006
Daniel L. Segraves is the dean of theology and president of Christian Life College. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the Urshan Graduate School of Theology. Daniel earned the MA in Exegetical Theology and the ThM from Western Seminary. He is currently completing the PhD in Renewal Studies with a Concentration in Biblical Theology at Regent University.