What's in a name? Lately, several family members and friends have welcomed new babies into their families. Most recently, our great-niece gave birth to a girl that she named Solana Lucia. Almost immediately, Greg said, “What is she going to call her?” I said, “Solana, I suppose.”
Why is it that every child has to have a nickname? We're naming our son Andrew Joseph. We'll call him AJ. Our daughter's name will be Margaret. We'll call her Maggie. Do you know our sister in Christ, Yvonne Elvert. I have always called her Yvonne, but many know her as Bon or Bon-Bon because when a relative was young, she couldn’t say Yvonne, so she called her Bon and it has stuck throughout Yvonne’s life.
When our daughter Jennifer was old enough to know her name, she wouldn't let others call her by anything else other than Jennifer. Her paternal grandfather was the only one who could call her Jenny. Now, as an adult, most of her friends do address her as Jen, but she is still Jennifer to Greg and me.
I always remember many years ago when friends had a daughter. They named her Amy because they didn't want her to end up with a nickname. Well, she still did. Her friends called her Aim.
Were there nicknames in the Bible? Nicknames and descriptive titles in Scripture often highlight character traits, roles, or divine transformations. Here are key examples of nicknames and descriptive names in the Bible:
Sons of Thunder (Boanerges) Jesus gave this nickname to James and John, sons of Zebedee, likely reflecting their impetuous or passionate nature.
Peter (The Rock): Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, highlighting his future role in the church.
Barnabas: Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, was nicknamed Barnabas by the apostles, which means "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36).
Israel: God renamed Jacob "Israel," meaning "one who strives with God" or "prevails with God," after he wrestled with a divine figure.
Abraham: God changed Abram's name (meaning "exalted father") to Abraham ("father of a multitude") to reflect his destiny.
Jedidiah: The prophet Nathan gave Solomon this name, meaning "beloved of the LORD" (2 Samuel 12:25).
Didymus (The Twin): A name used for Thomas in the Gospel of John.
Abednego: The Babylonian name given to Daniel's companion Azariah (Daniel 1:7). These nicknames often functioned as prophetic titles, revealing what God wanted to do in a person’s future, rather than just their past behavior, so, yes, there were nicknames, but they served a purpose and were descriptive.
Something heard of in Scripture was someone being known by many names, something that isn't prevalent today. Do you ever think about the many names for God?
El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty), El Elton (The Most High God), Adonai (Lord, Master), Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah), Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner), JehovahRaah (The Lord My Shepherd), Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals), Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There), Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You), El Olam (The Everlasting God), Elohim (God), Qanna (Jealous), Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace), Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts).
There are almost 200 names for Jesus in the Bible. Here are just some of them. Messiah. Master. Teacher. Creator. Friend. Bridegroom. Savior. Lord. Mediator. Redeemer. Beloved. Worthy. Our blessed hope. Our propitiation. The Good Shepherd. Wonderful Counselor. Prince of peace. Image of the invisible God. Ruler of the kings on earth. The Door. The True Vine. The Bread of Life. The Lamb of God. The Way, the Truth, the Life. The rock of offense. The Morning Star. The Holy One. The Beginning. The King of glory. Lord of the Sabbath. The faithful witness. The Head of the Church. The Lion of Judah. The Suffering Servant. The Prophet greater than Moses. The One who loves us. The Light of the World. The Author and Perfecter of our faith. The Great High Priest. The Son of David. Son of Man. Son of God. Our Wisdom. Our sanctification. Something greater than Solomon. The firstborn from the dead. The Resurrection and the Life. The Alpha and Omega. Almighty God. Man of Sorrows. The radiance of the glory of God.
Our names matter. Parents give names to their children to mark them as individuals who are known and loved. When people forget your name, you sense they have forgotten you. The deliberate erasure of people’s names, as was done to Holocaust victims, attempts to erase their identity as individuals. Your name matters uniquely because you matter uniquely. And in this era of increasing anonymity, our names feel more and more important. In scripture, great power and significance are attached to names. For God knows your name and mine. And that is what each of us is born to seek, because each of us is looking for the answer to the question of who we truly are. We are waiting for God to call us by name.
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1
Pastor Nancy
