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Bible names have profound meaning. They not only identify but expound character, personal attributes, and often are prophetic.
Bible names of people, titles, places, events, and items have far-reaching meanings. Understanding the denotation of a Bible name opens up whole vistas of understanding. This is Key 5 to master Biblical Hebrew to unlock Biblical meaning.
Names like Adam, Eve, Abraham, Israel, Jerusalem have monumental prophetic meanings beyond identifying people and places. YHVH is one of the Bible names of God. Many fight over its pronunciation overlooking the profoundness of what the meaning conveys.
Even common words like night, day, dawn, evening, seasons, that we’ve been following reveal much deeper concepts than meets the eye of a speed reader, or most Bible scholars. It’s not until we elaborate on Key 5 that we grasp the potential of understanding Bible names.
Many people search for relevant Bible names when a newborn comes along because they think it’s just cute. But Bible names that have relevant meanings for those who carry them.
To illustrate how to unlock Bible meaning with Key 5 to master Biblical Hebrew, The Explanation is going to dissect four significant and well-known Bible names. Keep in mind the many facets including character and quality descriptions, historical, present, and prophetic significance.
(Bible Course, Unlock Bible Meaning with the 7 Keys to Master Biblical Hebrew, Key 5)
Understanding these Bible names gives us insight into daily events that impact us, but we don’t know how to fit them into a worldview. Common Bible names like Adam and Eve are powerful examples of this comprehension as we shall see below.
El – Elohim
What does the word “God” mean to you? Does this Bible name portray or teach you anything?
A wee bit of grammar. The first point to note. Elohim is a plural noun. In Genesis, 2:4 and throughout this chapter, as well as Gen.1 and the rest of the Bible. Don’t take my word for it. Check it out. Here’s Strong’s.
אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym el-o-heem’; plural of H433 (אֱלוֹהַּ); gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:
KJV – angels, ⨯ exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), ⨯ (very) great, judges, ⨯ mighty.
H433
אֱלוֹהַּ ʼĕlôwahh el-o’-ah; rarely (shortened) אֱלֹהַּ; probably prolonged (emphatic) from H410 (אֵל); a deity or the Deity:
KJV – God, god. See H430 (אֱלֹהִים).
H410
אֵל ʼêl ale; shortened from H352 (אַיִל); strength; as adjective, mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):
KJV – God (god), ⨯ goodly, ⨯ great, idol, might(-y one), power, strong. Compare names in ‘-el.’
H352
אַיִל ʼayil ah’-yil; from the same as H193 (אוּל); properly, strength; hence, anything strong; specifically a chief (politically); also a ram (from his strength); a pilaster (as a strong support); an oak or other strong tree: KJV – mighty (man), lintel, oak, post, ram, tree.
I don’t want to stray from Key 5, so just a short parenthesis. Note oak, ram, tree, translations of H352 associated with El (H410). These are all symbols of pagan worship. The Explanation expounded on this when Adam and Eve hid in the trees (grove) from God. You can study ram and oak.
There are dozens of Bible names that include “El” that refer directly to characteristics of people who carry that name or traits of El Himself. Here is a short list. Abdiel—Servant of God, Abiel—God my Father, Abimael—A Father sent from God, Adbeel—Disciplined of God, Adiel—Witness of God, Adirael—Magnificence of God, Adriel—Flock of God, Advachiel—Happiness of God, Ambriel – Energy of God, Ammiel—People of God, Ariel, Auriel—Lion of God, Armisael—Mountain of Judgment of God
You now grasp the depth to which Key 5, the meaning of Bible names, can take you. Again, not to get off course, but in English, we use the term God not realizing what that word entails. Take a brief look.
The word God or god was used to represent Greek Theos and Latin Deus in Bible translations, first in the Gothic translation of the New Testament by Ulfilas. For the etymology of deus, see *dyēus.
Dyḗus (lit. “daylight-sky-god”), also Dyḗus ph₂tḗr (lit. “father daylight-sky-god”), is the reconstructed name of the daylight-sky god in Proto-Indo-European mythology. Dyēus was the bright sky of the day conceived as a divine entity and as the seat of the gods, the *deywṓs. Associated with the vast diurnal sky and with the fertile rains, Dyēus was often paired with *Dhéǵhōm, the Earth Mother, in a relationship of union and contrast. Dyēus is considered by scholars the most securely reconstructed deity of the Indo-European pantheon, as identical formulas referring to him can be found among the subsequent Indo-European languages and myths of the Vedic Indo-Aryans, Latins, Greeks, Phrygians, Thracians, Illyrians, Albanians and Hittites.
You see the opposition of the English God and the Bible name of El.
The second grammatical point is that Elohim has a singular, El, as we see from H433 and especially H410 with which we are familiar. El is an integral part of many words, GaEL, IsraEL, BethEL, SamuEL. These are personal, national, and city names all regarding God.
The third grammatical point to consider is the plural ELOHIM takes a SINGULAR verb. In English, that would be the equivalent of they does their homework. To my knowledge, we don’t have a word with these characteristics in English. We have a word like the animal moose. It is both singular and plural and can take a singular or a plural verb. But it doesn’t have separate singular and plural nouns.
But the real question is this. How can ONE God be plural? The concept of only ONE God is the basis of monotheism; this can be a rather controversial issue because of the ambiguity of Elohim (plural) using a singular verb. What does the Bible say about this plurality?
And God (Elohim – plural) said, Let us (plural) make (SINGULAR verb) man in our (PLURAL) image, after our (plural) likeness … male and female created He them.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Genesis 1 and John 1 are what we’d call Old and New Testament renditions of the same basic tenets concerning the fundamentals about God. We see the plurality of God. Gen. 1:26 includes us, our, our, all plural. John 1:1 states the Word (who became Jesus) was God and was WITH God. At a minimum, there are two members in God. That is the meaning of God – Elohim in the plural.
John 1.18, in the same chapter and context, reveals what the Word being WITH God means. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. The Son is in the BOSOM of the Father. See Further Study below to deepen the comprehension that bosom refers to an inseparable close relationship between these two God Beings.
10:30 I and my Father are one.
17:21 That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The Bible names like Elohim and El, and there use grammatically and descriptively unlock Bible meaning that corroborated with Bible-wide contexts.
YHVH
Don’t get caught up in the pronunciation battle which diverts you from the importance of the meaning of one of the most important Bible names.
We see the first use of the Tetragrammaton, the four letters, YHVH in Genesis… In Hebrew, we write it הָוָה; (from right to left, yod, hey, vav, hey). This is a word mystery until we use Key 5 to unlock Bible meaning.
Genesis 1:3 says, “Let there be (light).” It carries Strong’s number H1961. Whereas in English we have three words, in Hebrew there is only one word with three letters. This of itself is amazing. It is the word: יְהִ֣י (yod, hey, yod). Here’s the basis of that one word.
הָיָה hâyâh haw-yaw; a primitive root (compare H1933 (הָוָא)); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):
KJV – beacon, ⨯ altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, ⨯ have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, ⨯ use.
H1933
הָוָא hâvâʼ haw-vaw’; or הָוָה; a primitive root (compare H183 (אָוָה), H1961 (הָיָה)) supposed to mean properly, to breathe; to be (in the sense of existence):
KJV – be, ⨯ have.
The first utterance of God (Elohim) is: Be, Become or Exist. Notice this is emphatic. There’s a sort of movement in the verb: from before there was no light (it was dark) to now there is light. Meditate on this compared to John 1:5, “And the light shines in darkness:” The light is figurative, referring to Christ. Notice the abrupt existence. Check G5316, one of the translations is, appear. The light suddenly appears in the darkness. It IS, It EXISTS (as Strong points out in H1933, to be, in the sense of existence).
Notice that the two letters ה and י (of which there are two) are a part of the Tetragrammaton. In discussing the keys to master Biblical Hebrew and unlock Bible meaning, key 5 is Bible names–including God’s names–have meaning. YHVH includes the notions of Be and more precisely Exist. From the Bible’s point of view, Exist is a name of God which associates with one of the Bible names for God we often refer to: Eternal.
YHVH, יהוה, expresses this Being or Existing in the Bible names of God. In Genesis 3:14 Elohim identifies Himself to Moses. It includes the key verb of the Tetragrammaton. The first letter of this name is the letter aleph, the first in the alphabet. More importantly, in modern Hebrew this aleph denotes FUTURE tense in the first person (I), I will be. Existence includes past, present and future.
Here’s the very first verse where Genesis presents the LORD.
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD (H3068) God (Elohim) made the earth and the heavens,
יְהֹוָה Yᵉhôvâh yeh-ho-vaw’; from H1961 (הָיָה); (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:
KJV – Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה).
Here we have the four letter Tetragrammaton. This name is from H1961, הָיָה, this means HE WAS, in the past tense. We saw above Ex. 3:14 אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה with אֶֽ (aleph) as the first letter and הָיָה translated I AM, present tense. In modern Hebrew, that is I WILL BE. If you put a יֶ֖ (yod) as the first letter followed by הָיָה, that would be HE WILL BE (יֶ֖הְיֶ֖ה). The point is not to learn grammar but to realize that YHVH, with its root and derivatives, includes past, present and future, Existence, Eternal. That’s the magnificent meaning of God’s Name.
This is the reason, in H3068, Strong uses the term self-Existent or Eternal. YHVH includes the past, present and future. Self-Existent answers the question atheists love to stump believers with! Who created God? God has always existed. Of course, non-believers would laugh at that and believers have a hard time getting their minds around it. Faith alone in Bible names gives shows us the way.
You can study more details in the article below (from the book Origin of Humankind) about the relationship between LORD God, one concept (if we can respectfully call it that), and why Genesis 1 focuses on God – Elohim and Genesis 2 on LORD God (YHVH Elohim). You’ll learn that Christ is at the heart and core of Genesis.
Adam
God said, “Let us make man (H120) in our image” (Genesis 1:26). In Hebrew this is the word adam. Gender-sensitive people would be upset with Bible names. The implication is man, but not woman have God’s image. He’s a misogynist. No, He isn’t!
The first time we see the name Adam in the King James Version is in Genesis 2:19. Do an exercise, Go over to UnlockBibleMeaning.com and look at those two verses in the interlinear Bible (Gen. 1:26, 2:19). You’ll see the Biblical Hebrew is identical.
Now go to Numbers 31:28 and compare the Hebrew with these last two verses.
And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons (H120), and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:
What we realize is Bible names like adam can have multiple meanings and we have to be careful which one we choose. We could render “God made man” with “God made humans” and avoid any gender allusions.
You can study the article below for more detailed information about adam and understand that God all humans are ONE race. ALL human beings are EQUAL. Which means men and women are equal. The Bible points this out in Genesis 1:27, “In the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
Eve
When is comes to Bible names, the name Eve, in English, leaves us ignorant as to the important role and implication of the first woman in history. Here’s an ultimate example of Key 5 to unlock Bible meaning. Names give us a narrative about the individual who carries it.
One of the interesting points about this woman was WHEN she received her name. God created her in Genesis 2 but she isn’t named until Genesis 3:20 AFTER they both eat of the forbidden tree.
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Here’s the meaning of her name.
חַוָּה Chavvâh khav-vaw’; causatively from H2331 (חָוָה); life-giver; Chavvah (or Eve), the first woman:
KJV – Eve.
H2331
חָוָה châvâh khaw-vah’; a primitive root; (compare H2324 (חֲוָא), H2421 (חָיָה)); properly, to live; by implication (intensively) to declare or show:
This naming verse immediately follows God’s pronouncement of the death of the man and the woman in verse 19. Read it, it sounds like the END of civilization before it even begins. But no, God has a plan to pursue His goal.
Eve is Chava, which, according to H2332, is life-giver from H2331. She is the mother of all living (H2416), the last word in Genesis 3:20.
God associates Eve with ongoing civilization. Not only is she the mother of all living but through her, Mary, some 4000 years later gives birth to the Messiah. The Savior of Humankind.
Note that Eve is the mother of all living (H2416), the ultimate word in Genesis 3:20.
חַי chay khah’-ee; from H2421 (חָיָה); alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively:
KJV – + age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.
H2421
חָיָה châyâh khaw-yaw’; a primitive root (compare H2331 (חָוָה), H2421 (חָיָה)); to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive:
KJV – keep (leave, make) alive, ⨯ certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), ⨯ surely, be whole.
Eve mean to live life. All of the above KJV translations reveal her future. The words promise life, nourish up, preserve alive, quicken, recover, repair, restore, revive, be whole, are all part of the narrative of humankind. God’s summed up His plan for humanity in one name, Eve, the root of which is LIFE.
You can study much more detail about the meaning of the Bible name Eve by reading the following article.
Value of Strong’s Concordance
Strong realizes the importance of names. The concordance breaks up compounded names like Jeru-salem and Beth-el and gives us the corresponding numbers. We can check the meanings and unlock Bible meaning to better understand why God names certain places and people as He did.
Jerusalem (H3389): yeru (H3384 – shoot, teach), shalom (H7999 – peace)
Adonay: H136 an emphatic form of H113; the Lord (used as a proper name of God only): KJV – (my) Lord.
Miryam: H4813 from H4805; rebelliously; Mirjam, the name of two Israelitesses: KJV – Miriam.
Immanuel: H6005 from H5973 and H410 with a pronominal suffix inserted; with us (is) God; Immanuel, a type name of Isaiah’s son: KJV – Immanuel
Practice makes perfect
it’s time for a little bit of work. But great are the rewards.
With the gender identity crisis in full swing it’s interesting to see what the Bible has to say about this essential matter. After all, worldwide, we’re about 50/50 male/female.
At first sight, we wouldn’t necessarily consider the words male and female as names. But when you think about it, they are the names of genders. And when you study them, each reveals what that gender represents.
Male
- Go to UnlockBibleMeaning.com and search for male.
- Read Strong’s remarks and the King James Translations
- Click on Hebrew Concordance for H2145 and find all the verses
- Try and work out why Strong says, “the most noteworthy sex.” He is right but we need to know why.
Female
- Follow the same schema as above for female.
- It’s H5347. Click on its root H5344 and try examine why this word relates to perforated and bore with holes. I agree, it would horrible but when you understand, it makes sense.
Do the above first. It’s only by studying Bible names in Biblical Hebrew that you’ll unlock Bible meaning. AFTER your study compare it to The Explanation. I could easily give you the links but I won’t. Go over to TheExplanation.com. Use the magnifying glass icon at the top right and enter male gender. You’ll see a couple of articles about both male and female gender where you’ll see elaboration on the meaning of these Bible names.
This blog post is an excerpt from Key 5 of the Bible Course Unlock Bible Meaning with the 7 Keys to Master Biblical Hebrew.
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