What’s in a name afterall?
Do you know the true meaning of your name? Have you ever wondered why you bear those names? Do you sometimes sense there is more to your given names? Do you often have spiritual encounters (dreams, dejavu, trances, visions etc) that tends to beckon on you to dig deeper? Are you unsatisfied with the explanations Grandpa gave you about your family name? If you nuture these questions, and you desire to share in a biblical perspective, sit tight…
What are names?
Names are identifiers. Traditionally, every human being bears a minimum of two names: the first name (given name or forename) and last name (family name or surname). This articles posits that the combination of these names are containers for past, present or future life’s expressions and sometimes, determiners of overall life’s function or purpose, according to God’s will or otherwise.
Names are therefore not mere personal social codes, but sometimes carry deep cultural, family, and historical connections. Names underscore the essence of our individuality, and can carry latent or visible power, duties responsibility, blessings or sometimes unfortunately, curses.
Functions of names
Often times, an entity would assume the essence, authority, function and protection of the prevailing namer. Almost sacrosanct with every known human culture is the a legal doctrine that merges a woman’s legal identity (or name) into her husband’s when they marry, even when not entrenched in the statutory local laws. Similarly, most parents determine the names of their wards at birth based on prevailing religious affiliations, customs and traditions, ancestry, circumstances or sometimes, just arbitrarily.
Names can also connote reputation, carrying a profound spiritual and moral significance. For example, in the book of Proverbs 22:1, the Bible explains that “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.” However, in this context, while our names may be influenced by the content of our character, there is ample scriptural evidence that in the reverse, our character and destiny may also be molded by the names we bear.
Name Changing instances in the Bible
We witness in the bible some instances where the names of certain individuals were changed in favour of Gods purposes and assignment for their lives, or in conformity to their new roles or cultural setting:
Abram/Abraham (Genesis 17:1–5) At the age of 99, Abram experienced the divine presence of God, who not only promised to bless him and multiply his descendants but also bestowed upon him a new name — Abraham, signifying “father of a multitude.” This significant encounter marked a new season in Abraham’s life, and ultimately aided him in keeping the faith until the promise came to pass.
Sarai/Sarah (Genesis 17:15) In the same divine conversation that altered Abram’s destiny, God also changed the name of his wife, Sarai, to Sarah. While both names mean “Princess,” this symbolic renaming represented a new chapter in Sarah’s life, highlighting her pivotal role in God’s unfolding plan.
Joseph/Zaphenath-paneah (Genesis 41:45) Recognizing Joseph’s exceptional abilities, Pharaoh bestowed upon him an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah, as well as a wife. This act reflected Pharaoh’s high regard for Joseph and his desire to integrate him into Egyptian society.
Jacob/Israel (Genesis 32:28) Following a night of wrestling with God, Jacob’s name underwent a profound change to Israel, meaning “He strives with God.” This transformation was accompanied by a divine blessing, marking a significant turning point in Jacob’s spiritual journey.
Hoshea/Joshua (Numbers 13:16) Tasked with leading the spies into the Promised Land, Hoshea’s name was transformed into Joshua at the direction of Moses. The shift from “salvation” to “Yahweh saves” underscored Joshua’s divine purpose and the role he would play in fulfilling God’s promises.
Solomon/Jedediah (2 Samuel 12:24,25) At his birth, Solomon, meaning “peaceable,” received a new name from God through the prophet Nathan — Jedediah, signifying “beloved of the Lord.” This name carried a special divine blessing and purpose for Solomon’s life.
Simon/Peter (John 1:42) Jesus, recognizing the potential within his disciple Simon, bestowed upon him the name Peter, meaning “rock.” Initially perplexing, this name became fitting as Peter grew into his role of leading and solidifying the early Christian community after Jesus’ crucifixion and ascension.
Name influence recognition instances in the Bible
We also find in the scripture, individuals who did not necessarily change their names in spite of their negative connotations. For example, in 1 Chronicles 4:9–10, Jabez’s name is significant because it is derived from the Hebrew word for “pain” or “sorrow.” His mother named him this because of the difficulties she faced during his birth. However, Jabez did not allow his name to define his destiny. In his prayer, he sought God’s blessing, protection, and guidance, asking for an expansion of his influence. God granted his request, and Jabez became an example of faith and seeking God’s favor despite challenging circumstances and an ill-fated name.
Further, in the account found in Ruth 1:20, upon returning to her homeland without her family, Naomi declared a change in her name from “pleasant” (Naomi) to “bitter” (Mara). This renaming reflected the profound grief and hardship she had endured, symbolizing a shift in her life’s circumstances. However, the canons of scripture never reckoned with the name “Mara” indicative of its spiritual insignificance.
Spiritual dimensions of names
In spite of the many good influences of Western culture on the African race, one notable drawback is the systemic and gradual disconnect of people of African descent from the true meaning, essence, and function of their given names, especially their surnames.
Many people roam so long in life with names that project certain deep revelations about their expected roles and duties in society, their ancestry or heritage, or their permanent spiritual affiliations, albeit positive, negative, or both. But we all, sooner or later, often tend to experience the full impact of our names, especially when there are no deliberate efforts to address its intricate, obscure, sometimes concealed but almost certain implications.
Naming principles in computer programming
Illustrating further, as a computer programmer, with some experience in creating programmable entities, declarations which involve naming, serve as a means to inform the compiler (the World) that a particular name will be used to reference a variable, object, or function (A human). Should the names undergo changes without corresponding new declarations or references, it can lead to the potential collapse of the entire programme. Further, by standard practice, we often perpetuate the behavior of a function with its name. This underscores the crucial significance of names within the context of a well-defined system. We’ll talk about this later when we considering the principles of Spiritual Alignments by naming names.
Names as Spiritual Markers
Our names are life tags, stamps, markers with which we may be effectively tracked, classified, categorized, or defined. Interestingly, these tags are not only created in the physical world but also in the metaphysical (spiritual) realm. That explains why during prayers, Bible scholars have vividly encouraged us to provide the names of individuals that are being supported in prayers during intercessory sessions or prayers of supplication. In the same vein, documented occult practices exposes the significance of mentioning names during rituals, chants and incantations. I infer that such diabolic influences are more potent when the object’s name is an identifiable entity in the occult database.
Out of curiosity, with every sense of honor and deep respect for my wider family lineage whom I owe a part my existence, yours truly recently attempted a deep study of the meaning of the names he grew up with “Odubela”. His self-imposed journey was full of adventure, fun, intrigue, shock, and deep revelation into a very vast, diverse, and a generally forgotten and decreasingly unknown world.
It was impossible to undertake this journey without interfacing more intimately with the authorized Word of God (the Bible), the very rich tenets of the Yoruba Culture, some best-kept spiritual secrets, mostly forgotten social norms within the Yoruba culture and religion known with some people that are still seriously in connection with certain mystic wisdom, ancient deities, certain spiritual orders and well established systems of divination.
This series is a summary of some of my modest findings, and retrospective analysis of the sum total of my conscious and subconscious life’s encounters, howbeit elating or distressing, in the light of the names I woke to life with. The intent is that you too, at some time, will take a freeze and look more objectively at your names with a mind devoid of the biases from “Family Pride”, historical essence, ancestral significance, religious codes, social capital or just nonchalance.
To be continued…
