We named our girls on purpose.
No, I don’t mean to imply that other people named their kids by accident. And when I explain why we named our girls the way we did, I don’t mean to imply that someone who did it a different way did it wrong.
But we named our kids on purpose.
My oldest is Bella Areah after a mother and daughter in South Africa that are beyond dear to us. It’s a long story, but they mattered to us for profound reasons and we wanted our daughter to have the same impact and qualities we found in our African friends.
Bella Areah, loosely translated, means Beautiful Lioness. Delicate. Strong. Lovely. Fierce.
Brixton Elaine’s name came from a rough and rundown inner city South African district. Brixton is to Johannesburg a bit like Compton is to Los Angeles. Strange choice for a name, right? Elaine is more straightforward. She’s a Seinfeld character, but that’s not the point, right? Nah. Elaine means light.
Brixton Elaine. Light of the City. Light of the Darkness. Bold. Brave. Transformative. Courageous.
Our girls have known what their names meant from a young age. Like biblical people, we wanted our children to “live into” their names, to come to embody the names. And, at times, they have done just that in ways that have profoundly humbled us. One child came home from elementary school years ago and talked of standing up for a friend and speaking truth beyond her years. We asked this child why she would be so brave. She looked quizzically at us and told us what her name meant. As if to say - you named me…that’s what I’m here to do.
Jesus’ name is much like that.
She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘ God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.
— Matthew 1:21, The Message
Jesus is the Greek version of the Hebrew Yeshua, which translated directly into English would simply be Joshua. But we English-speakers didn’t get our New Testament from Hebrew. Instead, the Greek New Testament was what was used to translate the Bible into English.
Even then, there was no “J” in Greek or Hebrew. So what was Jesus’ Greek name?
Iesous is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name. Bringing that over to English, we arrive at “Jesus.”
Jesus and Joshua (and Iesous) are the same name. It means rescuer or deliverer. God saves. In the Old Testament, Joshua succeeded Moses and delivered the Israelites into the Promised Land. Once slaves in Egypt, Joshua led them to their own land of prosperity and freedom. Rescuer. Deliverer. God saves.
In the New Testament, Jesus delivers all of humanity into a new Promised Land, an eternity of right relationship with God through his sacrificial death and resurrection. Once slaves to sin, Jesus leads us to a place of gracious prosperity and freedom in his redemptive restoration. Rescuer. Deliverer. God Saves.
So what’s in a name?
Perhaps quite a bit as it turns out.
What does your name mean? And is it true of you?
- KB