What’s in a Name?

Today – Genesis 4-7. Cain kills his brother, Abel. A list of descendants is named from Adam to Noah’s sons – Shem, Ham, and Japeth. Noah is chosen by God to build an ark. The flood comes. I found myself trying to remember: God still speaks. God still creates.God still affirms. God still invites and inhabits relationship…

But here’s what I was struck by:

Lamech is the father of Noah. His name means “powerful.” When his son is born he says, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.” (5:29) The Hebrew definition for Noah is “rest.” I find it intriguing that a man named “powerful” names his son “rest.” I also find it intriguing how often these people actually live into their names. It’s as though there is something inherent in the name itself that becomes part of the DNA of the person. Indeed, Noah brings rest – but probably not in the way his father anticipated.

I did a little (very little) research to find out more about this whole naming process. Here’s what Google offered me.

Judaism places great importance on the naming of each new child. It is believed that the name of a person or thing is closely related to its essence.

When a parent gives a child a name, the parent is giving the child a connection to previous generations. The parent is also making a statement about their hope for who their child will become. In this way, the name carries with it some identity for the child.

According to Anita Diamant in What to Name Your Jewish Baby, “Like Adam’s appointed task of giving names to all living things in Eden, naming is an exercise of power and creativity.” Many parents today put a great deal of thought and energy into deciding what to name their Jewish baby.

So, what does it mean to understand our name – not just for ourselves, but in regards to who we might become and how we might impact others?

My daughters’ names are a good example: Emma’s name is the feminine form of Emmanuel in the Jewish tradition – meaning “God is with us.” (Advent revisited!!) From me perspective, this is already a huge part of her “essence” in that from the moment she was conceived I have known a new and powerful sense of what it means for God to be with me. She continues to call me to an awareness of God’s presence. Amazing.

Abby’s name literally means “a Father’s joy;” it also means to “bring joy.” No doubt about it: Abby brings joy. It defines her, in many ways. She seeks it, thrives in it, and creates it just by being herself. Amazing.

Now here’s where this gets interesting for me: Emma’s middle name is “Joy” – which links her to Abby’s name-meaning. Abby’s middle name is “Evangeline” (bearer of glad tidings or a messenger) – which links her to Emma’s name-meaning as it relates to the announcement of “God with us.” Maybe I’m the only one intrigued by this – as their mother and all, but how might my daughter’s grow into their names – for themselves, for others, and even for each other?

I could go on and on here – looking at my name, others’ I care about, etc., but this is probably enough for today. Just as Lamech used great intent in the naming of his son, he could have never predicted how “rest” would play itself out in the story God’s would write for Noah. Just as there was great intent in the naming of Emma and Abby, I cannot predict how God will write and tell their stories. But I can go back to their beginning(s): God speaks. God creates. God affirms. God invites and inhabits relationship. If I wondered about that rhythm in Genesis 4-7, I don’t anymore. It continues. It is made manifest in Adam’s genealogy and even the flood. It is made manifest in the conception, birth, and life of my daughters. It is made manifest in God’s very name: I AM.

What’s in a name? It matters.

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