Abijah ab-be-jar (traditionally male and female)
Hebrew: God is father, whose father is God. Seventh son of
Beker and a grandson of Benjamin. Others with this name: (i)
Second son of Samuel, the great Hebrew prophet. He became a judge of
Israel but proved unworthy of high office. (ii) A descendant of the first
high priest Aaron, and an ancestor of John the Baptist. (iii) A son of
King Jeroboam. He died in childhood, fulfilling a prophecy that claimed
he would. (iv) Son of King Rehoboam. He succeeded to the throne of Jerusalem
and attempted to unite the Twelve Tribes of Israel, as his great-grandfather
David had done. Reigned for three years, and in the end became corrupted.
(v) The mother of Hezekiah, a king of Judah. (vi) Two priests have this
name in the Book of Nehemiah. Variants: Abi, Abijam. [1
Chronicles 7:8]
Understand This
"It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that
bother me, it is the parts
that I do understand." Mark Twain (b.1835)
Abiram ab-be-ram (male)
Hebrew: High father, the father is exalted, greatest. Son
of Eliab the Reubenite. With Korah and Dathan, Abiram conspired against
Moses. For this crime the earth swallowed him. Others with this name:
Eldest son of Hiel the Bethelite, who rebuilt Jericho: "he laid
the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn." [Numbers 16:1]
Abishai ab-be-shay (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Father of gifts, gift of the father. The son of Zeruiah,
David's sister. He offered to kill Saul for David, saying, "God
hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day." He defeated
the Edomites and rescued David from a fight with a Philistine giant. Variants:
Abisha. [1 Samuel 26:6]
Abishua ab-be-shoo-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Father of deliverance, salvation. Other interpretations:
The father is noble. Son of the priest Phinehas. Others with the
name: Son of Bela. [1 Chronicles 6:4]
Abital ab-be-tal (female)
Hebrew: The father is dew, like the dew. One of King David's wives.
She was the mother of Shephatiah, the fifth son of David. [2 Samuel 3:4]
I Name Thee Abner...
Abner Doubleday, an American Civil War general who served at Battle
of Gettysberg, is thought to have invented the hugely popular game of baseball
in 1839, while he was still a schoolboy. The claim has been disputed but
not disproven.
Abner ab-ner (male)
Hebrew: The father is a lamp, father of light. A son of Ner.
Nephew of Kish and cousin of Saul. He was chief commander of Saul's military
forces. After Saul's demise, Abner wanted Ish-Bosheth, Saul's son, to assume
the throne. But David also sought the kingship. Abner was defeated by David
at the pool of Gibeon. Shortly after, he swung his support behind David.
Abner was killed by Joab, the chief commander of David's army. Variants:
Ab, Abbey, Abby, Abiner, Avner, Eb, Ebbey, Ebby, Ebner. [1
Samuel 14:50]
Abraham ab-ra-ham (male)
Hebrew: Father of many, father of a multitude, father of the cosmos.
Son of Terah and a descendant of Shem, eldest son of Noah. His original
name was Abram, which in Hebrew meant high father or exalted
father. This was changed by God, who said, "No longer shall
your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you
the father of many nations". Abraham's first wife was his half-sister
Sarai, renamed Sarah by God. He had eight sons: Ishmael, his first born,
to the Egyptian concubine Hagar; Isaac, his beloved second son and heir,
to Sarah; and Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah, the sons
of his latter years, to his second wife Keturah. Abraham had two brothers,
Nahor and Haran. He died at the age of one hundred and seventy-five years
and was buried next to Sarah. He is recognised widely as the father of
the Jewish and Arabian nations. Variants: Ab, Abe, Abi,
Abrahan, Abram, Abramo, Abran, Avraham, Avram, Avrom, Bram, Ham, Ibrahim.
[Abram - Genesis 11:27, Abraham - Genesis 17:5]
I Name Thee Abraham...
Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, and
arguably the greatest. He held the U.S. together during its most bitter
crisis, the Civil War. Thus the durability of democracy was proven to a
doubting world.
Abram - see Abraham
Absalom ab-sal-lom (male)
Hebrew: Father of peace. The tragic third son of King David. His
mother was Maacah and his sister was Tamar. Absalom plotted to usurp his
father, who met his forces in battle and defeated them. In seeking to escape,
Absalom's head became caught in the branches of an oak tree, perhaps ensnared
by his abundant hair. When Absalom had his yearly haircut, says the Bible,
"he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels" (about
six pounds or 2.7 kilograms). He was killed by David's men as he hung in
the tree, despite David's orders that he be taken unharmed. David's grieved
deeply for his rebellious son. Variants: Abishalom, Absolom.
[1 Kings 15:2]
Adah a-da (female)
Hebrew: Beauty, ornament. First wife of Lamech, the other being Zillah.
Ada (or Adah) had two sons, Jabal and Jubal. Hers is the second woman's
name to appear in the Bible, after Eve. Others with this name: A
wife of Esau and the daughter of Elon the Hittite. Esau also had a wife
called Basemath, which may have been just another name for Ada. In any
case, her son was Eliphaz. Variants: Adah, Adena, Adina, Dena,
Dina. [Genesis 4:19]
I Name Thee Adah...
Adah Menken, a 19th century actress and poet, was renowned
for her daring act of appearing in public semi-naked and strapped to a
running horse. Her fans included such literary lights as Charles Dickens,
Mark Twain and Alexander Dumas.
Adalia adar-li-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Fire-god. One of the ten sons of Haman the Agagite killed
by the Jews. His brothers were Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha,
Aridatha, Parmashta, Aridai, Arisai and Vaizatha. [Esther 9:8]
Adam ad-dum, ad-dem (male)
Hebrew: Earth, red earth, taken from the red earth, or (in
a general sense) man, humanity. The first person created by God
to live in the garden of Eden. His wife was Eve. The meaning of the name
Adam is somewhat uncertain. In the Bible, the name is used in two different
senses: firstly as the name of a person, and secondly, as a broad name
for all humankind. Adam participated in the first sin when, following Eve's
example, he ate the fruit of the tree that God had commanded them not to
eat. For this, Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden and subjected to the
curse of work, sorrow and death. Adam had three sons, Cain, Abel and Seth.
He lived nine hundred and thirty years. Variants: Ad,
Adamo, Adamson, Adan, Adao, Addison, Addos, Adekin, Adom, Edom. [Genesis
3:17]
Addi ad-di (male)
Greek, from Hebrew: Adorned. Other interpretations: My witness.
An ancestor of Joseph, husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. Variants:
Addei. [Luke 3:28]
Adiel ad-de-el (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Ornament of God. A descendant of Simeon, the son of Jacob
and Leah. Others with this name: (i) The priestly son of Jahzerah
(ii) The father of Azmaveth, who rose to high office as King David's treasurer.
[1 Chronicles 4:36]
Adin ad-deen (male)
Hebrew: Delicate. The head of an important family that returned
to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel from captivity in Babylon. Others with
this name: An unknown Adin whose sons returned from captivity with
Ezra. [Ezra 2:15]
Adina ad-deen-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Slender. A captain in David's army. [1 Chronicles 11:42]
Adnah ad-nah (male)
Hebrew: Pleasure. A captain in Saul's army who went over to David's
side. Others with this name: A captain in Jehoshaphat's army. [1
Chronicles 12:20]
Adoni ad-don-ni (male)
Hebrew: Lord. King of Bezek, captured by the men of Judah and Simeon
after his defeat in battle. He suffered the grisly punishment of having
his thumbs and big toes cut off. Adoni was a fan of this particular form
of ritual humiliation and used it on his own enemies. His full name was
Adoni-Bezek (lord of lightning). [Judges 1:5]
Adonijah ad-don-nee-jar (male)
Hebrew: My lord is God. Fourth son of King David. His mother was
Haggith. As the elder sons Ammon, Kileab and Absalom were dead, Adonijah
became heir apparent to the throne. But David selected Solomon as his successor.
Adonijah sought to overthrow him. He was unsuccessful in this attempt,
and forgiven for it. But Adonijah continued to press his claim. This time
there was no clemency: Solomon had him executed. Others with this name:
(i) A Levite teacher of the law. (ii) A tribal chief present at the sealing
of the covenant. Possible Variants: Adonikam. [2 Samuel 3:4]
Adriel ad-re-el (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Flock of God, belonging to God. Other interpretations:
God is my help. Son of Barzillai and son-in-law of Saul. His
wife was Merab. He was killed by the Gibeonites. [1 Samuel 18:19]
Get This Bible... Or Else!
After the appearance of Miles Coverdale's first complete English translation
of the Bible in 1535, Thomas Cranmer began at once to revise it. His edition
was published in 1540. Every church in the land was compelled to get a
copy or endure the rather steep fine of forty shillings a month. What a
splendid sales technique.
Aeneas ar-nee-us (male)
Hebrew: Deserving, laudable. A paralysed man at Lydda healed by
Peter. [Acts 9:33]
Ahab a-hab (male)
Hebrew: Uncle. Son of Omri. Seventh king of Israel; reigned for
twenty-two years. His wife was Jezebel of Tyre who introduced the blasphemous
worship of the god Baal and the goddess Ashtoreth to Israel. She also persecuted
the true followers of the God of Moses and urged Ahab to greater evils.
He did not need much urging, however, as he was naturally greedy. He was
killed in battle by a random arrow. According to the Bible, "the
dogs licked up his blood, and the harlots washed themselves in it."
[1 Kings 16:29]
Ahlai ar-lay (traditionally male and female)
Hebrew: Ornamental, beautiful. Other interpretations: O would
that! Father of Zabad, a soldier in David's army. Others with this
name: Daughter of Sheshan and wife of Jarha, a slave freed by her father.
Mother of Attai. [1 Chronicles 11:41]
Akim ar-keem (male)
Greek, from Hebrew: God will establish. Son of Sadoc. An ancestor of
Jesus Christ. Variants: Achim. [Matthew 1:14]
Alemeth al-le-meth (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Concealment, covering, veil. Son of Beker and a grandson
of Benjamin. Others with this name: A descendant of Jonathan. Variants:
Alameth. [1 Chronicles 7:8]
Alexander al-lex-zan-der (modern male and female)
Greek: Defender of men, man-defending. Son of Simon of Cyrene,
the man chosen to help Jesus bear the Cross to Calvary. His brother was
Rufus. Others with this name: (i) Kin of Annas the high priest.
(ii) A Jewish convert in Ephesus who spoke to the crowd. (iii) A false
prophet rebuked by Paul. (iv) A coppersmith who sought to harm Paul. Variants:
Al, Alastair, Alec, Aleck, Alecksander, Aleksei, Alessander, Alex, Alexis,
Alistair, Allister, Sandy, Sasha, Zander. The female forms include
Alejandra, Alessandra, Alexandra, Alexandria, Alexia, Alexis, Elke, Sacha,
Sandra, Sondra. [Mark 15:21]
I Name Thee Alexander...
Alexander the Great, an ancient Macedonian king who set out to conquer
the entire known world - and just about managed it, despite living to the
age of only 33 years. At its height, his empire reached from Greece to
India.
Almodad al-mo-dad (male)
Hebrew: Beloved. Other interpretations: Infinite, beyond measurement.
Eldest son of Joktan. His brothers were Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab.
Founder of an Arab tribe. Variants: El-Mudad. [Genesis 10:26]
Alvan al-van (male)
Hebrew: Tall. A son of Shobal and a grandson of Seir the Horite.
His brothers were Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. Variants:
Alian. [Genesis 36:23]
Amariah am-ma-ri-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: God promises, declares. Father of Ahitub. An ancestor of
the great priest, Ezra. Others with this name: (i) High priest of
Jehoshaphat. (ii) A Levite of David's time. (iii) A Levite priest under
Hezekiah. (iv) A priest with a foreign wife in the time of Ezra. (v) One
of those present with Nehemiah at the sealing of the covenant. (vi) A priest
under Zerubbabel. (vii) A son of Hezekiah and great-grandfather of Zephaniah
the prophet. [1 Chronicles 6:7]
Amasiah am-ma-si-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Whom God bears. Son of Zicri. He commanded two hundred thousand
"mighty men of valour" as a captain under King Jehoshaphat.
[2 Chronicles 17:16]
The Great Bible
The Great Bible, also known as Matthew Parker's Bible,
was published during the schismatic reign of the axe-happy King Henry VIII
of England. Matthew Parker was the Archbishop who supervised its production.
Amaziah am-ma-zi-ar (male)
Hebrew: Strength of God, whom God strengthens. Eighth king
of Judah, which he ruled for twenty-nine years. Despite successes and victories,
he fell into error by worshipping the idols of Edom. He was eventually
defeated by Jehoash of Israel and assassinated by conspirators at Lachish.
Others with this name: (i) Father of Joshah. (ii) One of Ethan's
ancestors. (iii) A wicked priest of Bethel under Jeroboam II. [2 Kings
12:21]
Ammiel am-me-el (modern male and female)
Hebrew: People of God, my kinsman is God. One of the scouts commissioned
Moses to "spy out the land of Canaan." Others with
this name: (i) Father of Bathsheba, one of David's wives. (ii) Father
of Machir. (iii) Son of Obed-Edom. A gatekeeper in the temple. [Numbers
13:12]
Amos aim-mos (male)
Hebrew: Weighty, bearer of burdens, troubled. A minor prophet. Amos
reproved Israel for its spiritual impoverishment. He condemned the empty
rituals and idolatry that had sprung up and exhorted the nation to reform.
His words provoked the priests. Amaziah, a priest, accused him of treason
against King Jeroboam. [Amos 1:1]
Amoz aim-moz (male) Hebrew: Strong. Father of the
prophet Isaiah. [2 Kings 19:2]
Amraphel am-raff-fel (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Keeper of gods. The King of Shinar who, allied with Chedorlaomer,
attacked the city of Sodom. [Genesis 14:1]
Amzi em-zee (male)
Hebrew: Strong. An ancestor of Ethan. Others with this name: A
priestly ancestor of Adaiah. [1 Chronicles 6:46]
The Shortest Verse
The shortest verse of the Bible is just two words long: John 11:35
- "Jesus wept."
Anah an-nar (male)
Hebrew: Answering. A son of Seir the Horite. His brothers were Lotan,
Shobal, Zibeon, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. Timna was his sister and Oholibamah,
his daughter. His son-in-law was Esau. [Genesis 36:2]
Ananiah an-na-ni-ar (male)
Hebrew: God is a protector, shielded by God. A priestly assistant
to Nehemiah. Father of Maaseiah. [Nehemiah 3:23]
Ananias an-na-ni-us (male)
Greek, from Hebrew: God has been gracious, whom God has given. An early
Christian convert of tepid conviction. He was scolded by Peter for his
lack of faith and fell dead on the spot. Others with this name: (i)
A Jew at Damascus who helped the blinded Paul to regain his sight. (ii)
A high priest of Jerusalem before whom Paul was tried. [Acts 5:1]
Andrew an-drew (male)
Greek: Manly. A disciple of Jesus Christ and a former disciple of John
the Baptist. He was the son of Jonas of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee.
His brother was Simon, later named Peter, the leader of the disciples.
The brothers, both fisherman, were called by Jesus to follow him. Tradition
says Andrew was martyred by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross. Today this
symbol is known as the St. Andrew's cross. Variants: Anders,
Andonis, Andor, Andre, Andrea, Andreas, Andrei, Andres, Andreu, Andrey,
Andros, Andvari, Bandi, Dandi, Drew. [Matthew 4:18]
I Name Thee Andrew...
Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and philanthropist, arrived in the United
States as a poor Scottish emigrant, aged thirteen. He made his fortune,
estimated at five hundred million dollars, in steel. He gave most of it
away to worthy causes.
Andronicus an-dron-nik-cus (male)
Greek: Man conqueror, victor over men. A Christian friend of Paul who
spent time in prison with him. [Romans 16:7]
Anna an-na (female)
Greek, from Hebrew: Gracious, grace. Greek form of the Hebrew name
Hannah. Anna was the daughter of Phanuel, an Asherite. She became
a prophetess. As an old woman, she saw the infant Jesus Christ and recognised
Him at once as the long-awaited Messiah. Variants: Anca, Ania,
Anica, Anita, Anka, Anne, Annette, Anni, Annice, Anusia, Nan, Nance, Nancy,
Nanette, Nanice, Nanita, Nanny, Nansi, Nita, Panni. [Luke 2:36]
I Name Thee Anna...
Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballerina of supreme grace and power. She
was the most acclaimed dancer of her generation. Her performances of The
Dying Swan were so compelling that audiences were often reduced to
tears.
Apollos ap-poll-us (male)
Greek: Belonging to Apollo (pagan Greek god of light, music and poetry).
Influential Alexandrian Jew converted to Christianity. The Bible says he
was "an eloquent man, well versed in the scriptures... fervent
in spirit." Possibly the author of Letter to the Hebrews.
Variants: Apollonius. [Acts 18:24]
Apphia af-fi-ar (female)
Greek: Productive, bountiful. A Christian woman of Colosse. She
was perhaps the wife of Philemon and the mother of Archippus. [Philemon
2]
Aquila ak-kwil-ar (male)
Latin: Eagle. The husband of Priscilla. Expelled from Rome, he moved
to Corinth and became a tent-maker. Aquila and his wife were friends and
assistants of Paul, who stayed in their home for a year and a half. [Acts
18:2]
Ardon ar-don (male)
Hebrew: Fugitive, elusive. Other interpretations: Bronze.
A son of Caleb by his wife Jerioth. His brothers were Jesher and Shobab.
[1 Chronicles 2:18]
Areli ar-rel-li (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Heroic, brave. A son of Gad. His descendants were the Arelites.
His brothers were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri and Arodi. [Genesis
46:16]
Ariel ar-re-el (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Lion of God. A leader of the returning captives from Babylon.
Variants: Arel, Ari, Ario, Ary, Arye, Aryll. [Ezra 8:16]
Where It All Comes From
The term canonical means to be accepted as genuine or lawful.
Thus the canon of the New Testament includes only those texts considered
to be truthful in their teaching. The New Testament did not assemble itself
by chance. Many ancient Christian texts have been excluded. The twenty-seven
books and letters from Matthew to Revelation were approved
as canonical by the Church in the fourth century A.D.
Armoni ar-mon-ni (male)
Hebrew: Of the palace. A son of Saul by the concubine Rizpah. He
was one of the party given up by David to the vengeful Gibeonites. Variants:
Armoni. [2 Samuel 21:8]
Artemas art-tem-mas (male)
Greek: Gift of Artemis (pagan Greek goddess of hunting and the moon).
An early Christian and a friend of Paul. According to tradition he became
the bishop of Lystra. [Titus 3:12]
Artemis art-tem-mis (female)
Greek: Meaning unknown. Pagan Greek goddess of the moon, animals
and hunting. She was called Diana by the Romans. Her mythical father was
Zeus, and her brother was Apollo. Variants: Artema, Artemas.
[Acts 19:24]
Asa a-za (male)
Hebrew: Healer, physician. Third king of Judah. His father was the
wicked Abijah. His grandmother was Maacah, a blasphemer. Against all odds,
Asa became a righteous king who corrected the iniquities of his forebears.
He ruled for thirty-nine years. Others with this name: A Levite
returned from the Babylonian captivity. [1 Kings 15:9]
Asaph as-saff (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Gatherer. A talented Levite musician, poet and singer. Asaph
was David's choirmaster and author of twelve Psalms. Others with this
name: (i) Father of Joah, chronicler of the reign of King Hezekiah.
(ii) The official keeper of the forests under King Artaxerxes. [1 Chronicles
6:39]
Asarel az-sa-rel (modern male and female) Hebrew: Bound
by oath. Son of Jehalelel, a descendant of Judah. [1 Chronicles 4:16]
All Greek To Them
One of the first translations of the Hebrew Old Testament
was made in Egypt twenty-two centuries ago. It was translated into Greek,
the accepted international language of that time. The finished work came
to known as the Septuagint, a word meaning seventy, for the number
of scholars who worked on it.
Asarelah az-sar-rel-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Virtuous. A Levite singer under Asaph. Variants:
Jesarelah, Jesharelah. [1 Chronicles 25:2]
Ascah az-kar (female)
Hebrew: Anklet. Daughter of Caleb and grand-daughter of Hephunneh.
She married her uncle Othniel. A bold woman for her time and culture. She
told her husband to ask her father for some land. This request was granted,
but Ascah was still unsatisfied. She also wanted water rights over the
land. Her husband was frightened to ask for more. So she asked Caleb herself,
and he gave her the rights to both the upper and lower springs. Variants:
Acsa, Acsah. [Joshua 15:16]
Asenath azzi-nath (female)
Hebrew: Devotee of Neith (Egyptian equivalent of Athena, the pagan
Greek goddess of wisdom). This is a very old name, known to have existed
in Egypt as long as four thousand years ago. Asenath was the daughter of
Potiphera, a priest. Pharoah married her to Joseph, by whom she had two
sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. [Genesis 41:45]
Ashbea ash-be-ar (male)
Hebrew: I appeal. Head of a family in Judah. A descendant
of Shelah. [1 Chronicles 4:21]
Asher ash-ah (male)
Hebrew: Happiness, luck. Son of Jacob by the concubine Zilpah, Leah's
maid. He had a brother Gad, half-sister Dinah, and half-brothers Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali.
He is one of the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel; in this case,
the Asherites. Variants: Aser, Asser. [Genesis 30:13]
Asherah ash-ah-ra (female)
Hebrew: Straight, continuous. A pagan goddess associated with the
delusive worship of Baal. Variants: Ashtaroth. [1
Kings 16:33]
Ashtoreth ash-toe-reth (female)
Hebrew: Star. A pagan goddess associated with the blasphemous worship
of Baal. She was chief goddess of the Phoenicians. Known as Ishtar to
the Assyrians, and Astarte to the Greeks and Romans. [Judges 2:13]
Asiel az-ze-el (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Created by God. A Simeonite. Forefather of Jehu. [1 Chronicles
4:35]
Asriel az-ri-el (male)
Hebrew: Help of God. Son of Gilead and a descendant of Joseph through
Manasseh. His brothers were Abiezer, Helek, Shechem, Hepher and Shemida.
Others with this name: A son of Manasseh by his concubine. [Numbers
26:31]
Atarah at-tar-ra (female)
Hebrew: Crown. Mother of Onam. Her husband was Jerahmeel. [1 Chronicles
2:26]
Catholics Get More
The Catholic and Protestant versions of the Bible are not identical.
The traditional Bible of the Catholic Church contains seventy-three books,
while the traditional Bible of the Protestants has but sixty-six.
Athaliah ar-thal-le-ar (female)
Hebrew: Afflicted, punished by God. A daughter of royalty. Her father
was King Ahab and her grandfather was King Omri. She married King Jehoram
of Judah. Her mother was the wicked Jezebel. Like her, Athaliah was drawn
to the blasphemous worship of Baal. After the death of Ahaziah, her son,
she ruled for six years. To hold power she killed her own grandsons, preventing
possible rival claims. But one of them, Joash, escaped. He was installed
as king and Athaliah was slain by her own guards. Others with this name:
(i) A son of Jeroham. (ii) Father of Jeshiah. [2 Kings 8:26]
Augustus or-gust-tus (male)
Latin: Venerable, majestic. More a title than a name. Augustus Caesar
was emperor of Rome when Jesus Christ was born in the province of Judea.
His personal name was Caius Julius Caesar Octavianus, or Octavian for short.
His grand-uncle was the famous Julius Caesar. The name (or title) appears
just once in the Bible. [Luke 2:1]
Azaliah az-zar-lee-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: God has provided. Other interpretations: Near to God,
God has made his goodness known. Son of Meshullam. Father of Shaphan,
a scribe under King Josiah. [2 Kings 22:3]
Azaniah az-zan-ni-ar (male)
Hebrew: God has provided, set aside. Other interpretations: God
has heard. Father of Jeshua, a Levite who, with Nehemiah, signed the
covenant. [Nehemiah 10:9]
The World's Most Popular Names
The Bible is the world's richest single source of personal names. The
most popular Christian (or first) names are, for girls, Mary, and for boys,
John. Other very popular names include David, Hannah, James, Joseph, Mark,
Elizabeth, Anna and Luke.
Azarael az-zar-rail (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Whom God helps, God is my help. A Levite musician
in the procession at the dedication of Jerusalem's walls. Variants:
Azarel. [Nehemiah 12:36]
Azareel az-za-reel (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Whom God helps, God is my help. A warrior who joined forces
with David at Ziklag. Others with this name: (i) A temple musician
in David's time. (ii) A prince of the Danites who served under David as
a captain of the army. (iii) A son of Bani who divorced his foreign wife.
(iv) A priest who lived in Jerusalem. Variants: Azarel. [1
Chronicles 12:6]
Azaria az-zar-ree-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: God helps, whom God helps. A very popular name in
the Bible. The first was the son of Zadok, Solomon's high priest. Others
with this name: (i) An officer at the court of King Solomon. Son of
Nathan. (ii) Tenth king of Judah - see Uzziah. (iii) A son of Ethan
the Wise. (iv) A son of Jehu with Egyptian ancestry. (v) The son of Jonanan.
A high priest under Abijah and Asa. (vi) A high priest, the son of Hilkiah.
(vii) An ancestor of Samuel. (viii) A son of Obed who became a prophet
in the reign of Asa. (ix) Two sons of King Jehoshaphat with the same name,
one also called Azariahu. (x) Ahaziah, who appears to have been
known as Azariah also (just to confuse matters!) (xi) A son of Jehoram
who helped overthrow the wicked queen Athaliah. (xii) A high priest under
Uzziah who resisted his efforts to assume the holy functions of the priests.
(xiii) Son of Johanan. A tribal prince. (xiv) Two obscure Levites. (xv)
A chief priest under King Hezekiah. (xvi) A Levite assistant to Ezra. (xvii)
Chief of a returned family. (xviii) Son of Maaseiah. He helped rebuild
the walls of Jerusalem. (xix) A priest who, with Nehemiah signed the covenant.
(xx) An opponent of Jeremiah. (xxi) A captive taken to Babylon. His name
was changed later to Abednego. (xxii) A prince of Judah. Variants:
Azariah, Azariahu, Azriel, Ozias, Uzziah. [1 Kings 4:2]
A Bitter Tale
Produced by the Clarendon Press in 1717, this edition of the Bible
refers to Luke 20 as "The parable of the Vinegar." The
word they meant to use was Vineyard.
Azaziah az-za-zee-ar (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Whom God strengthens. A Levite harp player under King David.
Others with this name: (i) Father of Hoshea, a tribal prince. (ii)
A Levite temple custodian under King Hezekiah. [1 Chronicles 15:21]
Azel az-zel (modern male and female)
Hebrew: Distinguished, noble. A descendant of Saul through his son
Jonathan. [1 Chronicles 8:37]
Aziel az-zeel (male)
Hebrew: God is my strength. Other interpretations: Whom God comforts.
A Levite harp player. Variants: Jaaziel, Jehiel. [1 Chronicles
15:20]
Azriel az-ree-el (modern male and female)
Hebrew: God is my help, help of God. A chief of the Manasseh tribe.
Others with this name: (i) A Naphtalite tribesman. (ii) The father
of Seraiah. Variants: Azaria. [1 Chronicles 5:24]
Azzan az-zan (male)
Hebrew: Very strong, most powerful. A chief among the Issachar in
the time of Moses. His son was Paltiel. [Numbers 34:26]
Don't stop now ... What about
all
the B to Z names?
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