Biblical Concept Of "Name"

The concept of the "name" is an important one in biblical worship. In fact, a synonym for "worship" in the Scriptures is the expression "call upon the name of the Lord" (Gen. 26:25; Pss. 80:18; 99:6; 105:1; 116:13, 17). Often we hear the summons to praise, bless, or exalt his name (Pss. 34:3; 96:2; 100:4; 135:3; 148:13; 149:3) or to ascribe glory to his name (Pss. 29:2; 66:2; 96:8; 115:1). The worshiper may speak of lifting his or her hands to the name of the Lord (Ps. 63:4) in the universal ancient gesture of homage.

Importance of the Name

In biblical thought, a name is more than a designation differentiating persons or things. A person's name encompasses his complete identity, reputation, and character and refers to his whole self or person. In the Scripture, the phrase "my name" is often used in place of "I" or "me," and "his name" means "him." Thus, the Lord assures Moses that his name will be in the angel who goes before Israel, meaning that the Lord himself will be present (Exod. 23:20–21). When God's people are commanded to praise the name of the Lord, they are in fact being told to praise the Lord himself. The sanctuary is the place where the Lord causes his name to dwell (Deut. 12:11), or establishes his name (Deut. 16:6; 26:2), which is to say that his people may worship there in his presence. One's character is known by one's name. Nabal's reputation with his wife was reflected in his name, which meant "fool" (1 Sam. 25:25). Jacob's name, "supplanter," was descriptive of a life-style (Gen. 27:36), until the Lord changed his name with the idea that his behavior would be modified accordingly. Even much later, in New Testament times, a person's name might be changed at a significant turn in his or her life. Jesus gave Simon the new name of Cephas (Aramaic) or Peter (Greek), meaning "rock," when he first met him (John 1:42) and again when he became the first to acclaim Jesus as the Christ (Matt. 16:13–20). Saul became Paul, exchanging his Jewish for his Roman name, when he changed from a persecutor to a preacher of the gospel. In making a covenant with Israel, Yahweh first revealed his name to Moses as an indicator of his character in the covenant relationship. The term God is not really a name but a title, describing the "office" that Yahweh holds. Covenant ceremonies often included changes of name. A great king who was granting a covenant to a subject king and his people was said to "form" or "create" the vassal nation. In the ancient world an object was not thought to exist until it was named, so the king who "created" the people would usually name them as well, sometimes calling them by his own name as a sign of ownership. Abram became Abraham when the Lord established a covenant with him. Jacob's name was changed to Israel, which means "God rules" (Gen. 32:28), a name which later came to refer to Jacob's descendants, the people God had created for himself. Aaron the priest put the Lord's name on the covenant people (Num. 6:27); God has named Israel (Isa. 43:1), calling them by his own name (2 Chron. 7:14). His name is on the sanctuary where they are to worship him (Neh. 1:9) and the city in which it is located (Jer. 7:12).