Are Biblical Names Literary Devices?
Question:
Some biblical figures seem to have names with very negative meanings (e.g., ‘Destruction,’ ‘Dog,' or similar terms), and they do fit the narrative. How should we understand these—were these their actual historical personal names, or are they symbolic/literary names or later interpretive labels used by the biblical text?
Answer:
During biblical times, it was common to give children names with significant meaning to their parents. Often, those names are related to events surrounding the birth or to the parents' feelings and desires for the child. Cain's name means "acquired." Obviously, Adam and Eve acknowledge that they acquired a son from God. Sometime later, they had a second son whom they named Abel. Abel's name means "breath." Abel was killed by Cain, but Adam and Eve had another son afterward, whom they named "Seth," which means "appointed" because they saw Seth as being appointed by God to replace his elder brother, Abel.
Sometimes the names were given because of events at the time of the birth. Esau got his name because he was covered with red hair at his birth (Genesis 25:25). The name Esau means "hairy." His twin brother was born holding onto Esau's heel, so he was named Jacob, which means "heel catcher" or prankster. As Rachel lay dying after the birth of her second son, she named him Benoni, which means "son of my sorrow." Jacob immediately changed his name to Benjamin, which means "son of my right hand." Phinehas' wife gave birth right after learning that her husband died in battle, and the Ark of the Covenant was captured. She named her son Ichabod, which means "no glory."
Of course, naming a child after a favorite relative was also common (Luke 1:59-61).
In a few cases, God steps in to state a child's name (Luke 1:13; Matthew 1:21; Isaiah 8:3; Hosea 1:3-9). As you noted, it is interesting how many times a person's name reflects facets of his life. Did his name lead him toward various choices, or was God working behind the scenes? It is something that we can't fully determine.
Another puzzle is what would lead a parent to name their son Nabal ("fool"). Other names sound strange to us, but may have made more sense to the parents. Cabel's name means "dog." They likely wanted to express their hope that their son would grow up to be loyal and courageous. Balaam's name means "destroyer of the people." Perhaps his parents wanted him to become a conqueror.
