by Jarrod M. Jacobs<\/p>\n
Interspersed in the Bible are lists of names. Sometimes, these are genealogies of certain families (Genesis 5, 10, etc.). Often, these genealogies focus on Judah’s descendants leading to Christ (Ruth 4; Matthew 1; Luke 3). At other times, these names teach us about faith (Hebrews 11; Romans 16). There are also lists of those worthy of honor due to their bravery (I Chronicles 10:11-47). How lists of names are used in Scripture is made apparent as we read and study.<\/p>\n
While sometimes these names are hard to pronounce, and sometimes they frustrate us, please do not give up on reading these sections of Scripture. It concerns me that people come to sections like this, become overwhelmed with pronunciation, and pass along and ignore that section or that chapter. Please understand that sections like this have much to teach us. Sometimes, when we read these names, we discover people whose lives are rich with meaning and teach us practical lessons that we might not have learned otherwise (Romans 15:4).<\/p>\n
I think another reason for using names is to prove that the Bible is true. It is like someone speaking about a particular event that they witnessed. If we do not believe someone’s story, that person may respond by saying, “If you don’t believe me, just ask …” and name some people who were also there who can corroborate the story. With this in mind, please read Ezra 2.<\/p>\n
Ezra 2 records many names. These people, and their respective families, were the first of three groups who returned to Jerusalem because of Cyrus’ decree. How do we know this is true? How can we be assured that this exodus from Persia happened? While someone might suggest we go read the “Cyrus Cylinder,” which records these events in the words of Cyrus, another way we can be assured this is true is by reading the Bible and noting the names of those who returned with Zerubbabel. When we read these names, we can see this event as credible. Ezra 2 states that some 42,360 people left with Zerubbabel to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:64). If you had heard of an event that took place, and 42,000 people corroborated the story, would you believe it happened? If you had the names of the people, would you believe it then?<\/p>\n
Similarly, please note that Paul talks about over 500 people who saw the resurrected Christ (I Cor. 15:1-8). He names several of them also! While 500 people are just 1\/80 of the number of people who left Persia, would 500 people corroborating that an event took place to be sufficient to convince you that it happened?<\/p>\n
Let us do better about reading the names in Scripture and seeing the purpose of having those people listed in the Bible. These are not random lists. They are not “filler.” They serve a purpose! Let us find out what that purpose is and respect it.<\/p>\n
Friend, do you believe the Bible and its message? If not, why not?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jarrod M. Jacobs Interspersed in the Bible are lists of names. Sometimes, these are genealogies of certain families (Genesis 5, 10, etc.). Often, these genealogies focus on Judah’s descendants leading to Christ (Ruth 4; Matthew 1; Luke 3). At other times, these names teach us about faith (Hebrews 11; Romans 16). There are also…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[709,998],"class_list":["post-55431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-evidence","tag-names"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12646,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-select-our-true-names\/","url_meta":{"origin":55431,"position":0},"title":"Does God select our true names?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been reading through your website and I find a lot of answers to my questions. I have also shared the link to it in our group. I thank God, first of all for the wisdom He's\u00a0given you. Thank you for your time using it. I really appreciate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35448,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-give-us-our-names\/","url_meta":{"origin":55431,"position":1},"title":"Does God give us our names?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Does God give us our names? Answer: Depends on which name you are referring to. If you mean the designations like Christian, disciple, or child of God, then, yes, those come from God. If you mean your birth name then, no, that was the name your parents picked out\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89909,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-using-the-names-of-the-week-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":55431,"position":2},"title":"Is using the names of the week wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I've been reading your posts and finding them really helpful. Thanks for sharing your insights! I'm having a discussion with someone about the names of the days of the week. They argue that using names like Sunday and Saturday is unbiblical because they're named after gods. They also claim\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37285,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-many-men-did-davids-chief-captain-slew-at-one-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":55431,"position":3},"title":"How many men did David’s chief captain slew at one time?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The chief of the mighty men of David lifted up his spear and killed how many men at one time? Eight hundred \"These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth[a] the Tachmonite, chief among the captains.[b] He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26697,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-already-know-who-will-be-in-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":55431,"position":4},"title":"Does God already know who will be in heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Does God already know who will be in heaven? Based on Revelation 13:8, I think He does. Answer: There are two ways Revelation 13:8 can be translated: \"All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50558,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-you-tell-me-who-king-davids-mother-was\/","url_meta":{"origin":55431,"position":5},"title":"Could you tell me who King David’s mother was?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Could you please tell me who King David's mother was? Thank you so much. Answer: The name of David's mother isn't recorded in the Bible. It is mentioned in Jewish traditions, recorded in the Talmud, where it is declared to be Nitzevet. 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