View Message

Hebrew acronym names
I've read that the Hebrew girls' name Maya is used in Israel as an acronym for the Yom Kippur War of 1973, and that Nili is an acronym for a Biblical verse from I Samuel 15:29, meaning "The Eternal One of Israel will not lie" in Hebrew. I'm intrigued - are there any more Hebrew names like this i.e. acronyms that carry a religious or patriotic meaning? I would be very grateful if someone could provide more examples.Edit: I checked the archives and found another one - Shilat.
http://www.behindthename.com/bb/fact/3155115
Are there any more examples?

This message was edited 7/28/2012, 6:58 AM

vote up1vote down

Replies

Yes. The name Lehava comes from LiMniat Hitbolelut B'eretz HaKodesh (For the Prevention of Assimilation in the Holy Land). Although it does have a double meaning of ‘flame.’ I realise I’m more than a decade late but hope this helps!
vote up1vote down
יהלי
יה-לי
God is mine
vote up1vote down
Yishay/IshaiSomeone left a comment for the name Jesse. It says that the name Jesse might come from Yishay or Ishai which "is commonly explained as being the initials of the phrase "Gather together tribes of Israel" (in Hebrew: "Yachad Shivtey Israel")".http://www.behindthename.com/name/jesse/comments (it is the first comment dated 4/2/2005).
vote up1vote down
One more comment -- sorry I couldn't figure out how to edit the previous -- but Yishay reminds me of Yeshayahu, which is the Hebrew form of Isaiah.http://www.behindthename.com/name/yesha02yahu
vote up1vote down
Interesting! I don't know about any names like this, but that is where the letters of the Hanukkah dreidel come from.The letters are Nun, Gimel, Hay, Shin; and they stand for "Ness Gadol Hayah Sham", which means "A great miracle happened there." So it's designed to remind players of the miracle of Hanukkah.
vote up1vote down
Thank you both
vote up1vote down