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ArchivesRe: Saul?
in reply to a message by Andy
Any information at all. My middle son is named Saul and I love it for it's simple meaning but would love to be able to tell him more about it as he grows. I would really appreciate any aspect of it you know.
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Replies
Hi Crystal!
If the following statements are to scientific, just forget about them. They are about the etymology of Saul, which is indeed a bit tricky.
The board states “asked for” or “prayed for” as the meaning of Saul. In Hebrew it’s “Sha’ul”, and the verbal root is “sha’al” (Shin-Aleph-Lamed; always three consonants in Hebrew verbs unless one is dropped). Now the first meaning of the verb is indeed: “to ask (for)” or “to pray for”, so the translation given above is correct, and that’s what you are likely to find in most name books. There is also a sufficient name giving motive: “I prayed to God to receive this child.”
But there is also a different meaning to the name, favoured by many Old Testament scholars, and this has to do with another Saul mentioned in the bible: Saul, son of Kis, the first king of Israel. The bible does not give an etymological explanation of his name (nor of Shaul, an Edomite king mentioned in Gen 36,37f., nor of two other persons by that name, Gen 46,10 and 1. Chr 6,9), like it does in many other cases. But strange enough, you will find this explanation at a different place, namely with the birth of Samuel, the prophet and judge. In 1. Sam 1,20 his mother Channa says: “I will call him Samuel, because I prayed for him.” But this is the explanation of the name Shaul, not Samuel.
Now what does the name Samuel actually mean? – We don’t know. Often you will hear “God has heard (and answered)”, and this would at least match the meaning of Shaul given above: I have asked – God has answered. But the translation is doubtful, there is one consonant (see above) missing, the Ayin from “shama” (Shin-Mem-Ayin) meaning “hear, listen” (it could still be a contraction, though). Mostly it is translated “name of God” or “(E)shem is God”, (E)shem being a pagan god, we don’t know much about.
If the following statements are to scientific, just forget about them. They are about the etymology of Saul, which is indeed a bit tricky.
The board states “asked for” or “prayed for” as the meaning of Saul. In Hebrew it’s “Sha’ul”, and the verbal root is “sha’al” (Shin-Aleph-Lamed; always three consonants in Hebrew verbs unless one is dropped). Now the first meaning of the verb is indeed: “to ask (for)” or “to pray for”, so the translation given above is correct, and that’s what you are likely to find in most name books. There is also a sufficient name giving motive: “I prayed to God to receive this child.”
But there is also a different meaning to the name, favoured by many Old Testament scholars, and this has to do with another Saul mentioned in the bible: Saul, son of Kis, the first king of Israel. The bible does not give an etymological explanation of his name (nor of Shaul, an Edomite king mentioned in Gen 36,37f., nor of two other persons by that name, Gen 46,10 and 1. Chr 6,9), like it does in many other cases. But strange enough, you will find this explanation at a different place, namely with the birth of Samuel, the prophet and judge. In 1. Sam 1,20 his mother Channa says: “I will call him Samuel, because I prayed for him.” But this is the explanation of the name Shaul, not Samuel.
Now what does the name Samuel actually mean? – We don’t know. Often you will hear “God has heard (and answered)”, and this would at least match the meaning of Shaul given above: I have asked – God has answered. But the translation is doubtful, there is one consonant (see above) missing, the Ayin from “shama” (Shin-Mem-Ayin) meaning “hear, listen” (it could still be a contraction, though). Mostly it is translated “name of God” or “(E)shem is God”, (E)shem being a pagan god, we don’t know much about.
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Elijah once more
I forgot one passage: Read 1. Kings 18,37 and 39!
When the English translation says: "The Lord is God", in Hebrew it is: "Yahwe hu haElohim." So here again you have the "hu" (he), but instead of "El" you find the plural form "Elohim". But then again there is no crucial difference between the two, so the whole story is full of "Eliyahu".
Andy ;—)
I forgot one passage: Read 1. Kings 18,37 and 39!
When the English translation says: "The Lord is God", in Hebrew it is: "Yahwe hu haElohim." So here again you have the "hu" (he), but instead of "El" you find the plural form "Elohim". But then again there is no crucial difference between the two, so the whole story is full of "Eliyahu".
Andy ;—)
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Elijah
Hi, Crystal!
Saul was a bit complicated, but Elijah isn’t. The information given on the data base seems to be correct, except the name doesn’t necessarily have to mean “MY God is Yahwe”, it can also be translated “Yahwe is (the one and only) God”. But “My God is Yahwe” would still be the better translation, because the name is a more or less personal confession to the God of Israel. May others believe in other gods – mine is Yahwe. Elijah himself asks this very question to the people of Israel: “Make up your mind! If the Lord is God, worship him; but if Baal is God, worship him!” (1. Kings 18,21).
Unlike with many other names, the bible does not tell anything about the etymology or the name giving motive of Elijah. He is just introduced as “Elijah from Tishbe in Gilead” (1. Kings 17,1). We can assume that Elijah was his real name, because if it hadn’t been, the authors of the bible would probably have made some remark on that. But his name couldn’t have been picked better, because “Eliyahu” (“-hu” means “he”) turned out to be something like the “programme” of his life.
You can find out more about Elijah's life and about his meaning in Judaism and Christianity, if you check the net (there are tons of sites on bible stuff). But you can start by reading 1. Kings 17 to 2. Kings 2.
Andy ;—)
Hi, Crystal!
Saul was a bit complicated, but Elijah isn’t. The information given on the data base seems to be correct, except the name doesn’t necessarily have to mean “MY God is Yahwe”, it can also be translated “Yahwe is (the one and only) God”. But “My God is Yahwe” would still be the better translation, because the name is a more or less personal confession to the God of Israel. May others believe in other gods – mine is Yahwe. Elijah himself asks this very question to the people of Israel: “Make up your mind! If the Lord is God, worship him; but if Baal is God, worship him!” (1. Kings 18,21).
Unlike with many other names, the bible does not tell anything about the etymology or the name giving motive of Elijah. He is just introduced as “Elijah from Tishbe in Gilead” (1. Kings 17,1). We can assume that Elijah was his real name, because if it hadn’t been, the authors of the bible would probably have made some remark on that. But his name couldn’t have been picked better, because “Eliyahu” (“-hu” means “he”) turned out to be something like the “programme” of his life.
You can find out more about Elijah's life and about his meaning in Judaism and Christianity, if you check the net (there are tons of sites on bible stuff). But you can start by reading 1. Kings 17 to 2. Kings 2.
Andy ;—)
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Thank you so much, you have been so helpful! I really appreciate the quick and detailed responses. I have one more if you don't mind, if you do just say so.
My youngest child and only daughter is named Adia and I can find virtually no information at all aside from the fact that is translates into "Gift" in both Swahili and Huasa languages and it likely originated from Africa. Do you happen to know more?
My youngest child and only daughter is named Adia and I can find virtually no information at all aside from the fact that is translates into "Gift" in both Swahili and Huasa languages and it likely originated from Africa. Do you happen to know more?
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