Why do Bible people have such funny names?
Here's the answer:
The people in the Bible named their children in a different language.
The people in Bible times didn't think their names sounded funny. Their entire language sounded different than ours. If they heard our names, they'd probably think our names sound funny!
When the Bible was written thousands of years ago, Jewish people chose names for their children very carefully. Each name had a special meaning. Often, parents gave their child a name that told of their hopes for their child. For example, if they wanted their baby to become a lover of God, they might name him Jedidiah, which means "lover of God." God told some parents what to name their child in order to give a special message. God even changed some people's names, like He did for Abram (Abraham) and Jacob (Israel), to show them His plan.
Bible Truth
"Abram fell with his face to the ground. God said to him, '... You will not be called Abram anymore. Your name will be Abraham, because I have made you a father of many nations'" (Genesis 17:3, 5).
"After some time, Hannah became pregnant. She had a baby boy. She said, 'I asked the LORD for him.' So she named him Samuel" (1 Samuel 1:20).
"'She is going to have a son. You must give him the name Jesus. That is because he will save his people from their sins.' All of this took place to bring about what the Lord had said would happen. He had said through the prophet, 'The virgin is going to have a baby. She will give birth to a son. And he will be called Immanuel.' The name Immanuel means 'God with us'" (Matthew 1:21-23).
