The important names in the Bible were not given in random order. As the story concerning each character unfolds, we learn how closely connected is the name to the narrative, provided that we focus on the Hebrew name. English, Spanish, Greek and Latin, along with all other world languages fall short in demonstrating how: 1. The Biblical name foreshadows the life events of each personality, 2. The Hebrew name both mirrors and substantiates the truthfulness of biblical events and prophecies.
Although reading the Bible in English is also perceived by believers as reading truth, the immediate sense of substantiation, as reflected in the mere Hebrew name, is missing from the non-Hebrew reading experience. This is just one reason why it is so important for every Bible follower to obtain some knowledge of Hebrew.
It is surprising that quite a few women whose name is Elizabeth don’t really know the meaning(s) of their name. The Hebrew origin of this name is ‘Eli•she•va.’
There is one ‘E•li•she•va’ in the Old Testament:
“And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, to wife”
There is another ‘E•li•she•va’ in the New Testament:
“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth”
That’s it! One ‘E•li•she•va’ per Testament. Yet, the meaning of this name is very Divine. It is made up of two parts: ‘Eli’ and ‘She•va.’ The first part means ‘My God’ and the second is the number with the holy attributes: ‘seven.’ In other words, the meaning of the name is “My God of the Seventh” [perhaps the ‘seventh day.’] Listen to the end of this English name: “…Sabeth.” Doesn’t it sound like the Sabbeth day?
‘She•va’ may also mean ‘swear.’ The meaning of the name, then, is: “(In) My God (I) swear.”
We don’t know for sure which of the two meanings was the original.
We should leave it to each Elizabeth to choose from. Your contribution could be sharing these meanings with all the “Elizabeths” that you know.
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