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God in a name

Many modern names in Western civilization have Biblical roots. Elizabeth, for example, in the original Hebrew/Aramaic was Elisheva (אלישבע ܐܠܝܫܒܥ), meaning "my God swore an oath". Elijah, from Eliyahu (אליהו) means "my God is the Lord". Both names begin with “El” (אל ܐܝܠ), which is God’s most common name in the Bible. This same combination appears at the end of names like Michael ܡܝܟܐܝܠ ("who is like God?"), Daniel ܕܢܝܐܝܠ ("God is my judge") and Gabriel ܓܒܪܐܝܠ ("God is my strength" or “man of God”).

The Secret of the Divine
Other biblical names contain a different divine Hebrew/Aramaic root Yah (ܝܗ יה), from the Lord’s most sacred title, the unspeakable four letters YHWH (ܝܗܘܗ ܐܘ ܝܐ יהוה). Ancient Israelites considered it a blessing to add these sacred letters to the end of someone’s name. For example, Jeremiah (ירמיה ܐܪܡܝܐ) means "the Lord exalts" and Zechariah (זכריה ܙܟܪܝܐ) means "the Lord remembers." These same letters Yah also appear at the beginning of names: Joshua (ܝܫܘܥ יהושע) meaning "the Lord saves" and Jonathan (ܝܘܢܬܢ יהונתן) meaning "the Lord gives".

Discover the Hidden Hebrew/Aramaic Source
Although the pronunciation of these names has changed slightly, they are all Hebrew/Aramaic originally, testifying to the central role God played in the lives of the people of Israel. Today, millions of people worldwide have biblical names. But names are just the beginning.

Is John a Hebrew/Aramaic name?!
Back in the day
Over 2000 years ago, when Jesus lived in the land of Israel, He spoke Aramaic (Hebrew) and was surrounded by people with Hebrew/Aramaic names. These Hebrew/Aramaic names have since become famous, and we know them today in their Latin or Greek version. Let's understand the original meaning of 2 famous names: Matthew and John.

Matthew and John
Matthew and John are very popular names today – just as they were 2000 years ago. Matthew in Hebrew/Aramaic is Matityahu (ܡܬܝܗ מַתִּתְיָהוּ). Matityahu means "God's gift": Matat (ܡܬܬ מַתָּת) means gift and Yahu (ܝܗ יְהוֹ) is a form of YHWH (יְהוָה), God's sacred name. John in Hebrew is Yochanan ܝܘܚܢܢ (יוֹחָנָן) which means "God endowed" or "God graced": Yo ܝܘ (יוֹ) is an abbreviated form of God's name, and Chanan ܚܢܢ (חָנָן) means endowed, or graced.

The original Hebrew/Aramaic meaning of the hymn
The word Hallel ܗܠܠ means “praise” in Hebrew/Aramaic. It is one of the most important words in the Hebrew/Aramaic Holy Bible. It is also the root of the word Halleluia ܗܠܠܘܝܗ (הַלָּלוּיָהּ), which means “Praise unto God” as well as the name of the Book of Psalms in Hebrew, Tehilim (תְּהִלִּים). It is precisely the book of Tehilim (Psalms 118:25-26) that is being quoted on Palm Sunday when the crowds proclaimed “Hosanna… Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mark 11:9).

Hebrew/Aramaic is your key to the Holy Bible
Many more names have their roots in Biblical Hebrew/Aramaic. Understanding the original names of the Holy Bible’s heroes reveals important meanings that are missed in translation. Before it spread around the globe and was translated into thousands of languages, the Holy Bible was originally written in Hebrew/Aramaic. If you want to really understand the Holy Scriptures in their deepest meaning, you must return to the original languages Hebrew/Aramaic.