The Importance of Names – Words Matter!

I am reading Jonathan Cahn’s Devotion, The Book of Mysteries, as part of my devotional reading this year. In many of the devotions, he gives the Hebrew meaning of words that help bring a deeper spiritual meaning to the topic. As I have meditated on some of these names and places, I have marveled at the importance of words and names. In the Bible, Israelites we see many people and places named because of their characteristics. God purposefully spoke names over people to invoke His purposes – His Covenant with His people. It shows me the importance of names – when parents agonize over names during pregnancy it is as if they know that what they name the child matters. It will be spoken to the child throughout his or her lifetime – speaking the word over them. The meaning of the name matters!

A Few Places of Importance – with Hebrew Meanings that Bring us Greater Spiritual Depth:

Place	Roots and Derivatives	Meaning	Spiritual Element
Bethlehem	Beit = place of house Lethem = bread	House of Bread	* Jesus tells us He is the bread of life (John 6:32-35) * Place of Jesus' birth
Capernaum	Kaphar = atonement, reconciliation, mercy, & forgiveness Kfar = village Nacham = comfort & consolation	Village of Comfort	* The place where Jesus, the Messiah ministered
Ephetah (Bethlehem-Ephetah)	Comes from the same word where we get peree Peree hagafen = fruit of the vine	Fruit of the Vine House of Bread and Wine	* Passover Cedar/ Last Supper - 2 elements are the bread and wine *Symbols of Jesus' sacrifice of His flesh and His blood *The first place the Messiah appeared in flesh and blood
Gethsemane	Gatshamanim = Olive Press Gat = press Shemen = oil	Sounds like word for Oil Press	*Garden where Jesus went to pray fervently (Last Supper) * Messiah is the anointed one (anointing with oil) *Oil comes from olives being pressed - reminds us of the pressure Jesus felt in going to the cross
Midbar (Wilderness)	Davar = Word	Wilderness is a place where God Speaks	*The wilderness is a Holy place *God brought the Isrealites into the wilderness for a purpose - He gave His Law, His Word, and Revealed Himself there
Nazareth	Netzar = branch	Place of the Branch	*Collective prophecy states that Jesus would be a Nazarene - the branch * Jesus grew up in Nazareth * Jesus was from the branch or lineage of David

- Collected from the Devotion: The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn (2016).

Names speak into our lives – thus what we speak over ourselves, and others are very important. Our words are powerful (Prov 18:21)! Matthew 12: 36-37 reminds us that we will be judged by the words we speak. Many verses in the Bible speak of being careful of what we say as it constantly gets us into trouble (James 3:3-12, Prov 29:20, Eph 4:29). It is important to really stop and think about what we say before we say it. I want to be a virtuous woman who speaks life and blessings over people – not erupt and speaking out of anger, frustration, jealousy, or other negativity. It reminds me of the adage Thumper stated in Bambi, “If you cannot say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.”

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone (Colossians 4:6).”