“What’s in a Name?”
These famous words uttered by the fair Juliet, in the second act of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, are set within the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. From her balcony, she expresses her ardent love for her suitor asserting that his name, Montague, is insignificant to their all-consuming love. The playwright’s intention appears to convey the idea that names are “arbitrary labels that do not alter the intrinsic nature of things.”[1] While there is truth that a person’s identity cannot be reduced to their first or last name, when it comes to expressing our hopes, aspirations, expectations and dreams, names indeed matter.
I was the first-born child to Larry and Jane Suntken. As family legend has it, my parents had no idea what to name me once I arrived on May 29, 1961, at the city hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The origin of my name is the result of my parents searching through the New York Times obituary section and deciding on Brian as my first name and Scott as my middle name.
My given name comes from early Celtic languages, where words for “hill” or “high place” evolved metaphorically into “noble” or “exalted.” The name Scott means “from Scotland” or “a Scotsman,” originating from the Old English and Latin. I find great humor in the fact that I am the “noble Scotsman” since my family tree is predominantly of German and Dutch lineage.
Fortunately, the names we find in Holy Scripture were not taken from The Jerusalem Post and are far more than labels. They reveal to us identity, divine purpose, and often covenantal truth. Think for example about the name Abram which means “exalted father” and recounts the early portion of his extraordinary calling by Yahweh at the ripe old age of seventy-five. Twenty-four years later, God initiates a covenant with Abram that he will no longer “be called Abram; your name will be Abraham” (Genesis17:5) meaning the “father of many nations” denoting not only his lineage but also signifying El Shaddai’s covenant promise to multiply Abraham’s descendants.
In the first verse of the Book of Ruth, we meet a family without names: “In the days when the chieftains ruled, there was a famine in the land; and a man of Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the country of Moab.”[2] Only in the second verse are these individuals identified. The Hebrew word for name, shem, is used three times. These first two verses draw the reader’s attention to the way this family, and the story, drifts between names and namelessness.
All the names given in the first chapter appear to have symbolic meaning. Elimelech means “my God is king.” Naomi, as she herself points out in verse 20, suggests “sweet” or “pleasant”. Their sons’ names Mahlon and Chilion, connotes “sickness” and “destruction.” They meet their end at the conclusion of verse 5.
The name Bethlehem of Judah is important as well. Bethlehem signifies “house of bread,” a meaning that will be fully appreciated in the grain harvest in chapters two and three where the main action takes place. Because Bethlehem is a generic name for any town in a region where grain is cultivated, the narrator goes out of his way to include “of Judah” or “in Judah” to distinguish it. For the Bible also mentions “Bethlehem” as the hometown of the judge Ibzan in the Book of Judges (12:1–6), which may be linked to Bethlehem of Galilee. In the Amarna Letters dating to the 14th century BCE, there is a possible reference to a place called “Bethlehem,” but its identification is uncertain. Another ancient site called Bethlehem existed in the Jezreel Valley in the northern hill country, near Nazareth. In the Bible, this is sometimes referred to as Bethlehem of Zebulun in Joshua (19:15).
Next, we meet the two Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth. The name Orpah refers to the Hebrew word for “nape”. This name is perhaps used for plot function because in the end Orpah will turn her back on Naomi to head back to Moab. Elsewhere in the Bible, turning the nape was seen as a sign of flight. But not here. Orpah and Ruth are to be seen as examples of loyalty, faithfulness and devotion. Orpah does not flee. She is a devoted daughter-in-law following her mother-in-law’s counsel and advise. As Robert Alter suggests in his commentary: “Orpah is a good woman, but less resolute than Ruth.”[3]
The name Ruth originates from the Hebrew word Rut, commonly linked to re'ut, meaning “friendship” or “companionship”. Some scholars also connect it to the Hebrew ravah, meaning “to saturate” or “refresh,” symbolizing Ruth as a source of loyalty, and support. The name may even carry connotations of a “pleasant fragrance,” reflecting her virtuous character and devotion.
As I consider the attributes of what it means to enjoy a deep and abiding “friendship”, I think about Ruth and her role as a foreigner and outsider. As a Moabite woman, she isn't part of the Israelite community. However, her actions and character prove that she's worthy of acceptance and inclusion. Her “companionship” with her mother-in-law emphasizes her humility and selflessness. Despite facing numerous challenges and hardships, she remains steadfast to Naomi and her willingness to sacrifice for the well-being of others. Every now and then “friendship” demands courage and determination. As we read through the text, Ruth will take bold steps to secure a future for herself and Naomi, demonstrating resilience and resourcefulness in the face of adversity.
Biblical names are rich with theological, historical, and personal meaning. They reveal God’s purposes, mark covenantal relationships, and often serve as prophetic signs of transformation and destiny. What’s in a name?
Quite a lot.
[1] nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/whats-in-a-name/
[2] Tanakh, The New JPS Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text, 1985, page 1419.
[3] Alter, Robert, The Hebrew Bible A Translation with Commentary, 2019, page 627.
