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Names play a variety of roles in the Bible. They sometimes relate to the nominee's role in a biblical narrative, as in the case of Nabal, a foolish man whose name means "fool".[1] Names in the Bible can represent human hopes, divine revelations, or are used to illustrate prophecies.[2][clarification needed]

Most popular names

During the period 330 BC – 200 AD, the most common male names in Judea or post Kingdom of Israel were:[3]

  • 1. Simon/Simeon
  • 2. Joseph/Joses
  • 3. Lazarus
  • 4. Judah
  • 5. John
  • 6. Jesus
  • 7. Ananias
  • 8. Jonathan
  • 9. Matthew/Matthias
  • 10. Manaen
  • 11. James
  • 12. Michael

During this period, the most common female names were:[3]

  • 1. Mary
  • 2. Salome
  • 3. Shelamzion
  • 4. Martha
  • 5-6. Joanna and Sapphira (equally common)
  • 7. Berenice
  • 8-9. Imma and Mara (equally common)
  • 10–12. Cyprus, Sarah, and Alexandra

Lists

See also

References

  1. ↑ See 1 Samuel 25:25
  2. ↑ Lockyer, pp. 11-14
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bauckham, Richard (2017). "Palestinian Jewish Names". Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. pp. 67–92. ISBN 978-0-8028-7431-3.

Further reading

  • Comay, Joan, Who's Who in the Old Testament, Oxford University Press, 1971, ISBN 0-19-521029-8
  • Elwell, Walter A., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Baker Publishing Group, 1984, ISB 9781441200303
  • Lockyer, Herbert, All the men of the Bible, Zondervan Publishing House (Grand Rapids, Michigan), 1958
  • Lockyer, Herbert, All the women of the Bible, Zondervan Publishing 1988, ISBN 0-310-28151-2
  • Lockyer, Herbert, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible, Zondervan Publishing 1988, ISBN 0-310-28041-9
  • Tischler, Nancy M., All things in the Bible: an encyclopedia of the biblical world , Greenwood Publishing, Westport, Conn. : 2006 ISBN 0-313-33082-4

External links

Template:Personal names