Hebrew Word Study: His Name Shall Be Called

Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

A child is born and a son is given.  This is a Hebraic expression of humanity and divinity.  Birth signifies humanity and ben nathan lanu (a son is given to us) shows his divinity.  The word for given is nathan which is spelled Nun, Taw, Nun.  Backward or forward it is spelled the same.  The final Nun is an open Nun.  This expresses that giving is circular. When you give it comes back to you to give out again. A circle also expresses eternity.  Thus the son is given is a Hebraic way of saying this son existed before you and I and will continue to exist, hence he will be God.

I have often heard it said that the expression, The government shall be upon His shoulder expresses the time that King Herod sought to take His life.  Yet, this is a Hebrew idiom that simply means He is going to rule. All governments rest upon His shoulder, yes, even the Obama administration is resting upon God’s shoulder. He is in control of world affairs, he is guiding the governments to His own conclusion.

“His name shall be called…”  Shem (name) means a reputation more than a legal identification.  In ancient times names often changed as a person’s reputation changed.  Some could be called by many names.  For instance, if I meet a friend at church I would call that person by their birth name. If we study the Word of God together I would call that person by a name that expresses their insight into God’s Word: “Shavasha, what  do you think this passage is saying?” Or if I seek a believer who I know is joyful and call that person to cheer me up I may say: “Good afternoon Bi’simchah.”

We always pray “Dear God” or “Dear Lord.”  Ever try to open your prayer with “Dear Wonderful.” Actually, the word wonderful in Hebrew is pele’ so you could be addressing God as Dear Miracle Worker. Literally pele’ has the idea of the healing heart of God.

You may wish to address Him as Dear Counselor which in Hebrew would be  Yo’es. Here you would be addressing Jesus as Dear Advisor or  Purpose Giver.  In its Semitic root, yo’es has the idea of submitting or humbling yourself to the will of God.  If you pray Dear Yo’es  you are praying: “To the one that I am humbling submitting my will for Your purpose.”  Jesus set the example by submitting to the will of the Father in going to the cross.

How about praying Dear Mighty God, or El Givor. El is the word for God but in its Semitic root, it has the idea of one who is in control or in command.  You see El Givor comes from an Akkadian word which is the language of the Assyrians who were a warrior class people and El Givor is a military word, representing a mighty warrior, a hero in battle.  A givor is one who lays down his life defending his country.  An El Givor is a commander who obtained his leadership position by challenging the prior leader to a fight and beating the daylights out of him.  To address Jesus as El Givor you are saying: that Jesus is your commander who has defeated all the other gods who have tried to control you.  But let’s carry this into the Hebrew language where it is spelled with a Gimmel, Beth, and Resh.  These letters were chosen carefully because the Gimmel represents loving-kindness, the Beth represents the heart and the Resh represents a turning or change in direction.  As an El Givor Jesus is a commander whose heart is filled with lovingkindness and will enter your life’s battles to turn or change the direction toward victory.  By calling Jesus your El Givor you are saying “My hero who laid down his life for me.”

Do you ever pray “Dear Everlasting Father,” or  ‘Av ‘Ad.  We all know what God as a Father means.  Ad or everlasting means again and again and again. Everlasting Father is a Father who helps, forgives, delivers, etc. again and again and again.  He is a Father who is always faithful, always there to pull you out of the mud.”

Finally, how about starting your prayer off with  Dear Prince of Peace” or Sar Shalom.    Translators loosely translate sar as prince for no other reason than to keep the motif going.  But if you trace this word to its Semitic root you find it actually means your navel. I mean we don’t want to call God our navel of peace.   But consider the origins of this word and how it developed into the idea of a prince. The navel is where the cord from the mother was attached to feed the unborn child.  Hence, as this word passed through its Semitic origins it arrived at the idea of a prince to express the bloodline to a throne. The navel of peace is an old Semitic expression that tells us that Jesus is the source of all peace (shalom).  “My peace I give unto you, not that the world gives.” John 14:27.  The Hebrew word shalom is rooted in many ancient Semitic languages and thus it has many more shades of meaning that the English word peace.  Shalom means safety, security, and good health.  When we pray, Dear Prince of Peace or Sar Shalom we are praying: “Dear source of all safety, security and good health.” 

 I know many of you like to pray or meditate on the many names of God.  Well, here are a few more names to add to your list. These are specific to the One we celebrate at this time of year.

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