Unusual Biblical Names!

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During research for one of our recent series, we ran across several people whose Biblical names mean something unusual, odd, contradictory, or astonishingly prophetic compared to how they turned out in life.

The meanings of the below Biblical names comes from either Strong's Concordance, Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions, or Thayer's Greek Definitions. The list also includes the verses where each of the unusual names can be found.

Ahasuerus
I will be silent and poor
Ezra 4:6, Esther 1 - 3, 6 - 10, Daniel 9:1

Also known as Xerxes, Ahasuerus was the son of Persian King Darius I. Ahasuerus was anything but silent or poor during his life, as he ruled over the ancient world's most powerful and largest empire for twenty years!

Baasha
Wicked, to stink
1Kings 15 - 16, 21:22, 2Kings 9:9, 2Chronicles 16, Jeremiah 41:9

Baasha was the Kingdom of Israel's third ruler. He ascended to the throne by murdering the second monarch named Nadab. His bloody reign of 22 years, during which he killed all those of the royal household (1Kings 15:27 - 29), required God's intervention to stop.

Bebai
My cavities
Ezra 2:11, 8:11, 10:28, Nehemiah 7:16, 10:15

Bildad
Confusing love
Job 2:11, 8:1, 18:1, 25:1, 42:9

Bildad was one of Job's three "friends" who consistently criticized him after he experienced unparalleled calamities brought to him by Satan the devil!

Chushanrishathaim
Twice-wicked Cushan or
Cushan double wickedness
Judges 3:8, 10

At seventeen letters this is the second longest personal name in Scripture. Chushanrishathaim was a Mesopotamia king whom God allowed, for eight years, to harass and dominate Israel as correction for their sins (Judges 3:8).

Dekar
Son of stabbing
1Kings 4:9

Dekar's son was one of King Solomon's twelve provincial officers.

Gareb
Scabby
2Samuel 23:38, 1Chronicles 11:40

Gareb was the name of one of King David's thirty-seven mighty men who were extraordinary warriors.

Goliath
Splendor
1Samuel 17, 21:9, 22:10, 21:19, 1Chronicles 20:5

Goliath was a gigantic man who, from his youth, was trained in the art of killing. Raised in a pagan culture that lived for battle, he became the greatest warrior of the Philistines. He was the man who challenged the young King David to a fight to the death. Splendor is hardly the word to describe a killing machine like Goliath!

Hazarmaveth
Village of death
Genesis 10:26, 1Chronicles 1:20

Hazarmaveth, a son of Jokthan, was a descendant of Shem who survived the great flood.

Horim (Horites)
Cave dweller, troglodyte
Genesis 14:6

The Horim (Horites) were a group of people who mostly lived in caves in and around Mt. Seir. They were one of the many people overcome and plundered in the Bible's first recorded war (Genesis 14:1 - 6). In modern times, the term "troglodyte" is sometimes used as an insult toward someone considered really stupid or out of date (Urban Dictionary, Free Dictionary)!

Jambres
Foamy healer
2Timothy 3:8

Jambres was one of the two Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses and Aaron's efforts to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.

Mahershalalhashbaz
Swift is booty, speedy is prey
Isaiah 8:1, 3

Mahershalalhashbaz is the longest personal name in the Bible at eighteen characters! It was a name God gave to a prophetess' son.

Nabal
Fool, dolt
1Samuel 25:3 - 39, 27:3, 30:5, 2Samuel 2:2, 3:3

Abigail, Nabal's wife, was well aware she married a man who was a fool (1Samuel 25:25)! His foolish treatment of King's David's messengers almost got him and his family killed and all he owned destroyed. It was Abigail who saved the day by stepping in and pleading mercy in spite of her husband's foolishness.

Narcissus
Stupidity
Romans 16:11

Narcissus was a person living in first century Rome who may have been a Christian.

Nereus
Lump
Romans 16:15

Nereus and his sister, who lived in Rome, hosted a group of Christians in the city who met for Sabbath services.

Zaccheus
Pure
Luke 19:2 - 8

Our last unusual Biblical name is Zaccheus. Although his name means "pure" most of his life clearly was not! As a tax collector in Jericho he grew quite wealthy through theft, extortion and other means of dishonest gain (Luke 3:12 - 13, 19:7 - 8). It was only when Jesus met him that he repented and pledged to turn his life around.

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