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Original poster

Obscure Biblical names

27 replies

JamaicaGeisha · 13/07/2011 17:07

I have found a few, does anyone know any more, and what do you think of these?

Boys
Amasiah
Hanniel
Micaiah
Jahleel
Kemuel
Rephaiah
Vaniah

Girls
Iscah

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Tonksthecat · 13/07/2011 18:44

I think Vaniah sounds a bit girlie... meanings of the names would be a factor for me as well

They're not all especially unusual but of the 20 little school buddies and siblings at DS's birthday party I was tickled that we had
boys: Isaiah, Raphael, Elijah, Micah, Ezekiel and Joel,
girls:Jemima, Deborah and Leah

Original poster
JamaicaGeisha · 13/07/2011 18:59

Love Isaiah, Micah and Deborah. That's a lot of Biblical names there!

Amasiah - sustained by God
Hanniel - grace of God
Micaiah- who resembles God?
Jahleel - God waits
Kemuel - helper of God
Rephaiah - God has healed
Vaniah - nourishment of God

I did think about Vaniah sounding feminine. Still like it though.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 13/07/2011 19:06

Hephzibah
Zipporah
Beulah
Dinah

Lemuel
Hezekiah
Nehemiah
Zedediah
Ismael
Shem
Japheth
Absalom

Nightstar · 13/07/2011 20:49

How come the deciples have such western sounding names and these all sound quite middle eastern?

MerryMarigold · 13/07/2011 20:54

Talitha - means 'little girl'
Abi'yah

Jude
Linus

Nightstar, Disciples names are translated from Greek eg. Petra is Peter. Old Testament names are translated from Hebrew. In fact (I think), Jesus was Joshua in Hebrew, but turned into Jesus from the Greek translation of Joshua which is Jesus.

Maybe I just have a rude mind, but Vaniah just sounds too much like Vagina for me!

Tonksthecat · 15/07/2011 19:55

JamaicaGeisha thanks for the meanings

Marigold, there's really honestly a Linus in the Bible??

bringinghomethebacon · 15/07/2011 19:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NotJustKangaskhan · 15/07/2011 20:17

Bithiah
Yael
Serach (Ser-akh)
Huldah
Ketziah/Keziah
Keturah
Mehetabel
Orpah
Sherah

Itai
Reuel
Jadon/Yadon
Neriah
Eliezer
Elihu
Zimri

Lots more here, including Linus

Original poster
JamaicaGeisha · 15/07/2011 21:48

Love Keturah and Ketziah!

Thanks for the link it's really good.

OP posts:
MerryMarigold · 15/07/2011 21:55

Just read a bit around the people. See if they were nice people to be named after, or had a good life. Just think it would be weird to be named after someone who is only known for being raped, or for chopping someone's head off!

Rhubarbgarden · 15/07/2011 22:16

Habakuk.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

LaLaLayla · 16/07/2011 04:33

I think Abra for a girl is beautiful. It was also the name of the girl in East of Eden.

CheerfulYank · 16/07/2011 04:50

Nightstar their real names were things like Y'hochanan (John), Shim'on (Simon), etc.

I really like Ezra and Asa, but they're not that obscure anymore. :) Tons of Jeremiahs, Isaiahs, Noahs, etc around here.

woowa · 16/07/2011 20:29

We have a little girl with the name in Exodus 6.23. Now pg with DC2 and finding it hard to find a biblical girl's name that we like as much. and struggling with boys names too!

The list i mailed my DH yesterday was

Boys

Asher
Jeshua
Jeduthun
Jedidiah
Rafael
Calvary
Eden
Jesse
Justus
Rephaiah

Girls

Cassia (it?s a tree?) gets a mention in some psalm or other?
Clementine (from Clement)
Galilee
Jael
Gethsemane
Joely (from joel)
Josephine (from joseph)
Korah (which is a man in the bible but i think is more girly nowadays)

DH vetoed most of the boys and some girls ones, but he was more postive than I expected! If he wasn't married to me he'd NEVER go for names like these, but he has been very tolerant!

woowa · 16/07/2011 20:33

here is another site which has a whole section dedicated to unusual names in the bible. I reckon you'd be hard pressed to find a name in there that's not in the bible, there are SO many!

CheerfulYank · 16/07/2011 20:59

Woowa I love Galilee. I know of a little one called Lee-lee or Lilee for short. :) Clementine and Clemency are pretty too. :)

VikingLady · 01/08/2011 16:28

Salathiel - we had one in our family, a couple of generations back.

sparkle12mar08 · 01/08/2011 16:46

I've always liked Mahala for a girl, beautiful sound. Judith is nice too.

plupervert · 01/08/2011 16:53

I was going through the family tree with my mother recently, and was very tickled to find a couple of Mehetabels (take that, Mabel!). Maybe I will threaten to call DD that, just to shut up everyone who keeps suggesting names to us... (sorry, but after so much wheedling about Alexandra and Isabella, only the prospect of a Mehetebel for a granddaughter is going to reconcile them to the name I really want and hope to persuade DH of!).

mcfee · 01/08/2011 16:56

Lois is a name from the bible.

MaryBS · 01/08/2011 17:01

How about Mahershalalhashbaz or Chushanrishathaim? They're pretty obscure, although very useful for quiz questions, being the longest and second longest names in the bible :o

TheOnlyWayIsEnfield · 01/08/2011 19:18

Serai is nice for a girl. Not sure who she is, as the Bible is hardly my specialist subject, but I know one and she is gorgeous.

lalabaloo · 02/08/2011 20:09

Hananiah
Asher
Azariah

TheRedQueen · 02/08/2011 20:24

One of my Godmother's middle names is Reumah from Genesis 22:24. I think she told me it means "exhalted" or such like. I suppose that would fit .... she's certainly VERY posh !!!!

BulletWithAName · 02/08/2011 20:36

Serai is nice for a girl. Not sure who she is, as the Bible is hardly my specialist subject, but I know one and she is gorgeous.

Sarai was Abraham's wifes' name before God changed it to Sarah (and his from Abram)