What's your name?
I have always loved palindromes. A palindrome is a word that spells the same backward and forward. Ready examples are ‘Akoka,' ‘Mallam,' ‘Madam,' ‘radar,' ‘civic' and sometimes a whole phrase: ‘MADAM I'M ADAM.'
My personal favourite however is the Ijaw word – ‘Edewede' – that's a complete phrase in English: ‘the dawning of a new day.' This is because it brings to mind a watershed event in the life story (forever fascinating!) of a character that lived some 4 millennia ago: Jacob.
Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of [a new] day .
25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
27 So He said to him, " What is your name ?" He said, "Jacob."
28 And He said, " Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel ; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed. "
Genesis 32:24-28
Then there's the case of another guy, whose truly intriguing story is available only as a parenthesis!
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain ." 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10: It's almost like this: Probably because his father walked out on her about the time of his birth, and being economically disenfranchised, she could not afford the impossible hospital bills. So, she slapped on the newborn boy the name ‘Bill' to reflect the status quo. Later in life, it became an albatross around the boy's neck. Then Jabez read up the account on a certain character – Jacob, later Israel – who got a new lease on life when the issue of his name came up on the divine agenda.
Therefore on that day he – the father – called [Gideon]: Jerubbaal, saying, "Let Baal contend against him, because he has torn down Baal's altar."
Judges 6:32: Talks about a name to match the game! His father did what he could to ensure he was up to it!
Jacob – cheat, literally: ‘he grasps the heel' – was named based on the circumstances of his birth. His brother, Esau, was so named because he was hairy.
Isaac and Rebecca named their kids based solely on nature, i.e. anatomy, physical description or incident at birth. Many today still do the same – Dogo (‘tall one'- Hausa); Laraba (‘born on Wednesday'- Hausa); Jumma'i [female], Jimoh [male] (‘born on Friday'- Hausa); Iyabo (‘Mother has reincarnated' - Yoruba); Wada (‘dwarf'- Hausa), Balarabe (‘[Like] an Arab').
Also Jacob (rather, his wives) named his children on the basis of rivalry, jealousies and pettiness. No thought was given to the future of the children!
Reuben (The L ord has seen my troubles. Surely now my husband will love me)
Simeon (The L ord has heard that I am not loved, so he has given me this son)
Levi (Now, surely my husband will be close to me, because I have given him three sons)
Judah (Now I will praise the L ord )
Dan (God has judged me innocent. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son)
Naphtali (I have struggled hard with my sister, and I have won)
Gad (I am lucky)
Asher (I am very happy! Now women will call me happy)
Issachar (God has given me what I paid for, because I gave my slave girl to my husband)
Zebulun (God has given me a fine gift. Now surely Jacob will honor me, because I have given him six sons)
Joseph (God has taken away my shame)
One charge that has been laid at the doorstep of black people everywhere – of which Nigerians make up some 20 grand percent – is that we do not think generational . We do not set up the next generation, informed to take on the realities of the times. I think one surefire way to address this charge (‘or, is it not true?') is to pay close and fresh attention to the names we carry around as labels for life – and beyond. These names are far from ‘neutral'; the bulk of them are damning, all right!
The Yoruba have a penchant for contracting names. Wole is really Olu - or Olawole ; Leke is Ade- or Oye- , etc. It is as a Botswanan friend once pointed out to me: ‘The only reason your people give their kids impossibly long names is so they can have something to cut from it. It seems they just must cut!'
What, then, is to be the ‘fate' of a person given the name Esupofo – ‘the devil is a loser – in abbreviation? Is it to be Esu (the Yoruba mythic god of mischief and destruction), or Pofo (loser)?
What's the use of your name?
The name should reflect the direction the arrow is shot. As in Lagos transport, the conductor shouts “Oshodi! Oshodi!” to reflect the destin(y)ation in which the bus is going.
It is the same with “Children born to a young man…” They are “like sharp arrows in a warrior's hands.” (Psalm 127:4). For the daft, however, these ‘potential missiles' can remain unguided – or worse, misguided . They are then just plain shafts without arrowheads to point them ‘the way they should go…' (Proverbs 22:6): into a preferable future for them and for all.
Enough of clueless child naming! And must we perpetuate those of the past, given present realities? An example ‘in the beginning' – Genesis – will suffice:
And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the L ord has cursed." Genesis 5:29
Yet another example for the inauguration of the New Testament comes in handy:
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name J esus , for He will save His people from their sins ."
Matthew 1:21
Indeed, the Lord Jesus Himself would come to re-christen his ace disciple, Simon – a ‘reed' wont to sway – as ‘Peter,' meaning ‘a rock.' It became his God-appointed surname (Acts 10: 5). And what a difference was accomplished in history with that one life!
For a name is wont to impart to its bearer an abiding sense of personal purpose and dispensational (corporate) destiny. An Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, so powerfully demonstrates this with his own family. All their names were “signs” intended to make them “wonders” in the land, pointing to a coming national crisis and the need for God's intervention as help (Isaiah 8:18 - I and the children the LORD has given me have names that reveal the plans the LORD Almighty has for His people.) (NLT)
His own name means ‘Salvation is of the Lord.' His 2 children's names (in the tradition of the Biblical revelation given before the children were even conceived) are: Shear-jashub – ‘a remnant (of the people) shall return (from captivity)' – and Maher-shalal-hash-baz: ‘[see as] they hasten to the spoil; they speed to the prey' – referring to the coming Assyrian invasion of the land, with attendant socio-economic fallouts.
Because ‘nothing is real until it is personal,' only after Jacob's experience and change of name did he become actively involved in the naming of his son, the last one.
And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
Genesis 35:18
Check God's revealed names. They always show His mission statement at the time, what He's up to. God Himself pointed this out to one of the greatest figures, Moses, whose own name pointed to his destiny: ‘drawn out (of water)', called as he was to ‘draw' his people ‘out of slavery' in Egypt right through the waters of the Sea of Reeds (the Red Sea ).
God replied, “I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS. Just tell them, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” God also said, “Tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your ancestors – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.' This will be my name forever; it has always been my name, and it will be used throughout all generations.”
Exodus 3: 14 –15
The root word for “Yahweh” is the Hebrew verb ‘to be,' hawah . Check: it is a palindrome!
See also Genesis 22:7 – 8, 13 – 14.
French for Beginners
In French the question, ‘What's your name?' is posed in a rather pointed way: Comment tu t'appelle? This literally means:' Comment on the way your appellation goes!' Or, ‘How does your name go?' And so the respondent goes on to tell on himself – by venturing his name. Now, isn't that telling?
Useful names to consider
Hausa
Nura – light (from Arabic Nur ) or Haskaka – Enlighten
Na'Mai-ikoduka – Belonging to the Almighty
Kaunakebabba – Love is the greatest
Mabudi (Eye opener)
Manyangobe – Tommorrow's leader today
Cecemu'uba (Save, Lord)
Yoruba
Olukoagba (the great teacher)
ToluwalaseNilu (the counsel of the Lord shall stand in the land)
Ayon'lu (Joy in the land)
Ijobarere (Good governance)
Ipese Alafia Ni lu (Provision of peace & tranquillity in the land)
Change of name
Dogo (Lanky) can become Dogara (faith)
Ifa (a Yoruba deity) can become Ife (Love). Example: ‘Fagbola (Ifa receives the honour) becomes ‘Fegbola (Love receives the honour).
Ogun can be changed to Olu(wa) . Example Ogundayo (god of iron has turned our lot to joy) becomes Olu (wa)dayo (God of heaven has turned our lot to joy)
Oso (shortened to So ) can become Ogo (Glory). Example: ‘Soyinka (bathed in sorcery becomes ‘Goyinka (bathed in glory)
adeWale Adefuye, prophet and teacher, is the Dean of LifeClass, Lagos. He can be reached at lord@walefuye.com
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