How to Interpret the Old Testament - Name Meanings

The ancient Israelites held deep significance to letters and names. What is rarely spoken of though, is the fact that the names given to various people and towns have very deep archetypal truths associated with them. Just as Jesus was the manifestation of the archetypal Logos (Reason / Intelligence), so too are the names throughout the Old Testament associated with particular psychological traits and circumstances. This is exemplified by the fact that the names of the people involved in the lineage of Jesus, prophecy about the coming of Christ:



Name prophecy continued (link)

All throughout the Old Testament, people or places are named in association with what that town or person represents. For example, Egypt means ‘shut-in’, exemplifying the fact that this totalitarian government was squandering the development of the children of God. There is also Babel / Babylon which means “Confusion”. Babylon was known as a luxurious civilization, and it was these luxuries that distracted many people from their birthright. This is the meaning of the Babylonian captivity. The only Israelites immune from the Babylonian takeover were the poor people, and the Rechahbites who were still living a lifestyle of camping according to Moses’ Law.

These archetypal names hold enduring meaning, which are later used symbolically by other Old and New Testament writers. Isaiah mentions Babylon often, and it may be referring to the literal city of Babylon, but most importantly it refers to the enduring idea that an overly indulgent civilization runs the risk of coming to a deluded state of consciousness. For this reason, Isaiah repeatedly begs his fellow Israelites to come out of the Babylonian confusion:

Go out from Babylon,
declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it out to the end of the earth;
  say, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!”

So now we see this is not just applicable to the Babylonian exiles, but also the enduring archetype of an exodus out of a confused civilization. He is also not just referring to Jacob the historical person, but more so the archetypal meaning of Jacob, which is “to follow” and “to supplant / overcome”. Therefore we can now read the above Biblical verse as:

Leave the city of confusion and declare with a shout of joy, proclaim it, and go out to the whole world and say “The Lord has redeemed his servant who follows Him and overcomes”

Jacob was given these names because he was the second born of twins, and therefore was called as a ‘follower’, and was called an ‘overcomer’ because he usurped his older brother’s birthright. Jacob and Esau should be viewed archetypically as one single soul. Esau is the fleshly part, represented by his hairiness, while Jacob is the spiritual aspect which rises up and overcomes by following the inclinations of the Spirit stirring us up from within.

Jacob was eventually renamed to Israel, which means “Wrestles with God / Triumphant with God”. This was Jacob’s transformative state, the second birth alluded to by Jesus later on. Jacob was therefore triumphant with God because he contended with God, striving for that truth even when Esau’s armies threatened his life. This is how the Old and New Testament writers portrait archetypal truths. It is important to note it is not just enduring psychological and spiritual truths, but also physical occurrences that hold perpetual meaning. The Truth becoming flesh / the embodiment of Truth.

Take for example the place where Jacob wrestled with God. He named the place “Peniel” which means ‘I saw God’s face’. After striving with God, Jacob came face to face with God. The enduring archetypal truth is exhibited most definitely with Peniel. ‘Peniel’ is pronounced the same as “Pineal”. The Pineal gland is hypothesized to be the seat of the soul, and is the only singular non-dual structure in our nervous system. The pineal gland is believed to be the place where we see / sense God. The fact that Jacob named the place where you see God as ‘Peniel’ (pronounced ‘Pineal’) demonstrates the validity of these enduring truths.

Jacob is then told not to take a wife from the nearby cities, but instead to go to Pan-aram to find his wife. Without knowing that each city / village name holds deep meaning, we would lose the integral part of this command. ‘Pan-aram’ means “higher plane”. Therefore, to translate into contemporary language, Jacob was commanded to go and find his wife in a higher plane. Surely enough, he comes to a well where he is greeted by his eventual wife ‘Rachel’, which means ’ewe’. Ewe is a female sheep, and this is an indication that Jacob, who is now Israel, which means triumphant with God, is now made to be a shepherd to a lost sheep of Israel.

This story is re-embodied later by Jesus shepherding in a lost Samaritan (agnostic) woman at the same well that Jacob shepherded Rachel. Just like Rachel knew through intuition that Jacob/Israel was ‘of her kind’, so too did this lost Samaritan woman quickly realize that Jesus was her Messiah. This is how these stories take deep archetypal effect, because they are embodied by Jesus the Logos and complete the foreshadowing from ages ago. Again, this is what it means for the Word (Logos) to become incarnate, it is the embodiment of Truth. This is our destiny. Both of these mirrored events take place by a well, which represents a spring or forthcoming of sustenance. Both Jacob and Jesus represent this spring of life, so much so that Jesus claims the spring of Life he has within him endures eternally for those who partake in it.

These symbolic manifestations are not just applicable to times of old, but also in our every day life. If you take notice, you will realize many manifestations that come to be in a symbolic way. An example I like to use best is the time I had lost my laptop for a couple days. My laptop contained all of my creative work, and so it represented exactly that – my creativity. Eventually I found it buried underneath a pile of dirty laundry. What this instance was telling me was that my creativity was being buried by my untidiness and lack of organization. Another instance was when I was going to feed my cat some milk as a treat. The cat would start to drink the milk out of the bowl before I was finished pouring, causing me to incidentally pour milk on his head. The message was not for the cat, but for me. I was being told to be patient and wait until the bowl is full before I start to indulge, otherwise I will be left embarrassed with milk dumped on my head.

Jesus knew of these archetypal workings, and therefor would often say that certain things must happen for prophecy to be fulfilled. These unchanging enduring archetypal truths is what makes the Bible a timeless codex on life for those who can read it with open arms. If you wish to study the Bible like this, whenever you come across the name of a place or person, simply google “(the name of the place/person etymology” and it will give you the proper meaning of that name. Then insert that meaning in place of the word to discover the enduring truth they are referring to. These instances occur many, many times in the Bible. Prophecy is often fulfilled based on the meaning of names.

As a final example, take the Exodus of Moses out of Egypt. Moses’ name means ‘to be drawn out of water’, which is foreshadowing to John the Baptist who would be baptizing people out of the waters. Just like Moses prepared the way for Yeshua (which means Joshua), so too did John the Baptist prepare the way for Yeshua (which also means Jesus). Both Joshua and Jesus were the ones to lead the people of God into the promised land. Moses and John the Baptist preparing the way in the wilderness indicates an enduring archetypal truth for the children of God. To be cleansed from our old deluded ways of thinking, fasting in nature is the ideal way to prepare for the emergence of Christ within us.

This is why all 4 Gospels discuss John the Baptist, it is a necessary precedent for the identification of Christ. Especially during this time of quarantine, it is an ideal time to isolate from all clutter and, like Jacob, detect the emergence of God within at Peniel.

a reply to: cooperton

The old testament was about prophecy, the new testament was about it coming true.
I do believe Paul was an agent of the Romans and as much as I like the Corinthians, I still doubt the source.

originally posted by: cooperton
‘Peniel’ is pronounced the same as “Pineal”. The Pineal gland is hypothesized to be the seat of the soul, and is the only singular non-dual structure in our nervous system.

It is right to find significance in the Hebrew meaning of Hebrew words, but I would advise against word-play involving modern languages. For example, the above. "Pineal", as in the gland, is a modern word based on medical Latin.

a reply to: cooperton

How to Interpret the Old Testament - Name Meanings

Lots of wonderful symbolism in the Old Testament. My interpretation is much different than yours but perhaps you can help me with the interpretation of Lev.21:20....that states I may not approach the Alter of God if I have a defect in my sight. I've been wearing glasses since I was 11yrs and now have to use bifocals to read the Holy Word. What shall I do?

a reply to: olaru12
"Drawing near the altar" means being a sacrificing priest. Unless you feel a vocation to be a sacrificing priest at an Old Testament altar, you need not be concerned.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: olaru12
"Drawing near the altar" means being a sacrificing priest. Unless you feel a vocation to be a sacrificing priest at an Old Testament altar, you need not be concerned.

Right, interpretations are like opinions; everybody has one. Guess what my opinion is of your interpretation?

Great...

Hey Methusula....when he was growin up.....no one wanted him on their softball team....

Along with this name line comes translitteration of the letters

Lookout.....the first three words in Genesis tell the story same as you posted.......

The name of God is transltteral...
Behold the hand.....behold the nail

a reply to: olaru12
If you read the whole chapter, it's all about the rules that apply to sacrificing priests. It's just a question of reading the words as they stand.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: olaru12
If you read the whole chapter, it's all about the rules that apply to sacrificing priests. It's just a question of reading the words as they stand.

I take it you trust all the translations from the Aramaic. I don't, we can't even get an accurate translation from Spanish to English.

KJV tells the accurate story......

Others are evil, missing 18 verses or more

No need to learn greek.....the KJV had a hundred....and two hundred pros on the Hebrew.....they knew to toss the vulgate....it's forword by the author states it's fake and not for an accurate translation.....

originally posted by: olaru12

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: olaru12
If you read the whole chapter, it's all about the rules that apply to sacrificing priests. It's just a question of reading the words as they stand.

I take it you trust all the translations from the Aramaic. I don't, we can't even get an accurate translation from Spanish to English.

a reply to: cooperton
I remember reading the first part of this years ago by Chuck Missler, I am glad to someone has proceed with the rest of the names. Thank you

a reply to: olaru12
Look, just read the chapter in any translation you choose. None of them will tell you any different. I sorry I spoiled your bit of trolling, now I'll leave you in peace.

a reply to: DISRAELI

Must it be about physical sight? I wonder if it might be talking about spiritual sight, as in discernment. A priest with a defect in discernment would surely lead people astray.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: olaru12
Look, just read the chapter in any translation you choose. None of them will tell you any different. I sorry I spoiled your bit of trolling, now I'll leave you in peace.

I know anything that disagrees with the KJV is trolling. Imo....The KJV is politically inspired and not the word of God.
The Council of Nicaea was political and not about seeking the True Christ and...

The Apocrypha was included in the Bible until 1828 and was thrown out for political reasons, not religious.

I don't trust preachers, pastors, priest or so called Biblical scholars any more than I trust politicians. Religion is full of agendas that have nothing to do with salvation and more with keeping a politically correct doctrine and control.

Question my skeptism if you want, but it's not trolling.

originally posted by: olaru12

Lots of wonderful symbolism in the Old Testament. My interpretation is much different than yours but perhaps you can help me with the interpretation of Lev.21:20....that states I may not approach the Alter of God if I have a defect in my sight. I've been wearing glasses since I was 11yrs and now have to use bifocals to read the Holy Word. What shall I do?

I think new_here hit it on the head. From reading context, it looks like it more so is referring to discernment. the word used for "defect" is never used elsewhere in the Bible, so it is likely not as simple as 'defect', and I looked at similar words and they mostly mean something along the lines of 'destruction'. I would suppose this verse is saying exactly what Jesus referred to as the good eye that is required to correct the eyes of others. He may even be quoting this verse when he mentions that. Essentially, If someone's discernment is poor, then they aren't fit for the priesthood.

The following is quite a different concept in what religion is.

deephighlands.wordpress.com...

deephighlands.wordpress.com...

deephighlands.wordpress.com...


Considering between 300-400ad we are led to believe our Christianity or the way we see Christianity today was created, I tend to believe the meaning to f the bible etc is a lot deeper than we can contemplate.

Then it wasn’t until Henry 8th that the first English language bible was printed, a lot would have been altered, added and taken away. And it has been changed since. Hence why I began looking for a new meaning to the bible.

The link is well worth a read - simply because I personally believe that Christianity was created by the Roman Empire as a modern day form of control - is it a co-incidence that the Vatican (control centre of Christianity) was created 410ad and Rome gave up its military empire in 470ad..... why pay for an army and all the problems that brought when you can control stealthily yet still collect the riches.......through Roman Catholicism. I did always feel there was hidden meanings and things like da Vinci code set me off on my searches.

No worries mate....imperfect testicles also....but...We are the sacrificing priests of God....and Kings....Revelation is about how God gets His Priests in the throne room.....its not about the bride....God first gets His then Jesus gets His bride


Jesus changed everything it's finished.......All religions make the person do something to attain the top........except one.

originally posted by: olaru12
a reply to: cooperton

How to Interpret the Old Testament - Name Meanings

Lots of wonderful symbolism in the Old Testament. My interpretation is much different than yours but perhaps you can help me with the interpretation of Lev.21:20....that states I may not approach the Alter of God if I have a defect in my sight. I've been wearing glasses since I was 11yrs and now have to use bifocals to read the Holy Word. What shall I do?

a reply to: olaru12

Politically motivated? With over 60 contributors to the collection of documents and assembling of them together I doubt very much that politics had any hand in it. If God worked through man in the inspiration of it is He not able to preserve it?

Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of all the prophets, not just from the word that they spoke regarding what he would do, but also the embodiment of their names. Jesus was known as King David. The foreshadowing in the Old Testament comes from when David was persecuted by the first king of Israel - Saul. Saul represented the old paradigm, whereas David represented the true King of Israel. Saul, who later became known as Paul, also persecuted Jesus. This was indicative that the Jewish lineage would persecute the True King when He would come.

There is more. David slayed Goliath, and paraded his head around town before burying in a place that would be called 'Golgotha', which means "place of (Goliath's) skull". So too did Jesus conquer the heathen world at Golgotha upon finishing his crucifixion at the same place.

Jesus mentions a useful paradox in the scripture. If David called Lord his Father, how is it that David's Son would be this Lord? Instead we should be looked at as equals, which was made known by God in the book of Judges when God strongly insisted that there be no King, since all are equals. In this sense, we are all then called to this brotherhood/sisterhood to resemble the same path represented by Yah Weh (The Way).