The children of Samuel and Sarah include common girls’ names of the era, Alice, Naomi and Emma, and three distinctive boys’ names. Israel is a recognisably Biblical name, but Zina and Adnah require a little more research.
The Hebrew word El is a form of the word for God, and as well as is a component of many of the names used for God in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. Some English translations of the Hebrew may obscure these names, rendering them simply God (Lord is the standard English rendering for the Hebrew YHWH, or Yahweh, an abbreviation used to avoid referring to the name of the Holy One). A few examples of El titles include El Shaddai (‘The All Sufficient God’, Genesis 17:1 and 47 other passages), El Elyon (‘The Most High God’, Gen. 14:20; Ps. 9:2), and Immanuel (‘God is with us’, Isa. 7:14). For comparison, El appears over 250 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, primarily in the context of the God of Israel.
Israel was the name given to Jacob after struggling all night with another man who is later recognised as God (Genesis 32:28). Israel is a compound word, sra indicating a struggle with God, undefeated by God, or God prevails. It was Jacob/Israel who became the father of the nation of Israel through his twelve sons, and Israel became the name of the nation or people of God, the Children of Israel.
Zina is an unusual name which was written by some English census collectors as Zinah, and some later transcribers have read their handwriting as Lina. In the Bible, Zina/Zinah was the second son of Shimei the Gershonite (1 Chronicles 23:10) , and the name carries meanings from Bible dictionaries of the Bradford era including abundance, shining, ornament, going back (in contrast to a similar Islamic term with less positive associations).
Adnah was a chief of the tribe of Manasseh, captain of a thousand of his tribe, who joined David at Ziklag, deserting Saul (1 Chronicles 12:20). The name is suggested to mean delight or pleasure.
Alice is a name of German/French origin, in very common usage in England, meaning noble.
Naomi is a Hebrew name meaning pleasantness, beautiful (Naomi was the mother-in-law of Ruth in the Bible).
Emma is another name of German origin, again in very common usage in England, meaning whole, universal.
It is clear that the parents Samuel and Sarah knew the Bible well, and in particular the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. Both of their names have Biblical origins too. Sarah/Sarai is a Hebrew name meaning princess, and Samuel is a Hebrew name meaning ‘God has heard’. Sarai/Sarah was the wife of the patriarch Abram/Abraham. Samuel was the last of the ruling judges in the Old Testament, who anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and later anointed David as the second (and greatest or ideal) Israelite king.
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What’s in a name? The children of Samuel and Sarah include common girls’ names of the era, Alice, Naomi and Emma, and three distinctive boys’ names. Israel is a recognisably Biblical name, but Zina and Adnah require a little more research.
The Hebrew word El is a form of the word for God, and as well as is a component of many of the names used for God in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. Some English translations of the Hebrew may obscure these names, rendering them simply God (Lord is the standard English rendering for the Hebrew YHWH, or Yahweh, an abbreviation used to avoid referring to the name of the Holy One). A few examples of El titles include El Shaddai (‘The All Sufficient God’, Genesis 17:1 and 47 other passages), El Elyon (‘The Most High God’, Gen. 14:20; Ps. 9:2), and Immanuel (‘God is with us’, Isa. 7:14). For comparison, El appears over 250 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, primarily in the context of the God of Israel.[1]
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Israel was the name given to Jacob after struggling all night with another man who is later recognised as God (Genesis 32:28). Israel is a compound word, sra indicating a struggle with God, undefeated by God, or God prevails. It was Jacob/Israel who became the father of the nation of Israel through his twelve sons, and Israel became the name of the nation or people of God, the Children of Israel.
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Zina is an unusual name which was written by some English census collectors as Zinah, and some later transcribers have read their handwriting as Lina. In the Bible, Zina/Zinah was the second son of Shimei the Gershonite (1 Chronicles 23:10)[1], and the name carries meanings from Bible dictionaries of the Bradford era including abundance, shining, ornament, going back (in contrast to a similar Islamic term with less positive associations).
Adnah was a chief of the tribe of Manasseh, captain of a thousand of his tribe, who joined David at Ziklag, deserting Saul (1 Chronicles 12:20). The name is suggested to mean delight or pleasure.[1]
Alice is a name of German/French origin, in very common usage in England, meaning noble.[1]
Naomi is a Hebrew name meaning pleasantness, beautiful (Naomi was the mother-in-law of Ruth in the Bible).[1]
Emma is another name of German origin, again in very common usage in England, meaning whole, universal.[1]
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It is clear that the parents Samuel and Sarah knew the Bible well, and in particular the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. Both of their names have Biblical origins too. Sarah/Sarai is a Hebrew name meaning princess, and Samuel is a Hebrew name meaning ‘God has heard’. Sarai/Sarah was the wife of the patriarch Abram/Abraham. Samuel was the last of the ruling judges in the Old Testament, who anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and later anointed David as the second (and greatest or ideal) Israelite king.