The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

Ethan was the name of several minor Old Testament Israelite characters briefly mentioned in various genealogies:

• a great-grandson of Jacob, grandson of Judah, father of Azariah
• a Kohathite descendant of Levi
• a Merarite son of Kushaiah, descendant of Levi

The most notable of the brief mentions is “Ethan, the Ezrahite,” son of Kushaiah. When the Bible describes the wisdom of Solomon, it says he was wiser than all men, even Ethan the Ezrahite. This Ethan was a singer at King David’s court well known for his wisdom. Also, Ethan the Ezrahite is credited as the author of Psalm 89!

Scriptures for the Bible Stories of the Name Ethan

• 1 Kings 4:30-31 (scroll down to verse 30)
• 1 Chronicles 2:6, 8; 6:42, 44; 15:19 (scroll down to the specified verse)
• Psalm 89

Variations of the name Ethan

Male: Eitan

We hope this information is useful to you. Contact us if you have a request for the Bible stories about a particular name. If you like this resource, tell your friends about the Christian Meaning of Names website, or link to us at www.ChristianMeaningOfNames.com!

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

There are two or three men named Daniel in the Bible. King David and his wife Abigail (see the Christian Meaning of Names for Abigail) had a son named Daniel. Nehemiah, the leader of Jerusalem’s wall-rebuilding, had a co-worker in construction named Daniel.

But the most famous Daniel by far is the prophet Daniel, of the book of Daniel in the Old Testament. This young man was taken captive by the Babylonians, enemies of Israel. Their captor, King Nebuchadnezzar, was quite impressed with Daniel and his other buddies captured from Israel, because “In all matters requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, the king found the advice of these young men to be ten times better than that of all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.”

Besides wisdom in administrative matters, Daniel was also gifted with the interpretation of dreams. After interpreting a very troubling dream for the king, Daniel was appointed ruler over “the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men.” Not bad for a kid who started as a Jewish political prisoner.

Daniel served not only King Nebuchadnezzar, but also his successor, King Belshazzar. Daniel interpreted for Belshazzar some mysterious writing put on the wall by disembodied fingers, declaring God’s message that Belshazzar’s pride had brought his downfall and that his days as king were numbered. That very night the king was assassinated, and Darius the Mede took his place.

Amazingly, Daniel’s administrative skill and wisdom was recognized by yet another king. Darius put Daniel in charge over the entire empire, supervising the princes who governed each province. Despite his popularity with the king, or more accurately, because of it, Daniel was the target of a political assassination. Knowing Daniel to be a man of God who prayed regularly throughout the day, his enemies tricked the King Darius into making a law that would send Daniel to a death sentence for his religious devotions.

Perhaps the best-known event of Daniel’s life is his night in the hungry lion’s den. After surviving this with a bit of angelic help, Daniel not only continued prospering under King Darius, but also during the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Over the course of his life, Daniel also recorded several prophetic visions found in the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.

Scriptures for the Bible Stories of the Name Daniel

• Daniel and his companions find favor in captivity: Daniel 1
• Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and is rewarded: Daniel 2
• Nebuchadnezzar has another dream that Daniel interpets: Daniel 4
• Daniel explains the writing on the wall for Belshazzar: Daniel 5
• Daniel survives the lion’s den and prospers under two more kings: Daniel 6

Variations of the name Daniel

Male: Dan, Danny, Danyel
Female: Danielle, Daniella

We hope this information is useful to you. If you like this resource, tell your friends about the Christian Meaning of Names website, or link to us at www.ChristianMeaningOfNames.com!

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

The Rebekah of the Bible was a singular woman. She was chosen with God’s guidance to be the wife of Isaac, the miracle son of Abraham’s old age and became the mother of twin boys, Jacob and Esau.

When Abraham’s servant journeyed to find a wife for Isaac, he was burdened with a great responsibility. He was supposed to find a wife who would help fulfill God’s promise to his master to have descendants that would outnumber the stars. Knowing that there was no way he could find such a gem in his own ability, he prayed for a sign. He asked for the most far out thing he could think of (more…)

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

There are three notable Bible women with the name Mary. The first was Mary the mother of Jesus. Her humble obedience to the call of God to bear and raise His Son was a beautiful example of a life surrendered to the Lord. As a young Jewish woman betrothed to be married, she was visited by (more…)

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

Andrew was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus who later became apostles in the early church. He worked as a fisherman with his brother Simon Peter in Bethsaida, and was a disciple of John the Baptist before he met Jesus. He is said to have been martyred by (more…)

The Story Behind This Historical Christian Name

The name Anthony does not appear in the Bible, however it is notable as a Christian name because of its historical significance. St. Anthony the Great was a man commonly referred to as “the Father of monks”, or the father of Christian monasticism. While he didn’t invent monasticism (it was already being (more…)

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

Two women in the Bible were named Abigail. There isn’t much story to the first: she was Abigail the sister of David (who wrote many of the Psalms and became the famous king of Israel). However, the other Abigail was a woman described as “sensible and (more…)

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

Hannah was the mother of the prophet Samuel in the Old Testament. The favorite of two wives, Hannah was barren and unable to bear children for many years, while the other woman had several. This was very difficult in a society where a (more…)

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

The name Michael is referenced first and most in genealogical lists, starting with a man in the Israelite tribe of Asher. However, the most popular character with the name Michael is the angel described in the book of Daniel as a “prince” or “archangel”. He is also described as (more…)

* See additional notes on the meanings of this name at the end of this post.

The Story Behind This Biblical Christian Name

There are two people in the Bible with the name Jacob, and only one has a story. The briefer scriptural mention of the name Jacob is the father of Joseph, husband of Mary, in the genealogy listed in the book of Matthew.

The real story is with Jacob the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the grandson of (more…)