Names, Meaning

A rose by any other name

She named him Moses (מֹשֶׁה) explaining, “I drew him (מְשִׁיתִהוּ) out of the water” (Exod 2:10).

The character of Tamar draws on a botanical motif—the tamar, the date palm—to evoke a recurring trope of female family members whose beauty and presence have the power to destroy or save the family.

A biblical metaphor for God’s relationship with Israel first found in the prophet Hosea

Genesis Rabbah surprisingly portrays Lot’s daughters and their choices in a decidedly positive light, while exacerbating Lot’s culpability.

Betuel, Rebekah’s father, mysteriously appears and disappears in the negotiations over Rebekah’s marriage.

Who gets to name the child? Priestly and non-Priestly texts give two different answers.