New names in the Bible

• A good name is more desirable than great richesProv 22:1
  The verses

  Prov 22:1A good name is more desirable than great riches; favor is better than silver and gold.

Examples

• Abram became AbrahamGen 17:5
  The verses

  Gen 17:5No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
• Sarai became SarahGen 17:15
  The verses

  Gen 17:15Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.
• Jacob became IsraelGen 32:28
  The verses

  Gen 32:28Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
• Rachel named her son Ben-oni; his father called him BenjaminGen 35:18
  The verses

  Gen 35:18And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.
• Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneahGen 41:45
  The verses

  Gen 41:45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
• Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name JoshuaNum 13:16
  The verses

  Num 13:16These were the names of the men Moses sent to spy out the land; and Moses gave to Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.
• Naomi: do not call me Naomi, call me MaraRuth 1:20
  The verses

  Ruth 1:20“Do not call me Naomi,” she replied. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has dealt quite bitterly with me.
• Solomon was also named Jedidiah2 Sam 12:24–25
  The verses

  2 Sam 12:24–25Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.
• Pharaoh Neco renamed Eliakim Jehoiakim2 Kgs 23:34
  The verses

  2 Kgs 23:34Then Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, where he died.
• The king of Babylon renamed Mattaniah Zedekiah2 Kgs 24:17
  The verses

  2 Kgs 24:17Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
• Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, AbednegoDan 1:7
  The verses

  Dan 1:7The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
• Simon was called Cephas, that is, PeterJohn 1:42
  The verses

  John 1:42Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated as Peter).
• James and John were named Boanerges, Sons of ThunderMark 3:17
  The verses

  Mark 3:17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
• Joseph of Cyprus was called Barnabas, Son of EncouragementActs 4:36
  The verses

  Acts 4:36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),
• Saul, who was also called PaulActs 13:9
  The verses

  Acts 13:9Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked directly at Elymas