Living up to yoh name!

Last weekend, many thanks to Google and Wickipoedia, ah was studying Names and dey meanings, and of course ah had to begin wid Adam: “Man of the Earth”. De name Adam could be ultimately derived from Hebrew “to be Red”, referring to the ruddy colour of human skin. Lie-Za say my skin colour is Red nuff to be ah ULP. If am not mistaken ah think de PM has ah son name Adam. What ah lovable kid he was!

And of course dey’s “Eve.” The original Biblical name of Eve is “Chava”, because she nursed the whole world. Ah read way ah mother had ah son and he gave her ah lot ah “Labour Pain” Ohhh, and she called him “Jabez”, meaning “Sorrow”. Lie-Za in me tail again, she say we should call de ruling regime “SVG Jabez Party”!

Up next is Abraham: “Father of Many!”. My fair-foh-it Sunday School chorus: “Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had father Abraham”. He was the first of the great patriarchs of Israel.

Den comes Jacob, ah supplanter, made trouble from birth, grabbed onto his twin brother’s heel while in dey mother’s womb. But he was ah fighter, Jacob wrestled with God and forced God to bless him, Amen! God renamed him Israel. Dey’s one Israel (Bruce), an NDP fighter in de Elect-shun race.

De scriptures speaks of two James, de sons of Zebedee and Alphaeus, respectively. Interestingly, de name “James” is a variant of the Biblical Latin form Iacobus, from the Hebrew name Ya’aqov, see Jacob. Now we understand way Sir James, former Prime Minister, won’t release completely his hold on to de heels of Go-venom-mint.

Is ah pity people doh name dey children after Biblical personalities now-ah-days. Moses is ah nice first name.

According to the Torah, the name “Moses” comes from the Hebrew verb, meaning “to pull out/draw out” [of water], he was given this name by Pharaoh’s daughter after rescuing him from the Nile. Ah not dwelling wid life achievement, just names. So go read Exodus and find out more about dis great man, Moses.

There is a Joseph (God will increase) one of Jacob’s son whose brothers sold him into slavery. And dey’s Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. And dey’s Joseph Chatoyer, Paramount Chief of de Garifuna (Black Caribs). One of Chatoyer’s many claims to fame was dat he had many wives, obviously many children. Remember Joseph means “God will increase!”.

In my studies ah bounce up pon de name George as in George Mc Intosh and George Charles, two personalities in our pull-it-to-call Landscape. De name George is described as an Earth Worker, ah Farmer. Both Georges did not live to reap de fruits of dey labour wid de working class.

DE BIG GUNS

And de name Ebenezer Joshua is like ah double whammy! Ebenezer comes from a Hebrew phrase that means “stone of help.” Name given by de Hebrew prophet Samuel after setting up a stone to commemorate the help that God had given the Israelites. And Papa Josh’s surname “Joshua“ is “de way of Salvation.” Remember was Joshua who succeeded Moses and led de children of Israel to de Promise Land.

Robert as in Robert Milton Cato is not Biblical, but de name Robert means Bright and famous, SVG’s first Prime Minister. Dey’s no men-shun of Arnhim, but de name Ulric is of English origin and means “Wolf Ruler!”

Ah made men-shun of Sir James wid Jacob’s quaiities. So ah went on to de name Ralph, dat is not men-shuned in de scriptures; neither is de name Godwin “Friend of God.” In Nigeria Godwin means “God’s Gift!”
Ralph, pronounced “Ralf” In Hebrew means “God heals”, from the roots (rafa’) meaning “to heal.” De English version speaks of Ralf as de “Famous Wolf” or “Wolf Counsellor”.

Finally dey is de story of a young Man who went to ah wedding in Galilee. Dey ran out ah drinks and He miraculously turned water into wine. De Best Man chastised de hosts asking : “why did you all leave de Best Wine foh last?” De name of de Man who turned water into wine was Jesus, derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua/Y’shua, meaning “to Deliver; to Rescue.” “Saviour”. Dat name is given to our Lord, because “He saves His people.” And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.