Names in the Bible (3)
More important
women: חַנָּה, מִריָם, רוּת, אֶסתֵּר
André H. Roosma
24 Sept. 2025
After the introduction about names in
the Bible and a brief illustration on the names of some important women, here some light on the names of
more important women in the Bible.
חַנָּה - Channāh
(Hannah)
A woman with a name that's easily recognizable was חַנָּה - Channāh [H2584], in our laguages
named Hanna or Hannah (see 1 Sam. 1).
In her name we recognize the word חנ - chen - grace, followed by the ה - originally:  - āh of joyful worship!
Indeed, God was gracious to her: Hij gave her a son and
in worhip she gave him back to God, to serve Him in the Temple.
Soon, this son grew to be an important prophet in Isra’el:
Shemu’el known also as Samuel, who
bodily called Isra’el to worship God YaHUaH only.
Thereby we can see even more in the old way of writing1
Channah’s name:   - the flesh (>; body) of her offspring () would worship and call others to worship
()!2
מִריָם- Miryām / ΜΑΡΙΑΜ - Mariam
Then there are two women, one of which, in the Hebrew of the Masoretic text
was called מִריָם - Miryām [H4813] annd was the sister
of Mosheh and ’Aharon (Exodus 2, 15),
and the other in the New Testament Greek was called ΜΑΡΙΑΜ - Mariam [G3137], better known here as Maria or Mary, the young mother who was
used by God to set Jesus / Yeshu‘a on this
earth. Generally it is assumed that this is originally one and the same name.
Rabbinical Judaism traditionally explains this name as ‘bitter’ or
‘rebellion’, in relationship with the verb meri - to rebel; or the word mārāh - bitter,
rebellious. I have always found this strange, because both women have played
a crucial role in God's salvation history.
Concerning the reconstruction of the old way to write this name, we have here
a small advantage. Because even also the Greek letters stem from the old
Semitic script, we can also relate the Greek name to an old Semitic form.
Thus, I reconstruct this old form:     (the first -
’aleph has been put in a small font, because it is uncertain). I read here: () the abundance
of ( -
the prominent) ()
God () gave
( ) a mother.3
Indeed: the first מִריָם was used by God to
provide in a mother for Mosheh to breast-feed and nurture him the first years,
and the other ΜΑΡΙΑΜ became the bodily mother,
impregnated by God Himself, from whom Yeshu‘a (Jesus) was born.
Maybe of the first it could be said that she once was rebellious (Numbers 12), concerning the second, the Bible doesn't
give any reason to connect her to rebellion...
So, the explanation from the old symbols offers here a better insight than the
one from rabbinical interpretation... (It is theoretically
imaginable that in the later history of Israel a word for rebellion was sought,
and they associated the rebellion of the first מִריָם. This could be verified by study of the etymology of parallel
words in other Semitic languages, but that goes too far here.)
רוּת
- Rut
A remarkable Moabitic woman appearing in the genealogy of
Yeshu‘a (Jesus) is of course רוּת - Rut [H7327] (her name is sometimes
also written as: רעוּת - R‘ut; or with transliteration of the tav as th: Ruth).
The common meaning associated with her name is that of the word רעוּת re‘ut -
companion, friend, neighbor; related to the verb ra‘ah - to
pasture.
The ancient form of her name is:   ; that is, God's covenant
sign (the cross!). Very striking, especially considering she was a woman who
did not originally belong to Isra’el!
אֶסתֵּר - ’Estēr /
הֲדַסָּה - Hadassāh
Another very remarkable woman is אֶסתֵּר -
’Estēr [H635]. Normally this name is considered to be of Persian origin, and
it is given the meaning ‘star’.
Here, too, the old spelling1 her name is very illuminating:
 . This can be interpreted as: the prominent one with a sign of life
from God, or as: the prominent sign of life from God. That is very
fitting for her calling and life description! Through her courageous
intervention, as a kind of high-ranking representative of God, assisted by
Mordekhai and the prayers of many, the lives of
the entire Jewish people were saved.
Something similar was already -prophetically- in her original name: הֲדַסָּה - Hadassāh [H1919]. In the old spelling:  - rejoicing in having entrance into the ongoing life in worship.
Hallelu YaH !
Noten
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