Don’t let the World Change your Name

Spread the love

Dan. 1:7 “Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.”

While they were exiled to Babylon, the eunuchs of Babylon changed the names of Daniel and his three friends into Babylonian names. Here are the meanings of their names:

Daniel (God is my Judge) becomes Belteshazzar (May Bel protect his life)

Hananiah (Yahweh is gracious) becomes Shadrach (command of Aku)

Mishael (Who is what God is) becomes Meshach (Who is what Aku is)

Azariah (Whom Yahweh helps) becomes Abed-nego (Servant of Nebo)

Now, remember that our names are not only words used to refer to us, they also speak of our character, about how people remember us when our names are mentioned. The Hebrew names of Daniel and his three friends that spoke about the one true God were changed to speak of the Babylonian gods. Remember that Babylon here represents the world. The bottom line is clear: Don’t ever let the world change your name or your character! Babylon may have changed Daniel’s outward name, but they have not changed his character!