Answer: Sarai (“my princess”) → Sarah (“princess”)
Genesis 17:15; Genesis 17:5–6 (context of covenant expansion)
Bible Stumpers
Bible Stumpers: Changed Names in Scripture
In Scripture, a name often reflects identity, calling, or authority. Some names are changed by God to reveal promise or purpose. Others are imposed by rulers, shaped by culture, or emerge as nicknames that reflect character.
This set of Bible Hub Stumpers explores why these name changes occurred and what they reveal about God’s work and human power.
Each answer consists of two names, the person’s original name and the name that was later given or used. See how many you can identify before revealing the answers.
1. Which woman’s original name meant “my princess,” but was changed when God expanded His covenant promise to include many nations?
2. Which man received a new name only after refusing to release his grip, even when wounded, and that name later became the identity of an entire people?
Answer: Jacob → Israel
3. Which child was named “Son of my Sorrow” by his dying mother, only for his father to immediately rename him “Son of my Right Hand” to secure his future?
Answer: Ben-Oni (“Son of my Sorrow”) → Benjamin (“Son of my Right Hand”)
4. Which leader began his journey with a name meaning simply “salvation,” but was renamed by Moses to make clear that deliverance comes from the LORD Himself?
Answer: Hoshea → Joshua (Yehoshua)
Joshua’s name is the Hebrew form that later appears in Greek as Iēsous, translated in English as Jesus.
5. Which future king bore a name associated with “peace,” and later received a divine name through a prophet meaning “Beloved of the LORD”? Though this new name signified God’s forgiveness after his parents’ sin, it appears only once in Scripture.
Answer: Solomon → Jedidiah
2 Samuel 12:24–25; 1 Chronicles 22:9 (contrast with birth name)
6. Which Judean king had his name forcibly changed by an Egyptian Pharaoh, leaving a lasting reminder of foreign domination and lost sovereignty?
Answer: Eliakim → Jehoiakim
7. Which faithful exile was forced to carry a name honoring a Babylonian god while he remained devoted to the God of Israel?
Answer: Daniel → Belteshazzar
Daniel 1:7; Daniel 5:11-12 (continued use of the name)
8. Which two brothers were given a shared name by Jesus that pointed to temperament rather than ancestry, and passion rather than position?
Answer: James and John → Boanerges (“Sons of Thunder”)
9. Which apostle is identified in the Gospel of John by both his Aramaic name and its Greek translation meaning “The Twin”?
Answer: Thomas → Didymus
10. Which early believer was so consistently marked by generosity and encouragement that the apostles replaced his given name with one describing his character?
Answer: Joseph → Barnabas (“Son of Encouragement”)
Bonus. Which king of Judah had his name changed by the king of Babylon when he was placed on the throne? His original name meant “Gift of the LORD,” but his new name meant “Justice of the LORD,” a name he would later dishonor by breaking his oath of loyalty.
Answer: Mattaniah → Zedekiah
2 Kings 24:17; 2 Chronicles 36:10 (installation as king); 2 Chronicles 36:13 (oath violation and rebellion); Ezekiel 17:15–21 (prophetic condemnation of the broken oath)
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Thanks for exploring these biblical names with us. We hope this challenge sheds light on how identity and calling unfold throughout Scripture.
