NAMES, PROPER, chiefly of the 0. T. It is so interesting, as well as useful, to know the original signification of proper names, that a care ful investigation of their nature has many advan. tages. The chief use, however, which accrues from an accurate knowledge of them is, that we are by their means enabled to attain a more lively apprehension of the truth of ancient history.
Without doubt many parts of this subject are very obscure, as proper names are so often only the scattered and decayed ruins of a distant age. But as soon as we take a more animated view of all the relics that have been preserved to us, and compare them more cautiously with the customs of other nations, we are able to discern their more general and important features, at least, with rea sonable certainty.
There are two chief classes of proper names, those of men, and those of every thing besides man, as beasts, places, and festivals. Those of the latter class are much more durable in their form, as man alone is always changing ; they are also important for history, and it is desirable to ascer tain, as far as possible, their original significa tion. But the proper names of the changeable races of men are in a much higher degree those in which history reflects itself in its vicissitudes ; they also constitute the more numerous class. For these reasons, we confine ourselves at present to the proper names of men, as it is beyond our pre sent scope to treat the entire subject.
The first fact that strikes us, on a general view of them all, is, that the ancient Hebrews always retained the greatest simplicity in the use of names. In reality, there is always only one single name which distinguishes a person. Where it is neces sary, the name of the father is added ; sometimes that of the mother instead, in case she happens to be more celebrated* or the line of descent is traced farther hack, often to the fourth generation, or even farther. Mere epithets, like David the king,' Isaiah the prophet,' always express the actual and significant dignity of a man. The in
stances in which a person receives two names alter nately, as Jacob-Israel, Gideon-Jerubbaal (J udg. vi.-ix.), are casual and rare, and are not to be ascribed to a general custom of the people. On comparing the mode in which the Arabs use pro per names, we discover a striking difference. With them, every man of any importance always re ceives, besides his proper name, and perhaps nick name, a prwnomen (Kunje), which might be most fittingly called the name of compliment, or do. mestic name, as it denotes the man under the special relation of father, as Abu Zaid, ' father of Zaid ;' and, in addition to these, a name of honour for the world—which, at least, has prevailed gene. rally since the time of the Abbassides, and which usually exalts, in pompous terms, the person in relation to religion (as Salah-eddin, the welfare of religion'), or to the state (as Saif-eddaula, the sword of the state'). In this the Arabs are abso lutely a modern people, and overvalue externals as much as the Europeans of the present day. How much more simple were the Hebrews during the most flourishing period of their history ! For, in this respect also, the usage of names is only an evidence of the predominant customs and views of whole periods.
When we, then, consider proper names with reference to the grand distinction of times, we able to discover in their varying use nearly the same three periods as those which mark the history of this people in all other respects. These are the three periods which are most simply defined by the three different names of the nation which pre vailed in each : the Hebrews, as they were called in early times, gradually adopted the name of Israelites in the middle period, and exchanged this name, in the third, for that of dews. It is a re markable, but nevertheless true coincidence, that just as the name of the nation varies in these three periods, the colour of the names of individuals changes in like manner, according to the different tendencies characterising the times.