A change in name usually meant a change in the path of life that person was taking. Simon, one of the disciples, name was changed to Peter which means "rock." Jesus famously said about Peter "upon this rock I shall build my Church." Abram's name was changed to Abraham meaning "Father of Nations" since God said he intended Abraham to be the Father of all Nations.
Another answer
The truth about the name changes in the Bible, is as follows, and it is important to read the answer in its entirety to gain a proper understanding of this issue. Let no one tell you differently...
The many name changes that took place in the Bible, were, indeed indicative of not only the character of the person being changed by YHVH, but also the person themselves, genetically, and therefore, spiritually, as the two are inextricably linked.
We are told in Genesis 12:5 that Abram took the souls he had 'gotten' and went to Canaan. The word 'gotten' here is the Hebrew word 'asah' (Strong's 6213) and means to 'manufacture' or 'fabricate', even 'from oneself', literally. Shortly thereafter, Abram's name was changed to 'AbraHAm', showing that the Hebrew 'Heh', indicative of the 'Ruach' (Spirit) of YHVH had been used by Abra-HA-m to create the 'souls' that he had 'manufactured'.
Another instance where a name change took place was in Abraham's grandson, Jacob. In Genesis 32:25, we see what took place before 'his' name was changed. Here we read that Jacob 'wrestled' with a 'man' until daybreak and the man touched the hollow of Jacob's 'thigh' when he found he could not prevail against Jacob. The word 'thigh' is the Hebrew word 'Yarek' (Strong's 3409) and means 'the place of procreative power'. The word 'wrestled' is yet another play on words and means 'to pound to powder', to 'drop' or 'distil' (Strong's 79) which provides more evidence that there was an 'alchemical'/'genetic' occurrence taking place here, between Jacob and the 'man'. After this encounter, the 'man' then changed Jacob's name to 'Israel', like his grandfather, Abraham, who was said to also be an alchemist.1
In these instances, both Abram and Jacob had an encounter with a deity who used or manipulated a piece of their genetic material, before their names were changed.
In Abraham's story, we are told that the deity (YHVH in his case) required that he sacrifice a Heifer, a She Goat, a Ram, a Turtledove and a Young Pigeon and split them into three parts, which Abram did (except the birds). We are told that after Abraham did this, he 'fell' into a deep sleep. This word means a 'trance' or a 'coma' and is the same word ('Tardemah' - Strong's root 7290) used for the 'deep sleep' that came over Adam during which a piece of his 'RIB' (RIB-o-nucleic acid) was taken to create Eve. Abraham then experiences 'terror' we are told, just before it gets completely dark, and a 'flame' passes over the animals he had cut-up into 3 pieces. The word 'flame' here means 'the light of one who was once revered, but now lowly and despised', and means 'shining light' or 'flame', as in the light of the 'shining one', 'Nachash' or 'Lucifer', the 'Light-Bearer'.
The phrase describing the action of this light is the same phrase used in the context where Jacob is 'wrestling' the 'man'. We are told that Jacob 'passed over' Peniel (the name of the man, meaning the 'face of god', who is incidentally spoken of as one of the 4 angels in the Book of Enoch). We are also told that the 'flame' 'passed over' the blood sacrifice that Abraham made, during his 'deep sleep'. This phrase 'passed over' is often used for 'impregnate', which in these instances, simply implies 'a genetic change, ENABLING impregnation', not necessarily sexual intercourse.
Upon the 'flame' 'passing over' the blood sacrifice in the story of Abraham, Sarai, his wife, becomes pregnant 2 chapters later with Isaac, Jacob's father, when Abraham is nearly 100 years old, after trying unsuccessfully for many years. After Jacob's encounter with the angel Penuel, his wife, Rachel also bore another son, Benjamin, and died in childbirth doing so. Both of these 'genetic occurrences, therefore, resulted in a pregnancy, shortly thereafter.
The reason for the name changes, however, goes even deeper. We read in Isaiah 51:1, 'look unto the ROCK from whence ye are hewn'. Again in Deuteronomy 32 we find a similar phrase in verse 18, 'Of the ROCK that begat you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten God that formed thee'. The words 'hewn' and 'formed' are the same word which is CHUWN (Pr. 'Kewn'-Strong's 2342), meaning to 'create' or 'form'. This is again implying that those CHUWN by Abraham and Sarah (Isa. 51:2) were literally made from stone; and this stone has a specific name and is found one place in the world in any quantity.
This stone is a type of white limestone found in Wales. It is the same stone that at one time covered the Great Pyramid at Giza, and it is the same foundational stone upon which the temple of Solomon was built. Both of these structures are physical representations of genetics or the body.
The pyramids represent an aspect of our DNA, in our bodies, known as 'Phosphates' (2-sides of the pyramid overlapped create a 6-sided star, which, traditionally known as the star of David, actually represent one 6-sided male phosphate (the other two sides overlapped represent the female phosphates, and together they make up the one 'body').
Solomon's temple, when laid out according to the dimensions given in the bible, is in the shape of the body. The five finger bowls on each side represent fingers, the tower in the middle represents the phallus and the holy of holies which held the ark of the covenant where 'God' resided, represents the pineal gland, which the ancients referred to as the 'seat of the soul. The limestone to which both of these monuments are connected has another name, and it is called 'LIAS'.
This is the little-known reason for the name changes that take place in the Bible. The characters of individuals changed, as well as their genetics and spirituality when they were in contact with a Biblical deity, and since the stone from which they were manufactured is called LIAS, then to indicate this, they are given an 'alias', meaning literally, 'of' or 'from' 'Lias' or A-LIAS. (The use of an Alias is also common in our society as well. Examples of aliases are the famous Jewish evangelist, Billy Graham, whose name was originally Billy Frank, Francis Bacon, editor of the King James Bible, (who was also a well-known member of the Rosicrucian (Freemasonic) John Dee's Society), whose name was William Shakespeare and The 'Apostle' Paul, who was also a Freemason and whose name was actually Apollonius of Tyana, a famous student of Pythagoras.)
The same holds true in other places of the Bible, as in Matthew 16:17 & 18 where Yeshua changes the name of His disciple, Simon BarJona to 'Peter' meaning, 'rock'.
In the Bible, God changed people's names to signify a new identity or purpose. This renaming symbolized a transformation or a new beginning in their lives, reflecting a deeper spiritual significance.
In the Bible, God is referred to by many names, each signifying different aspects of His character and attributes. Some of the names for God in the Bible include Yahweh (meaning "I am who I am"), Elohim (meaning "God" or "mighty one"), Adonai (meaning "Lord" or "master"), and Jehovah-Jireh (meaning "the Lord will provide"). These names reflect God's power, sovereignty, faithfulness, and provision for His people.
There are a total of approximately 17 names changed in the Bible. These names where either changed by God or other people of Authority.
The Bible, Holy Writ, Word Of God, The Book
The names of God in the Bible hold great significance for believers as they reveal different aspects of God's character and help deepen their understanding and relationship with Him.
In the Bible, God changed the names of several individuals, including Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, and Simon to Peter. These name changes were often accompanied by a new identity or blessing signifying a change in the individual's role or relationship with God.
Some of the different names of God mentioned in the Bible include Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, and El Shaddai.
no. we are just to help them reach their end, which is to be with God in heaven.
The name change to Israel in the Bible signifies a new identity and relationship with God. It represents a covenant between God and the people, symbolizing a fresh start and a promise of blessings and protection.
None of the copyists errors that crept into the Holy Bible change God's message. Still, they let you know that while the Bible is true it is not perfect. God does not want you to worship the Bible. God wants you to worship him. If people thought the Bible was perfect, they might worship the Bible instead of worshipping God.
In the Bible, the Israelites are considered to be God's chosen people.
God called the Israelites to be His chosen people in the Bible.