disregarding the deadline, a few quotes, and names.

"So when her next child is born, the infant receives one of a special class of names called dzikudziku or "dying" names, which signify something mean, disagreeable or repulsive, "in order that Death may feel no desire to meddle with the child," or "in order that Death may be deceived and fancy that these children are not human beings at all.""  -James George Frazer Folk-Lore in the Old Testament

2 Samuel 12:24 "And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD."

The first quote was randomly chosen as assigned, the second was in the reading I was doing today. I was really confused about the passage from the Bible so I did the only thing I could do at this point; stop and dig for answers. This is what I came up:

  Plotz says that Solomon means "replacement" (Plotz 145), so that explains the first name quite well. God took the first son of David and Bathsheba as a punishment for David's sins (adultery and murder). This child is a replacement of the son they lost. That would be a cheery thought to carry around your whole life-you are a replacement. To complicate things further, Nathan, the prophet, names him Jedidiah. More digging led to the following website: http://nlt.scripturetext.com/2_samuel/12.htm. Their version has a bit more detail; it states that Jedidiah means, "beloved of the lord". This helps a great deal and is a nicer name in my opinion. 

    Names are important in literature, and the Bible is not an exception. The meanings of the name bring about memory of who the people are and where they came from, and the story of their people. Sarah, Issac, Ichabod, Jedidiah, are just a few examples of names that mean something to the story that is being told. 

  

    Culturally, names are also of great importance. When naming a baby, I have noted many people look up the meaning of the name before making a decision. If someone is greatly admired in the family, a child is often named after that person. I named my daughter, Dallas, after my father. As a baby gift my friend found a small framed definition of her name. It turns out, Dallas means "wise"; this made me like the name even more. Of course right now she is sixteen, so I am still waiting for the wise part to kick in. My point is, names are more than just a label; they have meaning. This is not new, and the tradition does not appear to be winding down.

  With all the side reading I have done to get more information about this story or that passage, I do not have a lot of hope for finishing the Bible by October first. Not that I really care that much at this point. I really think that to get through the Bible and get anything out of it, you have to check other sources and get more information. This is not only true with the Bible, but with many stories. How much of Moby Dick would be missed if you did not bother to have a Bible, dictionary, and google at the ready? Sure, you can skip it and take just what is obvious and have a great story, but what would you miss? It would be like flying nonstop around the world and saying you are a world traveler. I am going to stop trying to read every last page before the deadline and make my way through the best I can. Who knows, maybe I will still make it.