For those of you that don’t know, Noah means “peace, rest, comfort”. Steven means “crowned”. We knew we wanted our son’s middle name to be Steven after his grampa, but hadn’t decided on a first name. One day while I was working out before Noah was born, I was reading John Elderidge’s book, “Wild at Heart” and in there it talked about in the OT when Rachel had just given birth and was dying and wanted to name her son, “Ben Oni” which is “son of the south or son of my sorrow”, but Isaac intervened and named him Benjamin, “son of my right hand.” I love the story and how the father blessed his son with a powerful, life giving name, so I told Jason he was in charge of naming our son. Jason prayed a lot about it and had two names chosen, Noah or Jude, Jude meaning “praise”. When we were in the delivery room and Noah wasn’t coming out after a few pushes, he called him by name, and Noah came into the world.
Thanks to some friends who did some studying, here’s more about what Noah means:
Peace, or “shalom” from the Hebrew. It means, among other things, complete, whole, NOTHING MISSING, NOTHING BROKEN.
“Peace” (32:17-18). The Heb. word for peace, shalom, expresses a basic and vital biblical concept. The word suggests wholeness and harmony, that which is complete and sound, prosperous, healthy, and fulfilled. The word occurs over 200 times in the O.T. In narrative books it typically is used to describe an absence of hostility or strife. In the psalms and the prophets it goes beyond this, so that in at least 2/3 of the biblical references the word indicates a total fulfillment that comes when persons experience God’s presence. Isa. 32:15-16 portrays both the inner peace and material prosperity that will mark the joyful fulfillment of man’s hopes under the rule of the Messiah, God’s Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
“Peace” is mentioned over 60 times in the N.T., with this later meaning, enriched by the O.T. idea of shalom. In Christ our lives are made whole, our relationships are harmonized, and we experience the spiritual and psychological wholeness that God intended for human beings in the original creation (cf. Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14-17; Heb. 12:14; Col. 3:12-15).
Noah Steven has been crowned with peace. He rests and waits for God’s revelation. Please continue to pray for his sleep that it would be a healing place for him.
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We don’t choose these kids’ names – they come with special names all their own – we’ve just listened well enough to know it. Nicky, my Nicholas – his name means ‘strength’, and boy, does he have it. He is Nicholas Charles – Charles after my father, and Nicholas, just ‘because’. It was always his name. The minute I knew I was pregnant, long before I knew I was carrying twins, I told my husband, ‘If it’s a boy, his name is Nicholas.’
Friends of ours with twins – a heart baby and a healthy baby – named them (respectively) Owen (‘warrior’) and Luke (light). Owen was the tiny little one who battled to the bitter end and now Luke is their light in the darkness.
Your little Noah will prove he was aptly named time and time again and you will beam with pride and love each time.