Synonames

Okay, nothing heavy or controversial today. Nothing to fight over. Just a thought.

My sister noted that sometimes in my correspondence with her I refer to her husband as "your husband" and sometimes by name. She mentioned that her husband had said the same thing in my correspondence with him ("your wife" rather than her name). She just wondered why.

We like to think that names are just ... names. They're tags that simply let us know one person from another or one thing from another. I don't think that's the case. Using my sister's example, I can refer to her husband by name or by his relationship with my sister or by several other things. He could be "the father of your children" or "the son of your in-laws" or even "your brother in Christ". I'm sure there are many more. I think, however, that each tag carries a slightly different connotation. And I don't think it's insignificant.

Let's try it with an example where privacy won't be an issue. (Telling you my sister's name or my brother-in-law's name may be a violation of their privacy, don't you know?) Think, for a moment, about God. We may refer to Him as "God". We may refer to Him as "the Father". There is a whole host of names in the Old Testament. He is El Shaddai -- the All-Sufficient One. He is YHWH, the covenant name with Israel. He is El Roi -- the God who Sees. There are many names associated with YHWH -- Jehovah -- such as Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide, and Jehovah-Rophe, the Lord who Heals, and Jehovah-Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. Each name refers to the same entity -- God -- but each name carries a different sense.

In earlier times and even today in some cultures names mean something. They are more than tags. The tag we choose to put on someone, be it a title or a formal name or an epithet, expresses more than merely the person. It calls to mind something about that person to which you wish to call attention. Calling him "your husband" rather than by name would remind my sister he's that man to whom you're married, the covenanted fellow in your life, your family by God's work, the one you are one with in ways like no other. Calling him other terms would carry different connotations.

We like to think that names are just names. They're much more. The tags we choose to indicate those people, places, and things to which we are referring will usually say a lot more about what we're thinking in that regard than we realize. I suppose we just have to listen to each other to catch that.