Commentary: Scripture, Double Names, and Implications vs. Mistranslations, Lies, Failures To Critically Think

 (Full answer to a Reddit question)

The Scriptures themselves literally say that the Scriptures were breathed by God and/or given at Sinai. The apparent contradictions, etc. are not the fault of God, but of translators and/or people whom refuse to critically think. For example, we know that Yeter haYishma’eli (Jether the Ishmaelite) converted and became known as Yitra haYisra’eli (Jitra the Israelite). It is not explicitly stated, although it is implied in 2 Samuel 17:25 and 1 Chronicles 2:17. It is also possible that Yeter-Yitra had an Israelite ancestor, even though his immediate paternal ancestor was an Ishmaelite. 

Another example is Yitro-Re’u’el. By the way, the custom of double names is still done in Jewish culture today. In the Yiddish-speaking communities alone, there are (with women as examples this time) women named Ruchla Leya (Rachel Leah), Yehudis Chanah (Judith Ann), and Osnas Sore (Asenath Sarah). This is why in Jewish records, with hypothetical names, you might find Rukhle Leja bas Arj u’Mirjam Tarnopolsky listed as “Rukhle bas Arj” (Rachel the daughter of Ari) or “Rukhle bas Mirjam” (This would usually be in the context of a synagogue record and in asking for prayers for the person in question), or “Rukhle/Leja Tarnopolska” with her father and mother (if they had second names) listed as “Arj/Jehuda Tarnopolsky” and “Mirjam/Mara”. For her brother Jankiel Josel, you may find the parents listed as “Jehuda Tarnopolsky” and “Mara” and his name variously as “Jankiel ben Jehuda”, “Josel ben Mara”, or any of the other variations.

As with Yeter-Yitra and Yitro-Re’u’el, you have to understand that Rukhle is the same person as Leya, Arj the same as Jehuda, Mirjam as Mara, and Jankiel as Josel. This doesn’t even cover that their matzevot (gravestones) would most likely read: 

‎1) רחל בת ר׳ ארי (Rachel daughter of R’ Ari—often, the mother’s name is not included). 

‎2) אפרים יוסף בן ר׳ ארי יהודה ומרים מרע (Efrayim Josef son of R’ Ari Judah and Miriam Mara)—perhaps because he is a genealogist and wanted his descendants to be sure of whose matzevah (gravestone) they were locating, he made sure that his matzevah was made prior to his death and with both of his parents’ names included. He may have also wanted to honor his mother, to whom he was close—as he was her only son, and she was widowed early on in her marriage. 

Not everything is explicitly or even at all recorded in the Scriptures, just as not everything is recorded in records outside of the Scriptures. The belief that Scripture was not literally given by God in every way is unfortunately an old and a heretical belief, which is why God unequivocally reiterated the complete God-given nature of Scripture through (among others) Sha’ul Paulus (whom even had a secular name as his second name, as those such as David Stern—of blessed memory—pointed out: he retained “Sha’ul” and was called “Paulus”).

PS and personal example: My paternal grandfather’s grandfather used “Julian”, “Julius”, “Julias”, and “Ludwik” for “Yehudah” or “Leib”, and his paternal grandmother used “Alexandria Alice” for “Asenat Sarah” or “Osnes Sore”. Neither used Hebrew or Yiddish names openly. Two of their sons (ironically the shandes or shames) did: 

1) Jankie (for Felix or Efrayim—and that does not even cover how many times he tried to fool official record keepers. His obituary gave it away when he was listed as “John F.” and his father as “Felix”— unless his mother had an affair with her in-law brother, which I don’t think that she did; as he listed in all other records that “Julius” or “Ludwik” was his father). When I first heard it as apparently a simple and supposed nickname for “John”, I recorded it as “Johnkie”. His secular name was “John Felix”, and my granduncle Tony (of blessed memory) probably did not realize that the name was a short form of “Jankiel”.

2) Susi, which I wrote as “Suzy”. It would’ve been unexplained if I did not find the JewishGen Given Names Database. Their mother had roots in some shtetlach (majority-Jewish towns) in Ukraine (which explains the use of a Ukrainish Yidish name), and “Susi” is a Ukrainish Yidish diminutive of “Yosef”). His name was Joseph Paschal, so he lied to multiple recordkeepers and said that his mother had recycled the secular middle name of “Peter”, as a brother already had that middle name. He also had a cousin named Paschal Joseph Danilowicz (of blessed memory).  We are Ashkenazi and Sefardi, and we used both naming customs, though we never recycled secular middle names when it concerned living people unless we followed Sefardi custom and named for living relatives—and usually not siblings (I know of one case, and that’s on another side).

With that in mind, does that remove that Great-Granduncles Jankie and Susi were named as such with their secular names being “John Felix” and “Joseph Paschal”? If it does, then we would have to assume that Great-Great-Grandma was either lying or unintentionally inconsistent. 

My understanding is that even though she did not have much of a formal education, if one at all, she was intelligent and shrewd. She also sadly was not a believer and tried to cause my great-grandmother, whom she considered to be an apostate or meshumadah, to have “a mental breakdown”. She was known as “a tough cookie” and “holy terror”. Her misguided Anti-Messianic zeal plus Schizophrenia and her being called “Mary” in her son’s wedding notice for some reason made her last years Hell on Earth for my great-grandmother.

If Great-Great-Grandma was consistent, then, how much more was, is, and will be the Perfect, Righteous, Truthful, and Faithful God of Israel? Just because people are known by different names and/or—like the shandes Jankie and Susi—lie does not make the original source either maliciously or unintentionally errant, inconsistent, or dubious. 

PPS Why Jankie and Susi were shandes is not relevant to the discussion.