Nathaniel West

Last month I wrote an entry about my little girl Abigail Faith. Feel free to take the time to scroll down and learn all about why she is truly her "father's joy."

Deciding on Nathaniel's name was very easy for us. From the time I discovered what Nathaniel means I knew from then on that I was going to name a son Nathaniel. It was when I was taking my first Hebrew course at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) that I discovered the rich meaning behind this name.

Many parents name their first sons after the father. Often times they use the same name as the father but include a "Jr." at the end. We had toyed around with the Jr. idea for some time and every time we talked about it, it just didn't seem like something we wanted to do. Then I discovered the name Nathaniel.

Nathaniel literally means, "My gift from God." What made this choice easy for us was this is exactly what Jonathan (my name) means. Jonathan is Hebrew for "God's gift." Of course, these meanings could be expressed in several ways such as, "Given by God," "Gift of God," etc. Still, the general meaning is the same.

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN...

For all you Hebrew language geeks out there, and for anyone else who might be the slightest bit interested here is how the names break down.

JONATHAN-

The "Jo" comes from "Yehovah" which is to say "Jehovah." In Hebrew Jonathan is literally spelled "Yehonathan". The "nathan" portion of the name is a phrase meaning "to give" or "gift." Therefore, Jonathan literally means, "Jehovah's gift," or any variation thereof.

NATHANIEL-

Right off the bat, close observers will notice the "nathan" at the beginning of this name. The meaning here is the same as described above. The difference in this name is that "Gift" is at the beginning and is followed by "iel." I believe in the Biblical recording of this name it is spelled Nathanael. There is a slight difference in meaning. The "-el" ending comes from the Hebrew El which is another name of God. Often times El is translated into English as "Mighty God." So we have "Gift" and "God" again in the same name.

But I changed the "a" to an "i" (to spell Nathaniel rather than Nathanael) on purpose. In the Hebrew language the "i" ending denotes first person possession. For example, the Hebrew word for "mother" is Em. To say the phrase "my mother" one would say Emi. So by adding the "i" to "Nathan" I am saying the gift God has given is my gift rather than just a generic gift. It makes the name a lot more personal since God has given Nathaniel to us.

What does "West" mean? My middle name is also West. My parents chose my name from both of my Grandfather's middle names: Donald John Erdman, Sr. & Gerald West Herrin. My Paw Paw (Gerald West) was given the name West by his parents. It was the surname of a pastor friend of the family. Now the name spans across three generations. While the name probably means the same as the cardinal direction (you know, like North, East, South, West!) it has taken on a whole new meaning in that it represents who we are. I consider it an honor and privilege to carry the name of a faithful minister of God's Word, as I'm sure Paw Paw does as well. Perhaps Nathaniel will come to appreciate the same as he comes of age.

Nathaniel has been a joy to us as well. He and his sissy bring smiles to our faces every single day. His favorite new word is, "Huh?" It occurs at least once in every conversation.

Nathaniel loves to color and draw. He will literally sit for hours if he could just drawing and coloring in his own little world. And when he does, he is so focused, it looks like he is working on some major project.

He also loves to wrestle with Daddy. His favorite wrestling move is the upside-down-flip-me-over move. He is also very ticklish. You would think that this would make him run from Daddy's tickle attacks, but Nathaniel will take about three steps away from Daddy, then turn right back around and beg for more! I think he likes wrestling with Daddy.

Most of all, he has one real love in his life - Mommy. I think he gets this one from Daddy. Hey, he knows a good thing when he sees it! Daddy can help all he wants, but when there is a boo boo or an upset belly, it's Mommy Nathaniel wants. But who can blame him? Mommy's nurse skills go far beyond shots, bandaids, and casts. She does good things for our hearts, and shares unending love and fills all of our hearts with endless joy!

Nathaniel is a very special young man and I love him so much. I thank God every single day of my life for giving me such a special gift. My son is so precious to me. I know we will have a close relationship all the rest of our days.