“Appropriate Names”: The Interplay of Aptronyms, Pseudonyms, and Epithets in the Talmud
Names in the Talmud that are peculiarly suited to their bearers
Part of a series on names in the Talmud. See here: “From Abba to Zebedee: A Comprehensive Survey of Naming Conventions in Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic in Late Antiquity” (May 12, 2023)
In our ongoing exploration of names and their meanings, we delve into a triad of name-related phenomena—aptronyms, pseudonyms, and epithets—that reflect cultural, linguistic, and historical trends.
Aptronyms and the Concept of Nominative Determinism
An “aptronym”, also known as an aptonym or euonym, is a personal name that is peculiarly suited to its owner. The phenomenon can be traced back to ancient times and is often encapsulated in the Latin phrase "nomen est omen"—the name is a sign. In modern parlance, the concept has been rebranded as "nominative determinism," positing a link between a person's name and their life's path or profession.
Indeed, the Talmud itself states explicitly that some rabbis believed in the power of a name to shape a life, adhering to the concept that "שמא גרים"—literally: “the name causes”. Notably, Rabbi Meir, a prominent sage, was renowned for his etymological explorations of names. He often extrapolated meanings from the names of Biblical figures, considering the appellation as revealing a facet of the individual’s character or fate.
Delilah
A quintessential example of an aptronym in the Talmud is the Biblical character Delilah, Shimshon’s Philistine lover, whose name, as posited by Rabbi Judah HaNasi, was apropos, suggesting a kind of “inevitable” connection between her name and actions:
Bavli, Sotah 9b (section #15):
״ויהי אחרי כן ויאהב אשה בנחל שרק ושמה דלילה״.
תניא, רבי אומר: אילמלא לא נקרא שמה ״דלילה״ — ראויה היתה שתקרא דלילה: דילדלה את כחו, דילדלה את לבו, דילדלה את מעשיו.
The Gemara continues its discussion of Samson. The verse states: “And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah” (Judges 16:4).
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: Even if she had not been called by the name Delilah, it would have been fitting that she be called Delilah, for she weakened [dildela] his strength, she weakened his heart, and she weakened his deeds, thereby decreasing his merits.
Kidor
There are a number of sources on the famous story of an evil man in Tannaitic times named Kidor, whose name R’ Meir analyzes: [1]
Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashanah, 3.9 :
היה רבי מאיר דורש שמות.
חד בר נש הוה שמיה כידור.
אמר לון רבי מאיר. הובא לכון מיניה. בר נש ביש הוא. כי דור תהפוכות המה.
Rebbi Meir interpreted names.
There was a man called Kidor.
Rebbi Meir told them, guard yourselves from him, he is a bad person; “for a generation of perverts they are”.
Bavli, Yoma 83b (section #12):
ותו: רבי מאיר ורבי יהודה ורבי יוסי הוו קא אזלי באורחא, רבי מאיר הוה דייק בשמא, רבי יהודה ורבי יוסי לא הוו דייקי בשמא.
כי מטו לההוא דוכתא, בעו אושפיזא. יהבו להו.
אמרו ליה: מה שמך?
אמר להו: ״כידור״.
אמר: שמע מינה אדם רשע הוא, שנאמר: ״כי דור תהפוכות המה״.
Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei were walking on the road together. Rabbi Meir would analyze names and discern one’s nature from his name, while Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yosei were not apt to analyze names.
When they came to a certain place, they looked for lodging and were given it.
They said to the innkeeper: What is your name?
He said to them: My name is Kidor.
Rabbi Meir said to himself: One can learn from this that he is a wicked person, as it is stated: “For they are a generation [ki dor] of upheavals” (Deuteronomy 32:20).
The Talmud then goes on tell to say a story about how the inkeeper Kidor tried to steal their purses, validating R’ Meir’s statement.
More Examples
And see these sources, where R’ Meir is doresh names of Biblical figures.
עשו מלחמה את ברע וגו' (בראשית יד, ב), רבי מאיר היה דורש שמות, רבי יהושע בן קרחה היה דורש שמות [...]
ושם האיש אלימלך (רות א, ב), רבי מאיר היה דורש שמות. רבי יהושע בן קרחה היה דורש שמות [...]
Another two examples of midrashei shem of Second Temple figures:
"תנא: לא נקדימון שמו, אלא בוני שמו, ולמה נקרא שמו נקדימון, ששנקדרה חמה בעבורו"
Bavli, Gittin 58a, in the sugya about the destruction of the Second Temple:
אמר ריש לקיש: מעשה באשה אחת וצפנת בת פניאל שמה.
צפנת, שהכל צופין ביופיה.
בת פניאל, בתו של כהן גדול ששימש לפני ולפנים
Reish Lakish says: There was an incident involving a certain woman named Tzafenat bat Peniel.
And why was she called this? She was called Tzafenat because they would all gaze [tzofin] at her beauty,
and she was called bat Peniel because she was the daughter [bat] of the High Priest who served in the innermost sanctum [lifnai velefnim] of the Temple.
Wordplay on names and the implication of names and statements in the Talmud is a subject of significant discussion. Scholars such as Shamma Friedman and Yitzhak Levin, along with a plethora of other researchers, have written extensively on the topic, exploring specific instances of aptronyms and their implications in the Talmudic texts.[2]
Pseudonyms and Epithets
Shifting focus to pseudonyms, we find that the Talmud offers numerous instances where it posits that a Biblical name is a pseudonym—an alias or false name. A common formula that can be observed in the Talmud is "לא X שמו, אלא Y שמו, ולמה נקרא שמו X, ש [...]," which translates to, "Not X is his name, but Y is his name, and why was his name called X, because [...]." This formula asserts a pseudonym (X) and provides an explanation for its usage, highlighting the original name (Y).
R’ Meir
Notably, the Talmud posits that Tannaitic names such as Meir and Nehorai are pseudonyms. R’ Meir’s name was not in fact Meir, but R’ Nechemia or R' Elazar ben Arach! The passage from the Babylonian Talmud reads as follows:
Bavli, Eruvin 13b:
תנא: לא רבי מאיר שמו אלא רבי נהוראי שמו, ולמה נקרא שמו רבי מאיר? שהוא מאיר עיני חכמים בהלכה.
ולא נהוראי שמו אלא רבי נחמיה שמו, ואמרי לה רבי אלעזר בן ערך שמו, ולמה נקרא שמו נהוראי? שמנהיר עיני חכמים בהלכה.
It was taught: R' Meir's name wasn't that; it was R' Nehorai. So why was he called R' Meir? It was because he enlightened [me'ir] the eyes of the other Sages in law. And Nehorai wasn't his name, either; it was R' Nechemia. And others say that his name was R' Elazar ben Arach. So why was he called Nehorai? Because he clarified [manhir] the eyes of the other Sages in law.
Tannaim with variant names - R’ Yosei of Hutzal; R’ Yitzḥak ben Tavla
This intricate weave of pseudonyms extends to Second Temple figures as well, and it is remarkable how one Tannaim could have multiple names. For instance, there are instances where one individual was known by seven different names, while another was known by five different aliases!:
תנא, הוא יוסף איש הוצל, הוא יוסף הבבלי, הוא איסי בן גור אריה, הוא איסי בן יהודה, הוא איסי בן גמליאל, הוא איסי בן מהללאל. ומה שמו? — איסי בן עקביה שמו.
הוא רבי יצחק בן טבלא, הוא רבי יצחק בן חקלא, הוא רבי יצחק בן אלעא, הוא רבי יצחק בן אחא דשמעתא, הוא רבי יצחק בן פנחס דאגדתא.
וסימניך (שמעו נא אחיי ורעיי).
With regard to Rabbi Yosei of Hutzal, it was taught: The Yosef of Hutzal mentioned in other places in the Gemara is the same person as Yosef the Babylonian. Yosef is the full name of Yosei. Furthermore, he is also known as Isi ben Gur Arye, he is Isi ben Yehuda, he is Isi ben Gamliel, and he is Isi ben Mahalalel. And what is his real name? His real name is Isi ben Akavya.
Similarly, the Sage Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Tavla is also known as Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Ḥakla, who is Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Ela. These are two cases of one Sage with several names.
This phenomenon adds to the already quite complex task of analyzing names in the Talmud.
[1] These sources are cited by Mandel, see there at length. Esp. pp. 112-113. And see there, p. 129 f. 34 an interesting speculation on the original name and etymology of Kidor. On this story, see also Inbar, “Diyuk”, at length. For biblgiography, see my main paper.
[2] See Shamma Friedman’s article in ואלה השמות on this entire topic. Ornstein discusses specific examples in a number of places. See also the many examples in Levin, “Midrashei”. See also R’ Ahikam Kashet’s קובץ יסודות וחקירות, section לשיטתם. See Inbar, “Diyuk”, p. 15, on the Biblical names Saul and Ish-Bosheth/Mephibosheth, and the Talmudic name R’ Yirmiyah.