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A name is to us a matter of convenience; to the Hebrews it was a solemn and sacred thing. Our names are short and simple, and generally meaningless. Bible names are thought-fossils, rich in memories of the past. We often designate our streets by the letters of the alphabet, we distinguish our houses by Arabic numerals, and in large bodies of men we distinguish one from another by placing numbers on their caps or badges. The number on the house has nothing to do with the size or location of the dwelling; the number on the cap or badge tells nothing of the brain or heart beneath. But the old Hebrews would have thought it sacrilegious to give names in such careless fashion. Their names of places were often given altar solemn thought and prayer. Historical records were few. The name must contain the history of the past and embody the sublimest hopes of the future. The name Bethel, or "House of God," recalled to every Jew the night when Jacob slept on his stony pillow, and the word Meribah, or "bitterness," commemorated in the mind of every Jewish boy the murmuring and rebellion in the wilderness.

(W. P. Faunce.)

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KJV: Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:

WEB: Now these were the sons of David, who were born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second, Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess;