Nimrod The Hunter

Q

I’ve recently comes across 2 people who are naming their babies ‘Hunter’. Doesn’t this mean Nimrod? And aren’t they cursing their babies? Now my nephew wants to name his son Hunter. There is still time for him to change his mind, so I would really appreciate your opinion.

A

According to Genesis 10:9 Nimrod was a hunter, but his name does not mean hunter. Nimrod was a foreign word (not Hebrew) that could mean rebel or valiant, depending on its use. It appears 4 times in the Bible, all in reference to the man by that name. The Hebrew word for hunter is tsayid. Therefore the English name Hunter is not derived from the Hebrew name Nimrod.

In any case, no matter what name your nephew chooses for his child, it will not bring a curse on him. There’s no Biblical support for the idea that certain names automatically curse the ones to whom they’re given. This is just a superstition.